The role of social enterprises in shaping social bonds

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 830-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Rymsza
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of social enterprises in building social capital and strengthening social bonds. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on the comparative method. The author compares the development of social entrepreneurship of the “old” social economy (born on the turn of nineteenth and twentieth centuries), and of the “new” social economy (developing on the turn of twentieth and twenty-first centuries); and the functioning of social enterprises of two kinds: work integration social enterprises (WISEs) and community-based social enterprises (CBSEs). Moreover, he distinguishes between economic and social re-integration; and reciprocity and vertical inclusion. Findings – The paper presents WISEs and CBSEs as tools of two different activation programmes: WISEs improve the employability of individuals who are marginalized in the labour market, while CBSEs serve as vehicles for the socio-economic development of the marginalized communities and territories. Furthermore, the author clarifies two methods of inclusion: through strengthening horizontal social ties (realized mainly by CBSEs, with their mutuality principle as a basis for building relations between participants) and building vertical social bonds (mainly by WISEs, based on the “inclusion of excluded” formula). Research limitations/implications – The paper stresses the importance of focusing research into social entrepreneurship on the role of social enterprises in shaping social bonds as well as using and producing of social capital of two main types: bonding and bridging. Practical implications – Recommendations for managing social enterprises as hybrid entities. The author argues that the most effective approach (in producing social value-added) is to combine the formula of the re-integration of individuals excluded from the labour market with the efforts to develop the whole local communities from marginalized territories. Originality/value – The author uses sociological perspectives in analysing economic entities and activation policies.

scholarly journals Exploring eudaimonia through meaningful work narratives within work integration social enterprises

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Bilbija ◽  
Jack Stout Rendall
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Meaningful Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Workers ◽  
Professional Employees ◽  
Work Integration ◽  
New Evidence

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide new evidence on the different dimensions of well-being that can occur in work integration social enterprises (WISEs). This study aims to call for a future discussion on the role of meaningful work (MW) and its impact upon well-being beyond satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Explorative interviews were undertaken with professional workers and beneficiaries within a Spanish WISE. These interviews aimed to uncover similarities and differences across aspects of what makes work meaningful to them as workers. Both eudaimonic and hedonic dimensions of well-being were used to analyse the data. Findings Different groups of employees show that professional employees (those working in the WISE, not because of their disadvantages in the labour market) create their narratives based on MW experiences (eudaimonic well-being), whereas beneficiaries (those working in the WISE because of their disadvantages in the labour market) often describe how satisfied they are at work (hedonic). Originality/value The concept of MW within WISEs to achieve well-being for both beneficiaries and professional workers could be enhanced through discussion of the different types of well-being that are being realised in such settings. Engaging with the concept of “eudaimonia” helps the authors to achieve this aim.

Gender-segregated labour spaces and social capital – does context matter?

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 226-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Sheerin ◽  
Caitriona Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Investment Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrd Professionals

Purpose This research aims to explore the role of social capital and specifically networks in role, and career development for women within two very distinct gender-segregated contexts of the labour market, namely, investment management and human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach This research is qualitative in nature, underpinned by an interpretivist philosophical stance. Thematic analysis is used to analyse the findings from 32 in-depth interviews with HR and investment management managers. Findings The findings advance our understanding of social capital and its development as a social process, which differs according to labour market contexts. The results indicate divergence among participants regarding how they access networks as well as the perceived role and benefits of networking and social capital accumulation in their career and personal development. Practical implications For human resource development (HRD) practitioners, there are implications in relation to the need to tailor development and support structures cognisant of the occupational context. Specifically, the findings of this study indicate the acute need to support network access for those “outsider” women in male-dominated spaces. A need to enhance awareness of the benefits of networks to both organisations and employees across the labour market is warranted. For organisations, networks underlie social capital accumulation, which in turn increases efficiency and generates business solutions. For the employee, networks are an important self-development and career advancement tool. Such connections need to be supported and developed. Within patriarchal spaces particularly, HRD professionals need to provide support to women in extending their networks both within and outside the organisation. Originality/value This research makes an essential contribution to the literature by examining the influence of context in the development of social capital within two polarized labour market locations. The findings highlight the difficulties women face when developing social capital in investment management in contrast to the relative ease, which HRM professionals experience. Such findings also bring to light the essential role of HRD professionals as advocates for change in such contexts.

