Social Enterprises face funding challenges. As investors focus too narrowly on risk and return, social enterprises may struggle to compete with commercial enterprises for investment capital. In this context, lending and equity crowdfunding have not been sufficiently examined, and its growing importance for business financing makes it valuable to understand its implications for social enterprises. This study collects qualitative data and uses thematic analysis to identify advantages and disadvantages that social entrepreneurs experience when using lending or equity crowdfunding. By conducting six semi-structured interviews we identified nine major advantages which are Viable funding option, Publicity and marketing, Engagement creation, Access to impact-minded investors, Alignment with company principles, Higher valuation of the company, Tests market viability, Favourable power balance towards investors and Large pool of capital; and five major disadvantages which includes Higher costs, Large number of investors, Inexperienced investors, Public exposure & Efficiency concerns. We discuss that crowdfunding represents values that are attractive for social enterprises. Further, crowdfunding sometimes offer higher valuation or more capital to social enterprises, compared to other funding sources. We see that several advantages are especially important in business’s startup phase. However, crowdfunding can also cause greater stress on the management team, and require time and resources. Entrepreneurs also need to consider factors such as public embarrassment when campaigns fail.

The diploma thesis analyses and compares the current situation of social entrepreneurship in Prague and Plzen region. On the basis of an empirical analysis it evaluates the differences in public awareness and public opinion on the concept of social entrepreneurship and analyses benefits of an individual social enterprise for its employees. The main asset of the thesis is the list of individual recommendations which might help to develop social entrepreneurship in the Czech Republic.

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

This diploma thesis investigates the sources of finance for Czech social enterprises. It comprises of two parts - the Theoretical Part and the Empirical Part. The Theoretical Part is divided into 5 chapters. In these chapters, I start by defining concepts that relate to social enterprises. Then, I explain theories of the establishment of social enterprises and two traditional approaches to this establishment, a European approach and an American approach. Finally, I focus primarily on funding possibilities for Czech social enterprises. The Empirical Part, consisting of 6 chapters, is a case study of two Czech social enterprises - (1) Ethnocatering, which is established by an unincorporated association InBáze, and (2) Rettigovky, operating under a charitable trust Komuniké. The aim of this diploma thesis is, first, to find out similarities and differences in the sources of finance between the two Czech social enterprises, which are established on the basis of two distinct traditional approaches, and, second, to ascertain which traditional approach is better for Czech conditions and why. Keywords Social economy, social enterprise, financial resources, Europe, USA

This thesis aims to examine the internationalization of Swedish social entrepreneurs, with the purpose to acquire a more profound understanding of how social entrepreneurial supporting institutions influence their discovery of international opportunities, as well as their exploitation of the identified opportunities. The study is conducted with qualitative methodology and was conducted by examining the concept of Swedish social entrepreneurship carried out in an international context.

Background: The field of impact assessment in social enterprises is largely influenced by the top-down demands of institutions like the European Union and other resource-giving institutions. This has caused a one-sided exploration of the topic impact assessment as the perspective of the social enterprises is so far under-researched. Therefore, the purposes, challenges and other experiences the social enterprises face when assessing impact were not yet given enough attention. Purpose: By taking a critical perspective, we seek to inspire dialogue and a change in the practical and theoretical field of impact assessment in social enterprises. We explore the enterprise’s perspective on why they assess their impact and what challenges they face. By that, their voices that have been hidden so far are raised and existing assumptions enriched by the social enterprise’s perspective. Method: To highlight the social enterprises’ experiences when assessing impact, the qualitative research approach Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was chosen. A purposive sampling strategy led to eight in-depth interviews with people from different German-based social enterprises. Five steps were followed to analyze the data, including a two-stage interpretation process where the researcher’s and participant’s interpretations play an essential role. Conclusion: This thesis shows the importance of including all perspectives in a research field. Our study found that social enterprises can have different reasons to assess impact and face challenges differently than assumed with the previous research focus on the funding perspective. At the same time, they experience the process positively. A model was developed to show the interrelations of the different experiences and influencing factors.

