Purpose The “impact investments market” in India is expanding as a result of stakeholders’ focus over the past decade on strengthening the supply-side drivers of the industry, often not paying enough attention to the obstacles that can hinder the demand-side of the impact investments, such as social entrepreneurs’ resistance and hesitation. This study aims to identify the factors influencing social entrepreneurs’ intention to seek funding from impact investors. Design/methodology/approach A standardized questionnaire was used to survey 320 Indian social entrepreneurs using a five-point Likert Scale. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings The findings revealed that factors adopted from the theory of planned behaviour, namely, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, exert a positive and significant influence on the social entrepreneurs’ intention to secure funding through impact investments. Similarly, perceived value addition and goal congruence were found to have a positive and significant effect on the intention to use impact investments as a financing option. Research limitations/implications The first limitation of the study lies in its focus on Indian social entrepreneurs who have already received funding from impact investors. This restricts the generalizability of the findings to social entrepreneurs who lack prior experience in securing such financing. In addition, data from investees of Impact Investors Council -registered firms may not represent the broader social enterprise landscape. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, the study’s findings offer valuable insights into the factors influencing social entrepreneurs’ intention to finance using impact investments. Originality/value This study is unique as it explores cognitive and social factors that might facilitate social entrepreneurs’ adoption of impact investments. Impact investors now possess an increased understanding of the factors that influence social entrepreneurs’ intention to use impact investments. As a result, effective strategies for motivating social entrepreneurs to take advantage of impact investments can be proposed.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of political influence on the connection between internal governance mechanisms and the sustainability of social enterprises in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach A total of 85 social companies from Malaysia were included in the survey. The hypotheses were examined using the bootstrapping approach and structural equation modeling using the partial least squares method. Findings The results of this study indicate that both internal governance structures and political influence significantly impacted the long-term sustainability of social enterprises. The study’s findings indicate that political influence substantially impacts how internal governance mechanisms affect the sustainability of social enterprises. Nevertheless, it is critical to acknowledge that the correlation between internal governance procedures and sustainability is deemed weak. Research limitations/implications This study aims to address and strengthen the boundaries of social entrepreneurship literature by using the resource-based view (RBV) and the resource dependence theory (RDT) theories. RBV and RDT align with the theoretical concept of social entrepreneurship and demonstrate the interplay between agility and a taxonomy of elements that promote sustainability adoption. Practical implications This study investigates the correlation between political influence, internal governance mechanisms and sustainability to enhance comprehension of the dynamic corporate landscape. The objective is to ensure that the internal governance mechanism of social enterprises is in line with long-term sustainability objectives, even in the context of potential political changes. Social implications This study offers valuable knowledge for policymakers aiming to enhance the governance and accountability of social enterprises. The success of such businesses hinges on their capacity to regulate both financial sustainability and their social objective proficiently. Social enterprises can achieve a mutually beneficial model by effectively balancing these two objectives, benefiting their business and the communities they intend to serve. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous research has been conducted to examine how political influence affects the relationship between internal governance mechanisms and the sustainability of social enterprises in Malaysia. The results of this study could enhance social enterprises’ ability to achieve long-term sustainability.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology to create a localised participatory research agenda (LPRA) for social enterprises (SEs) to bridge the gap between the information needs of stakeholders in SE ecosystems (SEEs) and academics. Design/methodology/approach The methodology incorporates a literature review, semi-structured key informant interviews and a questionnaire. A participatory approach was used engaging stakeholders of the SE sector in Palestine to elaborate the research agenda. Findings The proposed LPRA methodology, centred on localised and participatory engagement, has shown effectiveness in bridging the gap between stakeholders and academics in SEs research. Piloted in Palestine, it provided relevant insights and enabled the grassroots identification of policy directions to improve the local SEE. Being tested in the specific context of Palestine, the methodology demonstrates considerable adaptability to different maturity levels of SEEs and varied socio-economic environments. Nonetheless, further research is necessary to refine the LPRA methodology and determine its suitability in diverse SE contexts. Practical implications The present methodology offers the advantage of involving local stakeholders, enabling their participation in the construction of knowledge and serving as