scholarly journals Challenges facing social entrepreneurship

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-182
Author(s):  
Amr Seda ◽  
Mamdouh Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Egyptian Government

Purpose Although there are over 55,000 social enterprises operating in Egypt, the social entrepreneurship field is still failing to create the desired social change. This paper aims to explore the challenges faced by the field with a special focus on government related challenges as well as offer a set of recommendations to the Egyptian government to enhance the field. Design/methodology/approach The research was carried out in two phases; reviewing the literature around the topic through a secondary research followed by an empirical research interviewing four social enterprises, the ministry of social solidarity and experts in the field of social entrepreneurship. Findings The paper arrived to several challenges and they were organized into three main themes: challenges related to policy-making and other legal aspects; challenges related to institutional and operational support; and challenges related to social, educational and cultural awareness of the field and its ecosystem. The paper also came up with a set of nine recommendations directed to the Egyptian Government. Originality/value The originality and value of this research is that it offers first hand viewpoints of the challenges facing the field of social entrepreneurship in Egypt as well as offer practical recommendations to the Egyptian Government to overcome them.

Social entrepreneurship research in Asia-Pacific: perspectives and opportunities

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhanjan Sengupta ◽  
Arunaditya Sahay
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurship Research ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
The Social

Purpose This paper aims to facilitate researchers, academicians and entrepreneurs gain insights on the social entrepreneurship concept and future research opportunities in the context of the Asia-Pacific countries (APAC). Design/methodology/approach The diversity of social entrepreneurship phenomenon visible in 101 journal publications was reviewed and analyzed to identify research perspectives and opportunities, with special focus on papers published on the APAC context between 1998 and 2015. The keywords for search were “social entrepreneurship”, “social enterprises”, “social entrepreneur” and the names of all countries in APAC. Findings The study identifies three prominent themes in need of more research in the APAC countries: contextual, institutional and personal factors surrounding social entrepreneurship; usage of market orientation by social enterprises to generate economic and social value; and impact of social entrepreneurship education on generating talent pool for social enterprises. Originality/value During the review on the social entrepreneurship concept, it was felt that most research originated from both sides of the Atlantic rather than the APAC. Interestingly, no review was found on research published on social entrepreneurship as perceived and practiced in APAC. Therefore, this paper would be of particular value to any researcher who would conduct social entrepreneurship research in the Asia-Pacific context. Asia-Pacific offers immense scope for empirical research for theory generation and theory testing in different contexts.

Coopetition in social entrepreneurship: a strategy for social value devolution

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro da Silva Nascimento ◽  
Júlio César da Costa Júnior ◽  
Viviane Santos Salazar ◽  
Adriana Fumi Chim-Miki
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Cooperation Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competition Level

PurposeCoopetition is a well-studied phenomenon in traditional enterprises. However, it lacks deepening in the social sphere, specifically on hybrid organizations (social and commercial goals). This paper analyzes the configuration of coopetition strategies in social enterprises and how these strategies can improve social value devolution.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a multicase study with Brazilian social enterprises and a social incubator. Semistructured interviews with founders of the social enterprises and the president of the incubator were the primary sources of evidence, supported by observations and secondary data.FindingsThe authors identified four main findings: (1) the social incubator induces coopetition among social enterprises; (2) coopetition is necessary to improve market performance; (3) coopetition is a natural strategy resulting from the activity of the social enterprise; (4) the behavior and context of social enterprises generate a new framework for coopetition formation. This framework comprises three stages of value: a social cooperation level to co-creation of value; second, a social competition level to the appropriation of value; and the third coopetition-balanced level to social value devolution.Originality/valueThe authors advance knowledge on coopetition in an exciting, underexplored context, social entrepreneurship. The authors highlight that the coopetition nature and outcome in social enterprises have specificities compared to traditional businesses. The authors also improve the understanding of social value devolution based on simultaneous cooperation and competition among small social enterprises, allowing theoretical and practical implications. Thus, they advance the recurring discussion in coopetition literature beyond the generation and appropriation of value.

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.

Antecedents of customers’ intention to support Islamic social enterprises in Indonesia

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Rahayu Hijrah Hati ◽  
Aida Idris
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of extrinsic factors, namely, age, education, gender, marital status and income on customers’ intention to support Islamic social enterprises via donation. The paper also assesses the influence of religiosity on support intention (SI). The impact of customers’ perceptual reaction to the credibility of social enterprises’ advertising is also measured to assess its influence on SI. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 214 completed questionnaires from online and offline surveys were analysed using several statistical analyses, including structural equation modelling, to assess the effects of the independent variables on SI. Findings – The study found that customers’ socioeconomic status and religiosity have no significant influence on their intention to channel their donations via Islamic social enterprises. It is the social enterprises’ advertising which significantly influences their SI. Research limitations/implications – The study focuses on an Islamic research context of social entrepreneurship. Thus, the results cannot be generalised directly to the non-Islamic social entrepreneurship context. Practical implications – Findings of the study suggest that organisations should develop effective communication strategies through advertising to highlight organisational credibility as it plays an important role in shaping customers’ attitudes and intentions. Originality/value – The study investigates the effects of marketing on customers’ SI. It also considers credibility, advertising, and the concept of branding in a context of social entrepreneurship, a concept that is still largely unexplored in the literature.

