Flourishing on the edge : Whale Watch Kaikoura, an indigenous sustainable business

Abstract

Whale Watch Kaikoura (WWK) provides an example of a sustainable business embracing a quadruple bottom line of economic, environmental, social and cultural wealth creation. It also shows how indigenous enterprise can enable social transformation. With a track record of phenomenal success WWK now has plans to develop a significant hotel and virtual whale tourism centre. However this has become a focal point for opposition that WWK is now facing from a number of stakeholders concerned about negative impacts of growth. The Chairman must respond to these stakeholder concerns by demonstrating a sustainable way forward. The case facilitates analysis between a student’s familiar territory of mainstream business (with its typical single bottom line focus on profit maximisation) and the contrast with sustainable business (with its quadruple bottom line focus). Includes questions for dicussion. NOTE: This case study is also available with teaching notes from the University of Auckland Business Case Centre, Case Number: UA-2005-028