How recently created micro-enterprises can progress and achieve sustainable performances ? A business case of the micro-enterprise Skills for Life - Ltd Starter.

Abstract

Skills for Life Ltd-Starter is a start-up company specialized in the student coaching – a social business - and created in 2014. This master thesis intends to provide recommendations for a sustainable future that enables the business to be pursued and make it more profitable, sustainable and relevant in the eyes of its customers. In order to do so, the thesis will consider three steps.

First, a business model will be detailed to better understand the current business actions, resources and costs. One considers several aspects of business performances to get an enhanced view of the company and its environment.

Secondly, a 360° diagnosis will be made to identify the core strengths and the vision about the preferred future after application of the appreciative inquiry techniques. In order to avoid the agency problem – the vision considers the owner and the manager perspectives separately and reconciles them already in the formulation.

Next, strategic options will be evaluated and chosen in the optic of a sustainable perspective. The financial techniques related to budgeting and balanced scorecards will be defined to realize the desired changes of the company and become successful in the implementation of the change within the organization.