The prototypal social entrepreneur: a case study about social and economic leveraging of virtual community in regional Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Judy Drennan ◽  
Josephine Previte
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Community ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Regional Australia

From NPO to social enterprise: the story of Schwab awardee, Sharanjeet Shan

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Kerryn Ayanda Malindi Krige ◽  
Verity Hawarden ◽  
Rose Cohen
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Corporate Social Investment

Learning outcomes This case study introduces students to the core characteristics of social entrepreneurship by teaching Santos (2012) positive theory. The case allows students to transition from comprehension and application of what social entrepreneurship is, to considering how they operate. Druckers (2005) argument that social organisations will never have sufficient resources to do their work because they operate in an environment of infinite need is the catalyst for a conversation on resource dependency theory and the risks of mission drift. Students are introduced to the funding spectrum that can be used to understand the type of income that comes to an organisation, and to apply this to the case. By the end of their studies, students should be able to apply the Santos (2012) definition to social enterprises and social entrepreneurs, have insight into the complexity of operating in an environment of infinite need and able to apply the funding spectrum as a tool to manage to understanding financial sustainability. Case overview/synopsis The case tells the story of Sharanjeet Shan, a globally recognised social entrepreneur, and recipient of the Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2015. Shan moved to South Africa as the country moved into democracy, and has spent the past 20-plus years building the skills of Black African school children in mathematics and science through the organisation she leads, Maths Centre. But the country remains at the bottom of world rankings for the quality of its maths and science education, despite spending more per capita on education than any other country in Africa. Maths Centre has seen a dip in donations despite steady growth in the amount of money that businesses are investing in social change in South Africa through corporate social investment. But does Shan really need more donor income? Or are there other ways that she can build the financial sustainability of Maths Centre? Complexity academic level This case study is aimed at students of non-profit management, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, women in leadership, corporate social investment, development studies and sustainable livelihoods. It is written at an Honours / Masters level and is therefore also appropriate for use in customised or short programmes. The case study is a good introduction for students with a background in business (e.g. Diploma in Business Administration / MBA / custom programmes) who are wanting to understand social enterprise and apply their learning's. Supplementary materials A list of supplementary materials is provided in the Teaching Note as Table I, which includes video's, radio interview recordings and a book chapter. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

scholarly journals Colonialism and the Role of the Local Show: A Case Study of the Gympie District Show, 1877–1940

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
Regional Australia ◽  
Scholarly Attention

Agricultural shows are important events in rural and regional Australia. For over a century, they have often been the main annual festival on any given town's calendar. This importance makes the lack of scholarly attention to rural and regional shows puzzling. Recently, Australian exhibitions and agricultural shows have come in for some very welcome scholarly attention, although very little has been written about rural and regional events. Scholars such as Kate Darian-Smith and Sara Wills, Joanne Scott and Ross Laurie, Judith McKay, and Kay Anderson have all written on exhibitions and shows – although, of this group, only Darian-Smith and Wills have written on rural shows, the rest focusing more on inter-colonial and metropolitan Australian shows. Even Richard Waterhouse's groundbreaking study of rural Australian cultural history, The Vision Splendid, provides little detail on agricultural shows and their role in rural cultural life, although the show's importance is recognised.

An Online Success Story

2009 ◽  
pp. 1236-1253
Author(s):  
Olli Kuivalainen ◽  
Hanna-Kaisa Ellonen ◽  
Liisa-Maija Sainio
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Network Effects ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
Customer Feedback ◽  
The Web

The aim of this article is to provide a holistic exploration of the development of the business model of a magazine Web site, and of the factors behind its success. The discussion is based on an explorative case study of a successful Finnish magazine publisher and its Web site. We use triangulated data (interviews, observation, statistical data, customer feedback, newspaper articles) to describe and analyze the development of the Web site and the subsequent changes in the e-business model of the magazine from the Web site foundation in 1998 to the situation in fall 2004. Our case illustrates that a magazine’s Web site is linked to all of its functions (editorial, circulation, and advertising), and to the business-model elements that are vital to its success. We suggest that the discussion forums in question, one type of virtual community, benefited from the positive feedback that resulted in positive network effects, and led to the adoption of the service. Moreover, community activities have enhanced customer loyalty and added a more lifelike dimension to the magazine concept. As such, the Web site now complements rather than substitutes the print magazine. Interestingly, although it does not independently fulfill the requirements of a successful business model (e.g., Magretta, 2002), it enhances the customer experience and adds new dimensions to the magazine’s business model.

