Eden Project Case Study
Eden Project Case Study
Introduction to Eden
Eden Project is one of the largest greenhouses in the world, it is a top Cornwall’s tourist attraction and an educational charity that attracts millions of tourist every year to come and see an outstanding collection of plants placed inside huge artificial biomes. Eden Project is not only a popular tourist attraction, it is a social enterprise that aims to “inspire people to go on a journey of discovery about the kind of society we want to live” (Eden Project, 2011). The Eden Project was constructed in a 160-year old fatigued china clay mine in Cornwall and the original idea came from Tim Smit, who decided to do everything in his will in order to involve people in creation of this project. His efforts paid off as after 2.5 years of development, on 17 March 2001, the world’s largest greenhouse was opened attracting 1.7 million visitors in their first year (cornwall-calling.co.uk, 2006).
The success and reputation of this organisation as well as its great cause make it an attractive topic of investigation. Therefore the purpose of this report is to explore the nature of Eden Project as a social enterprise organisation, considering its approach to measure their value and effectiveness in terms of their triple bottom line. The second part will investigate into the organisation working as an open system, looking into their aims and objectives and how they interact with the external environment. Additionally, the report will also access Tim Smit’s management style, focusing on how it has contributed into the major success of the organisation and also limited it at the same time.
Eden as a Social Enterprise organisation
Social Enterprises (SE) are businesses trading to tackle social problems, improve communities, people’s life chances and the environment. This might be a similar description to a charity, but social enterprises are business and they operate for profit and when they profit – the society profits
Introduction to Eden
Eden Project is one of the largest greenhouses in the world, it is a top Cornwall’s tourist attraction and an educational charity that attracts millions of tourist every year to come and see an outstanding collection of plants placed inside huge artificial biomes. Eden Project is not only a popular tourist attraction, it is a social enterprise that aims to “inspire people to go on a journey of discovery about the kind of society we want to live” (Eden Project, 2011). The Eden Project was constructed in a 160-year old fatigued china clay mine in Cornwall and the original idea came from Tim Smit, who decided to do everything in his will in order to involve people in creation of this project. His efforts paid off as after 2.5 years of development, on 17 March 2001, the world’s largest greenhouse was opened attracting 1.7 million visitors in their first year (cornwall-calling.co.uk, 2006).
The success and reputation of this organisation as well as its great cause make it an attractive topic of investigation. Therefore the purpose of this report is to explore the nature of Eden Project as a social enterprise organisation, considering its approach to measure their value and effectiveness in terms of their triple bottom line. The second part will investigate into the organisation working as an open system, looking into their aims and objectives and how they interact with the external environment. Additionally, the report will also access Tim Smit’s management style, focusing on how it has contributed into the major success of the organisation and also limited it at the same time.
Eden as a Social Enterprise organisation
Social Enterprises (SE) are businesses trading to tackle social problems, improve communities, people’s life chances and the environment. This might be a similar description to a charity, but social enterprises are business and they operate for profit and when they profit – the society profits