Social Entrepreneurship

Value-Driven Business: Social Return on Investment

by Keli Rae

draft only

The focus of this discussion is to examine the general business patterns associated with social entrepreneurial (SE)... more The focus of this discussion is to examine the general business patterns associated with social entrepreneurial (SE) practice.  Social enterprises inherently build their infrastructure with social and environmental impacts in mind (Dees 2007), so it follows that double and triple bottom line reporting are suitable practices for them to implement for measuring these impacts.  Socially and environmentally driven (double/triple bottom line)  reporting is currently permeating the business world. Not only do large corporations have to update their social and environmental objectives and practices to adhere to stricter stakeholder standards, but triple bottom line (TBL) reporting is emerging as a screening tool used by investors to review potential social entrepreneurial, nonprofit and commercial clients (Epstein 2008; Estey 2009).

Fair-trade coffee in Nicaragua and Tanzania: a comparison

by Geoffrey Pleyers

Social Entrepreneurship: A Necessary Mind-Set by: Hamza El Fasiki

by Hamza El Fasiki

Hamza El Fasiki is a published author at uPublish.info

Hamza El Fasiki is the author of "Social Entrepreneurship: Meaning, Challenges, and Strategies" (LAP 2011). In 2010 he participated in the "Study of the U.S. Institute" program (SUSI) on social entrepreneurship at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. For the moment, he is preparing a Master in "Cultural Studies" at Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University of Fez, Morocco. He is conducting a research on the cultural bases in the entrepreneurial activity in Morocco.

Article Summary: Throughout recent history, social entrepreneurship has marked an extraordinary imprint in the world... more Article Summary: Throughout recent history, social entrepreneurship has marked an extraordinary imprint in the world of business. The Idea of social entrepreneurship is a new emerging field of business operations where entrepreneurs combine the excitement or passion of social mission with business-like ventures. It is because of those joint genes that social entrepreneurship is a very new concept that needs more understanding. As a result, necessary attention is required toward a global understanding of the field and its philosophy. Social entrepreneurs become a critical syndrome for social change.

Modes of Social Entrepreneurial Actions: MicroCredit at the Bottom-of-the-Pyramid by: Hamza El Fasiki

by Hamza El Fasiki

Hamza El Fasiki is a published author at uPublish.info

Hamza El Fasiki is the author of "Social Entrepreneurship: Meaning, Challenges, and Strategies" (LAP 2011). In 2010 he participated in the "Study of the U.S. Institute" program (SUSI) on social entrepreneurship at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. For the moment, he is preparing a Master in "Cultural Studies" at Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University of Fez, Morocco. He is conducting a research on the cultural bases in the entrepreneurial activity in Morocco.

Article Summary: Throughout recent history, social entrepreneurship has marked an extraordinary imprint in the world... more Article Summary: Throughout recent history, social entrepreneurship has marked an extraordinary imprint in the world of business. The Idea of social entrepreneurship is a new emerging field of business operations where entrepreneurs combine the excitement or passion of social mission with business-like ventures. It is because of those joint genes that social entrepreneurship is a very new concept that needs more understanding. As a result, necessary attention is required toward a global understanding of the field and its philosophy. Social entrepreneurs become a critical syndrome for social change.

Fitness for purpose - Capacity building for enterprise development and entrepreneurship in southern Africa (Special issue on quality assurance in higher education)

by Peter Mellalieu

Mellalieu, P. J. (2006). Fitness for purpose - Capacity building for enterprise development and entrepreneurship in southern Africa (Special issue on quality assurance in higher education). Lonaka - Bulletin of the Centre for Academic Development, University of Botswana, Botswana, 67–85. Retrieved from http://web.me.com/petermellalieu/Teacher/Examples/Entries/2006/10/2_Fitness_for_purpose__Capacity-building_for_enterprise_development_and_entrepreneurship_in_southern_Africa.html

For an extended version, see:
Mellalieu, P. J. (2006). Creating Enterprise in Extreme Environments: Strategic Leadership from an Entrepreneurship Development Centre at the University of Botswana (p. 67). Auckland, NZ: New Zealand Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Unitec Institute of Technology. Retrieved from http://web.me.com/petermellalieu/Teacher/Examples/Entries/2007/10/18_Creating_enterprise_in_extreme_environments__Strategic_leadership_from_an_entrepreneurship_development_centre_at_the_University_of_Botswana.html

