Passionate Leaders in Social Entrepreneurship: Exploring an African Context

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Thorgren ◽  
Adesuwa Omorede

Nonstate actors such as social enterprises are increasingly influential for addressing pressing social needs in sub-Saharan Africa. Moving responsibility from the state to private entrepreneurs calls for a greater understanding of how single individuals achieve their social mission in a context characterized by acute poverty and where informal institutions, such as trust and collective norms, are strong governance mechanisms. This study recognizes the role of leader passion as a key element for gaining people’s trust in the social enterprise leader and the social mission. Qualitative data were collected on 37 leaders of Nigerian social enterprises in arenas such as health, women’s rights, children’s rights, AIDS/HIV care and education, and sustainable development. Drawing on 100 semistructured interviews, the authors develop an inductive model illustrating how leader passion interrelates with the social enterprise organizing and outcomes.

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-219
Author(s):  
B Elango ◽  
Stephen Chen ◽  
Jim Jones

The purpose of this article is to understand what drives social enterprises in bottom of the pyramid (BOP) markets to stick to or drift away from their social mission. Based on an analysis of 192 microinsurance operators in 26 emerging markets, we find that (1) when donors are involved in the operations of the social enterprise, this leads to a greater commitment to the social mission and (2) social enterprises located in countries with poorly performing governments tend to have a lower commitment to their social mission. Given the need for social services in such countries, we offer some suggestions to increase the chances of social enterprises staying committed to their social mission.


Curationis ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nokwanda E. Bam ◽  
Joanne R. Naidoo

Background: Whilst the discourse of palliative care in HIV management is largely documented and regarded as being an essential component, various authors have further argued that within the context of HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa, palliative care and exploration of the dimensions thereof is largely lacking. This article presents the lived experiences of nurses involved in palliative care, thus providing the perspective of nurses and the multi-faceted dimensions of the nature of caring inherent.Objectives: This study explored the respondents’ understanding of the concepts ‘caring’ and ‘terminal patient’ and described the experiences of nurses caring for terminally-ill patients with HIV and how these experiences influence the nature of care rendered.Methods: Qualitative research using Husserl’s approach of phenomenology design underpinned the study and Giorgi’s steps of analysis were used to make meaning of the data.Results: The concept ‘caring’ was experienced by the nurses as transforming the patients’ quality of life through supportive care and hope for life. Palliative care made the nurses conscious of their own mortality, enabling them to be more sensitive, compassionate and dedicated to caring for their patients. The findings described the social networking that enabled nurses to collaborate with colleagues in the interdisciplinary teams and shared knowledge, skills and support within the palliative care team in order to optimise patient outcomes.Conclusion: Nurses with prolonged involvement in caring for terminally-ill patients with HIV experienced helplessness and emotional stress. Recommendations based on the results are that training in psychological and holistic care of the patient, professional counselling and stress management services are needed to support the nurse in this context.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Mswaka ◽  
Olu Aluko

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the growth of social enterprise in the UK in the context of the renewed interest in the creative use of organisations with a social mission to complement public service delivery. Given the impact of globalisation and increased demands for effective social welfare interventions, this paper specifically focuses on the nature and type of social enterprise governance models and how they influence their outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises a mixed method approach involving the complementary use of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Findings – The paper finds that the way in which the social enterprise governance structure is designed ultimately influences its outcomes. In particular, those with stewardship governance models tend to perform better than those with democratic models of governance. This leads to a conclusion that in the social context of the UK, social enterprise should aim for a paradigm shift in the design and selection of governance models. Research limitations/implications – Comparative regional experiences in other regions or social contexts could enrich our understanding of whether these results are applicable across the board. Practical implications – This paper is of potential benefit to researchers and particularly those designing policies for the governance of social enterprise. Originality/value – The study employs innovative analytical theoretical lenses not normally associated with the social economy, namely agency, stewardship and resource dependency theories to provide a more in-depth analysis of the governance of contemporary social enterprise.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Lamat

In the digital era of internet, there are so many financial technology (fintech) popping up now for the example Go-Jek company with one of their product called as Go-Pay is one of the popular fintech in Indonesia. This paper introduce about fintech foundations in Asia with social enterprise philosophy. Some company only things for the revenue and how many customers who interested on use the application for doing the transaction, for users who interested on the social mission of the company. By combining information from the founder and user (took examples of people who sometimes use application fintech like Go-Pay how important the implementation enterprises for the parent organization Go-Jek).


