The Creation of Social Enterprises: Some Lessons from Lebanon

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Lanteri
2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 5043
Author(s):  
Beata Jalocha ◽  
Ewa Bogacz-Wojtanowska

In Europe, we are witnessing a growth in the social economy sector, i.e. in socio – economic organizations, which belong neither to the traditional for profit sector (market economy) nor to the public sector (government) (Deforuny, 2001; Young, 2007) - they rather act at the interface of civil society and markets (Jäger, 2010). The main goal of these organizations, called social enterprises or social business, is doing business for socially useful purposes. These initiatives may take the form of traditional Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), like foundations and associations, as well as new kinds of organizations for example social cooperatives, partnerships, funds.Social economy is situated between public and business sphere of administration and combines both, social objectives and the ones profit-oriented. Social entrepreneurship is unquestionably a desirable feature of social economy understood as reaching planned economic objectives with the use of available resources. Another feature comprises in using involvement and creativity of excluded persons and thus, solving social problems, among others, structural unemployment and disadvantage of social minorities as well as strengthening democratic processes, bottom-up social initiatives etc. Achieving objectives, both social and economic, requires using modern management instruments and methods.All of the above mentioned organizations or ventures, which achieve their local, social or ethical mission and goals using methods adopted from the business sector (Defourny, Hulgard, Pestoff, eds.2014). One of these methods is project management. The whole sector of social economy, both in Poland and in Europe, is strongly influenced by projectification process: a lot of the activities are performed in the form of projects. For last ten years projectification of social non-governmental sector as well as the economy sector in Poland was reinforced by EU’s funding stream – hundreds of co-funded projects, which aimed at increasing the level of development and improving the condition of social economy, were implemented. Some of these projects have resulted in the creation of durable, dynamically operating social enterprises, and some of them did not produce any long-term results. In case of successful projects, we can observe an unusual effect of projectification process: the creation of permanent structures, sustainable social economy organizations through the implementation of projects.Although we can identify examples of interesting research on impact of project work on NGOs (Brière, Proulx, Navaro, & Laporte, 2015); Golini, Kalchschmidt, Landoni, 2015) or critical success factors of non-governmental projects (Khang & Moe, 2008), there is a research gap which we would like to address in this paper: lack of research on project management best practices in social enterprises. Thus, the main research question we would like to investigate in the paper is: What are the factors that lead to creation of durable, permanent social economy enterprises from projects?This paper draws on set of qualitative data from broader research on social economy sector conducted in Poland in years 2011-2013 by researchers from the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). For the purpose of this paper we have conducted multiple case study analysis and analysed 36 case studies of existing social enterprises. One of our research goals was to find out, which factors are critical in the process of creation durable social enterprises from projects. Also, we wanted to understand how projectification, influenced strongly by the EU policies, changes the landscape of social enterprises in Poland and helps them achieve success.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 376-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria L. Granados ◽  
Souad Mohamed ◽  
Vlatka Hlupic

Purpose This paper aims to explore what social enterprises (SEs) in the UK know and how they acquire, convert, apply and protect this knowledge. This will enable them to manage their knowledge effectively and, hence, improve their practices and maximise the creation of social, environmental and economic value. Design/methodology/approach This study follows a qualitative approach, comprising 21 interviews with founders and senior members of SEs in the UK. Findings The results show that the investigated SEs have knowledge management (KM) practices similar to the already identified in SMEs, associated with informality, reliance on external sources and focus on socialisation activities, but they have unique challenges on managing their knowledge related to their hybrid mission, to include social and economic objectives and their closed relationship with stakeholders. Research limitations/implications As there is limited research on KM practices in SEs; they were defined based on previous studies in large, private and public companies. Therefore, not all practices may be included. This research is a starting point in the study of KM in SEs. Practical implications This study identifies knowledge activities that enable the creation of social, environmental and economic value in SEs. This allows SEs, small firms and non-profit organisations to review their current practices and develop plans for their further improvement. Originality/value This paper is one of the first empirical studies exploring KM practices in SEs, highlighting their informal nature as well as their impact in and on the enterprise.


