Inequality is a complex issue and an integral part of the sustainability challenge. This research examines how social entrepreneurs (SE) can be catalysts to increase equality in South Africa. In order to navigate through the complexity of inequality within this context, the authors designed a conceptual model. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), based on Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) concepts, such as backcasting and systems thinking, was incorporated into the research to ensure a systematic and comprehensive link to sustainability. The FSSD and the conceptual model assisted in exploring how social entrepreneurship could be a strategic approach to increase equality in South Africa, and in turn, help to open the social trap and contribute towards creating a more sustainable society. During the research process, the researchers identified nine high impact areas that could be addressed by SE and other stakeholders. These include: awareness; attitude and mind-set; a shared understanding; government support; education and training; economic environment; financial sustainability; social and physical infrastructure; and collaboration and asset sharing. The aim of these high impact areas is to help foster social entrepreneurial development and guide SE in strategically increasing equality in South Africa.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The South African government is promoting Small, Micro- and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMMEs) as a key strategy for job creation, economic growth for poverty alleviation and a reduction in inequalities. The sustainable development of small businesses is therefore seen as the antidote for high levels of unemployment and poverty alleviation. Academics and policy makers agree that entrepreneurs, and the new businesses they establish, play a critical role in the development and well-being of their societies. If South Africa is to overcome its pressing challenges of unemployment and poverty, it urgently needs to become a more entrepreneurial society. The Field Study Programme (FSP) initiated by the Tertiary School in Business Administration (TSiBA) in South Africa, and the Northeastern University (NU) in Boston, United States of America, aims to guide and support small business owners. The goal of the FSP was, therefore, to support small business owners to improve their understanding of managing their small business and their competency in finding innovative solutions to their current market challenges. Since the inception of the FSP at TSiBA in 2008, very little research has been undertaken to understand the value and benefits of the FSP from the perspective of community small business owners over the past seven (7) years. This study explored the perceptions and experiences of small business owners and the value of the FSP towards their small business venture to assist business schools and higher education institutions to execute FSP’s with greater success and impact. In terms of the FSP, local and international business students acted as ‘consultants’ applying their respective academic knowledge and skills to assist small business owners to adapt their business model to sustain their livelihoods. The major purpose of the FSP was for students to consult with participants regarding their needs or challenges and to transform their needs and challenges through practical intervention towards meaningful and sustainable solutions which are mutually beneficial for all parties involved. The FSP attempted to demonstrate how a joint service-learning and social entrepreneurship approach could contribute to improving the human capital of small business owners. The study applied a qualitative research approach to explore the experiences and perceptions of small business owners who participated in the FSP. Purposive sampling was used to acquire information from small business owners. In this study twenty (20), participants were chosen on the basis that they had run their own small businesses at the time of being selected for the FSP for more than 6-12 months. The FSP was conducted over a seven-month period from February 2014 to August 2014. The qualitative research instruments for this study were pre- and post-interviews with individuals and focus-group discussions. Tape recorded data was transcribed verbatim for each pre-and post-interview with individuals and focus group discussions. The researcher analysed the transcripts using thematic analysis. The study highlighted the following findings: A majority of participants reported a positive experience and satisfaction with their participation in the FSP. Most of the participants felt that the solutions presented had contributed to addressing their challenges and influenced the ongoing operations of their small business venture. It was perceived that a combined service-learning and social entrepreneurship approach to FSP could improve community outreach programs. Despite the positive feedback, more must be done to incorporate black small-businesses into the main economy. A further recommendation is that a more integrated approach is needed between small business owners and students to join forces and provide solutions and relevant skills-training once the FSP has been completed.

