JOURNAL OF APPLIED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Café Imports Case Study – Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage Through Principled Entrepreneurship
Author(s): Jay Ebben, Alec Johnson
Citation: Jay Ebben, Alec Johnson, (2021) "Café Imports Case Study – Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage Through Principled Entrepreneurship," Journal of Applied Business and Economics, Vol. 23, Iss.4, pp. 1-18
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
This case study was written to illustrate how a for-profit company can build sustainable competitive advantages via principled entrepreneurship. The case follows a recent college graduate’s journey at a mission-driven coffee importer and asks students to analyze how he developed strategic initiatives that align with the company’s core values. The case leaves students with three main perspectives: 1) Pursuit of the common good is not limited to not-for-profit firms; 2) Entrepreneurial firms do not need to sacrifice their core values in order to compete; and 3) Core values should be considered in commonly-used analysis frameworks such as Porter’s Five Forces.