Identifying Effective Factors on the Recognition of Opportunities for Creating Social Value in Iran: Glaserian Grounded Theory

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship has emerged as a new issue in social arena that by creating social value can be a response to needs and challenges of societies in current situation. However, theory of social entrepreneurship is still in conceptualization stage and, like economic entrepreneurship, core of which is recognition of opportunity. The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting identification of social opportunities for creating social value in Iran. This research used qualitative approach and its strategy is Glaserian grounded theory. Data collection tools were semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with 19 social entrepreneurship experts and founders of social enterprises selected through purposive sampling. In order to analyze data, MAXQDA software was used. Four criteria of trustworthiness, transformability, dependability and conformability were used to evaluate strength of research. Data analysis was performed in two stages of substantive and theoretical coding. The results of this study show extraction of 263 codes or basic concepts as well as eleven concepts from interviews. These concepts are in form of two main categories, namely, motivational factors including social and prosocial motivations and contextual or environmental factors, including educational background and previous experience, entrepreneurial capabilities, personality characteristics, family factors, role patterns, educational system, government and policies, socio-cultural factors, and media”. These factors affect recognition of social opportunities for the process of creating social values in Iran. The results of this study can address some of cognitive gaps of social entrepreneurship in Iran.