a possible tool for researchers to fulfil the Third Mission of the university. The methodology could be particularly useful in contexts that have uncommon political, economic or social features and need a tailored approach when building research questions and answers for local stakeholders; in contexts where non-local researchers could use the methodology to mitigate biases stemming from the application of non-local perspectives; and when the research is aimed at the creation of useful knowledge for the development of the ecosystem. Originality/value Conventional research agendas are typically developed by academics based on literature reviews. Such agendas, even if valuable for furthering research, often do not have a geographical focus and neglect the needs of diverse stakeholders in the SEE. The LPRA for SEs addresses this gap by providing a methodology able to include local SE stakeholders in building a research agenda tailored to address their specific information needs.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the sustainable entrepreneurial attitudes (SEA) and intentions of young women. The study aims to first explore the impact of the external environment on the SEA and then the intention of female tourism and hotel management students at Jordanian universities; and second, to examine the moderating role of prior entrepreneurial training (PET) in the relationship between the external perceived environment and SEA. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach, using a questionnaire with a total sample of 302 participants of female tourism and hotel management students at Jordanian universities, was used to collect data. SmartPLS was used to test the research model and hypotheses. Findings The findings revealed that the entrepreneurial attitude of young female students in tourism and hospitality toward sustainable entrepreneurship significantly influences their sustainable entrepreneurial intention (SEI). The perceived external environment, including access to finance, government policies and university educational support, has a nonsignificant effect on young women’s SEA; however, their SEA is significantly influenced by society’s perception. Their PET partially moderates the relationships between the perceived external environment and young women’s SEA (PET). Originality/value This study creates new insights and contributes toward understanding the SEA and SEI of young women in an emerging economy context, Jordan. It proposes integration and extension, through adding external environment and PET, of the theory of planned behavior to explore young female students’ attitudes and intentions toward sustainable entrepreneurship in tourism and hospitality.

Purpose This study aims to explore the alignment between platform cooperatives (co-ops) and cooperative principles, with a focus on worker co-op activists’ perceptions and the challenges faced by domestic service co-ops in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach A multiple-case study approach was used to examine two major worker co-ops in South Korea’s domestic service sector: the National House Managers’ Association (NHMA) and Life Magic Care Co-op (LMCC). Findings This study reveals contrasting perspectives between NHMA and LMCC on integrating platform co-ops with cooperative principles. While NHMA raises concerns about deteriorating working conditions and a diminished sense of community, LMCC’s experience suggests that a well-designed, worker-owned platform can address these issues. However, NHMA’s concerns about the loss of a sense of community and funding challenges remain valid in LMCC’s experience, raising fundamental questions about the cohesion of platform co-ops in maintaining cooperative values. Establishing a sustainable funding mechanism, especially for platform maintenance and marketing, is crucial. Co-op communities must recognize the challenges platform co-ops face in balancing scalability with active member participation and community cohesion and develop strategies to address these issues before launching platform co-ops. Originality/value This study highlights the unique challenges of implementing platform technology in domestic worker co-ops and emphasizes the need for innovative strategies to ensure alignment with cooperative values. The research provides key insights for co-ops considering platform adoption, especially in sectors where trust and personal relationships are vital.

Purpose Despite social ministries and enterprises by Catholic sisters being established under stable foundation and for several years, there have been cases of failures or stalled projects. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this phenomenon is simply failure or a case of mission drift. Design/methodology/approach To achieve this objective, primary data drawn from four African countries, 59 congregations and 172 respondents were subjected to a mixed methods approach to find out what explained this failure. The 172 respondents were drawn from a set of congregational leaders. Findings The findings revealed some level of inactive projects largely in farming and agricultural production. The authors found that the identified 19 causes of social enterprise failures emanated both from internal, commercially driven to external, pro-social reasons. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study revealed the need to strategically review the utilisation of the resources at the disposal of the congregations. Capacity building, proper succession planning and setting the right tone at the top were critical imperatives congregational leaders need to pay attention to minimise project failures and mission drift. Finally, the study called for innovative funding models together with a change in mindset about the sustainability of the social enterprises. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is perhaps the first to focus on social enterprises run by Catholic sisters with a view towards establishing why they tend to fail.