The government of Botswana has set itself the challenge of developing an “innovative and prosper- ous nation”.... more The government of Botswana has set itself the challenge of developing an “innovative and prosper- ous nation”. However, “an over-dependence on diamonds, high unemployment levels, and unac- ceptably high levels of poverty and inequality - both in terms of assets and income - are persistent problems.” (Clover, 2003) One approach to overcoming these problems is to create an abundance of “grass roots” support for enterprising behaviour throughout the nation. Unfortunately, the principal focus of Botswana’s curre nt formal education system appears mainly to educate job-takers for the public sector and larger companies. Botswana’s formal higher education system is no longer 100 per cent “fit for the purpose” of developing the citizens that Botswana needs to create a prosperous future.

This articles introduces the issue of adapting higher education pedagogies, curriculum, and learning environments in order to provide for an abundance of enterprising behaviour in the Botswana and similar modernising contexts. Specifically, it presents a selection of the author’s experience design- ing, prototyping, and executing four capacity-building workshops for prospective entrepreneur- enablers whilst based at the University of Botswana, Gaborone. The workshops drew on several experiential learning methodologies. For example, the participants worked in problem-based learn- ing teams focussed on providing practical advice to operating entrepreneurs for whom the author had prepared backgrounding ‘real life’ case studies. (Mellalieu, 2006a)

Through the workshop process, the participants recognised the value of the problem-based learning approach. For instance, they developed confidence in providing advice beyond their subject special- ity. The experience of running the first three workshops lead to the design of a robust, scaleable programme format for a four-hour networking and knowledge exchange workshop - branded as En- terprise in ActionTM. Subsequently, one pilot for the Enterprise in Action workshop format was tested and received enthusiastic response from the participants to continue with its presentation as a regular event.

Botswana has an urgent need to create an enterprising culture. As a pre-requisite to achieving this outcome, an abundance of competent entrepreneur-enablers must be identified and developed throughout the country. The successful trial of the Enterprise in Action format lays a tested founda- tion for pursuing this initiative. Several other recommendations are made for re-orienting the uni- versity’s resources and pedagogies towards building a successful, enterprising nation through higher education.

Case study: Capacity building for entrepreneur enabling in Southern Africa.

by Peter Mellalieu

Mellalieu, P. J. (2006). Case study: Capacity building for entrepreneur enabling in Southern Africa. International Indigenous Journal of Entrepreneurship, Advancement, Strategy and Education, 2(1). Retrieved from http://www.indigenousjournal.com/IIJEASVolIIIss1Mellalieu.pdf

INTRODUCTION The government of Botswana has set itself the challenge of developing an ‘innovative and prosperous... more INTRODUCTION The government of Botswana has set itself the challenge of developing an ‘innovative and prosperous nation’. However, “an over- dependence on diamonds, high unemployment levels, and unacceptably high levels of poverty and inequality - both in terms of assets and income - are persistent problems." (Clover, 2003) One approach to overcoming these persistent problems is to create an abundance of “grass roots” support for enterprising behaviour throughout the nation. Unfortunately, the principal focus of Botswana’s current formal education system appears mainly to educate job- takers for the public sector and larger companies. For instance, accounting studies are the most popular programmes in the University of Botswana’s Faculty of Business.

This case summarises the author’s experience designing and executing four capacity-building workshops for prospective entrepreneur-enablers whilst he was based at the University of Botswana, Gaborone. The workshops drew on experiential methodologies. In particular, the participants were tasked to work in problem-based learning teams focussed on providing practical advice to real entrepreneurs for whom the author had written introductory case studies. (Mellalieu, 2006)

RESULTS Through the workshop process, the participants recognised the value of the problem-based learning approach. For instance, they developed confidence in providing advice beyond their subject specialty. The experience of running the first three workshops lead to the design of a robust, scaleable programme format for a three-hour networking and knowledge exchange workshop - branded as Enterprise in ActionTM. One pilot of the Enterprise in Action workshop format was tested and received enthusiastic response from the participants.

CONCLUSION Botswana has an urgent need to create an enterprising culture. As a pre-requisite to achieving this outcome, an abundance of competent entrepreneur-enablers must be identified and developed throughout the country. The successful trial of the Enterprise in Action format lays a tested foundation for pursuing this initiative.

