Sustainability Of Social Enterprises Research Articles

NETWORK APPROACH IN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP:PRELIMINARY RESULTSOF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the possibilities of using network approach in social entrepreneurship as one of the key tools for the sustainability of social enterprises. The authors first consider the approaches to determine the nature of social entrepreneurship in general, as well as the prerequisites for applying network approach in social entrepreneurship in particular. Such a preliminary theoretical review is important, since despite the popularity of the concept “social entrepreneurship”, at the same time we observe great uncertainty and fragmentation in the theory of social entrepreneurship, in matters of legislative regulation and state support in this area. Defining the essence of social entrepreneurship through the prism of institutional analysis is most relevant, since it is an approach that makes it possible to correlate the benefits and costs of a particular form of organization at a fundamental level, to cover the phenomenon at large, and not just individual manifestations of its features. The effectiveness of the application of the network approach in various forms of organizations has long been proven both in the new institutional economic theory and in various management concepts. The application of network approach in social entrepreneurship is also relevant. The article considers certain implications in applying this form of organization of economic interaction in the field of social entrepreneurship. The paper presents the results of an empirical study conducted in February-April 2022 among Russian entrepreneurs while preparing for the interregional expert session «Entrepreneurial networks as a factor in the sustainable development of the territory». The survey conducted by the method of questioning, including closed and open questions involved 115 people from 30 regions of Russia - owners and founders of small and medium-sized businesses. The paper concludes with presenting possible ways of applying the results of empirical research for the development of network forms of organization in social entrepreneurship.

Mission Statement Components and Social Enterprise Sustainability: Findings from a Mixed-Method Approach

Mission statement components are crucial for the sustainability of social enterprises. Based on content analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), we investigate the link between mission statement components and sustainability in a sample of 148 Chinese social enterprises. Our findings indicate that social enterprises’ mission statements are both socially and commercially focused. An individual mission statement component does not constitute a necessary condition for the high sustainability of social enterprises, but products or services and enterprise philosophy play a universal role in this regard. There are four configurations of mission statement components that lead to high social enterprise sustainability. This study helps to reveal the complexity of the impact of mission statement components on social enterprise sustainability.

The Performance Measurement Construction for Developing Prosperity and Sustainability of Social Enterprises

Objective: This research seeks to enhance existing knowledge by proposing an approach for social enterprises to evaluate their impact across social, environmental, and economic dimensions. Method: Drawing on insights in accounting and anthropology, we employ a synchronic-diachronic approach. Our research utilizes deep ecology to build a comprehensive framework for measuring SE performance. Results and Conclusion: Our study advocates a multidimensional perspective rooted in the principles of deep ecology, which includes environmental and community well-being, internal processes, human and natural empowerment, and equitable distribution. By embracing this multidimensional view, SEs can work towards achieving their ultimate goals of sustainability and well-being. Implications of The Research: Despite the proliferation of methodologies and tools to assess social impact, there is a lack of systematic analysis and comparison across these approaches. SE should adopt systematic performance measurement to inform decision-making and promote environmental and social sustainability. Originality/Value: This research contributes to the existing literature by specifically focusing on the performance measurement of social enterprise, with comprehensive approaches uses deep ecology.

The Relationship between Leadership and Performance in Enhancing the Sustainability of Social Enterprises

As social enterprises are established for the purpose of solving local problems, the sustainability of social enterprises is also important for local development. In order to increase the sustainability of social enterprises, performance improvement is necessary, and research on finding leadership styles suitable for social enterprises continues to be an important method of performance improvement. However, despite considerable interest in social enterprises over the past few decades, no consistent conclusion has been reached about what leadership style is appropriate for social enterprises. The present study aimed to find a suitable leadership style for social enterprises within the major leadership styles recognized in commercial enterprises. This study investigated the impact of the three major leadership styles in commercial enterprises on satisfaction and performance in social enterprises. Based on prior research, transformational leadership, with its capacity to promote change and support the achievement of goals, was considered appropriate for social enterprises, and entrepreneurship was also considered as challenge is important for balancing economic and social purposes. Servant leadership also focused on the importance of providing support for employees on the basis that employees’ success is the success of social enterprises. In this study, in order to broadly understand the performance of different leadership styles, job satisfaction and leader satisfaction were considered at the individual level, and economic performance and social performance were considered at the firm level. To support the argument of this study, the researcher aimed to survey employees who perceive a leader as possessing leadership qualities in social enterprises. For this purpose, a survey on transaction leadership was conducted among employees who participated in a three-week training session related to social enterprises. And on the last day of training, three leadership and four outcome variables were surveyed. Analyzing data form 170 respondents in 52 social enterprises whose evaluation of their leader’s transactional leadership was higher than the average, the present study found that transformational leadership had a positive relationship with all four variables considered as leadership outcomes. And this study found evidence that entrepreneurship had a positive relationship with job and leader satisfactions, but the impact of entrepreneurship on economic and social performance was insignificant. However, servant leadership had a positive relationship with leader satisfaction and social performance, but the impact of servant leadership on job satisfaction and economic performance was insignificant. These results contribute to confirming that the emphasis on leadership styles in commercial enterprises can effectively operate in social enterprises as well, and that the effectiveness of leadership can vary depending on the desired outcomes.

