Social Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises in Slovenia

The main purpose of the chapter is to present the analysis of the institutional framework for social enterprises in Slovenia. In order to achieve this purpose, the selected definitions of social entrepreneurship are offered, and the context of the study is presented. The focus on the situation in Slovenia includes a systematic description of historical background of social entrepreneurship, statistical data, legal regulation and national policies, key stakeholders and support mechanisms, certification schemes and social reporting, social investment markets, and finally, a SWOT analysis and a list of challenges Slovenia is facing in the field of social entrepreneurship.

Relationship Between Mission Drift and Financial Strategies in Social Enterprises

Social enterprises (SEs) have an important role in the social services provision. Many of those enterprises provide services, such as care services to elderly people and young people at risk of exclusion, work integration services, mediation, etc. In European Union (EU) countries, public administrations are obliged to provide these services to the citizens, although they externalize the provision to SEs. In this chapter, the financial strategies of SEs are analyzed in order to assess if they have any impact on mission drift. The analysis is based on the experiences of three SEs that provide social services in Catalonia, Spain. Several interviews with managers and board members of SEs were done. The results indicate that there is an important financial dependency of these SEs on the public administration. Therefore, SEs have problems to remain mission-focused, and a mission drift into market positions has been observed.

Social Value and Public Services Procurement

The UK government aims to increase the role of social enterprise as a vehicle to deliver public services directly to citizens and local communities. This chapter explores small social enterprises' experience of public service procurement in the UK including the introduction of the Social Value Act 2012. To understand small third sector social enterprises' experiences of gaining access to public services contracts, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 11 chief executive officers (CEOs) using an interview guide. Empirical evidence obtained suggests that some procurement policies and processes are impacting on these organizations' developments, growth, partnership arrangements and value creation.

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship in the African Context

Social enterprises are organizations created with the aim of applying entrepreneurial skills and innovations to solving social problems. They are managed by individuals who combine pragmatic and result-oriented methods of a business entrepreneur with the goals of a social reformer. Such enterprises combine resources in innovative ways to create social value in and for the society. However, social enterprises may face challenges that impact their ability to accomplish social goals. For instance, when confronted with the harsh realities of economic recession, teaming poor population, and the need to profit for social intervention, social enterprises existing in hostile economic environment in developing countries may face possibilities of shutdown. This chapter examines the concept of social entrepreneurship in a subsisting economy in Africa. Specifically, it draws from relevant primary and secondary data to explore the nature of social entrepreneurship in the Nigeria context and the potential role that social entrepreneurship can play in addressing social problems.

Social Capital as a Factor of Success in Mexican Cooperatives

The main objective of this chapter is to reflect the importance of social capital in the establishment and growth of cooperatives in Mexico, specifically the cooperative “Las Chiquihuitecas,” producer of cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus Costa). The research method used was totally qualitative applying the documentary analysis and the interview in depth as an instrument for the collection of the information. As a result, it was obtained that social capital has been the key element in the formation and development of the cooperative.

Challenges and Opportunities of Micro or Small Social Enterprises in Rwanda

The purpose of this chapter is to provide insights on micro or small social enterprises in Rwanda with a focus on their opportunities and challenges. The author carried out a literature review and interviews. The chapter explores the emergence and evolution of economically oriented social organizations in Rwanda. The context of emergence of social enterprise in Rwanda was shaped, among other factors, by Anglo-Saxon influence. The chapter underlines other contextual factors underlying the current emergence of micro or small social enterprises notably the aftermath of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, and the current entrepreneurships trends. Finally, the chapter examines opportunities shaping micro or small enterprises and investigates challenges facing micro or small social enterprises in Rwanda. The chapter explores and provides insights into the specificities and the current trends of micro or small social enterprise in Rwanda with a view to fostering further analysis for several research avenues.

Financing Social Enterprises

This chapter discusses funding and financing issues of small and micro social enterprises (SEs) following a systematic approach. It conducts a systematic review of the SE financing literature and proposes a systematic model to examine the SE financing ecosystem. Specifically, the chapter discusses some traditional financing sources of SEs, including internal money, donations, government grants, and conventional debt and equity and examines SEs' advantage and challenges in securing financing using these traditional ways. To address the challenges of SE financing, this chapter proposes a systematic approach of solution and discusses some new and innovative sources of financing for SEs, such as the social impact bonds and the social venture capital. It then discusses crowdfunding and its best use for various types and stages of SEs. The chapter also suggests a list of future research ideas.

The Development of National Health Service Social Enterprises in England

The purpose of this chapter is to examine government policy framework relating to the development of social enterprise within National Health Service providers. The number of social enterprises delivering public healthcare services is continually growing. This chapter discusses challenges and benefits for the government. Potential barriers to achieving this development are also evaluated. Although the focus is primarily upon the policy agenda in England, the chapter makes a useful contribution to the ongoing international debate on the development of social enterprises in primary and secondary care. This review identifies that National Health Service social enterprises responds to local needs, bring innovative, effective ways of managing heathcare in the community. It is clear from reviewing the literature that healthcare services are changing and being continually shaped by social enterprises providers.

A Review of Third Sector Reporting Frameworks

The need for social reporting in third sector organizations is widely acknowledged. However, there is little agreement on how best to approach this. While various social reporting frameworks are available, the resource constraints (primarily time and money) of third sector organizations such as social enterprises, many of which are small or micro enterprises, are often overlooked in the development of these frameworks. Accordingly, the purpose of this chapter is to review the appropriateness of available social reporting frameworks, in view of social enterprises' hybrid nature and often limited resources. Borrowing from the discipline of accounting, fundamental financial reporting concepts and principles are considered, underscoring the need for a general-purpose reporting framework appropriate for social enterprises' dual objectives, limited resources, and their diverse range of stakeholders.

Social Enterprises and Fundraising Challenge

Evolving markets challenge the organization's ability to react to customer demand. Decision-making becomes paralyzed by process-based operations and chains of command and control, thereby decreasing agility. Many organizations today are also facing significant demographic challenges. Baby boomers, once the lifeblood of business, are retiring while Generation Y wants to communicate and interact in a completely different manner. There may be four generations in the modern workplace, and each has its unique traits and demands. There is growing complexity both inside and outside the organization. Organizations need to understand complexity instead of simply increasing complication. The growth of interest in this area is closely related to the fact that social enterprises constitute the fastest growing category of organizations in the USA and to the fact that universities and business schools around the globe are currently involved in various education programmes in social entrepreneurship and social enterprise.