Creating Enterprise in Extreme Environments: Strategic Leadership from an Entrepreneurship Development Centre at the University of Botswana

by Peter Mellalieu

Mellalieu, P. J. (2006). Creating Enterprise in Extreme Environments: Strategic Leadership from an Entrepreneurship Development Centre at the University of Botswana (p. 67). Auckland, NZ: New Zealand Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Unitec Institute of Technology. Retrieved from http://web.me.com/petermellalieu/Teacher/Examples/Entries/2007/10/18_Creating_enterprise_in_extreme_environments__Strategic_leadership_from_an_entrepreneurship_development_centre_at_the_University_of_Botswana.html

This report presents recommendations to the University of Botswana’s Faculty of Business for extending substantially... more This report presents recommendations to the University of Botswana’s Faculty of Business for extending substantially its Business Clinic into an Entrepreneurship Development Centre. Recommendations to the University beyond the Faculty of Business are also made.


Botswana has set itself the challenge of becoming an ‘innovative and prosperous nation’. The challenge appears daunting. The country has embarked on a journey to make the quantum jump to a country with world-class, high-growth companies by 2016. In contrast, at the time of independence in 1966 the country was a traditional hunter-gatherer village-based society. Accordingly, the education and development system required for Botswana's 21st century global citizen must extend to include identifying and developing job-makers: world-class entrepreneurs and innovators.


The principal focus of Botswana’s current formal education system seems mainly to educate job-takers for the public sector and larger companies. Furthermore, Botswana's impressive record of growth has not translated into socioeconomic transformation: "Over-dependence on diamonds, high unemployment levels and unacceptably high levels of poverty and inequality - both in terms of assets and income - are persistent problems." (Clover, 2003, p. 4). One approach to overcoming these persistent problems is to create an abundance of “grass roots” support for enterprising behavior throughout the nation.


The job-makers and wealth creators that Botswana requires are termed ‘serial innovators and entrepreneurs’. They are habitual and compulsive in their passion for innovation and creating substantial new enterprise. They are ‘weirdly wired’ people, who some might regard as ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’ in view of the risks they appear to take. However, these habitual innovators participate in leading substantial business and social change in the communities for which they create and provide new products or new service delivery systems. Furthermore, these entrepreneurs provide leadership in creating substantial forms of wealth - financial and/or social - from the new opportunities they identify, exploit, and grow into sustainable organisations.


A series of course topics is outlined for delivery as workshops and/or educational programmes through the proposed Entrepreneurship Development Centre. The course topics are directly linked to develop competencies required to embrace all elements of the entrepreneurial process model, developed by Bolton and Thompson (2001).


Furthermore, it is recommended that at least one of the three following courses are required to be studied by all students at the University of Botswana:

A strengths-based course in personal and professional career development;

Foundations of innovation and entrepreneurship;

New venture start-up project.


The most urgent recommendation is for the Faculty of Business to institutionalize formally a regular, monthly programme of 'real world learning adventures'. The format of these learning adventures was devised specifically for the Botswana context. The events are branded with the suggested name: Enterprise in Action™ (EIA). An EIA event focusses equally on business networking and knowledge exchange. Both business networking and knowledge exchange are crucial elements in aiding the success of entrepreneurs as they overcome the many obstacles that they experience in their pursuit of success. Three examples of ‘real world learning adventures’ were designed and implemented during the author’s four-month residence in the Botswana. The last adventure formed the pilot/prototype version for the Enterprise in Action format.


Many Batswana return to their homeland from study or work in foreign countries. They bring back knowledge, experience, and professional contacts to Botswana. However, a proportion of these returning Batswana are not deployed effectively upon their return home. Accordingly, one important opportunity is for a proportion of the Enterprise in Action programmes to focus on providing a networking opportunity to help the productive re-integration into Botswana business and community life of returning Batswana.


Fundamental to the success of the proposed initiatives is that the University of Botswana implements concurrently processes to identify and develop ‘entrepreneur enablers’. Entrepreneur enablers form a unique selection of teachers, consultants, advisors, and informal investors. Entrepreneur enablers intervene directly to help their ‘client entrepreneurs’ overcome obstacles, and build their entrepreneurial self-efficacy (Bolton and Thompson, 2004, 2006, Lucas and Cooper, 2004).


The full report outlines a  series of five Strategic Focus Areas (SFAs) as a basis for collaborative development of the entire University’s commitment to becoming an enterprising institution. The Strategic Focus Areas are chosen to ensure that the University of Botswana builds a robust, widespread, and significant core-competency in entrepreneurship development for business, technological, and social contexts. The five Strategic Focus Areas recommended for institutionalization are:


SFA 1: Business innovation and entrepreneurship.