Linking environmental sustainability, social sustainability, corporate reputation and the business performance of energy companies: insights from an emerging market

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of environmental sustainability, social sustainability and corporate reputation on the business performance of energy companies operating in an emerging market. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 400 managers in top and middle-level positions in energy companies located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were collected through an online survey. These managers had a strong understanding of the operational aspects of the companies and possessed good knowledge of the company’s performance. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to assess the hypothesized relationships. Findings The findings reveal significant influences of corporate reputation, environmental sustainability and social sustainability on the business performance of energy companies operating in an emerging market. Notably, corporate reputation emerges as the primary predictor, underscoring the significance of emphasizing the fundamental aspects of companies such as superior products or services, effective management practices and investment quality. A strong reputation is essential for attracting investors, customers and other stakeholders by meeting their expectations for high-quality products or services. It serves as a crucial factor in establishing trust and credibility, which are vital for sustained success in the market. Practical implications Energy companies should proactively integrate corporate reputation into their operational strategies to enhance business performance. Furthermore, they should develop and execute comprehensive environmental and social sustainability initiatives within their organizations. By doing so, they can effectively enhance both financial and non-financial performance while fostering a culture of employee engagement aimed at further enhancing productivity. Originality/value This study stands out as a unique and significant contribution to theory by using the triple bottom line framework as the underlying theory and integrating corporate reputation into the proposed framework. It represents a novel approach, particularly within the context of energy companies operating in an emerging market. This research serves as a valuable complement to prior studies primarily conducted in developed (Western) economies, expanding the knowledge base in this field.

Shaping brand attitudes through sustainability practices: a TSR approach

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the conditional relationships among sustainability implementation, brand awareness, brand attitude and brand loyalty through the lens of transformative service research (TSR). The research also aims to explain how brand loyalty moderates the mediated effect of brand awareness and attitude in the context of social and environmental sustainability initiatives.Design/methodology/approachUsing both primary and secondary data sources from 31 prominent service companies and their 6,891 customers, this paper investigates the impact of sustainability practices and brand awareness on customer attitude. The paper also examines the moderated mediation effect of brand loyalty, explaining how it alters brand attitudes in the context of sustainability implementation. Finally, the study conducts a comparative analysis of how environmental and social shape brand attitudes in loyal customers.FindingsSustainability implementation has a negative impact on both brand awareness and customer attitude. However, this negative influence is mitigated for highly brand-loyal customers, resulting in a positive brand attitude. Further, the comparative analysis reveals that social implementation positively influences brand attitude in high-loyalty contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThis research uses subjective judgments of researchers regarding companies’ sustainability practices, combining them with customer attitudes gathered through survey questionnaires. Additionally, the data set comprises data from 31 large service companies, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings to large service companies. Nevertheless, this paper extends TSR into the realm of sustainability and branding.Practical implicationsThe positive outcomes of sustainability implementation practices are most pronounced when customer loyalty toward a brand is strong. Social implementation has a more potent effect on brand attitude, particularly among loyal customers. Companies can tailor their sustainability efforts more effectively.Originality/valueWith the lens of TSR, this research deepens our understanding of how sustainability affects consumer psychology but also offers a methodological advancement by using advanced statistical models and a variety of data sources. The distinctiveness of this research is also highlighted in the examination of how environmental and social sustainability initiatives influence brand attitude, especially among customers who exhibit strong brand loyalty.

