Appalachian By Design: lessons on creating social value

Purpose – There has been great interest in social enterprise as an innovative response to challenging social problems, where mission and market are intertwined in a hybrid organization. The purpose of this paper is to provide students with a rich learning experience about social enterprises and how a social entrepreneur balances the double bottom line while trying to create social value. Design/methodology/approach – The teaching case study was developed using personal interviews with the founder, board of directors and employees of the organization, observations and materials from the organization. Findings – The findings from the field show that it is one thing to design a social enterprise that fulfils a social mission, quite another to make it sustainable. At the end of the 2005, the founder of Appalachian By Design (ABD), Diane Browning was faced with the difficult task of improving the financial condition to save the organization. The epilogue and detailed teaching notes provides insights into the impact of the organization on creating job opportunities for rural women in a shifting global economy. Practical implications – This longitudinal descriptive case study provides social enterprises with the lessons learned and raises questions that all social entrepreneurs face when developing a social enterprise. The case provides a detailed analysis of the organization development and sustainability which will assist social entrepreneurs in addressing these issues early in the organizations development. Originality/value – The value of the case of Appalachian By Design to the field is providing a robust analysis of the issues facing social enterprises and building a business model that sustains social value.