Abstract:
First Respond is a for-profit Chinese social enterprise focused on developing emergency services with the mission of making China a safer place. In China, there is a severe lack of first aid awareness and systems, and to fill this gap, First Respond delivers first aid training, products and services, and solutions to both businesses and individuals in the private and public sectors. They also provide in-race first aid service for marathons. Looking to the future, key challenges include how to most effectively communicate their social mission to stakeholders and how to best sell their products and services in China, a market with a number of institutional barriers to public safety.
Note: This is the Chinese version of the case.
Learning Objective:
1) Understand the challenges of being a for-profit social enterprise, especially in emerging market contexts like China.
2) How to enact change in a large and intractable social/political system, especially through engaging public and private stakeholders.