Social entrepreneurship is a phenomenon of increasing economic and cultural importance. A key challenge for social enterprises is resource acquisition. However, how social entrepreneurs acquire the resources needed to grow their ventures is not clear. Moreover, social enterprises differ from traditional ventures in several key ways which suggest that research developed from studying traditional entrepreneurs does not fully apply to social entrepreneurs. The focus of this dissertation is how social entrepreneurs use narratives to gather resources. This topic is examined using a multi-study, inductive, theory-building design based on 121 interviews, observation, and archival data. In Study 1, I interview 75 entrepreneurs, investors, and ancillary participants in the social enterprise sector. In Study 2, I construct case studies of eight technology-focused social ventures. The result is a framework explaining how differences in entrepreneurs' narrative tactics and characteristics are associated with differences in their resource acquisition success. Specifically, from Study 1 I develop a typology of social enterprise narratives, identify three narrative-types (personal, social-good, and business), and show that they possess unique elements. Findings from Study 2 demonstrate that the three narrative-types serve as the building blocks for communication with external stakeholders, particularly investors and the media. I find that successful social entrepreneurs used narratives to engage in two tactics -- tailoring and linking -- and constructed narratives with a unique characteristic: multiplexity. These findings contribute to three literatures that formed the basis of the study -- social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial resource acquisition, and organizational narrative theory -- and have implications for work on competing institutional logics and emotion in stakeholder evaluations. / text

Among the key issues that arise in research of cooperatives are their supposedly hybrid nature and how they are able to balance both social and economic goals. I contend that the concept of 'needs' has become an important differentiating factor for the cooperatives I studied in Emilia Romagna. Placing this concept centrally in an analysis of cooperative practice helps to reveal the interplay between various value systems, reaching beyond arguments of the degeneration of cooperatives or the reproduction of dominant models, which both assume a one-way flow of influence. The recent history of the cooperative movement in Italy shows that these institutions have developed along with changing conceptions of need, supported by broader social movements and value systems. The cooperative network is today of central importance, and seen as an egalitarian means to share ideals and drive local innovation. However, my research shows that the instrumentalisation of the concept of 'need' also naturalises certain aspects of capitalist practice and has consequences for the enactment of other values within the cooperative. For example, in one cooperative I examined, the focus on meeting the members' needs for work was important in justifying a decision to merge with another cooperative despite a decision-making process that was seen as less than entirely democratic. This orientation also justified the use of precarious labour, and the need to protect members' livelihoods helped to justify low pay for internships and municipal job placements, as opposed to furthering the cooperative values of equity and equality. While the cooperative workers desired an element of personal relations, this was sometimes seen to be at odds with the focus on production and the maintenance of jobs. The marketing of more ethical products with reference to their social added value highlighted the central role of individual consumer citizens in bringing about change, which also reinforced divisions within the cooperatives based on who was more or less able to make these choices. In conclusion, I argue that while 'needs', like 'added value', can unite social and economic concepts of value, this also naturalises certain aspects of capitalist practice, particularly in this case where employment emerges as the primary need to be met. This leads me to suggest that the focus on meeting needs, as opposed to focusing on achieving specific ideals such as democracy and equality, may not be as effective to create alternative practice.

This study gives a rich and detailed account of the lived experiences of social entrepreneurs in Gauteng, South Africa. The research seeks to give a better understanding of their day-to-day experiences in their journeys as social entrepreneurs. The paper also sheds light into their motivations, the key resources needed to start the enterprise, the types of support and benefits received and the challenges faced to date. A qualitative research approach was used to gather data through face-to-face in-depth interviews. Judgement and purposive sampling techniques were used to select twelve respondents for the research. Findings of the research show that social entrepreneurs are motivated by a social objective and that this takes precedence over personal wealth creation. Social entrepreneurs need both tangible and intangible resources to begin a social enterprise. Although financial capital is imperative, this does not hinder the social entrepreneur from addressing the identified social need. Social entrepreneurs often receive support from different sources, such as the community and family. A common challenge faced is the inability to balance the double bottom line comprising of social impact and financial sustainability. Despite the challenges faced, these social entrepreneurs are persistent in making a difference. They are often celebrated by their communities, family members, and, most importantly, the beneficiaries for the positive impact they have made / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / zkgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The nonprofit sector is increasingly engaged in social enterprise, which involves a combination and balancing of social mission and business goals which can cause mission drift or mission tension. A work integrated social enterprise (WISE) is a specific type of social enterprise that focuses on integrating hard-to-employ individuals, such as ex offenders, back into the workforce, usually through producing goods or offering services. Little is known about how WISE organizations manage mission drift, particularly given the unique characteristics of this type of organization. Using institutional values theory and resource dependence theory as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to explore how a WISE in Indiana experience and manage mission drift and mission tension. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 4 board members and 4 staff persons, and from organizational documents. All data were inductively coded and subjected to a constant, comparative analysis between empirical and predictive themes. The study revealed the organization has not experienced mission drift or mission tension because, (a) there was a strong mission and a commitment by the board and staff to the mission, (b) there was a constant balancing act between mission and income, (c) business goals aligned with mission, and (d) operating systems were in place for mission sustainability. The positive social change implications stemming from this study include providing beneficial information about best practices and strategies to other organizations seeking to develop WISE programs that provide opportunities and training for difficult to employ populations.

