IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/corsem/v29y2022i4p1084-1095.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Fund managers acting as impact investors: Strategies, practices, and tensions

Author

Listed:
  • Federica Bandini
  • Helen Chiappini
  • Francesca Pallara

Abstract

Using a multi case‐study analysis, we shed light on the strategies, practices, and tensions of fund managers acting as impact investors. Results show that while some fund managers experience tension between the social and financial aspects of specific, although relevant, components of the business model, other fund managers experience challenges throughout the business model. The governance component emerges as the most relevant issue and this may help explain why impact washing is a key topic in the impact investing discussion. Relevant implications for practitioners and policy makers are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Federica Bandini & Helen Chiappini & Francesca Pallara, 2022. "Fund managers acting as impact investors: Strategies, practices, and tensions," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 1084-1095, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:29:y:2022:i:4:p:1084-1095
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.2255
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2255
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/csr.2255?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Toyah L. Miller & Curtis L. Wesley II, 2010. "Assessing Mission and Resources for Social Change: An Organizational Identity Perspective on Social Venture Capitalists‘ Decision Criteria," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(4), pages 705-733, July.
    2. Philip Roundy & Hunter Holzhauer & Ye Dai, 2017. "Finance or philanthropy? Exploring the motivations and criteria of impact investors," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(3), pages 491-512, August.
    3. Suzanne Findlay & Michael Moran, 2018. "Purpose-washing of impact investing funds: motivations, occurrence and prevention," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(7), pages 853-873, November.
    4. Patrizia Gazzola & Daniele Grechi & Paola Ossola & Enrica Pavione, 2019. "Certified Benefit Corporations as a new way to make sustainable business: The Italian example," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1435-1445, November.
    5. Mauro Sciarelli & Mario Tani & Giovanni Landi & Lorenzo Turriziani, 2020. "CSR perception and financial performance: Evidences from Italian and UK asset management companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 841-851, March.
    6. Eleonora Broccardo & Maria Mazzuca & Maria Laura Frigotto, 2020. "Social impact bonds: The evolution of research and a review of the academic literature," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1316-1332, May.
    7. Mario La Torre & Annarita Trotta & Helen Chiappini & Alessandro Rizzello, 2019. "Business Models for Sustainable Finance: The Case Study of Social Impact Bonds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-23, March.
    8. Stefan Gold & Ilma Nur Chowdhury & Fahian Anisul Huq & Kristin Heinemann, 2020. "Social business collaboration at the bottom of the pyramid: The case of orchestration," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 262-275, January.
    9. Helen Chiappini, 2017. "Social Impact Funds," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-319-55260-6, December.
    10. Irene Bengo & Alice Borrello & Veronica Chiodo, 2021. "Preserving the Integrity of Social Impact Investing: Towards a Distinctive Implementation Strategy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.
    11. Roger Spear & Eric Bidet, 2005. "Social enterprise for work integration in 12 european countries: a descriptive analysis," Post-Print hal-02319198, HAL.
    12. Susan D. Phillips & Bernadette Johnson, 2021. "Inching to Impact: The Demand Side of Social Impact Investing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 615-629, January.
    13. Stefan Schaltegger & Florian Lüdeke-Freund & Erik G. Hansen, 2012. "Business cases for sustainability: the role of business model innovation for corporate sustainability," International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 6(2), pages 95-119.
    14. Anna Höchstädter & Barbara Scheck, 2015. "What’s in a Name: An Analysis of Impact Investing Understandings by Academics and Practitioners," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 449-475, December.
    15. Wendy Stubbs, 2019. "Strategies, practices, and tensions in managing business model innovation for sustainability: The case of an Australian BCorp," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(5), pages 1063-1072, September.
    16. Block, Joern H. & Hirschmann, Mirko & Fisch, Christian, 2021. "Which criteria matter when impact investors screen social enterprises?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    17. Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen & Wencke Gwozdz & Kerli Kant Hvass, 2018. "Exploring the Relationship Between Business Model Innovation, Corporate Sustainability, and Organisational Values within the Fashion Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 267-284, May.
    18. Giorgia Nigri & Mara Del Baldo & Armando Agulini, 2020. "Governance and accountability models in Italian certified benefit corporations," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2368-2380, September.
    19. Roger Spear & Eric Bidet, 2005. "Social enterprise for work integration in 12 european countries: a descriptive analysis," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(2), pages 195-231, June.
    20. Renneboog, Luc & Ter Horst, Jenke & Zhang, Chendi, 2008. "Socially responsible investments: Institutional aspects, performance, and investor behavior," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1723-1742, September.
    21. Alberto Peralta & Javier Carrillo‐Hermosilla & Fernando Crecente, 2019. "Sustainable business model innovation and acceptance of its practices among Spanish entrepreneurs," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(5), pages 1119-1134, September.
    22. Felipe Arias Fogliano de Souza Cunha & Erick Meira de Oliveira & Renato J. Orsato & Marcelo Cabus Klotzle & Fernando Luiz Cyrino Oliveira & Rodrigo Goyannes Gusmão Caiado, 2020. "Can sustainable investments outperform traditional benchmarks? Evidence from global stock markets," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 682-697, February.
