Prone to “care”?

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Laure Humbert ◽  
Muhammad Azam Roomi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Reported Data

PurposeLittle attention has been given specifically to the experience of women social entrepreneurs despite the assumption they are prone to “care”, and even less to their motivations or their self-perception of success. This paper aims to provide an insight into the relationship between motivations and social and economic performance among women social entrepreneurs in ten European Union countries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper classifies the motivations of women social entrepreneurs, drawing on the results of a survey conducted (n= 380) by the European Women’s Lobby. The paper then examines how these motivations relate to self-perceptions of social and economic performance.FindingsIn addition to being driven by self-interest and prosocial motivations, women social entrepreneurs also seek to develop alternative business models. Where a social mission is central, women are likely to feel successful in meeting their social aim; however, there is a strong negative relationship between self-interested motivations and revenue.Research limitations/implicationsThis analysis relies on perceptual and self-reported data; therefore, more objective measures should be considered for further research, possibly combined with a longitudinal design. Another limitation of this paper lies in the non-random sampling strategy used to identify a hard-to-reach population such as women social entrepreneurs.Practical implicationsThe findings provide a better understanding of the motivations of women social entrepreneurs. This may be useful in assisting funding or support organisations, as well as social investors, evaluate where to best invest resources. In addition, a more nuanced understanding of motivations among women social entrepreneurs can inform policies aimed at supporting women social entrepreneurs, without necessarily being bound by the expectation to maximise economic and/or social outcomes.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates the centrality of the social mission for women social entrepreneurs. The results also identify “seeking an alternative business model” as a key motivation among women social entrepreneurs, thereby breaking existing conceptualisations of entrepreneurial motivations on a binary spectrum as either “self-interested” or “prosocial”. The paper also shows that having other than prosocial motivations for becoming a social entrepreneur does not necessarily lead to higher economic revenue.

Quandary of a social entrepreneur

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Shalaghya Sharma ◽  
Anjani K. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Business Models ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Business ◽  
Management Students

Subject area Social entrepreneurship Study level/applicability The case can be a learning resource for management students and budding entrepreneurs with aspirations for a career in the field of social entrepreneurship. Case overview This case examines the organizational change and dilemmas social entrepreneurs have to face when enterprises grow. The organization under study “Action for Children Today” (ACT) aimed to help under privileged children. The organization was the brain child of young, energetic, media professional Ananthi Subramanian. Ananthi had never dreamt of being a social entrepreneur, but her mission of inclusion for underprivileged orphans in mainstream society by educating and inculcating skills, took her towards a new life and career. The endeavour began as a shelter for homeless children, but Ananthi came across other issues faced by the children, so new ventures were added under the umbrella of ACT. Although it was never an easy journey, Ananthi’s commitment kept her motivated to work for the cause and the organization that started with just one child has been home to more than 300 children up to the present day. ACT had its share of ups and downs through its journey and the case is based on certain issues and challenges that the organization had to face and how it overcame those hurdles. Expected learning outcomes Expected learning outcomes are as follows: a better understanding of different forms of social entrepreneurship; an understanding of problems and challenges faced by social entrepreneurs; and an understanding of how to implement new business models. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS: 3 Entrepreneurship

Challenges faced by youth social entrepreneurs in Malaysia: career transition to become a social entrepreneur

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Raihan Che Nawi ◽  
Mohd Mursyid Arshad ◽  
Steven Eric Krauss ◽  
Ismi Arif Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Career Transition ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Saturation ◽  
Analyse Data ◽  
Voice Recorder