Author(s):  
Etayankara Muralidharan ◽  
Saurav Pathak

Using insights from institutional theory, the chapter proposes understanding ethics as national institutions that deeply influence social entrepreneurship. Moreover, the chapter proposes that low behavioral ethical standards (normative ethical institutions) provide opportunities for individuals to establish social enterprises. Furthermore, it proposes that high public-sector ethical standards (regulatory ethical institutions) and values of unselfishness (cognitive ethical institutions) facilitate and motivate individuals to establish social enterprises. The chapter also explores the combined effects of public-sector ethical standards and low behavioral ethics, public-sector ethical standards and societal unselfishness, and low behavioral ethics and unselfishness, on the creation of social enterprises. The chapter contributes to cross-cultural comparative entrepreneurship by suggesting, through a multilevel framework, the effects of societal-level ethical institutions on the creation of social enterprises.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Ignacio Ortiz Betancourt ◽  
María del Carmen Meza Téllez ◽  
Jorge Samuel Berdón Carrasco ◽  
Leidy Margarita López Castro ◽  
Patricia Margarita Villar Sánchez

The increase in unemployment rates at the international level, as a consequence of the deep financial crisis of the beginning of the 21st century, has caused the labor market to become increasingly restricted, complicating the insertion of a population of productive age. In addition, the lack of employment has exacerbated a series of social problems, including poverty, insecurity, undernourishment, among others, in a large part of Latin America. Therefore, the impulse of social enterprises can contribute to the creation of jobs and combat this problem, generating wellbeing not only within a region but also in others with similar situations, generating an area of opportunity for those social enterprises with an export profile. Based on the above, this paper begins with a documentary research process of specialized literature on social business and later analyzes a group of students' perception on the impact that this model can produce, as well as the limitations for its implementation, through an exploratory and descriptive study, guided by the qualitative approach since a questionnaire of open questions about these topics was used as a research instrument. The answers were analyzed in such a way that similarities and differences could be detected among students' perception. Results shown that the main benefits are the creation of direct jobs in the country of origin and indirect in other markets as well as the emergence of productive chains while among the constraints include ignorance of the export logistics process and tariff rates. Finally, a series of recommendations are proposed in order to strengthen the dissemination of this business model.


2019 ◽  
pp. 743-768
Author(s):  
Piedad Cristina Martinez ◽  
Erick Oswaldo Salazar ◽  
Armando Miguel Buelvas

The objective of this chapter is to explore social inclusion in Peru from a case of social entrepreneurship located in Peru. The main factor associated with social exclusion in Peru is poverty, while the factors associated with social inclusion are advances reached in education, job creation, creation of social enterprises and consolidation of an ecosystem for the creation of companies. The main characteristics of the entrepreneur are the ability to identify context and opportunities, perceived self-efficacy, not fear of achieving their visions and goals, the need to generate social change, the ability to participate in networks and a high level of training. The main characteristics of social entrepreneurship are the creation of social value and innovation, provide a quality service and the benefits granted to its clients, facilitate access to a decent job or the creation of their own company; the access to social security through an employment contract; and salary that may allow them to access the necessary resources to achieve their well-being.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
Marija Magdicheva-Shopova

Social Entrepreneurship is an organized activity aimed at seizing the various opportunities, forms, enterprises and measures in order to create sustainable social values and benefits and employment of persons belonging to marginalized groups of persons, whereby profit is primarily used for employment of socially excluded or vulnerable social groups, as well as to create solutions for the needs and problems in the social community. Modern working conditions force companies to adopt innovative approaches to work in order to make the best use of opportunities. In today's working conditions, and enterprises that perform a certain type of social activity, they face the challenge of continuous monitoring of changes in the operations and successful application of innovations as a prerequisite for growth and development.For the development of social enterprises and social entrepreneurship it is necessary to use the opportunities in the environment and to change certain segments in the organizational systems, to introduce and apply new approaches to sustainable solutions that create a higher social value. The social and professional integration of marginalized workers and other vulnerable groups is one of the possible ways to create a higher social value. The social enterprise, as a legal entity that acts in a particular social economy, is usually not oriented only towards the creation of profits, but it is oriented towards the creation of a social impact by implementing innovative methods for providing goods and services on the market. Differences in the direction of social enterprises and other business enterprises cause differences in the application of innovative management.The aim of this paper is to understand the significance and impact of modern-innovative management for the development of social entrepreneurship and social enterprises in the Republic of Macedonia, as well as emphasizing the need for applying an appropriate methodological approach in creating the necessary management decisions. The subject of research in this paper is focused on perceiving the different business models of social enterprises and the impact of innovative management approach in the development of social enterprises in the Republic of Macedonia.