    23. Vincenzo D'Apice & Giovanni Ferri & Mariantonietta Intonti, 2021. "Sustainable disclosure versus ESG intensity: Is there a cross effect between holding and SRI funds?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1496-1510, September.
    24. Mariarosa Scarlata & Jennifer Walske & Andrew Zacharakis, 2017. "Ingredients Matter: How the Human Capital of Philanthropic and Traditional Venture Capital Differs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 623-635, October.
    25. Beattie, Vivien & Smith, Sarah Jane, 2013. "Value creation and business models: Refocusing the intellectual capital debate," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 243-254.
    26. Scognamiglio, Elisabetta & Di Lorenzo, Emilia & Sibillo, Marilena & Trotta, Annarita, 2019. "Social uncertainty evaluation in Social Impact Bonds: Review and framework," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 40-56.
    27. Marguerite Mendell & Erica Barbosa, 2013. "Impact investing: a preliminary analysis of emergent primary and secondary exchange platforms," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 111-123, April.
    28. Piera Centobelli & Roberto Cerchione & Davide Chiaroni & Pasquale Del Vecchio & Andrea Urbinati, 2020. "Designing business models in circular economy: A systematic literature review and research agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 1734-1749, May.
    29. Giuliana Birindelli & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2019. "The impact of women leaders on environmental performance: Evidence on gender diversity in banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1485-1499, November.
    30. Rodrigo Lozano, 2018. "Sustainable business models: Providing a more holistic perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1159-1166, December.
    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. Syrus M. Islam, 2022. "Impact investing in social sector organisations: a systematic review and research agenda," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 709-737, March.
    2. Maurizio Massaro & Francesca Dal Mas & Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour & Carlo Bagnoli, 2020. "Crypto‐economy and new sustainable business models: Reflections and projections using a case study analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2150-2160, September.
    3. Nadia Preghenella & Cinzia Battistella, 2021. "Exploring business models for sustainability: A bibliographic investigation of the literature and future research directions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2505-2522, July.
    4. Irene Bengo & Alice Borrello & Veronica Chiodo, 2021. "Preserving the Integrity of Social Impact Investing: Towards a Distinctive Implementation Strategy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.
    5. Leonardo Boni & Laura Toschi & Riccardo Fini, 2021. "Investors’ Aspirations toward Social Impact: A Portfolio-Based Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Irene Bengo & Leonardo Boni & Alessandro Sancino, 2022. "EU financial regulations and social impact measurement practices: A comprehensive framework on finance for sustainable development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 809-819, July.
    7. Giovanna Attanasio & Nadia Preghenella & Alberto Felice De Toni & Cinzia Battistella, 2022. "Stakeholder engagement in business models for sustainability: The stakeholder value flow model for sustainable development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 860-874, March.
    8. Shome, Samik & Hassan, M. Kabir & Verma, Sushma & Panigrahi, Tushar Ranjan, 2023. "Impact investment for sustainable development: A bibliometric analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 770-800.
    9. Tae Jun Bae & James O. Fiet, 2023. "Intra-Stakeholder Heterogeneity Perspective on the Hybridity of Competing Institutional Logics for Social Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-18, February.
    10. Mario La Torre & Helen Chiappini (ed.), 2020. "Contemporary Issues in Sustainable Finance," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-030-40248-8, December.
    11. 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.
    12. José Luis Miralles-Quirós & María Mar Miralles-Quirós & José Manuel Nogueira, 2020. "Sustainable Development Goals and Investment Strategies: The Profitability of Using Five-Factor Fama-French Alphas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, February.
    13. Dhir, Amandeep & Khan, Sher Jahan & Islam, Nazrul & Ractham, Peter & Meenakshi, N., 2023. "Drivers of sustainable business model innovations. An upper echelon theory perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    14. Théophile Anquetin & Guillaume Coqueret & Bertrand Tavin & Lou Welgryn, 2022. "Scopes of carbon emissions and their impact on green portfolios," Post-Print hal-04144612, HAL.
    15. Ida K. Rovanto & Anu Bask, 2021. "Systemic circular business model application at the company, supply chain and society levels—A view into circular economy native and adopter companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1153-1173, February.
    16. Silvia Blasi & Silvia Rita Sedita, 2022. "Mapping the emergence of a new organisational form: An exploration of the intellectual structure of the B Corp research," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(1), pages 107-123, January.
    17. Massimo Biasin & Roy Cerqueti & Emanuela Giacomini & Nicoletta Marinelli & Anna Grazia Quaranta & Luca Riccetti, 2019. "Macro Asset Allocation with Social Impact Investments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-19, June.
    18. Mariano Méndez-Suárez & Abel Monfort & Fernando Gallardo, 2020. "Sustainable Banking: New Forms of Investing under the Umbrella of the 2030 Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, March.
    19. José Luis Miralles-Quirós & María Mar Miralles-Quirós, 2020. "Who Knocks on the Door of Portfolio Performance Heaven: Sinner or Saint Investors?," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-18, November.
    20. Koenigsmarck, Markus & Geissdoerfer, Martin, 2023. "Shifting the Focus to Measurement: A Review of Socially Responsible Investing and Sustainability Indicators," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 136617, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:corsem:v:29:y:2022:i:4:p:1084-1095. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1535-3966 .

    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.