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Article
Publication date: 11 September 2021

Julianna Kiss, Noémi Krátki and Gábor Deme

In Hungary, as in other Central and Eastern European countries, the concept of social enterprise (SE) has attracted increased attention in recent years, with certain key actors…

Abstract

Purpose

In Hungary, as in other Central and Eastern European countries, the concept of social enterprise (SE) has attracted increased attention in recent years, with certain key actors shaping the organisational field. This growing interest is largely because of the availability of European Union funds focussing on the work integration of disadvantaged groups but ignoring other possible roles of SEs. This study aims to consider a seldom examined and underfunded area: SEs’ institutional environment and organisational activities in the social and health sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on neoinstitutional theory, the paper uses desk research and qualitative case studies. It presents the experiences of SEs providing social and health services for specific disadvantaged groups.

Findings

This paper identified the key actors influencing the everyday operation of SEs and examined their connections, interactions and partnerships. Based on the findings, SEs primarily depend on the central state, public social and health institutions and local governments. At the same time, their connections with private customers, networks, development and support organisations, third sector organisations and for-profit enterprises are less significant. The key actors have a relevant impact on the legal form, main activities and the financial and human resources of SEs. SEs, however, have little influence on their institutional environment.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to understanding the opportunities and barriers of SEs in Hungary and, more generally, in Central and Eastern Europe, especially regarding their place in social and health services.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2010

Timothy Curtis, Jan Herbst and Marta Gumkovska

The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion, and dynamics, of trust between social enterprises and the public sector in two different cultural contexts. The strategy was to…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion, and dynamics, of trust between social enterprises and the public sector in two different cultural contexts. The strategy was to ask very simple and broad questions of a number of people in the social enterprise/public sector nexus, and allow them to talk. This talk was recorded and analysed for patterns and insights. This paper looks in detail at one of the insights derived from this wealth of data and makes a startling claim, one that needs further investigation and thought, that in social enterprises, trust precedes performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on grounded theory and comprises a series of semi‐structured interviews based on a common framework undertaken in two countries – the UK and Poland. The interviews were transcribed and then coded by the two teams independently and key insights recorded.

Findings

The research indicated an unsolicited pre‐occupation with trust relationships between the social enterprises and the public sector organisations. The research suggests that trust precedes performance, in that the public sector partner extended a trust relationship before the organisation was able to demonstrate their track record. This challenges EU public procurement rules which require that an organisation demonstrates competency and track record before a contract is let.

Research limitations/implications

Grounded theory by necessity provides insights on which to build theory rather than to prove theory. This research project did not have the resources to develop a questionnaire that could indicate whether the findings are wide spread and therefore robust.

Practical implications

Trust is an under‐theorised resource in the literature on social capital. This research begins to conceptualise trust as an essential resource for social enterprises in the startup, and may prompt social enterprise practitioners to consider trust as a non‐financial resource in their business planning. The insights derived from this field provide some notes of guidance to public sector agents working with social entrepreneurs to understand the trust resources required, and the limits to that trust, and the impact of bureaucratisation on the socially entrepreneurial startup.

Originality/value

This paper builds on existing literature on social capital and inter‐organisational trust but extends it in a unique manner to the body of social entrepreneurship literature.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2013

Siti Uzairiah Mohd Tobi, Dilanthi Amaratunga and Nazali Mohd Noor

The paper seeks to build a theoretical argument on social enterprise applications in an urban facilities management (urban FM) setting, by exploring the concepts of urban FM and…

1208

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to build a theoretical argument on social enterprise applications in an urban facilities management (urban FM) setting, by exploring the concepts of urban FM and its underlying philosophy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on an extensive literature review within and around the concept of urban FM and its relationship with social enterprise principles, forming a basis for further research in this area.

Findings

Urban FM could be used as a mechanism to develop the sustainable design and management of community facilities operations by taking social enterprise as an approach to seek a new service delivery model.