SFA 2: Design, technology, and science-based innovation and entrepreneurship

SFA 3: Social sector innovation and entrepreneurship

SFA 4: Mass entrepreneurship

SFA 5: Entrepreneur enabler identification and development


Beyond these initiatives, the University should evolve the Entrepreneurship Development Centre and the other SFAs into a university-wide, world-class applied research and development centre focussing on innovation and enterprise development studies in the southern Africa region: A Centre for Innovation and Enterprise Development Studies.

Miksi hyvinvointivaltioihin syntyy yhteiskunnallisia yrityksiä?

by Eeva Houtbeckers

Book title: Corporate responsibility in international economy (Vastuullinen liiketoiminta kansainvälisessä maailmassa). Edited by Maria Joutsenvirta, Minna Halme, Mikko Jalas and Jukka Mäkinen.

A short story in an edited book about the reasons for social entrepreneurship in welfare states. In Finnish. A short story in an edited book about the reasons for social entrepreneurship in welfare states. In Finnish.

Voices of the Suburbs: The paradox of social entrepreneurial initiatives addressing vulnerable groups.

by Ester Barinaga

Paper presented at the Nordic Academy of Management (NFF) Conference 2011 held in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 20-24.
Track 10: Soci(et)al Entrepreneurship: 
Current findings, challenges and opportunities

The young men and women of foreign background living in the suburbs of major cities are at the focus of attention of... more The young men and women of foreign background living in the suburbs of major cities are at the focus of attention of many social and economic initiatives. Diverse as these initiatives are, they share a common challenge, that of interpellating their target group. Often referred to as “vulnerable”, “disenfranchised” or “marginalized”, target groups become interesting only because they are distinctly vulnerable, marginalized or disenfranchised. In so doing, initiatives perform and reproduce their target groups’ political disadvantage. The article shows how a particular community initiative attempts to overcome the problem of interpellation. In order to understand the initiative’s efforts to transcend the objectification of the targeted groups, as well as the symbolic limitation of agency, the article uses Callon’s notion of “the qualification of products.” This allows us to follow the process by which the initiative attempts to re-symbolize the body and the neighborhood identified through the category of “the immigrant.” The article suggests that efforts to overcome the problem of interpellation must go beyond the realm of the symbolic to include, as well, social and material elements. The article ends with a reflexive note on the extent to which the engaged scholar is also caught within the interpellation paradox.

Mirakle Couriers: The Business of Silence and Signs

by Krishnamurthy Prabhakar PhD

Mirakle Courier is a business proposition with a difference. It is not a charity but a social business, where the... more Mirakle Courier is a business proposition with a difference. It is not a charity but a social business, where the social element is embedded in the commercial operations. Dhruv Lakra being a Skoll Scholar from SAID School of Business of Oxford University learnt about the need for employment for deaf while travelling in a bus serendipitously .  It is estimated that six percent of the population of India is deaf and sixty six percent of them are unemployed. Hearing impaired was the most ignored of all disabilities as the disabled person appears normal. Dhruv Lakra left his job as an investment banker in Mumbai and equipped himself to be a social entrepreneur. After examination of different business propositions he finally selected a courier business that is manpower intensive and volume driven and started with £200. In the present case he explores with the authors of the case definition of social entrepreneurship and the difference between social activists and social entrepreneurs. The present study used narrative approach to describe the evolution of social enterprise and explore challenges and dilemmas . The output of the study clearly indicate with clear focus on vision and planning  business with differently enabled people whose competence is strong visual orientation can be converted to economic value and in turn contribute to social capital. 

Leveraging Information Technology, Social Entrepreneurship and Global Collaboration for Just Sustainable Development

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce, Lonny Grafman, Thomas Colledge, and Ryan Legg, "Leveraging Information Technology, Social Entrepreneurship and Global Collaboration for Just Sustainable Development" Proceedings of the 12th Annual National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance Conference, pp. 201- 210, 2008.

Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the world are often... more Currently, those working for a sustainable development in a vast array of contexts all over the world are often duplicating efforts. In an era where a rapid transition towards sustainability is needed, such wasted effort is no longer tolerable. This paper will discuss current work to overcome this challenge by creating an Open Sustainability Network (OSN) that links relevant individuals, programs, courses, projects, and organizations aimed at just sustainable development. The paper will build an understanding of, and collaboration between, relevant online tools. The paper concludes that the OSN can: 1) develop partnerships with sites with online tools to alleviate some of the technological overhead; 2) help inform entrepreneurs and expanding businesses about the challenges and opportunities presented in social entrepreneurship; and 3) benefit service learning implementation by acting as a repository for appropriate technologies, systems, and policies, while also acting as a clearinghouse for international and local collaborations.

The Selectiveness of the Entrepreneurial Process

by Heiko Stueber

Brixy, Udo; Sternberg, Rolf; Stüber, Heiko (2012): The selectiveness of the entrepreneurial process. In: Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 50, No. 1, S. 105-131.

This paper focuses on the phase before a firm is founded. Based upon cross-sectional data from the German section of... more This paper focuses on the phase before a firm is founded. Based upon cross-sectional data from the German section of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the specific aims of the paper are to shed some light on the selection that takes place during the entrepreneurial process and to explain empirically the demographic and cognitive characteristics of (potential) entrepreneurs. The results reveal significant differences between common determinants of the different phases of the entrepreneurial process.

Community perspectives on bioeconomic development: eco-cultural tourism in Hartley Bay, British Columbia

by Kate Turner

MNRM Thesis

Members of the Gitga’at First Nation are committed to supporting the ecological integrity of their territory, as well... more Members of the Gitga’at First Nation are committed to supporting the ecological integrity of their territory, as well as the vitality of their community and way of life, through carefully selected and implemented local development initiatives. This case study focuses on community member perspectives on ecologically supported cultural tourism. The first objective was to describe aspects of the local context shaping perspectives on tourism development. The second objective was to synthesize perspectives on the appropriate use of resources and on the appropriate application and sharing of local and elders’ knowledge for tourism. The third objective sought to identify services and linkages with other institutions considered important for a business aligned with local development priorities. There is potential for eco-cultural tourism to support local needs and interests if its development is directed and controlled by the Gitga’at and is based on a process of deliberation within the community.

A National Library

by Orla Hegarty

Empreendedorismo Social: dos Conceitos às Escolas de Fundamentação. As Configurações de um Conceito em Construção

by Empreendedorismo Social em Portugal

Work in progress/ Draft

Greek Social Economy at the crossroads: Law 4019/2011 and the institutionalization challenge

by Ioannis Nasioulas

The Lao Coffee Industry: Implementing Vertical Integration for a Social Cause at Bolaven Farms

by Marta Dowejko

Case study published though Asia Case Research Centre and available through Harvard Business Review, co-authored with Gilbert Y.Y. Wong

The case begins with an introduction of the coffee industry and its practices. A description of Laos as a business... more The case begins with an introduction of the coffee industry and its practices. A description of Laos as a business environment for Bolaven Farms follows. The case describes the development and implementation of a business model that incorporates vertical integration supported by social networks. It allows for an advanced analysis of issues related to choosing an appropriate business model and focuses on the risks related to future expansion and resulting from the strategic choices of the entrepreneur.

The Catcher in the Rye: Understanding Social Entrepreneurship in Europe and United States

by Anamaria Vrabie

Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
Prof: Michele Kahane
The New School New York
Spring 2011

User and creator of many formulas, Albert Einstein once said that “innovation is not the product of logical thought,... more User and creator of many formulas, Albert Einstein once said that “innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure” (Sanberg n.d.). As social innovation has been portrayed as the formula for alleviating society’s troubles, the logical framework has diverged among several models including “social entrepreneurship”, “social economy”, “social enterprise” and, of course, “social innovation”. This paper is structured as a comparative study of the emergence of the concept of social entrepreneurship in Europe and the United States. First, I analyze how the concept of “social capital” gained so much currency in leveraging the dynamic between the public and the third sector. Secondly, I provide an overview on how different forms of social entrepreneurship are melting down the triangle formed by the public, the private and the third sector. In the third place, I provide a reflection on the strategic development of the concept in the last few years and its role in the overall political economy. While clear differences as well as different schools of thought can be observed between Western Europe and the United States, the conclusion addresses the question of how one can replicate a formula in order to leave room for both the past- the historical, sociological heritage- and the future - creativity and innovation of individuals.

Social entrepreneurship: A model for sustainable value creation

by Michael Pirson

Social Entrepreneurship: A Blueprint for Humanistic Business Organizations

by Michael Pirson