For-profit social enterprises are facing the dual challenges of fulfilling social purpose on the one hand and surviving business competition on the other. Being a sustainable for-profit social enterprise, the company must balance between economic, social and environmental aspects throughout their business operations. In order to achieve the desired end of sustainability, organization need to keep learning about the social needs and the business environment in order to develop sustainable business processes, and better fulfill their purpose as organizations formed to create social value. The study aims to fill the gaps in sustainability research literature about organizational learning in for-profit social enterprises by exploring how effective learning processes occur at individual, group and organizational level and how to facilitate these learning processes to improve sustainability. The study develops an analytical framework by combining the 4I framework for organizational learning process (Crossan et al., 1999) and an AKO (activities, knowledge source, outcomes) framework for understanding learning activities, knowledge sources and learning outcomes. Four for-profit social enterprises in both Denmark and Sweden are chosen as cases. Based on findings, three organizational learning mechanisms are identified on selected cases. Practical implications and insights are also generated for for-profit social enterprises to facilitate organizational learning for sustainability.

Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the food industry contend with a variety of corporate sustainability and social responsibility (CSSR) issues, ranging from the environmental impact of food waste to human health concerns about specific ingredients and production methods. In this qualitative multicase study, based on the conceptual frameworks of strategic development, stakeholder management, and institutional theory, I explored barriers and enablers for Washington, DC-based food SMEs as they proactively addressed CSSR issues. I interviewed five SME owner-managers. The transcripts were then coded and analyzed. Three themes emerged. Strategic development tended to be ad hoc and experimental, but with equal focus on establishing and growing a market for the product and achieving the central CSSR mission. The most important stakeholder was the customer because they are essential to the survival of the company, but also because owner-managers seek to change customers' awareness and behaviors as they relate to CSSR issues. Institutional constructs such as kitchen incubators enable entrepreneurs to start up but, along with limited local supply chains and costly and confusing regulations, they represent significant barriers to scale. The implication for social change within the local community is startup food incubators can use the findings to design models more conducive to scaling food SMEs that support local food production. This could benefit both local economic development and health outcomes.

In an era when nonprofit and for-profit characteristics are blurring, to what extent do sector boundaries matter? Some research suggest that sector boundaries no longer matter. By exploring the perceptual differences of entrepreneurs practicing in each sector, this paper proposes that, in fact, there are important perceptual and symbolic differences between nonprofit and for-profit organizations. This paper makes four contributions to the field of social enterprise studies: first, it lends empirical support for the idea that issues have not blurred in the minds of practitioners; second, it identifies four areas entrepreneurs are likely to concentrate on when asked to evaluate the merits of practicing as a non-profit or for-profit form (including control, resources, performance, and public perceptions); third, it provides a tool that can be used by academics and policymakers to identify which sector characteristics are perceived by entrepreneurs as salient; and fourth, it raises new research questions that would help to further clarify the usefulness, relevance and significance of the approach and findings presented.

Due to their innovative capacity and social mission, social enterprises build resilience and cohesion in communities by providing for vulnerable groups that governments and markets tend to overlook. In the recovery from COVID-19, while countries attempt to regain lost ground towards their sustainable development goals, protections and support to social entrepreneurship will be vital. This study examines this issue in the context of Ukraine, where the social and economic effects of the pandemic had been exacerbated by the war in Donbas and a decades-long history of unstable economic development. The February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which occurred while this research was concluding, is factored into the analysis. Social entrepreneurship presented an opportunity to contribute towards the development priorities laid out by the Ukrainian government, but various challenges - including a lack of corresponding legislation and negative public perception - stood in the way of the sector’s progress. By analyzing scholarly articles, policy documents, and news reports related to Ukrainian social enterprise, as well as the responses of 13 social enterprises to an electronic survey, this study explores the experiences of self-identified social enterprises in Ukraine during COVID-19, before the Russian invasion. This inquiry brings awareness to the socially-oriented businesses that were working towards sustainable development in Ukraine before the country was forced into the newest iteration of war at the hands of Russia.