Social Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

2018 ◽  
pp. 181-210
Author(s):  
Susana Bernardino ◽  
J. Freitas Santos ◽  
J. Cadima Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems ◽  
Social Ventures ◽  
Institutional Stakeholders

Entrepreneurial ecosystems and social entrepreneurship are receiving increasing attention for their ability to foster economic and social development. This study adopts the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach to analyse the extent to which the perceived favourability of external environment promotes or deters the launch of new ventures by social entrepreneurs. The research was based on a survey that collected data through a questionnaire emailed to Portuguese social entrepreneurship ventures. The results show that a favourable entrepreneurial ecosystem has low importance in the decision to develop new social ventures. This result is particularly consistent in more innovative social ventures. This conclusion supports the idea that many social ventures are not based on social innovation, but derive from a traditional approach to social problems. Therefore, the development of new innovative social ventures has to be supported by institutional stakeholders in order to support social entrepreneurs, regardless of the level of favourability of the entrepreneurial context.

Social Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

2019 ◽  
pp. 151-179
Author(s):  
Susana Bernardino ◽  
J. Freitas Santos ◽  
J. Cadima Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems ◽  
Social Ventures ◽  
Institutional Stakeholders

Entrepreneurial ecosystems and social entrepreneurship are receiving increasing attention for their ability to foster economic and social development. This study adopts the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach to analyse the extent to which the perceived favourability of external environment promotes or deters the launch of new ventures by social entrepreneurs. The research was based on a survey that collected data through a questionnaire emailed to Portuguese social entrepreneurship ventures. The results show that a favourable entrepreneurial ecosystem has low importance in the decision to develop new social ventures. This result is particularly consistent in more innovative social ventures. This conclusion supports the idea that many social ventures are not based on social innovation, but derive from a traditional approach to social problems. Therefore, the development of new innovative social ventures has to be supported by institutional stakeholders in order to support social entrepreneurs, regardless of the level of favourability of the entrepreneurial context.

Public policy’s role and capability in fostering the emergence and evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A case of ecosystem-based policy in Finland

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 807-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Nordling
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem ◽  
Data Infrastructure ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Action Research Approach

This paper explores public policy’s role and capability in fostering the emergence and evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems. While the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach has focused on the ingredients and essentials of entrepreneurial ecosystems, the policy-focused dimensions are lacking, and especially insights derived through the “real world” policy efforts to develop entrepreneurial ecosystems. This paper contributes to the discussion by focusing on various actors’ roles in supporting entrepreneurship and facilitating interaction and collaboration within entrepreneurial ecosystems by taking a participatory action research approach to study the case of ecosystem-based policy in Finland. Findings illustrate that public policy may incubate and facilitate entrepreneurial ecosystems through regionally embedded actors. Through well-designed, sustainable and leadership-based innovation services, entrepreneurs are linked to co-creation processes, data, infrastructure and competencies to support new ventures whilst benefitting also the regional ecosystem. However, the challenge lies in embedding the processes in other regional contexts in which the organisations and institutional settings may be different.

scholarly journals Social entrepreneurship and social enterprise phenomenon: toward a collective approach to social innovation in Tunisia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bechir Fridhi
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Entrepreneurial Action ◽  
Collective Construction ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Real Challenge ◽  
Collective Dimension

AbstractThis article aims to understand the extent to which social entrepreneurship (SE) contributes to the construction of a collective dimension linked to social innovation (SI). We aim to propose new ideas that can deliver insights into the SE phenomenon. This research is also distinct from entrepreneurial ecosystems as its development already requires some successful entrepreneurial action and to do it, the structuring and consolidation of an entrepreneurial ecosystem constitutes a real challenge for the development of SI.This work has been based on a participant observation of eight major events dedicated to social entrepreneurship or the shared economy. In-depth interviews with Tunisian social entrepreneurs were also conducted in order to enrich our corpus. The results show the necessary cooperation of social entrepreneurs for a sustainable and responsible social innovation. Indeed, the analysis emphasizes that the viability and sustainability of a social innovation rests essentially on a collective construction, beyond common social values.

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.

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.

Social Entrepreneurship and Related Concepts

2021 ◽  
pp. 273-294
Author(s):  
Cristina López-Cózar-Navarro ◽  
Tiziana Priede-Bergamini
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

In the past few decades, a new way of responding to social and environmental problems has emerge: the social entrepreneurship. It is presented as a special type of venture, in which the creation of social value prevails over the maximization of profits. Thus, the main objective of these types of ventures is to serve the community and to search for a positive social change. In this chapter, in addition to presenting the concept of social entrepreneurship and its various approaches within the so-called third sector and the emergent fourth sector, the main sources of funding that can be used by social entrepreneurs are also presented, especially business angels and crowdfunding, are detailed. New paradigms such as the collaborative economy and the circular economy are also addressed within social economy, highlighting the relationship with social entrepreneurship and the path of opportunity to foster new ventures in these fields.