Purpose The practice of social entrepreneurship has grown rapidly around the world, including in Malaysia where it is still considered to be at an early stage. Nevertheless, little is known about the career transition among youth who choose careers as social entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges faced by youth social entrepreneurs who run social enterprises in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach This study used a qualitative approach to collect and analyse data to answer the research questions. Seven youth social entrepreneurs were interviewed until data saturation was met. An interview guide was created for the purposes of conducting the interviews. The interviews were recorded using a voice recorder. Data were transcribed verbatim and grouped in order to identify the codings, categories and themes. Findings The findings show the career transition to become a social entrepreneur, as well as the major challenges that youth social entrepreneurs face, which include acclimatising to the life and career of a social entrepreneur and not getting support from family. Practical implications The study findings are also significant for presenting valuable data on the experience of the developing social entrepreneur. The qualitative nature of the study provides valuable experiential insight into the lives and struggles of young social entrepreneurs in Malaysia. The findings will allow local authorities and social entrepreneurship regulatory agencies to design initiatives and plan actions intended to overcome the challenges. Originality/value This study makes an original contribution by showing that the process of career development as a social entrepreneur has given meaning to the informants. Despite presenting many challenges, social entrepreneurship has reinforced the role of youth social entrepreneurs, especially in relation to social responsibility.

Elucidating technology-based social entrepreneurs’ scale and scope perspectives: a study of environmental and organizational variables

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Research Study ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Venture

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to ascertain how social entrepreneurs were required to recognize their new ventures’ scope and scale of operations. The firm boundary was based upon two dimensions, namely, the scope of the offering and its scale. The objective of this research was to ascertain the thinking regarding this of social entrepreneurs engaged through technology-based social entrepreneurship (TBSE). Design/methodology/approach This study conducted an in-depth interview of 26 technology entrepreneurs engaged in social entrepreneurship ventures in India. The interview was carried out based upon a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. This study undertook thematic and relational content analysis to develop a model of technology-based social entrepreneurs’ venture scoping and scaling. Findings This study found that the antecedent variables were the level of support perceived by social entrepreneur from government and at the industry level. Furthermore, the variables’ entrepreneurial and market orientation of social entrepreneurs were found to be the independent variables. These four variables in turn determined the explorative and exploitative horizon of the technology-based social entrepreneurs. Finally, an interplay of these variables ascertained the perspectives of social entrepreneurs engaged in TBSE regarding the notion of their firm’s scope and scale. Research limitations/implications The theoretical insights developed in this research study provided an integrated theoretical perspective accommodating both environmental perspectives (industry support and government support) and organizational perspectives (entrepreneurial and market aspects). This was in context of TBSE. Practical implications The insights from this research study could provide a robust and comprehensive understanding to social entrepreneurs regarding the strategic thinking towards scale and scope for a technology-based social venture. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study was one of the first theoretical works in TBSE towards scaling versus scoping perspectives.

How the social entrepreneurship business model designs in South Africa create value: a complex adaptive systems approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olu Oludele Akinloye Akinboade ◽  
Trevor Taft ◽  
Johann Friedrich Weber ◽  
Obareng Baldwin Manoko ◽  
Victor Sannyboy Molobi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose This paper aims to understand social entrepreneurship (SE) business model design to create values whilst undertaking public service delivery within the complex environments of local governments in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face semi-structured interview was conducted with 15 purposively selected social entrepreneurs in Gauteng and Western Cape provinces. The interview guide consisted of main themes and follow-up questions. Themes included SEs’ general history, the social business model; challenges faced and how these were overcome; scaling and growth/survival strategies. These enabled the evaluation of SEs in terms of identifying key criteria of affordability, availability, awareness and acceptability, which SEs must achieve to operate successfully in low-income markets. Social enterprise owners/managers within the electricity distribution, water reticulation and waste management services sectors were surveyed. Findings Most respondents focus on building a network of trust with stakeholders, through communication mechanisms that emphasize high-frequency engagements. There is also a strong focus on design-thinking and customer-centric approaches that strengthen value creation. The value creation process used both product value and service value mechanisms and emphasized quality and excellence to provide stakeholder, as well as societal value, within their specific contexts. Practical implications This study builds upon other research that emphasizes SEs’ customer-centric approaches to strengthen value creation and on building a network of trust with multiple stakeholders. It contributes to emphasizing the business paradigm shift towards bringing social values to the business practice. Social implications Social good, but resource providers are demanding more concrete evidence to help them understand their impact (Struthers, 2013). This is because it is intrinsically difficult for many social organizations to document and communicate their impact in more than an anecdotal way. The research has contributed to the understanding of how SEs can provide evidence of value creation. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of how business models are designed to create value within the context of the overwhelming complexity of local government services in South Africa.