Exploring the impact of institutional forces on the social sustainability of logistics service providers: insights from a high terrorism-affected region

PurposeAchieving social sustainability has become a critical challenge in global supply chain networks, particularly during complex crises such as terrorism. The purpose of this study is to explore how institutional forces influence the social sustainability approaches of logistics service providers (LSPs) in high terrorism-affected regions (HTAR). This then leads to investigating how the key factors interact with Institutional Theory.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory multiple-case study research method was used to investigate six cases of different-sized logistics LSPs, each in an HTAR. The data was collected using semistructured interviews and triangulated using on-site observations and document analysis. Thematic analysis was used in iterative cycles for cross-case comparisons and pattern matching.FindingsThe findings interact with Institutional Theory and the three final-order themes. First, management processes are driven by coopetition and innovation. Second, organizational resources, structure and culture lead to an ineffective organizational design. Finally, a lack of institutionalization creates institutional uncertainty. These factors are rooted in many other first-order factors such as information sharing, communication, relationship management, capacity development, new process developments, workforce characteristics, technology, microlevel culture and control aspects.Originality/valueThis study answers the call for social sustainability research and enriches the literature on social sustainability, Institutional Theory and LSPs in HTARs by providing illustrations showing that institutional forces act as driving forces for social sustainability initiatives by shaping the current management processes. Conversely, the same forces impede social sustainability initiatives by shaping the current organizational designs and increasing institutional uncertainty.

Tourism Social Enterprise Sustainability Scale in the Context of Community Stakeholders

Tourism Social Enterprise Sustainability Scale in the Context of Community Stakeholders

Social SME Entrepreneurship: A Conceptual Model of Innovativeness in Environmentally Sustainable Social Enterprises

The awareness of the severity of global sustainability challenges has reinforced appeals to harness and leverage alternative business forms and ecologically sustainable innovations to grant future generations the capability to meet their own needs. This paper aims to develop a conceptual model for innovativeness of Environmentally Sustainable Social Enterprises (ESSEs). After undertaking a systematic literature review, a conceptual model including eight dimensions is developed. This is tested by means of a standardized self-completion online questionnaire among ESSEs. The analysis of the quantitative data enabled us to revise the conceptual model. Our findings confirm the multidimensional nature of the innovativeness of ESSEs primarily inferred from the studies by Lawson and Samson (2001), Hogan et al. (2011), and Iddris (2016). The findings of the study provide a contextually insightful and focused understanding of the eco–innovation capability, related to ESSEs. EI literature predominantly focuses on large, profit–maximizing organizations. Less scientific work examines mission-driven SEs as their object of study. Hence, this study bridges the literature of social entrepreneurship, EI, and innovation management.

Framework for Environmental and Socially Responsible Economic Growth

Objective: Sustainable development is being propelled forward by a confluence of factors, social commerce efforts, the collaborative economy, and education. With steady agricultural production capacities, there is a growing need to increase the intensity of food over product production. The main drawbacks of this are current global population situation, profitability of the consumer sector and the issue of insecurity. The rising cost of food is another issue that has motivated researchers to look for ways to improve agricultural productivity through the use of cutting-edge technology. All of these factors could significantly impact the future of sustainable development and social enterprise. Consequently, this aims on the lookout for creative answers how to boost output without significantly raising prices based on social economics. New business models are being established on the back of ideas like social commerce, the collaborative economy, and virtual currencies, in which people are looking for ways to redistribute wealth more fairly through exchanges of equity, trust, and collaboration.
 
 Method: The purpose of this research is to examine how these factors contribute to sustainable growth by developing Legal Framework for Socially Sustainable Economic Development [LF-SSED]. As a result, the use of cutting-edge technologies in digital transformation, it might be an important milestone in the business world, ushering in new ways of doing things and unlocking dormant potential.
 
 Result: To begin, it is necessary to define some of the more essential concepts in this research.
 
 Conclusion: Preparing students to take advantage of environmentally friendly development and economic prospects brought forth by technological progress is a top priority a constructivist approach centered on the learner is then used.

A call to action: Unpacking the challenges to implementing social sustainability initiatives in a developing country city

With cities sprawling and populations booming in developing regions, ensuring social sustainability in urban areas has become more urgent. This study investigates the challenges of implementing social sustainability initiatives for cities in developing countries, focusing on Dhaka as a representative city. A mixed-method approach involving structured questionnaire surveys and key informant interviews was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The study identified eighteen challenges to implementing social sustainability initiatives in Dhaka city, including a lack of poor urban governance, an inefficient city management system, a lack of political stability, a long delay in the planning approval process, etc. Additionally, experts identified additional challenges that require attention. The study offers empirical evidence to assist government officials, policymakers, and urban planners overcome these challenges and implement social sustainability effectively. To address the identified challenges, the study recommends revisiting the Structure Plan, Urban Area Plan, Detailed Area Plan, and Urban Sector Policy-2011. It highlights the crucial role of community social workers in mitigating specific issues in socially sustainable urban development. Eventually, the study will contribute to the implementation of SDG-11 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by bridging the gap between urbanization and socially sustainable cities.