Researcher subjectivity in social entrepreneurship ethnographies

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (02) ◽  
pp. 128-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eeva Houtbeckers
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Space ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss researcher subjectivity in social entrepreneurship ethnographies. Previous research has highlighted a need for alternatives to the heroic representations of social entrepreneurship. Ethnographic methods have been mentioned as a relevant direction to create such emerging understandings. Design/methodology/approach This paper shows what followed from a decision of a researcher to do an ethnography of a co-working cooperative established for social innovation. Based on the notion of “working the hyphens” in previous research, further developed by other scholars as “working within hyphen-spaces”, the position of the researcher shifted during the research process between a distant outsider and an engaged insider. In addition, a new hyphen-space of hopefulness – hopelessness emerged based on fieldwork. Findings The shifting positions are manifested in the entanglement of stories of the researcher and the people met during the fieldwork in the hyphen-spaces of insiderness – outsiderness, engagement – distance and hopefulness – hopelessness. The stories reveal how for some the co-working space was a place for hope while for others it caused distress and even burnout. Practical/implications The ethnographic understanding of social enterprises go beyond heroic representations, which affects how the phenomenon is represented in academic and public discussions. Social/implications This study concludes that despite its failure in the form of a bankruptcy, the co-working cooperative succeeded in enabling “social innovation” in the form of hope and personal development – also for the researcher. Originality/value This study contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature in showing how ethnographic fieldwork and acknowledging researcher subjectivity bring up alternative representations of social entrepreneurship. The entangled stories of participants and researchers can be a powerful way to reveal situated understandings.

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.

How social entrepreneurs focus on maximizing value to communities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper examines coopetition strategies for social enterprises. The study's coopetition framework consists of four strategic stages: (1) a social incubator inducing coopetition between social enterprises; (2) coopetition boosting market performance; (3) coopetition emerging naturally from social enterprises' activities; and (4) a coopetition framework for social entrepreneurship being formed. These strategies demonstrate that social enterprises want to increasingly cooperate, but also have to compete with each other for volunteers and to make their products stand out. Ultimately, this balanced coopetition is what maximizes the social value that these enterprises supply to communities. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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.

Preserving the distinctiveness of corporate marks

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 734-749
Author(s):  
Afroza Begum
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Economic Implication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Judicial Decisions ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Central Piece ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the Indian legal and judicial approaches to well-known trademark (WT) by placing special focus on the way the judiciary has striven to foster the regulatory goal of defending the distinctiveness of WT. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on primary and secondary resources; especially, the paper critically examines the central piece of legislation relevant to WT and analyses and compares a number of important judicial decisions of India. Findings Despite some limitations, the judicial initiatives reflect an impressive progression towards WT, and given the contemporary commercial imperatives backed up by technological advances, the interconnectedness of economies and global corporisation, such a progression is indispensable. Research limitations/implications The research involves only the legal aspects of WT; therefore, the social and economic implication is beyond the scope of it. Practical implications Even though the legal and judicial attempts in India have raised an inevitable tension between different competing claims and are in some instances intensely debated, a review of existing resources evidences a series of effective methods and practices where a balance can sensibly be drawn between those claims.

Understanding the social entrepreneur: a new intentions model for advancing equity, social justice and sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Miyuri Duncan-Horner ◽  
Megan Anne Farrelly ◽  
Briony C. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Growth Mindset ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
The Social

Purpose Social entrepreneurship (SE) is an emerging social phenomenon gaining tangible traction for its ability to tackle complex social and environmental problems against a backdrop of global sustainability challenges. This paper aims to unpack SE intentions, mindset and motivations to elucidate “why” and “how” social entrepreneurs (SE) initiate, perpetuate and sustain pro-social entrepreneurship activity. It specifically asks why SE do what they do, how they develop and sustain pro-social entrepreneurship action and how these normative drivers affect the social change process. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative research adopts an exploratory multiple case design approach in examining the tacit experience of eight SE tackling complex water, sanitation and environmental challenges in Indonesia, and combines this with scholarly insights from multiple bodies of knowledge. Case studies include six SE recognised by the Ashoka Foundation and two lesser-known “social enterprises” to enable finding patterns across the cases and compare key differences between pro-social and conventional entrepreneurship. Triangulating semi-structured interviews with secondary data analysis and semi-ethnographic fieldwork observations, this paper provides a rich theoretical and empirical basis to understand the emerging transformative potential of SE in tackling a range of sustainability issues. Findings Interviews with eight SE highlighted their intentions to advance inter and intra-generational equity, social justice and sustainability, bringing socially embedded empathetic values and a growth mindset to overcome challenges associated with disrupting existing social order. Direct engagement with the SE revealed 10 critical enabling factors to foster future SE potential, namely, individual background and experience, unmet social needs, empathy, sense of belonging, willingness/passion to alleviate other’s suffering, growth mindset, internal/external catalysts, intrinsic and extrinsic needs, beliefs and goals and declaration of a social mission to ensure consistency in behaviour and action. This demonstrates that while SE are motivated by a variety of self and other-oriented mechanisms, it is ultimately the process of developing empathy, a growth mindset and declaring a social mission that drives and sustains pro-social entrepreneurship action. Practical implications The output of this research is a new intentions model, which outlines the 5 phases of enterprise development and 10 critical enabling factors to foster future SE potential. These insights are critical to leveraging the emerging transformative potential of SE in tackling the world’s most urgent sustainability issues. Social implications The paper presents a deep analysis of data on individual background, experience and characteristics in developing a new SE intentions model. Originality/value The distinct focus on inputs over processes and outcomes answers to a highly elusive topic while offering an alternative approach to understand how SE create remarkably different strategies, processes and outcomes to conventional developmental approaches.

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