Entrepreneurs add value to society above and beyond the creation of new products and services, through their engagement in philanthropy. Entrepreneurial philanthropy draws upon practices of entrepreneurship and venture capital, to pursue the creation of social wealth through the application of different types of capital - social, symbolic, cultural and economic - in philanthropic activities. The objective of the study is to bring clarity and understanding to the phenomenon of entrepreneurial philanthropy. Specifically it explores: the motivations of wealthy entrepreneurs to engage in philanthropy; the ideology of entrepreneurial philanthropy; the practices of entrepreneurial philanthropy; and the different forms of capital actively deployed by entrepreneurial philanthropists to the organisations and programmes that they support. A qualitative research methodology and a multi research case strategy have been used on account of the exploratory nature of this study. Five entrepreneurial philanthropists and their foundations are examined in this study. Additional interviews were undertaken with individuals active in the field of philanthropy including: wealth consultants, intermediary philanthropy service providers, leading global foundation executive and nascent entrepreneurial philanthropists. This approach supported an inductive analysis and interpretation of the data, within and across the case studies, whilst considering the external landscape of entrepreneurial philanthropy. The study identified a range of factors that contribute to, and motivate, wealthy entrepreneurs to become actively engaged in philanthropy. The study shows that the ideology of entrepreneurial philanthropy is rooted in capitalism and the reproduction of a culture of entrepreneurship, which are believed to contribute to a strong and productive civil society. The study confirms the transferability and adaptability of practices from entrepreneurship to philanthropy. Finally the study established the deployment and accumulation of different forms of capital as being fundamental to the capacity of entrepreneurial philanthropists to create social and economic change at both micro and macro levels.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:570578 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Gordon, Jillian C. |
| Publisher | University of Strathclyde |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://oleg.lib.strath.ac.uk:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=16830 |
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