A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce by Research in the field of Management to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, June 2017 / The field of social entrepreneurship is gaining prominence in academic research through its ability to drive innovation and solve complex societal problems. There is a growing interest in this field due to the inherent appeal of entrepreneurship as well as the need to address social inequalities. However, despite the growing interest in social entrepreneurship, there is limited academic research in the subject – especially with regards to the nexus between institutional influence and scale of social enterprise. The majority of social entrepreneurial endeavours in South Africa are found in the food industry. Despite the magnitude of the role that social entrepreneurs play in this industry, research remains limited. Definitional debates with a bias towards conceptual research over empirical research dominates current study on social entrepreneurship – resulting in a lack of consensus among researchers on what social entrepreneurship means. In addition to the above, social entrepreneurship literature has devoted insufficient empirical and theoretical work to the study of scaling of social impact. The majority of the theoretical work has been geared towards the development of practitioner frameworks. The empirical research in the field has also been limited, specifically with regards to understanding the drivers of successful scaling of social entrepreneurial organisations. The majority of these empirical studies have utilised comparative case study approaches. Using institutional theory as a lens, this research aimed to develop a conceptual framework that can be utilised by social entrepreneurs, as well as relevant stakeholders in order to promote the scale of individual social enterprises, particularly in the South African food industry, by developing a “roadmap” to scaling. In addition to the above, the focus was on food security in the South African food industry. It is intended that the conceptual framework can indirectly address the broader societal issues surrounding food security. The above was achieved through a qualitative study. Perceptions of institutional influence on scale as well as start-ups, and drivers of scale were identified through conducting a literature review. A conceptual framework was then established from these constructs. The next step involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 social entrepreneurs in the food industry to validate the constructs, and identify the relationships between the constructs. The data was then analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological approach. The result of the qualitative research is a conceptual research framework, with certain hypotheses. The empirical study identified social innovation as well as the implementation of impactful governmental policies as the most critical institutional influencers of scale. In addition, using SCALERS model as a reference, the empirical study identified lobbying, alliance building, and staffing as drivers to scale. It is noted that that lobbying and alliance building can be linked to government policies as it relates to the collaboration of social enterprises in order to influence policymakers, in addition, staffing relates to the use of volunteers to bring new innovative solutions to the business – these drivers of scale (based on SCALERS model) reinforce the identified institutional influences as critical to scale. If all of the above are present, with all things being equal, then social ventures are more likely to scale – resulting in economic growth and in addition, social issues such as food security will be addressed. From a social entrepreneurship perspective, this study made a substantial contribution in shifting the social entrepreneurship research focus from conceptual, definition biased research towards empirical research that strengthened theoretical research on social entrepreneurship. / XL2018

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2016 / Social entrepreneurship is considered to be a practical way of solving global social challenges. Social entrepreneurs are considered to be change agents with a purpose of making a difference to those in need. Therefore, developing social entrepreneurship and potential social entrepreneurs should be encouraged and celebrated. This study aims to identify potential entrepreneurs in South Africa, by examining the intentions of students at universities in South Africa with regard to establishing a social venture. Empirical evidence suggests that motivational factors influencing behaviour can be summarised as intentions. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (1991) suggests that intentions are a prerequisite for entrepreneurial behaviour. This study presents an integrated model drawing on existing social intention-based models by Mair and Noboa (2003) and Ayob et al. (2013). The study seeks to establish the significance of relationships between antecedents (empathy, exposure and selfefficacy) and perceived feasibility and desirability and their influence on social entrepreneurial intentions. In order to analyse the hypothesised relationships in the proposed model, Structural Equation Modelling was conducted, based on 171 respondents. The findings of the study indicate that only empathy and exposure as antecedents to perceived feasibility had positive and significant relationships. The relationships between the antecedents of empathy, exposure and self-perceived desirability were insignificant. Surprisingly, the relationship between self-efficacy and perceived feasibility in this study was non-significant. Social entrepreneurship has the potential to solve the challenging social problems currently facing South Africa. Because of this, a study to determine the elements that motivate Social Entrepreneurship Intentions is invaluable. The study should provide some guidance in promoting and encouraging entrepreneurship through various interventions (Malebana, 2014). / MT2016

