Social entrepreneurship is given considerable attention within literature and academic research despite that fact it is an area that needs considerable attention and research. The main purpose for societal entrepreneurs is to create societal value but there can be difficulties to understand value creation within the area. Important components within Total Quality Management (TQM) are process orientation and value creation. A TQM perspective with processes in focus provides opportunities to clarify societal value creation within societal entrepreneurship initiatives. The main purpose of this thesis has been to explore how societal value is created within the area of societal entrepreneurship and the underlying purpose has been to contribute to the development of knowledge and understanding about the societal entrepreneurship area. In order to fulfil the purpose one literature case study and three empirical case studies have been conducted with processes in focus. The literature case study was conducted first and it resulted in a theoretical process map based on a process perspective, which showed how societal value was created within a societal entrepreneurship initiative. After that the three empirical case studies were conducted separately and the findings from the empirical case studies were compared with the previously developed theoretical process map. A cross case analysis was made to find out if the process map could be confirmed, developed or rejected. The result of the case studies contributes to earlier findings within research and gives a common, comprehensive and simplified picture of a complex phenomenon and an opportunity to understand how societal value is created. A general overall process map is presented that gives a picture of how value is created within the area of societal entrepreneurship. The result shows the management process and support process fields. The map also shows a main process that is further developed with input, output and sub processes. The studies point out that societal value is created through processes and that societal value creation can be described out of a process orientation perspective. Important components to create societal value have been found to be: 'unidentified needs'; 'knowledge about the context'; 'identified need'; 'an idea or a vision'; and some kind of 'organization' and important activities to create value seem to be: 'being in the context'; 'analysis of knowledge'; 'searching for solution'; 'organize and mobilize'; and 'realize'. Fields where support processes are performed that are of importance in societal value creation have been identified. Those fields are 'creation of financing opportunities'; 'performance of political decisions and acts'; 'development and use of networks'; 'establishment of initiative'; 'creation of media information'; 'development and use of scientific results'; and 'development and use of competence'. The map does have potential for development. Further studies need to be done within the area concerning how societal value is created and to get an even more comprehensive process map of the societal entrepreneurship area but the result presented in this thesis is a start to understanding how societal value is created and to develop knowledge and understanding of the societal entrepreneurship area.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:miun-20184 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Åslund, Anna |
| Publisher | Mittuniversitetet, Avdelningen för kvalitetsteknik, maskinteknik och matematik, Östersund : Mid Sweden University |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary, info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Mid Sweden University licentiate thesis, 1652-8948 ; 104 |
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