Entrepreneurial education: an entrepreneurial ecosystem approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Delwyn N. Clark ◽  
Sophie Reboud ◽  
Olivier Toutain ◽  
Valérie Ballereau ◽  
Tim Mazzarol
Keyword(s):  
New Ventures ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Entrepreneurial Education ◽  
Academic Unit ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem ◽  
Macroeconomic Policies ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Novel Approach

Abstract How can an entrepreneurial education program simultaneously create entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and competencies, as well as new ventures and jobs? This is a particular challenge for universities that are keen to align with government policies and demonstrate impact. Our paper examines a novel approach to enterprise and entrepreneurship education that integrates training/learning with new venture creation by operating as an entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE). We outline a comprehensive EE framework and apply this model using an exploratory case study of an EE centred around an innovative academic unit called The Entrepreneurial Garden (TEG) at Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France. TEG offers entrepreneurial education, research and new venture development as an integrated portfolio. This analysis shows how an academic unit can be developed as an EE building from local resources and expertise, aligning with macroeconomic policies and priorities, and leveraging partnerships to provide access to other entrepreneurial players, resources and networks.

A Qualitative Analysis of Social Entrepreneurship Involving Social Innovation and Intervention

2019 ◽  
pp. 400-421
Author(s):  
Vera Fernandes ◽  
António Carrizo Moreira ◽  
Ana Isabel Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Ventures

Social entrepreneurship is emerging as an innovative approach for dealing with complex social and environmental needs, and is an important lever for the development of a sustainable society. Social entrepreneurship and related concepts have had a growing attention in the academy, giving rise to dissimilar approaches in the United States of America and in Western Europe. Despite the importance of the Third Sector in Portugal, it has been difficult to set ideal definitions for social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneur and social enterprises. By means of a qualitative study involving four Portuguese social ventures, this chapter identifies contemporary socio-cultural and economic factors that foster social innovation and intervention in Portugal, and contributes to understand the role of social entrepreneur in this context.

A Qualitative Analysis of Social Entrepreneurship Involving Social Innovation and Intervention

2017 ◽  
pp. 417-438
Author(s):  
Vera Fernandes ◽  
António Moreira ◽  
Ana Isabel Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Ventures

Social entrepreneurship is emerging as an innovative approach for dealing with complex social and environmental needs, and is an important lever for the development of a sustainable society. Social entrepreneurship and related concepts have had a growing attention in the academy, giving rise to dissimilar approaches in the United States of America and in Western Europe. Despite the importance of the Third Sector in Portugal, it has been difficult to set ideal definitions for social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneur and social enterprises. By means of a qualitative study involving four Portuguese social ventures, this chapter identifies contemporary socio-cultural and economic factors that foster social innovation and intervention in Portugal, and contributes to understand the role of social entrepreneur in this context.

The role of business advisers in supporting social entrepreneurship

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Dalborg ◽  
Yvonne von Friedrichs
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustainable Business Models

Purpose In many regions, the potential of social entrepreneurship and social innovation are not fully used. The purpose of this study is to explore issues and challenges in the business advisory support offered to social entrepreneurs and, from this background, give suggestions on how the advisory process to social entrepreneurs could be modified to better gain society. Design/methodology/approach Representatives from 15 business advisory organisations in Sweden were interviewed to examine how their support to social enterprises meets the needs of the companies, and to discover possible problems encountered regarding the business advice available to social enterprises. Using thematic analysis, six different overarching themes were identified that characterise issues and challenges in the business advisory support offered to social enterprises. Findings The results show that many advisers lack experience in social entrepreneurship, yet they consider that social enterprises are not “genuine” entrepreneurs, and that they, therefore, refer them to advisers focussing on co-operative enterprises. Furthermore, the absence of sustainable business models, the lack of financial resources and the existence of municipal monopoly are identified by the advisers as challenges. Practical implications This paper reveals an Achilles’ heel in the business advisory support offered to social enterprises, namely, the lack of experience and knowledge of social entrepreneurship amongst current business advisers, as well as a prioritisation of advice to more “commercial” entrepreneurs because of policy instruments and the expectations from the public funders of increased profitability and growth in the companies that receive advice. The mainstream business advisory service could play a key role by bringing together the various stakeholders in this shared value process. This would, however, require increased knowledge and new government policies and directives that ensure that social entrepreneurs are prioritised in the business advisory situation. Originality/value This paper demonstrates that the current advisory system is not adapted to fit the needs of social enterprises. It also proposes the need to include participation and proximity in the business model design.

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