Exploring the Performance Management for Sustainability of Agricultural-Based Social Enterprises

This study explored the performance management for sustainability of agricultural-based social enterprises. It employed descriptive correlational research design in which results revealed that all the five performance dimensions namely, economic viability, environmental engagement, community involvement, human potential, and good governance have a qualitative description of very satisfactory. The performance management for sustainability of social enterprises are strongly demonstrated. Among the performance management dimensions for sustainability, community involvement and good governance have the highest correlation while economic viability and environmental engagement have the lowest correlation. Among the diverse types of business organization, the highest mean is the associations, indicating that its performance management for sustainability is strongly demonstrated and followed by cooperatives which is still signifying the same qualitative statement. Further, there is no significant difference between the overall performance management for sustainability and number of years in operation.

Sustainable Social Enterprise Built by Empowering Women Artisans: A Case of Gramshree, India

This case presents the hybrid business model of a social venture Gramshree. It provides a detailed description of the dilemma faced by the board of trustees regarding the selection of marketing channels for Gramshree to bring sustainability to the business. Gramshree aimed at empowering women artisans by ensuring a steady income for them so that they could become a catalyst for sustainable economic development and social change. However, with growing competition and difficulties in selling, generating market demand was a key challenge for Gramshree. This case illustrates the strategies for the development and value creation of a hybrid social business model. It also describes the challenges faced by social organizations. The case provides an opportunity to evaluate the current situation and proposes a solution for the sustainability of the organization.

Social Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) among Malaysian City Council: A Content Analysis of the Annual Report

Social sustainability is one aspect that contributes to the balance of sustainability goals, and its activities could impact and affect the subjects’ matters, including people, organisations, and communities. However, despite the rising social issues, research on the social dimension of sustainability is limited and needs more analysis, especially the efforts taken by the local authorities. Thus, this triggers the discovery of local authorities’ social sustainability initiatives (SSI) practices, mainly city council. This study aims to provide a benchmark on Social Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) currently practised by Malaysian City Councils. This study’s objectives are to identify the city councils’ SSI practices from the annual report; the SSI disclosed in annual report by determining the most prominent SSI practices among local authorities. Thus, this research adopted a qualitative method using the content analysis technique. The annual reports for the years 2018, 2019 and 2022 were used for this study for the respective City Councils. As a result, it was discovered that only ten (10) SSI themes through 39 initiatives were practised, with 14 most prominent SSIs determined. Hence, the Malaysia Local Authority has shown a commitment to preserving and protecting social sustainability and demands more promotion on what Malaysia City Councils have done in promoting sustainability.

SUSTAINABILITY OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES: THE ROLE OF SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING

The increasing number of social companies in Malaysia and their contribution to the Malaysian socio-economy and sustainability is promising. Although several social companies in the nation promote social ideals and address economic, social, and environmental concerns, many obstacles and uncertainties remain in their path to sustainability. This study adopted a library research approach which consisted of numerous publications such as Google Scholar, Mendeley, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS). The reviewing process begins from January 2023 until March 2023. To date, no study has evaluated the significance of sustainability accounting on Malaysian social business sustainability. A fresh conceptual framework that relates sustainability accounting and social enterprise sustainability was developed for sustainable organisations using an extensive current literature analysis. Furthermore, this study investigated the effect of sustainability accounting on sustainable performance among Malaysian social companies. The contributions include enhancing existing literature on sustainability and providing novel insights into the paradigm of organisational sustainability by presenting a new conceptual framework based on a comprehensive literature assessment. Future scholars could benefit from the publication by investigating the proposed paradigm empirically. This study gives insights to policymakers, social entrepreneurs, and stakeholders to facilitate well-informed decisions.

Governance for Sustainable Social Enterprise Performance: Moving Beyond Control Mechanisms

One of the prominent challenges of social enterprises is the inability to sustain their performance. In recent years, there have been instances where social enterprises have faced issues related to mismanagement, and these incidents have been associated with lack of effective governance. Therefore, this qualitative study engaged semi-structured interviews with representatives of social enterprises in Malaysia in assessing and examining the ideal governance framework that would suit the needs of social enterprise to attain sustainable performance. At first glance, the findings suggest that governance is achieved through effective control mechanisms and accountability practices. However, the respondents had also shared some insights that would suggest a forward-looking approach to social enterprise governance that prioritises sustainability, innovation, and social impact, rather than just control and compliance. Additionally, another substance being highlighted by the respondents that is closely related with social enterprise governance is about building relationships and trust. Keywords: governance, sustainability, control mechanisms, social enterprise, performance

