Social Entrepreneurship

Author(s):  
Soraya Husain-Talero ◽  
Luz Dary González Cortés

The chapter aims to conceptualize social entrepreneurship, together with its contribution to social value creation and its relation to innovation and sustainability. The chapter begins by theorizing about social entrepreneurship and the desirable characteristics of a social entrepreneur. Comparisons between the different schools of taught, namely The Social Enterprise School and the Social Innovation School are made in order to understand trends and similarities that might affect the development of a social entrepreneurial ecosystem. Finally, the links between social entrepreneurship, sustainability and social innovation are explored, as well as issues and challenges that might occur in relation to funding strategies, tax and legal regulations, public investment, public awareness and impact measurement. The article concludes that social entrepreneurship contributes to tackling social problems in an innovative manner, bringing together different actors such as government, private companies and social entrepreneurs.

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 1252-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip T. Roundy

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.


Author(s):  
Jorge Colvin Díez ◽  
José Manuel Saiz-Alvarez

The social entrepreneur has been analyzed from many perspectives, either from its social impact, its proposed social value, or its direct or indirect action. This chapter attempts to analyze the entrepreneur from a new approach: the perspective of the leader. Therefore, the question arises: is leadership in social entrepreneurs an evolutionary process or not? Is it a natural ability or a learned technique? Is the social entrepreneur a leader born or made? To answer this, [1] we will analyze the main contemporary theories of leadership from two different paradigms (Colvin, 2013), [2] we will define new concepts in the world of social entrepreneurship, [3] we will establish a life cycle of strategic leadership promoted by the social entrepreneur focused on his or her organization in order to serve as a seed for the intended social impact.


Author(s):  
Gaye Karacay

Being at a development stage, the social innovation literature needs further contributions that would help to comprehensively find out the enablers of social innovation especially within macro level. Since the nature of social innovation is cumulative as well as interactive, the micro level practices of individual social innovation initiatives add up to the general patterns at the macro-level. On account of the fact that shared values among members of a society bring about similar expectations, perceptions, and behavioral patterns, it is essential to explore how various societal cultural attributes contribute to social innovation capacities of countries. This study aims to explore an evidence of the influence of societal culture on social innovation, specifically by shaping the perceptions of social entrepreneurs for social value creation. By discussing the relationship between societal culture and social innovation in a conceptual manner along with developing research propositions, this study offers a new direction for future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (02) ◽  
pp. 255-277
Author(s):  
Shweta Mittal ◽  
Vishal Gupta ◽  
Manoj Motiani

The ‘Qasab’ case is designed to teach students about the characteristics of social entrepreneurship and the impact it has on the society. It also describes how sustainable development and social innovation are interlinked. ‘Qasab’ was an organization whose main focus was to preserve the traditional art of the Kutch region. The case describes the genesis and the journey of ‘Qasab,’ how it preserved the traditional art forms, and the personality traits of Pankaj Shah (the social entrepreneur who started ‘Qasab’). The case talks about the problems faced by the artisans in the region, which led to the formation of this social venture. Also, it touches upon the HR challenges faced by a social entrepreneur. At the time this case was written, ‘Qasab’ had become a collective enterprise comprising 1,200 rural master craftswomen from 11 ethnic communities spread across 62 villages in the arid interiors of Kutch and has been formally structured and registered as a ‘Producer Company’ owned by traditional craftswomen. ‘Qasab’ included different communities such as — ‘Mutwa’, ‘Sodha Rajput’, ‘Jat-Daneta’, ‘Meghwal’, ‘Sindhi Memon’, ‘DhebariyaRabari’, ‘KacchiRabari’, ‘Ahir’, ‘Halepotra’, ‘Sumra,’‘Hingorja’ and ‘Pathan’ — that had distinct embroidery styles and emphasized maintaining these styles (since the embroideries were an integral part of their cultural identity) — to preserve their unique identities. ‘Qasab’ was known for its outstanding quality of authentic Kutch embroidery, appliqué and patchwork products, its hallmark being traditional motifs reflecting the cultural identity of each community in contemporary designs through items of premium quality. ‘Qasab’ had made artisans stakeholders in the organization and was able to preserve the distinct art of each community. The case is based on the theme of social entrepreneurship and analyzes the process of the emergence of such enterprises, their importance and the factors that lead to their success and sustainability. Students can assess how these organizations are different from other types of organizations. The case should help students to find the parameters that show that social innovation and sustainable development are interlinked. The case can be used to study the business model of social innovation.