There is no recognised legal structure for social enterprises operating in South Africa and as a result many are running two or more legal entities. This has created confusion and skepticism in the market place, specifically when it comes to funding these enterprises. By using both qualitative and quantitative methods, this research study draws from a small sample to create an understanding of the dynamics that social entrepreneurs are faced with when choosing an appropriate structure. It then draws a correlation between South African social enterprises and those internationally in order to compare the revenue generated from earned income and grant funding. Furthermore, the research compares and discusses the correlations between the forprofit and non-profit social enterprises and how these compare with regards to generating revenue and sustaining their activities. It outlines some important principles of social enterprises which include that they: (1) are mission focused, (2) can access funding in order to scale, (3) earn sufficient income to sustain their operations and (4) provide a social return on investment. The research highlights both similarities and differences between the various entities and suggests an optimal framework for the South African context that guides social entrepreneurs, investors and funders of social enterprises.Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The Intshona Group of Companies operates in South Africa as a hybrid agribusiness combining entrepreneurial principles with a philosophy of social upliftment in Africa. This research views Intshona through the lens of social entrepreneurship theory, a hybrid research field with a dominant theme being the need for growth and scaling of impact, but which is seen as fragmented, containing ambiguities and lagging practice. In this research, a case study of Intshona is developed based on questionnaires and interviews with the organisation’s management, a concerned NGO, social beneficiaries as well as employees. The result is a two-way flow of knowledge integrating elements of existing social enterprise theory with Intshona’s business practices, building on a generic model of entrepreneurship and culminating in a business model for growth in a social enterprise. The research delivers strategic directives for Intshona for its future growth, presents a case study for addition to the body of knowledge on social entrepreneurship and concludes with suggestions for further research to continue developing theory.

The objective of the study was to investigate the role that social entrepreneurship can play in rural economic development. This objective was achieved by answering the following secondary research questions: How do for-profit social ventures create social value? How sustainable are the for-profit social venture projects in rural areas? What are the challenges facing for-profit social ventures in scaling up their projects? What metrics can be used to monitor and measure social ventures? What are the leadership traits of social entrepreneurs? The point of departure in resolving the objective of this study was to do an analysis of the available literature relevant to the research. The literature review covered was on rural development and social entrepreneurship. Rural development literature covered issues specific to rural development such as the history of rural development in South Africa, land redistribution and restitution and food security, amongst others. Social entrepreneurship literature dealt with the following issues: charity organisations, corporate social responsibility, for-profit social ventures and social capital, amongst others. The researcher used a multiple case study method to resolve the objective of the research. It was conducted with five projects of Amadlelo Agri in the Eastern Cape. An empirical and qualitative study was conducted with forty one employees and six senior managers of Amadlelo Agri respectively in order to test the theory. The results of the empirical and qualitative study were compared to the reviewed literature in order to ascertain whether Amadlelo Agri complied with the findings of the literature review. The research concludes that for-profit social ventures can play a very important role in rural development by turning latent community assets into profitable businesses for the benefit of the community; reducing unemployment and poverty; bringing financial and other resources needed in rural communities and by providing skills development.

The concept of social entrepreneurship continues to be vague and lacked a clear understanding of what the concept really is. One problem identified with the concept is the adoption of capitalism as a means of sustaining the intervention. The adoption of profits and how they are used created a very big problem in both theory and practice. This study therefore tried to explore how donors perceived the use of profits from these interventions for the entrepreneurial self. This was done through a qualitative research. The findings showed that the profits from social interventions could not be used for purposes beneficial to the individual entrepreneur but only the project. The social entrepreneur could receive salaries, pensions and other personal emoluments but cannot use the profits for his or her own benefit. All profits must remain in the intervention for sustainability.

The rapid rise of alternative organisations such as social enterprises is largely due to the promotional activities of intermediary organisations. So far, little is known about the affective nature of such activities. The present article thus investigates how intermediary organisations make social entrepreneurship palatable for a broader audience by establishing it as an object of desire. Drawing on affect-oriented extensions of Laclau and Mouffe's poststructuralist theory, hegemonisation is suggested as a way of understanding how social entrepreneurship is articulated through a complementary process of signification and affective investment. Specifically, by examining Austrian intermediaries, we show how social entrepreneurship is endowed with a sense of affective thrust that is based on three interlocking dynamics: the articulation of fantasies such as 'inclusive exclusiveness', 'large-scale social change' and 'pragmatic solutions'; the repression of anxiety-provoking and contentious issues (constitutive quiescences); as well as the use of conceptually vague, floating signifiers (moments of indeterminacy). Demonstrating that the hegemonisation of social entrepreneurship involves articulating certain issues whilst, at the same time, omitting others, or rendering them elusive, the article invites a counter-hegemonic critique of social entrepreneurship, and, on a more general level, of alternative forms of organising, that embraces affect as a driving force of change, while simultaneously affirming the impossibility of harmony and wholeness.