PurposeThe benefits and challenges of impact measurement for social purpose organizations are well known. Measuring impact can equip managers with information to further their organizations’ purposes. Measurement can also be costly and time-consuming. The many tools and techniques give managers a choice; however, the techniques are not appropriately scaled to the financial and human resources available. This study aims to identify and validate a minimum set of essential impact measurement practices associated with useful, non-burdensome impact measurement among social purpose organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use data from a sample of social purpose organizations that answered questions about impact measurement practices based on the common approach to impact measurement’s common foundations model and three questions about impact measurement’s perceived benefits and value. The authors use factor analysis (first confirmatory factor analysis and then exploratory factor analysis) to identify the minimum set of impact measurement practices associated with the useful, non-burdensome impact measurement.FindingsThe authors found that the Common Foundations 21 practices are correlated and consistent with the perception that measurement is useful and not burdensome. However, the model that underpins the Common Foundations had a poor fit when tested with confirmatory factor analysis. The authors present and validate a revised model with a high goodness of fit. The revised model identifies ten impact measurement practices that, when implemented, are highly correlated with useful, non-burdensome measurement.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to empirically examine a minimum set of impact measurement practices associated with the benefits of measurement while reducing the burden. These findings are of practical value to social purpose organizations looking to benefit from impact measurement whose financial and human resources are limited. The authors offer them ten essential impact measurement practices. The findings offer a validated instrument for assessing if an organization’s impact measurement practices will likely lead to useful, non-burdensome impact measurement.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of visualization tools on the financing ratio of crowdfunding platforms projects of social enterprises, and to sort out personal quality signals and project quality signals based on signaling theory. This paper also divides the emotions and feelings brought by the visualization tools into persuasive and informative styles, showing the functions of different tools on the crowdfunding performance of social ventures. Design/methodology/approach Linear regression and binary regression are applied to analyze data on social entrepreneurship projects from two internationally authoritative crowdfunding platforms, Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Findings In social entrepreneurship projects, the number of emotionally persuasive images has a significant positive impact on the financing ratio. Among them, the financing target has a negative regulatory effect. Research limitations/implications The study has not fully explored how different visual aspects (such as color and composition) impact investor perceptions. Future research should address these variables for a more accurate understanding of how visualization affects financing performance. Practical implications This paper summarizes the factors that affect the crowdfunding ratio and provides a visualization tool from an innovative perspective. The application provides reference value for all types of crowdfunding projects on the crowdfunding platforms. Social implications Social entrepreneurs should use the crowdfunding model to raise funds and deepen their understanding of crowdfunding investors, so that more people can participate in social entrepreneurship and thereby generate greater social value. Originality/value This paper provides a new perspective for the classification of visualization tools. This paper divides the emotions and feelings brought by the visualization tools to the information recipients, and classifies them into persuasive and informative styles, showing the functions of different tools.

PurposeThe study aims to explore the complexities and challenges of measuring social impact, with a particular emphasis on the practical application of the social return on investment (SROI) methodology. By investigating social enterprises in Georgia, the study seeks to understand how social value is quantified and the implications of such measurements for policy and practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a mixed-methods approach, centered on the SROI methodology, to measure the social impact of 11 social enterprises in the Republic of Georgia. It incorporates qualitative interviews and quantitative financial analysis, engaging stakeholders from enterprises, beneficiaries and local authorities. The methodology adapts SROI to the Georgian context, addressing challenges such as data scarcity and cultural sensitivity.FindingsFindings reveal significant challenges in social impact measurement, including the complexity of quantifying diverse impacts, lack of standardized methodologies and resource constraints. The application of SROI in Georgia demonstrates its flexibility and the critical role of stakeholder engagement, yet underscores the need for context-specific adaptations and rigorous data collection.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited by its geographic focus on Georgia, which may affect the generalizability of findings. In addition, the reliance on stakeholder-reported data introduces potential biases. These limitations highlight the necessity for broader, cross-cultural studies and methodological advancements in social impact measurement.Practical implicationsThe study offers practical insights for organizations implementing SROI, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder engagement, cultural sensitivity and adapting methodologies to local contexts. It suggests strategies for overcoming data limitations and enhancing the credibility of social impact assessments.Social implicationsThe research underscores the transformative potential of social enterprises in addressing societal challenges. By quantifying social impact, organizations can better articulate their contributions to societal well-being, informing policy decisions and fostering a culture that values social over mere economic returns.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on social impact measurement by detailing the application of SROI in a novel context – Georgia. It addresses a significant gap in understanding how social impact can be measured in transitional economies and offers valuable insights into the methodological and practical challenges involved.