Author(s):  
Robert Paulino-Ramirez

This article describes the social, biological, and programmatic interactions between HIV and SARS-CoV-2 co-infections in The Caribbean region. The country islands represent the second most affected region by HIV/AIDS after Sub-Saharan Africa. After the first confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region, it is necessary to reinvent the programmatic interventions designed to eliminate HIV transmission, and implement innovative interventions that are not yet currently available like PrEP, HIV self-testing, and multiple medication dispensing. COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to governments, community-based organizations, and international partners to maintain the HIV care continuum, with particular efforts made to ensure timely access to, and to avoid disruption of routinely HIV services.


Author(s):  
Paul Egan ◽  
James Lappeman

In this chapter, the authors explore the market opportunity for social enterprises by drawing on the sub-Saharan middle class. Specifically, they look at some key indicators of market size, potential, and diversity. By making use of a 10 city study on the sub-continent, a range of topics emerge that expose high levels of heterogeneity between markets. As the world's fastest growing continent (in population) as well as one of the poorest regions on earth, sub-Saharan Africa is a key target for social enterprises that seek to change lives while running sustainable profit-making organizations. As this chapter adds to the narrative around market sizing and potential, the discussion also points to the need for a sophisticated view of social enterprises as propagated in this book as a whole.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Jonathan Marks ◽  
Karen Hidden

Subject area Entrepreneurship; Social entrepreneurship. Study level/applicability Graduate level. Case overview This paper, The Brownies & Downies case study, aims to examine a social enterprise that provides employment, training and job placements for people with intellectual disability within a trendy artisanal coffee shop in Cape Town, South Africa. The business is based on a similar establishment (same name) in The Netherlands and was brought to Cape Town by Wendy Vermeulen, a Dutch national who completed a social development internship in Cape Town. The case is located within the field of social enterprise with a particular focus on the tension between purpose and profit and the pressure and challenges of replication, growth and scale/expansion. The protagonist in the case is Wade Schultz, Wendy’s business partner, who is grappling with how to not only remain true to the social purpose of the business but also turn a profit in the pressured and competitive coffee industry. He is further challenged by deciding whether to expand the existing training business into other sectors or seek a replication model in other South African cities as a means of growing revenue and increasing the social impact. Expected learning outcomes The key learning from this case study are as follows: First, intellectual disability is a hidden form of disability, often misunderstood and subject to prejudice and discriminatory hiring practices. Intellectual disability exists on a scale – some individuals are able to work outside of pretexted or sheltered workspaces. Greater effort is required within open workplaces to sensitive staff to working with/alongside intellectually disabled people. This case illustrates a social enterprise model that seeks to bridge the gap between sheltered workspaces and open workspaces. Second, most social enterprises grapple with the tension between profit and purpose; this case presents a company that is living this dilemma. The importance of remaining true to purpose needs to be balanced carefully against becoming economically self-sufficient; however, the pursuit of profits should not happen at the cost of social mission. Alternate business models are a mechanism to building revenue to support the social objective. 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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Yusuf Iskandar ◽  
. Joeliaty ◽  
Umi Kaltum ◽  
. Hilmiana

There is a need for competition and having a competitive advantage for every enterprise. Moreover, a social enterprise is expected to maintain itself and expand exponentially through innovation and the application of technology. The need to survive implies the need for social innovation within the organizations. When the organization's goal is established, which is the prerequisite for starting a social enterprise, innovation aims to solve the problem. Innovation is a learning outcome that manifests itself into new product features, new products, or production methods. Social innovation is an incremental form of innovation because it emerges from the social needs of a community. The kind of innovation produced is oriented towards the community to provide a solution to their problem. Social enterprises have worked tirelessly to create solutions to the social issues that specific communities are facing. The findings in this research highlight intellectual capital as one of the most fundamental assets in a social enterprise. When discussed in terms of its three branches, intellectual capital's performance of social enterprises is significantly improved.   Received: 8 July 2021 / Accepted: 19 August 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin McKague ◽  
Farouk Jiwa ◽  
Karim Harji ◽  
Obidimma Ezezika

Abstract Background The challenge of enhancing food security and livelihoods for smallholder farmers has been a significant concern in the agricultural development field. To increase farm productivity and enable smallholder farmers to rise out of poverty, several organizations have initiated social franchising business models to create sustainable social enterprises. Social franchising has recently gathered increased interest in lower-income countries for its potential to address social and ecological issues, support local entrepreneurs, and reach financial sustainability to allow for scaling through market forces. Social franchising combines the principles of business franchising (standardized systems and other supports that reduce risk for the entrepreneur) with a social mission. To gain deeper insights into the opportunities and challenges for scaling social franchises, we gathered quantitative and qualitative longitudinal data on Farm Shop, a social franchise with a network of 74 agricultural input shops seeking to reduce food security through improving productivity, incomes and food security of smallholder Kenyan farmers. Results We derived five critical lessons from our findings. First, social franchising can create jobs and profitability for farmers and strengthens the rural entrepreneurial ecosystem. Second, economics of scale is critical for profitability and sustainability of the social franchisor. Third, building trust with farmers is crucial for a successful social franchising model. Fourth, social franchisors should be aware of the variety of options to ensure the sustainability of the social franchising program. Fifth, to develop a scalable business model, cost-effectively gathering the right data to validate key assumptions is essential. Conclusions Farm Shop is one of a cohort of pioneering social franchises that have applied the principles of franchising to address particular social needs. In this case, the needs were food security, livelihoods, and prosperity for smallholder farmers. Farm Shop uncovered important lessons relevant for all social franchises at similar stages in the business model development process. With these lessons in mind, Farm Shop and other social franchises can be better equipped to live up to social franchising’s promise of achieving social objectives in a more resource-efficient and sustainable way.


Author(s):  
Jan A. Van Mieghem ◽  
Vadim Glinsky

In this case, students assume the roles of FK Day and Dave Neiswander, leaders of the social enterprise World Bicycle Relief (WBR), which donates and sells bicycles in sub-Saharan Africa. As a social enterprise, WBR combines not-for-profit and for-profit activities. Starting as a traditional not-for-profit organization formed to donate bicycles after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, WBR eventually added a for-profit arm to facilitate growth and reduce its dependence on donations and grants. As a result, by 2017 WBR had distributed around 400,000 bicycles, primarily to schoolgirls, entrepreneurs, and health workers. As the organization grows, its leaders are interested in optimizing operations and entering new countries in Africa. What is the optimal distribution of WBR's resources between its for-profit and not-for-profit operations? How should it define the objective of its operations: should WBR maximize its social impact or the total number of bicycles in the field? Which countries should it enter? To answer those questions, students are required to analyze the social enterprise business model. This analysis starts at the strategic level and ties into the operational level. If desired, this analysis can be followed by an Excel optimization of WBR's operations. The case contains historical data on the organization and poses questions that can be analyzed from the perspectives of a number of academic fields. It can be used in various types of courses including strategy, not-for-profit organizations, operations, and finance. The instructor materials include a prepared Excel model that can be used to make the quantitative analysis accessible to students without quantitative backgrounds, videos from WBR, and a video that shows FK Day and Dave Neiswander answering questions in the inaugural use of the case at Kellogg.


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