[EN] The main purpose of this thesis consisted on trying to establish the existing relationships between social entrepreneurship, market orientation, crowdsourcing, and organizational performance. One of the main reasons that led to undertake this research on these relationships is referred to the extant interest on the effect of the information technologies (IT) related to market orientation and organizational management as part of a quest for a better organizational performance by the companies that adopt them. One of the organizational phenomena where market orientation and innovation have been exhibited has been through social entrepreneurship, which applies many elements that are common to entrepreneurship but which, unlike traditional entrepreneurship, has fundamentally social objectives. With regards to them and especially due to limitations (mainly financial ones), social entrepreneurs have refined their ingenuity with regards to financing and operation modes, having been found that social entrepreneurship generates value in several dimensions, from a personal level up to a general social level. On the other hand, it was found that crowdsourcing as an IT use intensive activity is turning into a form of value generation for companies as well as for the individuals that carry out work. For the first ones, because it allows them to achieve solutions to corporate and innovation (including R&D) problems at lower cost (and higher speed), and for the second ones, because it allows them to be part of a challenging and fulfilling (not only on a financial level) labor market, which allows them to exploit their specific skills. As the research process was carried out, a relevant theory study and research, as well as literature review, has been undertaken with respect to: social entrepreneurship, crowdsourcing and market orientation. Based on the theoretical foundation that was studied, hypothesis about the theoretical relationships have been formulated and the theoretical model was enunciated, which were later empirically verified in order to prove the formulated hypothesis as well as (consequently) the theoretical model. In order to undertake the empirical work, companies in the biotech and telecommunications sectors have been selected, based on both sectors' economic importance, as well as the IT adoption intensity in both. The study was carried on 223 companies among both sectors and the structural equations technique was used to prove the hypotheses, as well as to prove the model, finding that the results allowed to prove right the proposed hypothesis and model, having found that the results permitted proving right both the proposed hypothesis and the model. In the final part of this work, conclusions about the thesis' components were formulated, research limitations were outlined, finishing with future research lines proposal. / [ES] RESUMEN El principal propósito de esta tesis consistió en tratar de establecer las relaciones existentes entre el emprendimiento social, la orientación al mercado, el crowdsourcing y el desempeño organizativo. Una de las principales razones que llevó a realizar la presente investigación sobre estas relaciones se refiere al interés existente por el efecto de las tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) con relación la orientación al mercado y la gestión organizacional como parte de la búsqueda de un mejor desempeño organizacional, por parte de las empresas que las adoptan. Uno de los fenómenos organizaciones en los que la orientación al mercado y la innovación se han puesto de manifiesto ha sido el emprendimiento social, mismo que aplica muchos elementos comunes con el emprendedurismo pero que, a diferencia del emprendedurismo tradicional, tiene objetivos fundamentalmente sociales. Al respecto, y debido a las limitaciones (principalmente financieras), los emprendedores sociales han aguzado su ingenio en cuanto a financiación y sus formas de operación, viéndose que el desarrollo del emprendimiento social genera valor en varias dimensiones, desde el nivel personal hasta a nivel social general. Por otra parte, se ha encontrado que el crowdsourcing como actividad intensiva en el uso de las TIC se está constituyendo en una forma de generación de valor tanto para las empresas como para los individuos que realizan el trabajo. Para las primeras, porque les permite lograr soluciones a problemas empresariales y de innovación (incluyendo I+D) a un costo menor (y mayor velocidad) y, para los segundos, porque les permite incorporarse a un mercado de trabajo desafiante y satisfactorio (no solamente a nivel financiero), que les permite explotar sus destrezas particulares. En el proceso de realizar el estudio se ha llevado a cabo un relevamiento de la teoría relevante y una revisión bibliográfica con relación al emprendimiento social, el crowdsourcing y la orientación al mercado. Sobre la base teórica estudiada se formularon las hipótesis con respecto a las relaciones teóricas entre las variables y se enunció el modelo teórico, que luego se procedió a verificar de forma empírica para comprobar las hipótesis planteadas, así como (en consecuencia) el modelo teórico. Para llevar a cabo el trabajo empírico, se ha seleccionado a las empresas de