Research limitations/implications

There is limited literature relating to urban FM, and it is one of the new critical alignments in FM that is waiting to be explored further. However, within this new exploration of urban FM knowledge, the paper considers a sustainable way of managing community facilities, raising important social implications for the FM industry,

Originality/value

The paper argues that the concept of urban FM and social enterprise principles can be applied in their relationship towards managing community facilities in a sustainable way.

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2018

Mike Bull

The purpose of this paper is to review current conceptualisations of social enterprise and present a new theoretical model for social enterprise in the UK.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review current conceptualisations of social enterprise and present a new theoretical model for social enterprise in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper draws on the rise of social enterprise in the UK context. Social enterprise in the UK emerged around the 1980s, in both political consciousness and as an academic discipline. The paper explores organisational antecedents to develop a conceptual model that prioritises different legal forms of social enterprise in the UK regulatory framework.

Findings

In critiquing policy, practitioner and academic publications, as well as the theoretical models that operationalise social enterprise, there are two observations from the literature this paper examines: first, Theories to date have tended to conceptualise social enterprise as a single hybrid form, neglecting a consideration of the various legal identities, ownership and governance types; second, Theoretical models have tended to overlook the cultural, regional and political-economic histories within their conceptualisations.

Originality/value

The value and originality of this paper lies in offering a new paradigm in the conceptualisation of social enterprise in the UK. This is a new contribution to knowledge that strengthens an understanding of the field. This paper creates the space to broaden and appreciate ideologically and operationally different hybrid business types of social enterprises that include charitable, solidarity and entrepreneurial type social enterprises.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2017

Inbal Abbou, Benjamin Gidron, Noga Buber-Ben David, Yael Greenberg, Yisca Monnickendam-Givon and Aya Navon

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to outline the historical and current contextual forces behind the development of the social enterprise movement in Israel and to analyze the…

1185

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to outline the historical and current contextual forces behind the development of the social enterprise movement in Israel and to analyze the different models identified by the research team along which social enterprises are formed at present.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was part of the International Comparative Social Enterprise Models (ICSEM) Project and the methodology used in the analysis of the models was the one used in the international comparison. It entailed the analysis of three to five case studies within each model, which were analyzed along three major dimensions: the economic basis of the enterprise, its social objectives and its governance structure.

Findings

The findings suggest that social enterprises in Israel develop along four major models, all within existing different incorporation systems; these are nonprofit organizations, privately owned business enterprises, cooperatives and public-sector frameworks. On the basis of the case studies analyzed, it was possible to identify specific characteristic configurations of the three dimensions (economic/social/governance) that were at the basis of the model and guided it.

Originality/value

The study is the first of its kind to present a broad picture of the developing social enterprise scene in Israel and as such can clearly inform and guide both researchers and policymakers in their future work on the development of the social enterprise phenomenon in the country.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 November 2013

Sandy Whitelaw and Carol Hill

In light of the contemporary UK policy framework elevating neo-mutualism and communitarian ethics within social policy, the purpose of this paper is to report on the delivery of…

Abstract

Purpose

In light of the contemporary UK policy framework elevating neo-mutualism and communitarian ethics within social policy, the purpose of this paper is to report on the delivery of an EU project Older People for Older People that tested the proposition that older people in remote and rural communities can contribute to providing services for others in their age group through the creation of sustainable social enterprises – either in “co-production” with statutory public service providers or as new, stand-alone services.

Design/methodology/approach

In the context of a literature based theoretical exploration of the nature of “sustainability”, the paper reports on a series of rural community “case study” social enterprises (e.g. community transport schemes, care hubs, cafés and a radio station; “drop in” and outreach services (including alternative therapies and counselling); ITC training, helping, and friendship schemes; volunteering support and history and culture projects).

Findings

From this, the authors highlight both conducive and problematic circumstances that are intrinsic to community led social enterprise and suggest that sustainability is unlikely to be “spontaneous”. Rather, it will require a complex mix of supportive inputs that is at odds with the innate liberalism of entrepreneurship. The authors also offer a more nuanced conceptualisation of sustainability that moves beyond a simple economic or temporal notion and suggest that the “success” of social enterprises, their worth and sustainability, must be assessed in more multifaceted terms. The authors conclude by reflecting on the nature of this ground in the wider context of the “Big Society” movement in the UK and highlight the inherent tension between “Big Society” rhetoric, the support needed to establish and sustain localised social enterprises, and the expected agency of communities.

