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Consensus on the definition of social entrepreneurship: a content analysis approach

Yenchun Jim Wu (Graduate Institute of Global Business and Strategy, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan) (Business Management, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
Tienhua Wu (Department of Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
Jeremiah Arno Sharpe (Department of Native Studies, Aboriginal Entrepreneurship, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada) (International Business, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

Management Decision

ISSN: 0025-1747

Article publication date: 3 March 2020

Issue publication date: 12 December 2020

1929

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to reach academic consensus on key factors and boundaries used in defining the concepts of “social entrepreneurship” (SEsh), “social entrepreneur” (SE), and “social enterprise” (SEV). This study also explores the complex relationships among social/business enterprises, definitional categories and factors, missions, and impacts on effectiveness of practices and organizing for venture success.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis is conducted on articles published from 1998 to 2016 in peer-reviewed academic journals in the fields of management and organization. Furthermore, 80 articles are obtained and analyzed in terms of factors and frequently used terms for unified definitions and their intertwined linkages.

Findings

The unifying factors for the definitions of SEsh, SE, and SEV include primary mission and processes and resources. Strong linkages are observed between SEsh and actors, SE and characteristics, and SEV and organizational form. Results indicate that definitional categories and factors share numerous joint terms that can be used to propose unified definitions. This study identifies the effective interactions of variables among social mission, capabilities to manage resources and processes, entrepreneurial characteristics of actors, and forms of ventures in a process that provides potential for organizational sustainability and impact maximization.

Research limitations/implications

This paper contributes to research by identifying clear and agreed-upon factors and traits as boundaries to propose definitions that can advance the legitimacy of social entrepreneurship as an academic field worthy of future exploration.

Practical implications

The findings emphasize social mission that achieves public benefits while preventing mission drift. Economic value and choice of organizational form can advance the fulfillment of objectives and governance practices. This study also presents the key influencing factors at various stages of an entrepreneurial process to determine how these concepts interact to increase the likelihood of organizational emergence and survival.

Originality/value

This work is the first to systematically review management and organizational literature on the key factors and terms that constitute the distinct definitions of SEsh, SE, and SEV and help clarify their complex relations in an entrepreneurial process.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewer and the editor for insightful comments and suggestions on previous drafts of this study and acknowledge the financial support of Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 104-2511-S-003-031-MY3 and MOST 108-2511-H-344-001).

Citation

Wu, Y.J., Wu, T. and Arno Sharpe, J. (2020), "Consensus on the definition of social entrepreneurship: a content analysis approach", Management Decision, Vol. 58 No. 12, pp. 2593-2619. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-11-2016-0791

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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