Social enterprises (SEs) are businesses managed by entrepreneurs who seek to improve society, and they represent an important trend in social change work. However, there is little empirical knowledge about which blended value accounting (BVA) methods are used by SE managers, and whether the use of BVA is perceived by SE managers as a critical success factor. Blended value accounting is a conceptual framework for measuring combined social and financial outcomes in SEs, and some believe that the use of BVA may be a critical success factor for SEs. This research was based on Covin and Slevin's conceptualization of entrepreneurial orientation. The main research question was whether the use of BVA methods was correlated with SE success from the perception of the SE managers. Surveys were sent to 3,682 SE managers in North America, the United Kingdom, Asia, and Africa (n = 280). Data were analyzed using multiple regression, with the dependent variable SE success, and the independent variables: the use of BVA method, number of employees, length of time in business, economic sector, and country of registration. Findings indicated no statistically significant correlation between the use of BVA method and SE success, though most SE managers, 73% of 280 respondents, were using BVA methods for other reasons, including complying with state laws. The BVA method B-Impact Rating System was used by 59% of survey respondents who used any method of BVA. These findings suggest that SE managers should select a BVA method that is inexpensive to implement, aligns with industry standards, and provides them with management information. Supporting agencies should create a global registry of SEs, report on the social change impact they create through their businesses, and encourage all businesses to adopt the social-change orientation of SEs.

The development mode of social enterprise in China has clear policy-driven characteristics. As an important social innovation center in China, Chengdu has formed a new type of social governance model under the support and guidance of its government policies since 2018, and social enterprises have played an essential role therein. Under the theoretic framework of social acceleration theory, this research aims to develop a better understanding of the inherent contradictions in the social enterprise ecosystem through the fieldwork and in-depth interviews with multiple stakeholders, and further analyze the tension-filled process of contemporary China’s people-oriented subjectivity construction. / 博士(グローバル社会研究) / Doctor of Philosophy in Global Society Studies / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

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No / This paper questions the application of the entrepreneurship discourse to social entrepreneurship in the UK and looks at how people ‘doing’ social enterprise appropriate or re-write the discourse to articulate their own realities. Drawing on phenomenological enquiry and discourse analysis, the study analyses the micro discourses of social entrepreneurs, as opposed to the meta rhetorics of (social) entrepreneurship. Analysis using both corpus linguistics software and Critical Discourse Analysis showed a preoccupation among interviewees with local issues, collective action, geographical community and local power struggles. Echoes of the enterprise discourse are evident but couched in linguistic devices that suggest a modified social construction of entrepreneurship, in which interviewees draw their legitimacy from a local or social morality. These findings are at odds ideologically with the discursive shifts of UK social enterprise policy over the last decade, in which a managerially defined rhetoric of enterprise is used to promote efficiency, business discipline and financial independence. The paper raises critical awareness of the tension in meanings appropriated to the enterprise discourse by social enterprise policy and practice and illustrates the value of discourse analysis for entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship research.

Nowadays consumers have become more and more socially conscious because of the rising concern about social and environmental issues. In this context, large scale companies are one of the main actors which are required to increase their efforts. They have increased the amount of charity actions or philanthropic collaboration in the latest years but both have shown limited effects and benefits especially on the long-term. This research is treating a new kind of partnership between large scale companies and social enterprises which is based on a true business approach with a long-term strategy. This new type of partnership requires a higher effort for its sustainability on the long-term and there was a gap in the literature when it comes to that point and it is this gap that this research aims to fill. The research was conducted through the analysis of a case study about the partnership between IKEA and Doi Tung, a social enterprise based in Thailand. Through semi-structured interviews conducted with both parts, it was possible to point out the challenges faced by large scale companies and social enterprises during their partnership but also to highlight four keys aspects which ensure the sustainability of this type of partnership; partnership selection and preparation, partnership driver, partnership nature, and partnership adaptation. The research contributes to the knowledge in the area of entrepreneurship and practical knowledge on the corporate-social enterprise partnership.

<p><strong>Aim</strong>: Social Entrepreneurship (SE) has been widely spread as a global phenomenon, although many researches have been done, the concept is still hard to define. However, it has been proved that SE has a positive effect on alleviating the social problems. The aim of this research is by the means of comparing three prevalent social enterprise models and analyzing the crucial factor in the social value creation process, to find out an appropriate mode for the Chinese organizations to develop SE, with twofold value creation: social and economic.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Method</strong>: Three companies are chosen as case study: Gefle Chocolaterie, Göranssonska Fonder and Lenovo. Face-to-face interview and phone interview are used to collect the primary data, also some books and articles are applied as secondary data. The analysis model is social enterprise models, and strategic triangle model.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Result & Conclusions</strong>: We find some advantages and disadvantages of social enterprise models, and come to a result that for each case company, because of the difference between crucial factor of the social enterprise model, their strategic triangle model are different as well. There is no fixed social enterprise model for Chinese companies to practice SE, each kind of the model should be adjusted to the specific situation of the company, only in this way, best results can be achieved.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Suggestions for future research</strong>: The information we got from the interviewees may be limited to their point of view, also, bias may occur in the research due to authors’ academic point of view. On the other hand, this research was only based on qualitative data, and the empirical study, which was not enough, hence, more quantitative data is needed in the future study.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Contribution of the thesis</strong>: After the study, according to the size of the company, we list the potential models for each of them to develop SE. It is valuable and helpful for managers to capture the SE practice model and embed it into the company behaviour.</p>