Management ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-30
Author(s):  
Valeriia G. SHCHERBAK ◽  
Nastia SAVCHUK

Introduction and the aim of the research: in the early stage of the Ukrainian business formation the creation of institutions to provide service and support for small and medium-sized business structures was somehow an end in itself. It slightly depended on actual demands for their services from the side of concrete economic entities. It was considered, that the creation and development of such institutions would lay the foundations of the future integrated market infrastructure of the country. Social entrepreneurship is aimed at finding the effective mechanisms to solve social issues, lessen social tension and initiate the blurring of intersectoral boundaries. Social entrepreneurship is oriented to satisfy the needs of population, and, as a result, is able to perform some state functions while being in regular contact with it. Social and economic researches of specificity and perspectives of social entrepreneurship development in the Ukrainian context are essential for deepening knowledge about this phenome on and creating the necessary empirical base for predicting the vectors of national economic development.Hypothesis of the scientific research is based on the totality of scientific concepts and principles of entrepreneurship development, which give the proof of possibility to increase the effectiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises` activities by the improvement of its support, based on the development and implementation of the adaptive infrastructure model for social entrepreneurship support, using the improved and new mechanisms and institutions.The aim of the research is to systematize and devise the methods of development and support of social entrepreneurship and to reveal its actual possibilities and limitations while accomplishing socially important activities.The methods of the research: general methods of scientific knowledge, such as the methods of synthesis and analysis, methods of generalization and prediction, economic analysis, methods of statistics and cluster analysis, correlation of theoretical and practical aspects of the research.The results of the research: the essence of the category “adaptive infrastructure of small and medium-sized enterprises support” was disclosed in the article. It was based on the comparative characteristics of main approaches to the notion of “adaptivity” with regard to the system of institutions of infrastructural support of small and medium-sized social enterprises activities. Also the conceptual model of formation of adaptive infrastructure of social entrepreneurship support was developed. It takes into account the requirements of all the interested parties, identifies the role and place of social business formations in the system of its institutions.Conclusions: infrastructural support of the entrepreneurial activity it is the system of organization of different types, functional purposes and forms of property, united by the aim to create favorable conditions for the rational management of small and medium-sized entrepreneurial structures at different stages of their development. Considering this system not only as the totality of relations and connections between its elements, but also as an integral object, possessing a range of qualities and characteristics, specified by the properties and qualities of its separate elements and connections between them, we can regard it as the complex adaptive system.


2019 ◽  
pp. 106-129
Author(s):  
Etayankara Muralidharan ◽  
Saurav Pathak

Using insights from institutional theory, the chapter proposes understanding ethics as national institutions that deeply influence social entrepreneurship. Moreover, the chapter proposes that low behavioral ethical standards (normative ethical institutions) provide opportunities for individuals to establish social enterprises. Furthermore, it proposes that high public-sector ethical standards (regulatory ethical institutions) and values of unselfishness (cognitive ethical institutions) facilitate and motivate individuals to establish social enterprises. The chapter also explores the combined effects of public-sector ethical standards and low behavioral ethics, public-sector ethical standards and societal unselfishness, and low behavioral ethics and unselfishness, on the creation of social enterprises. The chapter contributes to cross-cultural comparative entrepreneurship by suggesting, through a multilevel framework, the effects of societal-level ethical institutions on the creation of social enterprises.


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