The Role of Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy in Romanian Sustainable Business Development

2019 ◽  
pp. 49-65
Author(s):  
Rodica Gherghina ◽  
Ioana Duca
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Business Development ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
The Social ◽  
Scientific Endeavour

In their scientific endeavour, the authors aim at analysing the concepts of social entrepreneurship and social economy, as well as emphasising the role these concepts play in sustainable business development and in the economic development of society as a whole. At the same time, several aspects of social enterprises are presented and their importance in the Romanian economic environment is emphasised. As these are two relatively new concepts in the social economy in Romania, the authors refer to the specialised literature throughout their research. The authors present several of the opportunities and challenges raised by social economy. The importance of financing is emphasised by means of presenting the organisations' financing sources which are specific to social economy. The conclusions to this research include some of the authors' own viewpoints, with reference to the aspects of social entrepreneurship – social enterprises – social economy and their role in overall economic development.

Social entrepreneurs' personal network, resource bricolage and relation strength

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Yingzhao Xiao ◽  
Shiyao Jiang ◽  
Shuang Hu
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Network Resource ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Resource Bricolage ◽  
Available Resources

PurposeThis study proposes personal network of social entrepreneurs as a key antecedent factor of their resource bricolage to understand the mechanisms underlying social entrepreneurial practices before the founding of social enterprises.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study is used to collect and analyze data. The questionnaire data are drawn from in-depth semistructured interviews with Chinese social entrepreneurs. This study develops a theoretical framework that draws upon two dimensions of social capital, namely, “ownership” and “use,” to explore relationships among personal network, resource bricolage and relation strength.FindingsWith data from 227 social enterprises in China, empirical results suggest that personal network of social entrepreneurs, that is, the “owned” social capital, shall be transformed by the intermediate role of resource bricolage into relation strength, that is, the “used” social capital. The relationship between resource bricolage and relation strength is positively moderated by the marketization degree and social class of social entrepreneurs.Research limitations/implicationsThis study introduces resource bricolage into the front-end course of social entrepreneurship. The results show that similar personal network can lead to different behavioral outcomes in the context of social entrepreneurship. Then the integration of resources and opportunities at the beginning of the social entrepreneurial process opens new avenues for future research. However, this study only investigates the transformation from network to resources implemented by social entrepreneurs before organization establishment. It does not explore potential outcomes of such a transformation for the development of social enterprises.Practical implicationsSocial entrepreneurs at the prefounding stage shall make use of the values of available resources, fully use potential interpersonal relations in the personal network, and transform these relations into a close, steady relationship to realize potential values of available resources. Social entrepreneurs can start from excavation and foundation laying of strong relation networks, to avoid problems in legality, social awareness and failure risks generated from blind integration of external resources.Originality/valueThis study finds that social entrepreneurship exists between the motivation of the social entrepreneur and the establishment of the organization after the development over time. Creating first a phased result through the resource bricolage is necessary. This result establishes a complete process chain of social entrepreneurship from motivation to behavior, next to organization establishment and subsequent development. This study is an empirical test based on the theoretical interpretation to make a positive effect on the social entrepreneurship research in the theoretical construction and testing of the deficiencies.

scholarly journals Przedsiębiorczość społeczna w tworzeniu podstaw bezpieczeństwa społecznego wspólnot lokalnych

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-135
Author(s):  
Agata Szydlik-Leszczyńska ◽  
◽  
Marek Leszczyński ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Regional Policy ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Capital Outlay ◽  
The Social ◽  
Stimulation Of