An Alternative Model for The Socio-Economic Sustainability of Social Enterprise

The goal of this study was to come up with an alternative way for a social enterprise to stay in business. Social enterprise has two goals: helping to solve social problems and making money. This situation contributed to the complexity of social enterprise operations and potentially influenced their sustainability prospects. Thus, the discussion about how to maintain the sustainability of social enterprises became urgent. By reviewing some recent proposed sustainability models of social enterprise and elaborating them with a new institutional economics framework, this study proposed a model that provided guidance on how to promote social enterprise's sustainability. The model revealed that innovation, which flourished in the presence of greater dynamic capability, became the driving force behind the socio-economic sustainability of social enterprise. In this case, the subject, who managed the opportunities and optimized the resources and technology under the influence of the ecosystem, determined the dynamic capability of a social enterprise. In addition, the contextual institutions played a role in all phases of achieving socio-economic sustainability.

Women’s Social Enterprise Organizational Performance Analysis: A Road to Sustainability

With a high sense of empathy and sociality, women tend to engage in social entrepreneurship or participate in social activities to pursue not only profit but also social impact. In addition, social entrepreneurship has been believed to be able to address social problems and be the best way to build economic resilience and independence in societies. Through extensive research, social enterprises have proven to be providers of solutions to social problems. Therefore, ensuring the success and sustainability of social enterprises is a major challenge for female entrepreneurs. The aim of this study is to identify the current conditions of social entrepreneurship and the challenges they face to ensure their sustainability from a comprehensive management perspective. The research applies a qualitative research approach with several case study designs. Data obtained through observations and semistructured interviews with four CEOs and ten employees was processed and analyzed using McKinsey’s 7S model approach to determine the company’s current organizational performance. Performance analysis using McKinsey 7S Models at KWN Fatimah Az-Zahrah, Celebes Mushroom Farms, Café Tulus, and Café Mella House of Donuts has provided an illustration of their current condition and found that the three elements are not aligned with each other, mainly the elements strategy, system, and skills, and the two elements have gaps in the system and skills. These unbalanced elements and gaps will hinder these companies from achieving efficient performance and sustainability.

Women’s Social Enterprise Organizational Performance Analysis: A Road to Sustainability

With a high sense of empathy and sociality, women tend to engage in social entrepreneurship or participate in social activities to pursue not only profit but also social impact. In addition, social entrepreneurship has been believed to be able to address social problems and be the best way to build economic resilience and independence in societies. Through extensive research, social enterprises have proven to be providers of solutions to social problems. Therefore, ensuring the success and sustainability of social enterprises is a major challenge for female entrepreneurs. The aim of this study is to identify the current conditions of social entrepreneurship and the challenges they face to ensure their sustainability from a comprehensive management perspective. The research applies a qualitative research approach with several case study designs. Data obtained through observations and semistructured interviews with four CEOs and ten employees was processed and analyzed using McKinsey’s 7S model approach to determine the company’s current organizational performance. Performance analysis using McKinsey 7S Models at KWN Fatimah Az-Zahrah, Celebes Mushroom Farms, Café Tulus, and Café Mella House of Donuts has provided an illustration of their current condition and found that the three elements are not aligned with each other, mainly the elements strategy, system, and skills, and the two elements have gaps in the system and skills. These unbalanced elements and gaps will hinder these companies from achieving efficient performance and sustainability.

A STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE OF EMERGING SOCIAL ENTERPRISES TO ERADICATE IMPOVERISHMENT: THE REHABILITATION PARADIGM IN BANGLADESH

The objective of this study is to constitute a rehabilitation paradigm of sustainability of social enterprises to eradicate the impoverishment of Bangladesh by accumulation and anatomizing the germane mechanisms of rehabilitation. A sophisticated exploratory approach plays a significant role in measuring and ameliorating the functions of emerging social enterprises in society. Initially, assemble a conceptual framework of the pressing structures which impact straightaway the execution of impoverishment eradication based on pertinent theoretical foundations. Secondly, conduct questionnaires, interviews, and surveys to examine the effectiveness of various mechanisms on social enterprise for impoverishment eradication. Furthermore, the economic, social, and financial implementations of emerging social businesses intent on eradicating impoverishment are affected positively by the unique operational rehabilitation structures of governance, strategy, geographical area, and entrepreneurship. Thirdly, the approach of prime proportionate anatomize to evaluate survey data, and economic and social execution might evolve together under an inevitable accumulation of mechanisms. Eventually, the findings of the investigation directed the formulation of guidelines for strengthening and functioning Bangladesh's impoverishment eradication through the pressing rehabilitation structures of emerging social enterprises.