los sectores de biotecnología y de telecomunicaciones, en base a la importancia económica de ambos sectores, así como la intensidad de la adopción de las TIC en ambos. El estudio se llevó a cabo sobre 223 empresas de ambos sectores y se empleó la metodología de ecuaciones estructurales para comprobar las hipótesis, así como para para probar el modelo, encontrando que los resultados permitieron demostrar las hipótesis y el modelo planteados. En la parte final del trabajo, se procedió a formular conclusiones con relación a los componentes de la tesis, se plantearon las limitaciones de la investigación, concluyendo con la proposición de futuras líneas de investigación. / [CAT] El principal propòsit d'esta tesi va consistir a tractar d'establir les relacions existents entre l'emprendimiento social, l'orientació al mercat, el crowdsourcing i l'exercici organitzatiu. Una de les principals raons que va portar a realitzar la present investigació sobre estes relacions es referix a l'interés existent per l'efecte de les tecnologies de la informació (TI) amb relació l'orientació al mercat i la gestió organitzacional com a part de la busca d'un millor exercici organitzacional, per part de les empreses que les adopten. Un dels fenòmens organitzacions en què l'orientació al mercat i la innovació s'han posat de manifest ha sigut l'emprendimiento social, mateix que aplica molts elements comuns amb l'emprendimiento però que, a diferència de l'emprendimiento tradicional, té objectius fonamentalment socials. Respecte d'això, i a causa de les limitacions (principalment financeres), els emprenedors socials han agusat el seu enginy quant a finançament i les seues formes d'operació, veient-se que el desenrotllament de l'emprendimiento social genera valor en diverses dimensions, des del nivell personal fins a nivell social general. D'altra banda, s'ha trobat que el crowdsourcing com a activitat intensiva en l'ús de les TIC s'està constituint en una forma de generació de valor tant per a les empreses com per als individus que realitzen el treball. Per a les primeres, perquè els permet aconseguir solucions a problemes empresarials i d'innovació (incloent I+D) a un cost menor (i major velocitat) i, per als segons, perquè els permet incorporar-se a un mercat de treball desafiador i satisfactori (no sols a nivell financer), que els permet explotar les seues destreses particulars. En el procés de realitzar l'estudi s'ha dut a terme un relevamiento de la teoria rellevant i una revisió bibliogràfica amb relació a l'emprendimiento social, el crowdsourcing i l'orientació al mercat. Sobre la base teòrica estudiada es van formular les hipòtesis respecte a les relacions teòriques entre les variables i es va enunciar el model teòric, que després es va procedir a verificar de forma empírica per a comprovar les hipòtesis plantejades, així com (en conseqüència) el model teòric. Per a dur a terme el treball empíric, s'ha seleccionat a les empreses dels sectors de biotecnologia i de telecomunicacions, basant-se en la importància econòmica d'ambdós sectors, així com la intensitat de l'adopció de les TIC en ambdós. L'estudi es va dur a terme sobre 223 empreses d'ambdós sectors i es va emprar la metodologia d'equacions estructurals per a comprovar les hipòtesis, així com para per a provar el model, trobant que els resultats van permetre demostrar les hipòtesis i el model plantejats. En la part final del treball, es va procedir a formular conclusions amb relació als components de la tesi, es van plantejar les limitacions de la investigació, concloent amb la proposició de futures línies d'investigació. / Barrientos Ferrufino, RC. (2016). La orientación de mercado y las nuevas tecnologías de la información en las empresas intensivas en conocimiento [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/62222 / TESIS

Fire prevention is a critical component in achieving social welfare and prosperity. The lack of worldwide fire prevention leads to an increasing number of fires, as well as to a greater number of fire-related deaths, injuries, and fire-related property damage. Traditionally, fire prevention has been the responsibility of individual governments, while fire prevention duties are usually carried out by local fire departments. Such an approach is very common and is observed globally. Until now, the above response has been successful. For example, due to fire prevention measures applied in the 1990s, the number of fires caused by open flames (such as candles) was significantly reduced. Since 2014, the number of fires in some Western countries (e.g., the US and the UK) shows an increasing trend. In March 2019,11, people have died in fires across Connecticut (O’Neill 2019). From 2017 to 2018, the number of people who died in fires in Mississippi grew by more than 40 percent (Moore 2019). Among the main reasons for this growth are new combustible materials, reduced fire prevention funds, and more dynamic lifestyles. Lack of fire prevention consequently increases fire risks, and, as a result, health inequalities. According to Whitehead and Dahlgren (2007), health inequalities are health differences that are avoidable, unjust, unfair, and unacceptable. The question arises: do current fire prevention services allow sufficient support for people to be safe from fire, specifically in domestic environments? Can social enterprises play a role and how do they fit into the fire prevention supply chain. