| Abstract | B Lab is a non-profit organization that has called together a coalition of social enterprises known as B Corporations and asked them to help redefine what success means in the business world. This thesis is an exploratory study of B Corporations and their role as social enterprises in the corporate social responsibility movement. The objective of this study is to add to the discussion of B Corporations and social enterprises by aggregating current research surrounding social corporate responsibility, social enterprises, corporate law, and their relationship in the context of B Corporations. Data was also collected through prior research, interviews, and publications in order to examine three case studies of current B Corporations and provide insight surrounding key issues and lessons learned by the B community. This study found that Benefit Corporations have the potential to be just as, if not more, successful than their traditional counterparts. However, in order for the B community to continue growing and be sustainable, they will have to find ways to overcome two major overarching issues pertaining to incurring additional costs beyond those of a traditional corporation and to develop more accurate ways to assess social and environmental impacts. |