Social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 1252-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip T. Roundy
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Revitalization ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems ◽  
Support Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Time Work

Purpose The formation of entrepreneurial ecosystems is recognized as an activity that can produce economic development and community revitalization. Social entrepreneurship is also an activity that is receiving growing attention because of its potential for addressing social and economic problems. However, while scholars have focused on how the participants in entrepreneurial ecosystems, such as investors and support organizations, influence ecosystem functioning, it is not clear what role social entrepreneurs can play in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Nor is it known how the entrepreneurial ecosystems in which social entrepreneurs are located can influence the founding and operation of their ventures. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this conceptual paper, theory is proposed to explain the interrelationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems and social entrepreneurship. Findings It is theorized that entrepreneurial ecosystems will influence the operations and effectiveness of social entrepreneurs through mechanisms such as the ecosystem’s diversity of resource providers, support infrastructure, entrepreneurial culture, and learning opportunities. In turn, social entrepreneurs can shape the entrepreneurial ecosystems in which they are situated by influencing the heterogeneity of ecosystem participants, garnering attention for the ecosystem, and increasing its attractiveness to stakeholders. Originality/value Scholars examining entrepreneurial ecosystems have not studied the role of an increasingly important market actor: the social entrepreneur. At the same time, work on social entrepreneurship has not emphasized the community of social relations and cultural milieu in which social entrepreneurs found their ventures. The theory developed addresses both of these omissions and has important implications for practitioners focused on spurring entrepreneurial ecosystems and social entrepreneurship.

“Doing good” while serving customers

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip T. Roundy
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Social entrepreneurship represents an unconventional, but increasingly prevalent, activity in developed and emerging economies. Social entrepreneurs devise novel business models that blend business and social missions with the aim of (co-)producing value with two primary stakeholder groups, beneficiaries and customers. Although interactions between social entrepreneurs and their beneficiaries are well-studied, the relationship between social ventures and consumers has received almost no extended attention. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative, partially-inductive approach based on interviews with 40 social entrepreneurs, a study of how social entrepreneurs market their ventures to consumers was conducted. Findings Findings reveal the ways in which marketing is relevant for social entrepreneurs, the unique challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face in their interactions with customers, and the tactics entrepreneurs use to understand and educate their consumers. Originality/value The study’s findings contribute to work on social entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurship and marketing interface and have practical implications for social entrepreneurs.

Essay Gifts: gifting for greater good

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Sarah Babb ◽  
Tina Retief ◽  
Geoff Bick
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
The Social

Subject area The subject areas are marketing, entrepreneurship, strategy or organisational design, operating in emerging markets and social entrepreneurship. Study level/applicability The study is applicable to MBA students, masters-level students and students of executive education. Case overview The case outlines the context and current decisions and dilemma facing Essay Gifts, which is a successful enterprise based in Cape Town, South Africa, supplying a local market in corporate gifting since 2006. The emerging market is facing economic decline and rising unemployment sitting at 25 per cent and up to 48 per cent in the youth market. After seven years of operating from a home-based office, Beatrice has moved into an office block in an upcoming area in Cape Town as they anticipate bullish targets for the upcoming year. The decision facing her now is whether to also sign a lease for a vacant retail shop downstairs from her office to sell ready-made gifting solutions. To meet the social mission, Essay Gifts is using township-based suppliers to develop the products, and this is proving an often unreliable and inconsistent source of supply and the current orders may not even be met at this particularly busy end-of-year period. How does Beatrice scale the business and what business is she in after all? Is she an entrepreneur, striving to increase the size of her business and her revenue, or is she a social entrepreneur creating employment opportunities for others? Expected learning outcomes The paper enables to identify the determining features of a social enterprise and the dynamics involved in balancing the social and commercial missions; understand the complexities of entrepreneurial operations in emerging markets; identify scaling up and strategic growth strategy options for social enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises; and distinguish entrepreneurial marketing strategies in contrast with traditional marketing strategies. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Business Models for Social Entrepreneurs

2017 ◽  
pp. 536-548
Author(s):  
Alphonce Tavona Shiri
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Social Goals ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
The Social