Contemporary processes of administration are of a complex character. It requires from policymakers who form the economic policy the choice of adequate and diverse methods and interaction techniques. One needs to be aware of the fact that creating suitable conditions for socio-economic development should take place on different levels of a country’s organisation. Stimulation of development is inscribed into the core and nature of local government actions and supporting social entrepreneurship constitutes one of the biggest challenges on the level of municipalities and counties. The aim of the study is to point to the meaning of social entrepreneurship in creating the foundations of social security. Social entrepreneurship is inseparably connected to one of the contemporary trends in the economy, namely the social economy. In Poland, the social economy has been gaining in popularity in recent years, following a number of negative social effects observed after the rough period of economic transformation and its ownership and structural transitions. In the study, the essence of social entrepreneurship has been characterised as an important action aimed at improving the feeling of social security. The reference has been made to Świętokrzyskie voivodeship, in which the meaning of social entrepreneurship has been pointed and attributed by policymakers responsible for the development policy. The stimulation of social economy subjects may be an important supplement of regional policy aimed at attracting external investments (with shortages of capital connected to the regional policy). This results from the fact that launching business in the social economy sector does not require significant capital outlay, and may constitute a chance for involving young people who want to test themselves in a role of budding entrepreneurs. Promotion of social entrepreneurship might as well contribute to the reinforcement of social cohesion as well as building regional social capital by including into the labour market some groups that are “forgotten” and feel it difficult to find themselves on the open labour market. The article is of an overview character.

Social capital and the target population

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ann Scheiber
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Violence Prevention ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Youth Empowerment ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to shed light on opportunities for social capital during the conceptualization and initial implementation of innovative social enterprises dedicated to violence prevention and youth empowerment in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a two-tiered interview process over a nine-month period with 27 social entrepreneurs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attention is given to with whom, where and in what ways these innovators accessed and utilized the skills and knowledge necessary to develop and administer social entrepreneurial programs. Findings – The findings reveal more than any other social actor the target population featured most frequently in interviews with social entrepreneurs. Research limitations/implications – Because of the small scale of the study and the specific focus of the social entrepreneurs, the implications of the study are not generalizable to social entrepreneurs across fields. Practical implications – The findings are valuable because they can inform future social entrepreneurs dedicated to violence prevention and youth empowerment about social relations they may wish to cultivate to access relevant social resources during the initial stages of social entrepreneurship. Social implications – Among other benefits, investing in social relations with the target population could help minimize top-down models, which have been a common criticism among third-sector social enterprises. Originality/value – The value of this study is that it adds insight into how the social entrepreneurs built trust among this critical group of actors as well as an analysis of the outcome of the social capital embedded in relations with the target population during the initial stages of social entrepreneurship.

Understanding social enterprise, social entrepreneurship and the social economy in rural Cambodia

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Lyne ◽  
Chanrith Ngin ◽  
Emmanuel Santoyo-Rio
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Risk Appetite ◽  
The Social ◽  
Development Agencies

PurposeThis paper critically assesses Western views on the social economy in contrast to everyday realities in a low-income country, and challenges ethnocentric epistemologies in the discourse of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship that is prevalent in international development. It charts the changing trajectory of the social economy and different influences.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data is used to explore views of members of social enterprises in Northern Cambodia. Three enterprises with different characteristics were selected. Semi-structured interviews and a group discussion took place in each case, exploring motivation, values, empowerment, participation, equity, innovation and risk appetite.FindingsThe important roles social enterprises play in rural community development are sometimes at odds with the reasoning of Western development agencies. The social economy in Cambodia is undergoing change with the advancement of capitalist market forces. This suits formal businesses but could exacerbate the exclusion of various community actors.Research limitations/implicationsThree case studies are in close proximity in Northern Cambodia, and the situated dynamics may not transfer well to other contexts. Some limitations are offset by the selection of different types of social enterprises.Practical implicationsThe study gives insights of value to the designers of programmes or projects to support social enterprise who work within international development agencies and non-government organisations. For academics, it offers critical insight into assumptions about social enterprise that emanate from Western management literature.Originality/valueThis paper meets the need for close-up inter-disciplinary work on social enterprise development in under-represented contexts.