2017 ◽  
pp. 414-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeta Baporikar

Societies world over are urgently seeking innovative approaches to address persistent social problems of health care, poverty, child labour, literacy etc. These problems not only persist but also have increased in intensity and complexity. Thus, there is furor for innovative entrepreneurial approaches that can create more social value with limited resources. These approaches need to leverage better on resources to enhance effectiveness through creative partnerships by raised expectations, performance and accountability so as to achieve more sustainable social impact. What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to society? They may, like business entrepreneurs, be interested in profit, but their emphasis is on social change. While the challenges in the social sector are many, the potential and opportunity for social entrepreneurship to be a powerful force for social value creation has never been greater. Through grounded research and in depth contextual analysis, this chapter focuses on India's genesis and development of social entrepreneurship.


Author(s):  
Matthew Wayne Knox ◽  
Joseph Crawford ◽  
Jo-Anne Kelder

Despite their inherent complexity, social entrepreneurs seek to create social innovation to stem society's wicked problems. To do so requires a balanced consideration of varying social expectations, all while trying to lead a sustainable enterprise. Educators look to equip the social entrepreneur with the right skills and mindset; with program failure, sadly, more common than not. This chapter seeks to explore the commonalities of such failures, highlighting the importance of behavioral development and facilitating an effective learning environment. Following an investigation into the notion of social entrepreneurship, authentic leadership is identified as a response some of the shortcomings of contemporary entrepreneurship education. The incorporation of authentic leader behaviors in entrepreneurial education can offer an injection as the social entrepreneur seeks to address the various challenges of social enterprise.


2021 ◽  
pp. 251512742110474
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Fernhaber

Social entrepreneurship is on the rise. For educators, it is no longer a question of if we should teach social entrepreneurship, but rather how we might best do so. The Social Enterprise Audit is introduced as an innovative way to combine in-class learning with active engagement in the social entrepreneurship community. Student teams are matched with local social enterprises. As foundational concepts of social entrepreneurship are taught in the classroom, student teams visit and meet with their social enterprise partner to apply the concepts. The final deliverable includes an analysis and critique of the social enterprise along with a set of recommendations. The structured approach is easy for the instructor to implement and aligns directly with course material. Students benefit by nurturing their identity as a social entrepreneur while developing a skillset that equips them to make a difference.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oly Mishra

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.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
AISDL

Objective: The objective of this research project is to explore the personal and organizational factors that lead to innovation in social entrepreneurs. The study improves the understanding of this type of entrepreneurs in Mexico.Research Design & Methods: The study includes 81 social entrepreneurs from different regions of Mexico. A questionnaire was carried out taking into account five factors: creativity, autonomy, tasks and roles of the entrepreneur and innovation of the process and the product or service. The approach used was quantitative through structural equations to establish a relationship between the variables. The method used was through partial least squares.Findings: Through the structural equations, the relationship between the variables studied is shown. The relationship between the personal and organizational variables of the social entrepreneur on product or service innovation is verified. The social entrepreneur innovates to reach the goals that are proposed.Implications & Recommendations: It is necessary to sensitize the different governmental and non-governmental sectors that promote social entrepreneurship in Mexico. Entrepreneur training strategies can help them achieve a sustainable business and, in this way, contribute to promoting social justice.Contribution & Value Added: This work highlights the personal and organizational factors of the social entrepreneur in Mexico that had not been previously studied. These days, due to a severe crisis caused by the global pandemic, it will take a greater number of social entrepreneurs to be able to overcome social lags.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 191-197
Author(s):  
Seema Devi

Social entrepreneurship is the use of the techniques by startup companies and other entrepreneurs to develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a variety of organizations with different sizes, aims, and beliefs. For-profit entrepreneurs typically measure performance using business metrics like profit, revenues and increases in stock prices, but social entrepreneurs are either non-profits or blend for-profit goals with generating a positive "return to society" and therefore must use different metrics. Social entrepreneurship typically attempts to further broad social, cultural, and environmental goals often associated with the voluntary sector  in areas such as poverty alleviation, health care and community development. This article builds on the literature to define social entrepreneurship, discusses the boundaries of socially-oriented entrepreneurial activities, and positions the social entrepreneur in the spectrum of entrepreneurship.


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