Social Entrepreneurship And Enterprises In Economic And Social Development

Microlending programs for low-income microentrepreneurs have become a global priority since the development of the Grameen Bank in 1976 and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations in 2015. Inspired to create their own microlending program, the deans of the schools of social welfare and business at the University at Albany were aided by the university's Small Business Development Center and the State Employees Federal Credit Union. This led to the creation of the Small Enterprise Economic Development (SEED) program. Following this, new faculty were hired in the School of Social Welfare and the School of Business to address social entrepreneurship and lead these initiatives. The impetus for this book emerged from these developments including three forums in which national and international contributors participated in workshops, panels, and chapters for this book. These forums were co-organized by the School of Social Welfare, the School of Business, and a new Center for the Advancement & Understanding of Social Enterprises (CAUSE) at UAlbany. Building on the example set by UAlbany, Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprises in Economic and Social Development explains how and why we should integrate social entrepreneurship and social enterprises with economic and social development. While this global movement varies in pace and scope, the volume features snapshots from countries and regions representing nearly all continents, including Albania, Argentina, Cuba, India, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Taiwan, Tajikistan, and Tanzania. One of the lessons is that social policies are critical for supporting social entrepreneurs since environmental, economic, and social sustainability are core goals of these initiatives. The chapters in this volume offer different contextual frames ranging from social enterprise business plans and measured entrepreneurial orientation to displacement dynamics (and how to avoid them) and the pitfalls of non-market economies. The contributing authors examine a variety of ventures and social policies to showcase how nations are supporting social enterprises as they attempt to meet human needs and achieve financial sustainability. The resulting volume provides a rationale for, and snapshots of, social enterprises and entrepreneurship in transitioning nations.

Social enterprises are long-standing agents of inclusive growth and democratization of the economic and social spheres, and they have proved resilient to economic adversity all the while addressing socio-economic challenges in innovative ways, re-integrating people back to the labour market, and

This book contains recommendations for national and local policy makers and presents a set of international best practices for social enterprises.

This book investigates the remarkable growth of the 'third sector', focusing on social enterprises, their characteristics, their contribution and their future prospects.

Explains the specificities of the social economy and social enterprise, such as participatory decision-making focus on community development, reinvestment of profits or a social impact objective. Shows examples of how individual consumers or savers can make a qualitative difference in the way markets operate. Suggests that social economy and social enterprise represent an important source of inspiration and energy for a recovery in Europe from the current deep unemployment and social crisis.

This book discusses different innovative business models adopted by social enterprises to bring about social change in terms of creating capabilities among the marginalised section of people. These models also bring the sustainability of the enterprises to serve the people continuously. Establishing a theoretical base for further research in the area of business models in social entrepreneurship, the book consists of research work from various disciplines from scholars with experience and insights on social entrepreneurship, and who discuss one or more aspect(s) of business model, presenting their work with sound research methodologies. The book takes a broader view of the concept – a) social entrepreneurs are driven by social value and justice, b) social entrepreneur may or may not have a market orientation, c) social entrepreneurs solve variety of social problems such as poverty, health, illiteracy, environmental degradation using the principles of business and with the help of social innovation, and d) social enterprise focus on bringing social change by creating social impact. Chapters of this book are divided into three core themes. The first one – Concepts, Patterns and Values – includes contributions related to sustainable development, business model and vale creation in the context of social entrepreneurship, innovation and cross-cultural influence on business models aspects. The chapter of second theme – Enablers and Influencers – discuss role of corporate in promoting social entrepreneurship as a social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and value creation, BoP market, supply chain, structural and infrastructural choices, family as a stakeholder of indigenous enterprise, and women entrepreneurship. The third and final theme – Innovation – addresses social, open innovation and business model innovations, IPR, firm performance, collaboration and alliance, software and biotechnology industries, decision logic behind social enterprise creation, and strategy and strategic philanthropy concepts. Containing contributions from academia, industry professionals, investors, policy-makers, and other professionals, all from multiple disciplines, the book would interest the same vast audience.

Social Entrepreneurship: A Practical Introduction equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the tools needed to design and launch businesses to create positive social change in their communities. This accessible textbook aims to educate and motivate people interested in social entrepreneurship, showing that such businesses are a valuable part of the community development toolbox. Each chapter focuses on a key aspect of social entrepreneurship, from value creation and business planning to impact measurement and scaling up. Different social business models are presented, with analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Cases and examples are included throughout the book and showcase real-life social enterprises in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Discussion questions also support reflection and learning. A downloadable workbook offers support with checklists, social impact measurement, and other areas. An instructor manual containing test questions and experiential exercises is also available as a digital supplement for adopters. This book is ideal for introductory courses in social entrepreneurship and community development. It will also be valuable for those involved in social enterprises on the ground.

In the last two decades, the quest for a widely accepted definition of social enterprise has been a central issue in a great number of publications. The main objective of the ICSEM Project (on which this book is based) was to show that the social enterprise field would benefit much more from linking conceptualisation efforts to the huge diversity of social enterprises than from an additional and ambitious attempt at providing an encompassing definition. Starting from a hypothesis that could be termed "the impossibility of a unified definition", the ICSEM research strategy relied on bottom-up approaches to capture the social enterprise phenomenon in its local and national contexts. This strategy made it possible to take into account and give legitimacy to locally embedded approaches, while simultaneously allowing for the identification of major social enterprise models to delineate the field on common grounds at the international level. Social Enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe – the last volume in a series of four ICSEM-based books on social enterprise worldwide — will serve as a key reference and resource for teachers, researchers, students, experts, policy makers, journalists and others who want to acquire a broad understanding of the social enterprise and social entrepreneurship phenomena as they emerge and develop in this region.