engleski

Business Innovation Discovery with a Social Impact by Croatian Business Students through Appreciative Inquiry Methodology

Our paper demonstrates Croatian business students’ engagement in an international contest AIM2flourish where we research business innovations with a social impact. Three business innovations are highlighted in order to provide insight into main characteristics of a business innovation together with environmental and social value. Appreciative inquiry was used as a research methodology. Students were empowered together with local business in Croatia. AIM2flourish project was presented at several courses at the Faculty of Economics University of Split and students were invited to apply. We conducted first appreciative inquiry with the interested students in order to give them the overview of how appreciative inquiry is conducted. Business students performed appreciative inquiry within the local business community and in-depth researched 3 companies. AIM2flourish exercise enabled insight into productive business community of Split region, Croatia. Students gained pride of their local community and got to know personally some of the successful managers in the local community. Establishing a dialogue with the business owners and managers proved to be the critical component for a successfully conducted AIM2flourish of our students. We establish that it is necessary to prepare the students well so that they are self- confident and curious in researching a personal story of businessmen, business model, business innovation and managerial context.

appreciative inquiry, change management, sustainable leadership, management education keyword

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