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 social problems that exist within South Africa cannot be ignored. The magnitude of poverty, unemployment and crime that exist are ever increasing while HIV/Aids has left 10 percent of the children within this country orphaned. Discrepancies in the access to proper healthcare and education between the private sector and the public sector is evident, mainly due to the failure of the public sector (government) to effectively implement and manage the healthcare and education systems in South Africa. In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of registered non-profit organisations which can be attributed to a greater awareness of the social problems that exist, as well as the inability of the government and the public sector to address the social problems on their own. Social entrepreneurs are attempting to find innovative solutions to these problems by starting non-profit organisations and then implementing projects and programmes that will help alleviate these social problems. Social entrepreneurship is a fairly new concept, particularly within the realm of academic research. Previous studies on social entrepreneurship have highlighted the need for social entrepreneurs and have also emphasised the many challenges these social entrepreneurs face, one of which is the lack of education and business skills training. Research indicates that a non-profit organisation should be run like a small business in order to be successful, which highlights the importance for social entrepreneurs to be equipped with the appropriate business skills. The impact that a social entrepreneur’s education and business skills training has on the success of a non-profit organisation is however still largely unknown. The purpose of this study was three-fold: firstly, to study the relationship between the education and business skills training of a social entrepreneur and the successful functioning of their non-profit organisations; secondly, to develop recommendations for social entrepreneurs on how to more effectively manage their non-profit organisations and guide them in what business training will benefit them as a social entrepreneur; and lastly, to add to the already existing knowledge on social entrepreneurs, particularly within a South African context. The main research methodology used to conduct the empirical investigation in this study was qualitative in nature. Elements of quantitative data collection were adopted in the instruments in order to ensure standardisation when measuring a social entrepreneur’s education and business skills training, as well as the success of their respective non-profit organisation. In-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen social entrepreneurs who work in a variety of social developmental sectors within South Africa. An interview guide was developed to record the formal levels of education and business skills training received by the respondents and to discuss the impact of other types of education and business skills training on their capabilities as managers of non-profit organisations. A tool was developed to measure the success of the respective non-profit organisations and the results were compared to the social entrepreneur’s levels of education and business skills training. Global analysis was the data analysis technique adopted in this study and was used to identify common themes among the transcripts as well as possible relationships between different variables. There were two main findings with regard to the impact a social entrepreneur’s education and business skills training has on the successful functioning of his/her respective non-profit organisation. Firstly, the formal types of education and business skills training of a social entrepreneur have a direct impact on the success of a nonprofit organisation. Secondly, once a social entrepreneur has completed school level education, informal types of education and business skills training play a bigger role than formal types in the effective management and success of his/her respective non-profit organisation. The findings of the empirical investigation showed that the most valuable three types of informal education and business skills training include workshops and conferences, business experience and networks. The most important recommendation for social entrepreneurs is that their school level education should be completed, in order to access further education and business skills training opportunities. The social entrepreneurs must equip themselves with certain skills and knowledge, namely: financial management, legal knowledge, human resource management, strategic management, monitoring and evaluation skills, technical skills and research skills, in order to ensure the successful functioning of their respective non-profit organization.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Management in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2017 / This research report is based on the motivations for ecological responsiveness as identified by Bansal and Roth (2000). It considers the resultant actions of different motivations for ecological responsiveness (ER), and their ability to moderate the relationship between ER and Intrapreneurship in South Africa. The study adopted a deductive positivist paradigm that assumed an ecocentric approach to management and organisational research. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed and the use of both primary data collection from surveys and secondary data collection from websites and annual reports were utilised in order to determine the existence of relationships between the variables of ecological responsiveness and intrapreneurship, and the moderating variables of legitimation, competitiveness and ecological responsibility. Multiple regression analysis was used to statistically test the relationship between the independent variable of ecological responsiveness and the dependent variable of intrapreneurship, as well as the moderating effect of the variables listed above. The population of this study was employees with management/supervisory positions within financial institutions of South Africa. It was required that these organisations were listed and had accessible or publically available annual reports in order for content analysis to be conducted. The final sample consisted of 210 management level employees who were in the majority employed at 3 different large, listed, South African banks. This study found support for hypothesized relationships between ecological responsiveness and intrapreneurship, as well as the positive moderating effect of the motive of ecological responsibility on this relationship. Results pertaining to the moderating effect of legitimation and competitive motives were not supported. In addition, the study found support for the proposed relationship between an organisations ecological qualitative content analysis (QCA) score and the level of ecological responsibility perception in the organisation. The general findings contribute to research in the field of motivations for environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) and the resulting actions. / MT2017