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of social enterprises and their influence on supply chains, in general, and specifically for fire prevention supply chains. This phenomenon is evaluated through the lenses of social capital theory and institutional theory. Research (Rothstein and Stolle 2008) has shown the effects that social capital has on institutions, or simply how can it be used as a strategic resource (Gulati and Gargiulo 1999). Institutional and Social Capital Theories set the foundation of how social enterprises transform and contribute to sustainable supply chains, plus how they solve social problems, specifically fire safety (Patuelli and Savioli 2016). According to Wallace and Wallace (1997), social capital provides a collective resource that can be mobilized by individuals to enable communities to develop resilience against severe threats to public health, such as social exclusion or even unemployment. By identifying three dimensions of sustainable development: techno-economic, ecological and social (Clift 2003; Hutchins and Sutherland 2008; Yakovleva and Sarkis 2010), there are various social capital diffusion mechanisms for building sustainability within supply chains through social enterprise involvement. Transforming supply chains by building social legitimacy and by altering institutional norms, are examples of providing competitive advantages to supply chains and supply chain partners of social enterprises. This research seeks to understand social enterprises and entrepreneurship capabilities transform institutions to strengthen supply chain sustainability. Ideally, these institutions should provide solutions to the problem of decreased awareness of sustainable fire prevention, as well as available resources for fire prevention. This research focus is primarily on social sustainability and safety through fire prevention. The importance of this study lies in our contributions to help diffuse socially sustainable solutions and practices across supply chains. In this case, similar to other social concerns, the problem of fire prevention is a critical one within supply chains and society. Understanding the role of social enterprise to help diffuse these norms and practices help to understand general supply chain sustainability concerns for competitive and social reasons. Methodologically, a qualitative, exploratory method was applied. To analyze the data collected for this research, we used a Thematic Analysis. Three supply chains with social enterprises as a focal firm were investigated. This research contributes by furthering the theory of sustainable supply chains with the involvement of social enterprise; or hybrid organizations - that have both a social and a strategic financial outlook. The research involves the utilization of Thematic Analysis, and semi-structured interviews of three fire prevention-focused supply chains. This study is the first that investigates fire prevention from the perspective of supply chains and social enterprises. The results will inform other types of sustainability and social enterprises, which include humanitarian, environmental, educational, and poverty-based foci.

This paper investigated trends in social entrepreneurship within non-profit organisations (NPOs). It was inspired by a survey conducted by Trialogue, a non-profit research organisation that surveys corporate social investment in South Africa. The survey showed a significant number of Non-profit organisations (69%) are moving toward developing social enterprise due to issues of sustainability. The research sought to ascertain what are the causes for the trend. The method of sampling used was non-probability, purposeful sampling to select 12 organisations from the available population. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted via face-to-face interviews with 12 organisations and 14 respondents. The transcripts of each were manually reviewed line-by-line for common themes to compare and generate results. The study was undertaken to better understand what motivated NPOs to social entrepreneurship and how they identified and exploited opportunities; distributed revenues and what form of relationship was created with the parent organization. The study reviewed theoretical models and selected a best-fit model of the Opportunity Creation Process which had to be modified to suit the trends in thought that arose from the study. The findings showed that funding challenges of the parent NPO and limited access to funds were key features likely to illustrate when an NPO will move into social entrepreneurship. The research concludes with evidence demonstrating that NPOs are not always willing participants in the social enterprise game, but are forced to discover opportunities to prove to funders that they are seeking means to be sustainable, with varying degrees of success. The form of social enterprise they select is often determined by the centrality of the NPOs mission to that of the social enterprise. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted