IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v181y2022ics0040162522002992.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

When technology leads social business: Food truck innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Lichy, Jessica
  • Dutot, Vincent
  • Kachour, Maher

Abstract

As restaurants and other non-essential businesses shut down to halt the spread of COVID-19, food-trucks adapted their business model, taking advantage of lower overheads and the ability to be mobile, to provide a response to the spike in demand for ready-made food. Set in France, this study identifies how food-trucks harnessed technology to support sustainable social business. We use triangulation to collect and analyse data from consumers and food-truck owners/managers on their perceptions of the value proposition and its limitations. Framed by the lockdown, we unpack the challenges faced by society and investigate ways in which food-trucks provide a sustainable alternative for eating out. We contribute to theory on social business and social innovation by acknowledging the socio-technical synergy existing in the specific context of food-trucks. The study acknowledges social equation as a key success element and validates the principles of social business in a new context.

Suggested Citation

  • Lichy, Jessica & Dutot, Vincent & Kachour, Maher, 2022. "When technology leads social business: Food truck innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:181:y:2022:i:c:s0040162522002992
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121775
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162522002992
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121775?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vinciane Servantie & Thierry Verstraete, 2012. "Lecture des entreprises à internationalisation précoce et rapide par le Business Model," Revue de l'Entrepreneuriat, De Boeck Université, vol. 11(3), pages 55-83.
    2. Christian Erzberger & Gerald Prein, 1997. "Triangulation: Validity and empirically-based hypothesis construction," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 141-154, May.
    3. Bertrand Moingeon & Muhammad Yunus & Laurence Lehmann-Ortega, 2010. "Building Social Business Models: Lessons from the Grameen Experience," Post-Print hal-00528385, HAL.
    4. Nina Martin, 2014. "Food fight! Immigrant Street Vendors, Gourmet Food Trucks and the Differential Valuation of Creative Producers in Chicago," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1867-1883, September.
    5. Johanna Mair & Ignasi Marti, 2006. "Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Source of Explanation, Prediction, and Delight," Post-Print hal-02311880, HAL.
    6. Cajaiba-Santana, Giovany, 2014. "Social innovation: Moving the field forward. A conceptual framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 42-51.
    7. Gerbens-Leenes, P. W. & Moll, H. C. & Schoot Uiterkamp, A. J. M., 2003. "Design and development of a measuring method for environmental sustainability in food production systems," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 231-248, September.
    8. Henry Chesbrough & Richard S. Rosenbloom, 2002. "The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation: evidence from Xerox Corporation's technology spin-off companies," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 11(3), pages 529-555, June.
    9. Jakomijn van Wijk & Charlene Zietsma & Silvia Dorado & Frank de Bakker & Ignasi Marti, 2018. "Social Innovation: Integrating Micro, Meso, and Macro Level Insights From Institutional Theory," Post-Print hal-02570915, HAL.
    10. Geoff Mulgan, 2012. "The Theoretical Foundations of Social Innovation," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Alex Nicholls & Alex Murdock (ed.), Social Innovation, chapter 1, pages 33-65, Palgrave Macmillan.
    11. Yoo, Sunbin & Managi, Shunsuke, 2020. "Global mortality benefits of COVID-19 action," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    12. Daniele Eckert Matzembacher & Rogério Leite Gonzales & Carlos S. V. Saldanha, 2019. "Can street entrepreneurs be Schumpeterian entrepreneurs? The case of food trucks as family firms in an emerging country," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 9(1), pages 1-24, December.
    13. Ginette Wessel, 2012. "From Place to NonPlace: A Case Study of Social Media and Contemporary Food Trucks," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 511-531.
    14. Kyeongheui Kim & Meng Zhang & Xiuping Li, 2008. "Effects of Temporal and Social Distance on Consumer Evaluations," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 35(4), pages 706-713, August.
    15. Anenberg, Elliot & Kung, Edward, 2015. "Information technology and product variety in the city: The case of food trucks," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 60-78.