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.

A research report submitted to the faculty of Commerce, Law and Management University of the Witwatersrand in partial fufilment of the requirements for the Degree Masters in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2017 / This research report seeks to explore the organised behaviour of faith-based enterprises as a sub-function of social entrepreneurship. By assessing the moral intricacies which form the building blocks of social enterprises, the research report will use literature based on social entrepreneurship to draw parallels between social enterprises and faith-based ventures to suggest that the core of faith-based ventures (FBVs) is to make a social impact not just through disseminating faith, but acting as social agents. Therefore, this research will attempt to explore the extent of faith-based enterprises as a function of social entrepreneurship, identifying the opportunities and capabilities which are seen to be generated by faith, but that have a social impact that goes beyond the faith-based organisation. Using the qualitative research approach, data was collected from six faith-based entrepreneurs in Yeoville, through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, which were conducted over a period of three months to understand the role of the faith-based venture and its social impact. By conducting a qualitative inquiry to facilitate the meaning-making process, face-to-face interviews were conducted to create a naturalistic understanding of the study, particularly assessing their role and their function in society. Biases, feelings and thoughts were recorded in order to understand the participants’ motives, purposes and the causes that underlie these actions. The findings of the study suggest that the role of FBVs acting as social agents are dependent on the reach of their audience, including the extent of their scalability which they have developed which would provide insights into the degree that the faith-based venture can have social impact. This research will conclude having suggested that the “new-age” faith-based ventures have transitioned from only providing the basic faith, to now mimicking a social enterprise, therefore implying that FBVs are another dimension of social entrepreneurship. / MT2017

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Social entrepreneurship is well positioned in tackling socio-economic problems in poor communities. Besides transforming the market, the impact of social entrepreneurship is becoming more important for the world to improve social challenges and provide social innovation solutions that are sustainable and effective. Regardless of the positive performance of activities implemented by social entrepreneurs in tackling socioeconomic issues in the Cape Metropolitan area, their impact on community development remains unknown and is negatively perceived by the communities. This study sought to develop an understanding from communities of how social entrepreneurship impacts their development and to determine its social impact. The study investigated the impact of social entrepreneurship on community development in order to improve interaction among stakeholders. The research questions were: What impact do social entrepreneurs have on communities? How can social entrepreneurship improve development in communities? What forms of support do social entrepreneurs need in order to effectively develop communities? A mixed method approach (qualitative and quantitative) was used to collect data through semi-structured questionnaire and interview to determine the needs and capture the views of stakeholders regarding the impact of social entrepreneurs on community development. Social entrepreneurship is a tool that can tackle deprived communities’ problems, especially in the Cape Metropolitan areas of Khayelitsha and Gugulethu where socioeconomic problems such as health, education, and others are increasing. Social entrepreneurs’ activities are laid to develop the community as they provide comprehensive care, support the most vulnerable communities and strive to improve the quality of health, education and unemployment. It was found that improvements through training, educating and facilitating communities’ engagement in different activities such as home-based care and developing children mentality in creating space for every person to develop their needs is what could promote and impact community development. However, it was also found that social entrepreneurs sometimes use resources or methods of monitoring that are deemed useless to attain their objectives.