Social Entrepreneurs creatively contribute towards the welfare of marginalized members of society by availing affordable products and services. The objective of this chapter is to critically discuss the concept of social entrepreneurship and provide some theoretical lens through which one can understand the activities that are carried out by social entrepreneurs. This chapter describes social entrepreneurs from a bricolage and a social constructionist perspective. While a plethora of definitions of social entrepreneurship exists, this chapter filters a few definitions and elaborates on common elements that increase our understanding of the concept of social entrepreneurship. Various models of social entrepreneurship serve different social goals and these are discussed with aid of examples. Factors that determine the adoption of a model range from the scale of the social mission, characteristics of the clients to the type of intended social beneficiaries of the venture.

Business Models for Social Entrepreneurs

2016 ◽  
pp. 66-78
Author(s):  
Alphonce Tavona Shiri
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Social Goals ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
The Social

Social Entrepreneurs creatively contribute towards the welfare of marginalized members of society by availing affordable products and services. The objective of this chapter is to critically discuss the concept of social entrepreneurship and provide some theoretical lens through which one can understand the activities that are carried out by social entrepreneurs. This chapter describes social entrepreneurs from a bricolage and a social constructionist perspective. While a plethora of definitions of social entrepreneurship exists, this chapter filters a few definitions and elaborates on common elements that increase our understanding of the concept of social entrepreneurship. Various models of social entrepreneurship serve different social goals and these are discussed with aid of examples. Factors that determine the adoption of a model range from the scale of the social mission, characteristics of the clients to the type of intended social beneficiaries of the venture.

Principles of frugal innovation and its application by social entrepreneurs in times of adversity: an inductive single-case approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oly Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Frugal Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose This study aims to focus on implementing frugal innovation and its principles by social entrepreneurs to face the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research paper discusses the case of an Indian social entrepreneur who works for menstrual health and hygiene of unprivileged and rural women in India. The social entrepreneur’s constant endeavor is to create an ecosystem to ensure rural women’s economic and social upliftment through financial inclusion and livelihood training. When faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, the social entrepreneur re-purposed the manufacturing process to produce masks that were the need of the hour. Design/methodology/approach The research paper is qualitative and follows an inductive case study approach. The underlying principles of frugal innovation are established through content analysis of the social entrepreneur’s interviews and her team members. Findings The study discusses how adversity can be an opportunity for social entrepreneurs by implementing frugal innovation principles, i.e. re-use, re-purpose, re-combine and rapidity, in times of crisis. Research limitations/implications One of the major limitations of this study is that it is based on a single case study, as, in the current scenario, this case appeared to be the most suitable one. There is no way to generalize the assumptions of this model. Researchers will have to study the phenomena of frugal innovation in adversity across multiple cases in the future. Also, the study is based on a single emerging economy, i.e. India. Further research may be carried out with such cases from other countries. Practical implications The proposition of this research paper will help new and established social entrepreneurs understand that the four principles of frugal innovation and their practical application by a social entrepreneur. This will act as a guiding light for the present and future entrepreneurs regarding how one can respond to a crisis. This will also help advance our understanding of the distinct ways in which social entrepreneurs’ activities can help society in times of crisis. The findings of this research paper provide timely implications for social entrepreneurs. To respond efficiently to various crises, it is important to consider its effect on social entrepreneurship. Social implications The research paper shows that the social enterprise has implemented frugal innovation principles to manufacture the COVID-19 protection items supplied through existing supply chain networks. Also, a social entrepreneur is not intimidated by the sudden changes in the business environment; instead, they look at the situation as an opportunity to do something new. They are always willing to take the risk to innovate a solution that will address people’s problems. frugal innovation, due to its highly collaborative nature and its ability to make the most from limited resources, is the only way social entrepreneurs can create an inclusive, secure and sustainable future. Originality/value There are several challenges in social entrepreneurship, especially in emerging economies like India. During the pandemic, availability of resources was the major challenge, due to which social entrepreneurs had to find solutions through frugal innovation. This paper provides the practical application of the four principles of frugal innovation implemented by a social enterprise to manufacture and supply Covid protection items. It also presents the practical and managerial implications of the principles of frugal innovation by social entrepreneurs in low resource settings.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document