MOOS as Virtual Communities

2011 ◽  
pp. 329-333
Author(s):  
Shannon Roper ◽  
Sharmila Pixy Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Social Constructs ◽  
Book Series ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Defined Culture

Many researchers have observed that the Internet has changed the concept of virtual communities (Barnes, 2001, 2003; Jones, 1995, 1998; Rheingold, 1993). A unique example of virtual communities is a MOO—a specialized interactive online community that is usually based on a work of fiction such as book series, theater or television (Bartle, 1990). MOOs share many of the features of multi-user dimensions (MUDs) in that both allow participants to create their own virtual worlds, but some researchers consider MOOs to be “more sophisticated” (Barnes, 2001, p. 94). In a MOO community, the participants or “players” create their own virtual communities—fantasy communities complete with world structures, interpersonal norms and social constructs. Individual participants create characters complete with environment, history and personality constructs. The characters interact and influence each other and their environments, just as do the members of real-world communities. The MOO discussed in this case study is based on acclaimed fantasy author Anne McCaffery’s book series set on the fictional world of “Pern.” The players on DragonWings1 MOO create and develop characters over long periods, often many years, leading to the establishment and creation of a strong MOO. In this article we provide a case study of the DragonWings MOO as a unique virtual community. Because the concept of virtual communities is evolving with the Internet, and no definitive understanding of virtual community or virtual culture yet exists, we have chosen to structure our analysis of DragonWings MOO around the classical anthropological definition of culture and community. A seminal definition of culture, first articulated by Tylor (1871), provides the springboard for a number of anthropological definitions widely used today. Building on Tylor, White (1959), a prominent cultural scholar, defined culture as “within human organisms, i.e., concepts, beliefs, emotions, attitudes; within processes of social interaction among human beings; and within natural objects” (p. 237). He also identified symbols as a primary defining characteristic of culture. White’s simple yet comprehensive definition yields clear criteria that lend themselves to our analysis of MOOs. At the broadest level, an application of the criteria provides support for the acceptance of the Internet as a distinct and unique culture. At a more particular level, they provide a convenient tool for the analysis of a MOO as a virtual community. In the remainder of this article, we will utilize the definition outlined above to demonstrate the features that make DragonWings MOO a unique example of a virtual community.

Innovation at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Empowering Rickshaw Pullers

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-177
Author(s):  
Shalaghya Sharma ◽  
Anjani K. Singh ◽  
Amarendra Pratap Singh
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Product Launch ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Bottom Of The Pyramid ◽  
The Social

This case presents the innovative approach adopted by a for-profit social enterprise through utilization of technology, changed processes and improved business models to deliver the desired social impact. It also highlights the various challenges that the social entrepreneur faced and how the bottom of the pyramid was uplifted through success of this new social entrepreneurial venture. The case study is based on an interview conducted with the founder and managing director of SMV Wheels Pvt. Ltd. An exploratory schedule was prepared, and the researchers tried to develop an understanding of the business model deployed, challenges faced, competencies needed and strategic decisions made by the social entrepreneur that helped it in becoming sustainable. The challenges highlighted in the case study were lack of trust of beneficiaries, stakeholder scepticism, funding the business, testing the business model, need to retain self-motivation, handling family opposition and building a team. Moreover, with the use of technology, the traditional rickshaw was converted into a lightweight, technologically superior and cost-effective model; the health hazards were minimized; and the product became accessible with small weekly payments. Dilemma How to alleviate the daily struggle of the rickshaw pullers who perform labour-intensive work with meagre income? Their children lacked access to schools, no nutritious food was available, many rickshaw pullers consumed alcohol on a regular basis, domestic violence was prevalent, they were unable to afford good healthcare and suffered from diseases such as tuberculosis. What could be done for them? Theory: New product launch. Product and process innovations. Type of the Case: Problem solving and applied. Protagonist: Present. Options Redesign the rickshaw as a lightweight vehicle requiring less effort to pull. Strengthen supply side and easy access to bank financing, revenue sharing from advertisements. Discussions and Case Questions How to further optimize economic and social value creation? What steps can reduce the cost of a rickshaw while making it robust but lightweight? Perhaps a community of networks of rickshaw pullers in different towns can give critical mass to better negotiate with the vendors. What can be done for the welfare of the dependents of the rickshaw pullers?

Capital punishment and virtual protest: A case study of Singapore

First Monday ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmin Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Capital Punishment ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Authoritarian State ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
The Government ◽  
Media Discourses

This paper analyses how the online community in Singapore protested against the hanging of a Vietnamese drug trafficker in December 2005. Singapore has upheld capital punishment in the island state despite pressure from local and global civil society organisations and diplomatic channels. This paper traces how the online medium was used by the public to protest against capital punishment in the quasi–authoritarian state. The virtual community protested against the hanging by maintaining a rigorous discursive protest on the Internet. These sustained discourses became enmeshed with those of the offline media in Singapore. This confluence of the online and offline media discourses is important in building a two–tier public sphere in Singapore. The first–tier public sphere is one dominated by the government-controlled media and the ruling party while the second–tier public sphere is a space where civil society organisations and social movements express viewpoints marginalised in the offline society. The confluence of these two tiers has a material significance for the political landscape of Singapore. This paper explores this phenomenon through the case study of online protests against capital punishment in Singapore.

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