Christian Schmidkonz

Putting Conscious Business Into Context

The second chapter comprises the theoretical foundation for conscious businesses. At first, essential terms are defined to clarify the terminology and contextual direction of the concept conscious business. Key characteristics represent an essential aspect of this chapter as they offer a practical view regarding organizational behavior and development within a complex economic system. Corporate social responsibility is often associated with conscious businesses and represents a misleading direction. Therefore, this chapter addresses fundamental differences between various concepts such as B Corporations or the Economy for the Common Good. Conscious businesses operate within existing markets and complex economic systems. Hence, economic and social drivers are outlined to clarify major forces behind the movement. In addition, the second chapter provides an overview regarding the used research framework. The framework itself is split into four major components that are defined as higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious culture, conscious leadership and linked aspects such as an organization’s business direction. Each aspect is illustrated by describing the activities of four distinct businesses (Whole Foods Market, Zappos, Southwest Airlines and LinkedIn).

Research Framework for the German Case Studies

The research methodology chapter covers essential aspects regarding the study design, measuring instrument, quality criteria sample design and the study conduct. The explorative character of the study is reflected by its approach to focus on qualitative data. Hence, this chapter covers the procedure of the used qualitative content analysis method in detail. In order to create a high degree of transparency, the data collection and evaluation process is described in depth.

Case Studies: Conscious Business in Germany

The fourth chapter embodies the empirical core of the book. The case studies cover four German businesses which differ in size, ownership and industry. The GLS Bank, VAUDE, dm drogerie markt and Polarstern are assessed regarding their application of conscious business principles. The assessment is based on the insights from Chap. 2 and the research methodology from Chap. 3 to combine a holistic theoretical foundation with structures research methodologies. The companies are portrayed based on the framework from Sect. 2.7 to establish a high degree of comparable data. With reference to the individuality of each business, the case studies offer additional information beyond the research framework to best describe the respective direction of each company. Qualitative and quantitative data are combined within every case to ensure a holistic view. Based on the findings, every case summarizes the key aspects of applied conscious business principles and connects the results with insights from Chap. 2.

Discussion, Indications and Conclusion

The fifth chapter combines key elements from the previous sections in a discussion, indications for future research and an overall conclusion. The discussion offers the reader a revision of key insights from Chap. 4 with a link to the theoretical foundation from Chap. 2. The hypotheses from Sect. 2.8 are evaluated based on the insights from the case studies and further information from other research sources. The suggestions for future research put an emphasis on company ownership and leadership as these aspects emerged as distinct areas for further investigation. The final conclusion summarizes the key findings regarding the current situation of conscious business practices in Germany and outlines a likely future development for the concept.