scholarly journals The role of social entrepreneurs’ cosmopolitan orientation in bridging the gap between prosperity and social deprivation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai Mouraviev ◽  
Nada K. Kakabadse
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disadvantaged Populations

Purpose Israel is characterised by economic growth that is accompanied not only by prosperity but also by increasing poverty. This paper aims to conceptualise the role of Israel’s social enterprises in reducing the gap between prosperous and disadvantaged populations. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study is based on 23 in-depth interviews. It makes use of a theoretical framework that incorporates two elements: cosmopolitanism and social entrepreneurship. Cosmopolitanism, together with government policies that aim to develop free enterprise and international trade, support entrepreneurship and advance education, accompanies and facilitates prosperity. Whilst prosperity increases inequality, social entrepreneurship develops as a tool to mitigate the side effects of economic growth in the form of the increasing gap between the rich and the poor. Findings This paper argues that the principal reason why the gap evolved and is increasing is in the discrepancy between rapidly rising requirements presented by the innovation-focussed economy and the workers’ skills. Based on interviews with social entrepreneurs who are (co)founders or managers of businesses with a social purpose, findings show that the gap between prosperity and social deprivation could be bridged by increasing workers’ capacity to align their skills with employers’ requirements, which is the area to which Israeli social enterprises contribute. Originality/value The paper argues that cosmopolitan orientation is one of the contributors to economic growth and innovation, whilst prosperity increases the gap between high- and low-income groups. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge about social entrepreneurs by applying the framework that makes use of cosmopolitanism as an important driver of Israeli social entrepreneurship, which helps to explain the role that social business enterprises play in reducing the gap between prosperous and disadvantaged populations.

The Role of Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy in Romanian Sustainable Business Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 128-144
Author(s):  
Rodica Gherghina ◽  
Ioana Duca
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Business Development ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
The Social ◽  
Scientific Endeavour

In their scientific endeavour, the authors aim at analysing the concepts of social entrepreneurship and social economy, as well as emphasising the role these concepts play in sustainable business development and in the economic development of society as a whole. At the same time, several aspects of social enterprises are presented and their importance in the Romanian economic environment is emphasised. As these are two relatively new concepts in the social economy in Romania, the authors refer to the specialised literature throughout their research. The authors present several of the opportunities and challenges raised by social economy. The importance of financing is emphasised by means of presenting the organisations' financing sources which are specific to social economy. The conclusions to this research include some of the authors' own viewpoints, with reference to the aspects of social entrepreneurship – social enterprises – social economy and their role in overall economic development.

The contributions of social entrepreneurship and transformational leadership to performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 719-737
Author(s):  
Ahmad Naderi ◽  
Leila Nasrolahi Vosta ◽  
Abolghasem Ebrahimi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Jalilvand
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Rural Tourism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Value Creation

Purpose The exploration of performance determinants in social enterprises has gained increasing relevance among researchers and practitioners, particularly in rural tourism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the contributions of transformational leadership and social entrepreneurship to the performance of social enterprises in the context of rural tourism. Further, the mediating roles of social capital, creativity and social value were investigated. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered through a survey of 168 employees of social enterprises operating in the rural tourism setting. Eight surveyors were sent out to conduct the survey. Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS 18.0. Findings The results of the SEM suggested that transformational leadership is positively associated with social value, social capital and performance of social enterprise. In addition, social entrepreneurship had a significant influence on social value, social capital and performance of social enterprise. Creativity and social value predicts the performance of social enterprise. Further, social capital was found to have a positive relationship with creativity. Finally, the mediating roles of social capital, creativity and social value were also confirmed. The findings thus highlight the power of the social value creation and social capital in the social enterprises operating in the rural destinations. Social implications The findings assert that social entrepreneurship and transformational leadership are key sources of social value creation, social capital and creativity in rural tourism context indicating the need for additional efforts on this kind of entrepreneurial activity. The findings can motivate policymakers to promote social entrepreneurship in rural tourism destinations as a means of stimulating bottom-up social capital and social value creation. Originality/value This study is among the first to examine the hypothesized relationships focusing on tourism social enterprises.

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