The study investigates the concept and development of social entrepreneurial models in South Africa to demonstrate how social business initiatives can thrive and increase their impact on quality of life. Extreme poverty and diminishing natural resources threaten the future existence of the human race. Transformative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions are necessary to address the most challenging social problems. The study explores the speculation that creation of social value naturally progressed to increase economic value. Governments and philanthropic efforts have to date, failed to offer effective solutions to social problems. Independently, no sector is able to handle the scale, cost and extent of the current social issues facing humanity. In order to address this gap the study considers the business models followed by the public, private and non-profit sectors. It then introduces the concept of social entrepreneurship and explores the use of a hybrid business model as a possible solution. It is argued that transformative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions to the most critical social problems within South Africa can only be generated once these different sectors collaborate to leverage public and private resources. The method used in approaching the study was: Identifying the need for new forms of social value creation and identifying specific ventures emerging to address these needs; Recognising the key factors enabling social entrepreneurs to accomplish ambitious task, create large social impact and influence economic value; Establishing the most predominant social problems threatening the future sustainability of society and economy in South Africa; Identifying the most strategic business model able to create transformation, sustainability and deliver both economic and social value; Establishing the guidelines, support and resources needed to strengthen social entrepreneurial behaviour and social entrepreneurial initiatives within South Africa. The objective of the study was firstly achieved through an analysis of literature related to the topic of social entrepreneurship. The literature study explored the origins of traditional entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial characteristics. It then went on to discover the concept of social entrepreneurship and made a clear definition between the different types of social entrepreneurship, separating the social entrepreneurial venture from charity and corporate social responsibility. The literature study looked further into the characteristics of a social entrepreneur, the need for new forms of social value creation, the opportunities that exist and the impact created by social entrepreneurship. The second part of the analysis strictly focussed on social entrepreneurship in South Africa and the role each sector plays in addressing social issues. The most critical social issues in South Africa were identified with emphasise on the change needed. The methodology used was the case study method. A single-case study was conducted with the Freeplay Energy Group, presenting a successful social entrepreneurial venture, serving as a good business model example for the South African environment. A qualitative approach was followed with the objective of testing theory. By comparing the theory identified in the literary review with the findings of the case study, it was possible to investigate the concept and development of social entrepreneurial models in South Africa. The conclusions demonstrate how social business initiatives can thrive and increase their impact on quality of life. The most strategic business model identified was one which integrated the public, private and non-profit sectors with social entrepreneurship. The collaboration of all the sectors with social entrepreneurship results in social value creation which gives impetus to economic value creation. The findings were documented with specific conclusions being made and offered suggestions for future research.

Focusing on the policy context for social entrepreneurship in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM), this dissertation examines the processes through which social entrepreneurs participate in the processes of development of the municipality because; social entrepreneurship is increasingly being recognised as a mechanism for creating social and economic value. Social entrepreneurs play a significant role in fulfilling unmet societal needs and in filling gaps, particularly in areas where government and the market fall short. Based on this view, this study raises questions about the integrated policy guiding social entrepreneurship for better development outcomes. It aims to contribute to the body of literature on social entrepreneurship and development by examining the processes through which social entrepreneurs participate in the development of the communities at the local level. Using the Grounded Theory method, this study found that there is no integrated policy on social entrepreneurship in the NMBM and that the deficiency created by the lack of an integrated policy engenders Social Revisioning. The substantive theory of Social Revisioning emerged from the data to explain the processes through which social entrepreneurs participate in the development of communities when there is no integrated policy on social entrepreneurship. In response to the deficiencies in the policy context, differentiated and autonomous entities within and outside of the municipal government step in and support social entrepreneurs to provide services and participate in the processes of development. However, even though Social Revisioning can be used to address the policy deficiencies in social entrepreneurship and development, the differentiations and autonomy that characterise the entities, role players and processes embodied in Social Revisioning prevent cohesion among them and again beg for an integrated policy that will incorporate them.