    16. Bayuo, Blaise Booponoyeng & Chaminade, Cristina & Göransson, Bo, 2020. "Unpacking the role of universities in the emergence, development and impact of social innovations – A systematic review of the literature," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    17. Mair, Johanna & Martí, Ignasi, 2006. "Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 36-44, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maria Rosa De Giacomo & Raimund Bleischwitz, 2020. "Business models for environmental sustainability: Contemporary shortcomings and some perspectives," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3352-3369, December.
    2. Weerawardena, Jay & Salunke, Sandeep & Haigh, Nardia & Sullivan Mort, Gillian, 2021. "Business model innovation in social purpose organizations: Conceptualizing dual social-economic value creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 762-771.
    3. Wenyuan Li & Mohammed Abubakari Sadick & Abdul-Aziz Ibn Musah & Salisu Mustapha, 2018. "The Moderating Effect of Social Innovation in Perspectives of Shared Value Creation in the Educational Sector of Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-26, November.
    4. Giuseppina Maria Cardella & Brizeida Raquel Hernández-Sánchez & Alcides Almeida Monteiro & José Carlos Sánchez-García, 2021. "Social Entrepreneurship Research: Intellectual Structures and Future Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-21, July.
    5. John Hagedoorn & Helen Haugh & Paul Robson & Kate Sugar, 2023. "Social innovation, goal orientation, and openness: insights from social enterprise hybrids," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 173-198, January.
    6. Yunjeong Kim & Hannah Jun, 2022. "Exploring Technology Innovation Factors, Government Support and Performance of Development-Related Social Enterprises: Evidence from South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    7. Iuliu Marin IVANESCU & Camelia M. GHEORGHE & Gina Gilet SZTRUTEN, 2013. "Social Entrepreneurship In Eu Region," Romanian Economic Business Review, Romanian-American University, vol. 8(4.1), pages 416-426, december.
    8. Md. Faisal Ibne Wali & Abdul Hannan Chowdhury & Khan Muhammad Saqiful Alam & Muhammad Maruf Ibne Wali & Mohibul Islam, 2014. "Collaborative Education: New Frontier For Future Education And Yunus Social Business," Business Education and Accreditation, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 6(1), pages 101-110.
    9. Ahmed, Tanvir & D'Souza, Clare & Ahmed, Rafiuddin & Nanere, Marthin & Khashru, Amir, 2021. "Unpacking microlevel social-purpose organisation in a less affluent economy: The cases of type 2 social business," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 621-629.
    10. Karina Cagarman & Jan Kratzer & Katharina Osbelt, 2020. "Social Entrepreneurship: Dissection of a Phenomenon through a German Lens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    11. Yevgeniy Popov, 2018. "Econotronics," Economy of region, Centre for Economic Security, Institute of Economics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 1(1), pages 13-28.
    12. Samantha Sharpe & Renu Agarwal, 2014. "Strengthening Industrial Ecology’s Links with Business Studies: Insights and Potential Contributions from the Innovation and Business Models Literature," Resources, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-21, March.
    13. Dominik Fischer, 2019. "Relational Leadership And Regional Development: A Case Study On New Agriculture Ventures In Uganda," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 24(02), pages 1-33, June.
    14. Simon Joncourt & Heiko Gebauer & Javier Reynoso & Karla Cabrera & Ana Valdes & Katharina Greve, 2019. "Extending the Base-of-the-Pyramid Concept," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(3), pages 241-261, October.
    15. Giacomo Ciambotti & Matteo Pedrini, 2021. "Hybrid Harvesting Strategies to Overcome Resource Constraints: Evidence from Social Enterprises in Kenya," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 631-650, January.
    16. Kai Hockerts, 2017. "Determinants of Social Entrepreneurial Intentions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 105-130, January.
    17. Bhatt, Punita & Ahmad, Ali J. & Roomi, Muhammad Azam, 2016. "Social innovation with open source software: User engagement and development challenges in India," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 52, pages 28-39.
    18. Subhanjan Sengupta & Arunaditya Sahay & Francesca Croce, 2018. "Conceptualizing social entrepreneurship in the context of emerging economies: an integrative review of past research from BRIICS," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 771-803, December.
    19. Scheidgen, Katharina & Gümüsay, Ali Aslan & Günzel-Jensen, Franziska & Krlev, Gorgi & Wolf, Miriam, 2021. "Crises and entrepreneurial opportunities: Digital social innovation in response to physical distancing," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 15(C).
    20. Kuratko, Donald F. & McMullen, Jeffery S. & Hornsby, Jeffrey S. & Jackson, Chad, 2017. "Is your organization conducive to the continuous creation of social value? Toward a social corporate entrepreneurship scale," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 271-283.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:181:y:2022:i:c:s0040162522002992. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.