Originality/value

The paper is original in three respects: it develops an in-depth empirical consideration of social enterprise sustainability; it does this within a broad policy and theoretical context; and it specifically looks at social enterprise development and delivery in relation to older people and rural contexts.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2006

Belinda Luke and Martie‐Louise Verreynne

The purpose of this paper is to consider the role of government in fostering entrepreneurial activity and economic development, thereby balancing social and economic objectives.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the role of government in fostering entrepreneurial activity and economic development, thereby balancing social and economic objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

Case studies on state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) in New Zealand, one of which is examined in detail, are analysed and compared. Triangulated data from interviews, texts, and personal observation were collected and analysed in two separate phases, examining effective pathways for social enterprise in the public sector and related themes.

Findings

Findings suggest the role of government is not limited to policy‐making. Examination of activity which aims to balance social and economic objectives identifies several factors which have contributed to successful and entrepreneurial operations within SOEs.

Research limitations/implications

Although limited to a single case, this paper reveals the nature and importance of entrepreneurial activity within government organisations.

Practical implications

Deregulation as an alternative to privatisation is examined and evaluated.

Originality/value

Evidence is provided to support entrepreneurship within the public sector as a strong foundation for balancing both social and economic objectives.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 33 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Content available
960

Abstract

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2023

Marthe Nyssens, Jacques Defourny and Sophie Adam

In 2022, the EMES Network celebrated its 20th anniversary. The purpose of this paper is to trace the intellectual path of social enterprise (SE) research that has unfolded through…

Abstract

Purpose

In 2022, the EMES Network celebrated its 20th anniversary. The purpose of this paper is to trace the intellectual path of social enterprise (SE) research that has unfolded through some of the major EMES research projects.

Design/methodology/approach

This journey is recounted through three major milestones: the emergence and development of the EMES approach; the identification of various SE schools of thought; the International Comparative Social Enterprise Models (ICSEM) Project.

Findings

The first section digs into the roots of the EMES approach – an ideal-type which allowed researchers to explore an SE field that was then largely unknown. In a second stage, a reading grid was developed to identify the different SE conceptions, their convergences and their divergences. In a third step, the ICSEM Project, acknowledging the impossibility to provide a single, universal definition of SE, aimed to identify SE models across the world. Defourny and Nyssens developed an SE typology and made the hypothesis that it was neither country-specific nor even context-specific. Based on the EMES ideal-type (which constituted a particularly relevant tool to inform the diversity of SE models), data were collected on over 700 SEs worldwide; three major SE models were found in almost all the countries covered.

Originality/value

This contribution does not aim to summarise all the – numerous and fruitful – research projects carried out by EMES members, but to show the common thread that runs through several of them.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Micaela Mazzei

The purpose of this paper is to propose a nuanced understanding of the diverse practices social enterprises engage in to fulfil their commitments of delivering…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a nuanced understanding of the diverse practices social enterprises engage in to fulfil their commitments of delivering social/environmental goods and/or services while earning income to sustain their activities.

Design/methodology/approach

This research paper is based on an empirical investigation which used an ethnographic approach to study the social economy in two distinct city regions in the north of England.

Findings

Against a common-sense view of social enterprises being able to balance (with ease) social and economic goals, this paper suggests, based on empirical insights, that such a harmonious rendition tends to neglect the messiness at the heart of such organisations. Heeding ongoing reflections, explanations and negotiations as key ingredients in keeping social enterprises “balanced”, this paper argues that negotiating tensions is a constantly dynamic process.

Originality/value

Using an ethnographic approach, this paper offers insights into the complexities and tensions social enterprises constantly deal with and it shows these tensions must be constantly renegotiated.

Details

Social Enterprise Journal, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-8614

Keywords

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