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While compassionate and morally motivated people are theorised to be more likely to engage in activities that contribute to the social good, the literature provides contradictory evidence regarding the role of empathy and moral obligation in building social entrepreneurial intention (SEI). This study aims to clarify how empathy and moral obligation influence SEI.

The authors used survey data (n = 307) from Bangladesh, a frontier economy, to test the hypothesised relationships between empathy, moral obligation and SEI by applying partial least square–structural equation modelling in Smart PLS 3. They then conducted a second study with a larger sample (n = 339) from Saudi Arabia, an emerging economy, to further investigate how the findings withstand in a different socio-economic context.

The findings contradicted extant conceptualisations and revealed that empathy and moral obligation influence SEI indirectly through other individual and contextual factors, such as social entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perceived social support. The findings indicate that a person with a feeling of compassion and moral responsibility to help others will not start a social venture unless they feel capable and supported to start and run the venture.

The study contributes to a contentious area of research in SEI by demonstrating the links between various individual-level (empathy, moral obligation and social entrepreneurial self-efficacy) and contextual-level (perceived social support) variables and their relationship with SEI.

This study aims to provide a contextualized look at the artisan sector in Zambia and asks: What factors contribute to scaling positive impact in artisan ventures in Zambia, and how can these factors be leveraged to promote positive economic, social and environmental outcomes for women and their communities.

This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach to gain a multi-layered understanding of artisan craft social enterprises in Zambia.

Purpose is found to be the primary driver of social and environmental impact in artisan social enterprises in Zambia, with female leadership a critical factor. Access to finance, markets and resources are also essential to help these organizations achieve their social missions.

While this study provides valuable insights into the artisan sector, its scope was limited to the Zambian context, making the generalizability of the findings to other geographies uncertain.

This research makes a valuable contribution to the literature on social enterprises by highlighting the critical role of female leadership and purpose in driving positive impact in artisan businesses in Zambia. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of understanding the mechanisms through which artisan social enterprises create positive change. The study highlights the importance of artisan craft employment for women in Zambia and illustrates the impact of Zambian artisan ventures, both formal social enterprises and informal businesses, on creating positive social and environmental impacts in the country.

This study systematically assesses and empirically examines the research question: How do social skills influence resource acquisition and social performance? Specifically, this study applies RBV theory from strategy to link social skills, resource conditions and the performance of social enterprises.

For this, we surveyed social enterprises in Korea to collect data and used SPSS 18.0 for hierarchical regression analysis.

In the Korean context, first, the results show that all social skills of social entrepreneurs are positively related to social performance. Second, among independent variables, self-promotion is positively associated with financial support and expressiveness is positively associated with marketing support. However, the rest of the independent variables have no significance. Finally, obtaining financial support from their partner mediates the relationship between self-promotion and social ventures' social performance, and obtaining marketing support from their partner mediates the relationship between expressiveness and social ventures' social performance.

This study provides two contributions. First, this is the first study to apply and test the RBV systematically and empirically in the context of social enterprises. Second, the results suggest that social skills and support types are important to social value creation.

This study aims to explore gender performance in entrepreneurial pitching. Understanding pitching as a social practice, the authors argue that pitch content and body gestures contain gender-based norms and practices. The authors focus on early-stage ventures and the hegemonic masculinities and femininities that are performed in entrepreneurial pitches. The main research question is as follows: How is gender performed in entrepreneurial pitching?

The authors carried out the study with the post-structuralist feminist approach. The authors collected and analyzed nine online pitches with the reflexive thematic method to depict hegemonic masculinities and femininities performed at the pitch.

The authors found that heroic and breadwinner masculinities are dominant in pitching. Both male and female founders perform hegemonic masculinities. Entrepreneurs are expected to be assertive but empathetic people. Finally, there are connections between what entrepreneurs do and what investors ask, indicating the iteration of gender performance and expectations.

While the online setting helps the authors to collect data during the pandemic, it limits the observation of the place, space and interactions between the judges/investors and the entrepreneurs. As a result, the linguistic and gesture communication of the investors in the pitch was not discussed in full-length in this paper. Also, as the authors observed, people would come to the pitch knowing what they should perform and how they should interact. Therefore, the preparation of the pitch as a study context could provide rich details on how gender norms and stereotypes influence people's interactions and their entrepreneurial identity. Lastly, the study has a methodological limitation. The authors did not include aspects of space in the analysis. It is mainly due to the variety of settings that the pitching sessions that the data set had.

For social practices and policies, the results indicate barriers to finance for women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs are rewarded when they perform entrepreneurial hegemonic masculinities with a touch of emphasized femininities. Eventually, if women entrepreneurs do not perform correctly as investors expect them to, they will face barriers to acquiring finance. It is important to acknowledge how certain gendered biases might be (re)constructed and (re)produced through entrepreneurial activities, in which pitching is one of them.

Practitioners could utilize research findings to understand how gender stereotypes exist not only on the pitch stage but also before and after the pitch, such as the choice of business idea and pitch training. In other words, it is necessary to create a more enabling environment for women entrepreneurs, such as customizing the accelerator program so that all business ideas receive relevant support from experts. On a macro level, the study has shown that seemingly gender-equal societies do not practically translate into higher participation of women in entrepreneurship.

For theoretical contributions, the study enhances the discussion that entrepreneurship is gendered; women and men entrepreneurs need to perform certain hegemonic traits to be legitimated as founders. The authors also address various pitching practices that shape pitch performance by including both textual and semiotic data in the study. This study provides social implications on the awareness of gendered norms and the design of entrepreneurial pitching.

This paper adds to the ongoing debate on judgements, opportunity evaluation and founder identity theory and shows that founders vary in their prioritisation and combination of judgement criteria, linked to their respective social founder identity. It further reveals how this variation among founder identity types shapes their perception of distinct entrepreneurial opportunities and the forming of first-person opportunity beliefs.

This study uses a qualitative approach by presenting three business scenarios to a sample of 34 first-time founders. It adopts a first-person perspective on their cognitive processes during the evaluation of entrepreneurial opportunities using verbal protocol and content analysis techniques.

The theorised model highlights the use of similar categories of judgement criteria by individual founders during opportunity evaluation that followed two distinct stages, namely search and validation. Yet, founders individualised their judgement process through the prioritisation of different judgement criteria.

The authors provide new insights into how individuals individuate entrepreneurial opportunities through the choice of different judgement criteria that enable them to develop opportunity confidence during opportunity evaluation. The study also shows that first-time founders depict variations in their cognitive frames that are based on their social identity types as they assess opportunity-related information and elicit variations in reciprocal relationships emerging between emotion and cognition. Exposing these subjective cognitive evaluative processes provides theoretical and practical implications that are discussed as well.

This paper aims to identify the values antecedents of women’s social entrepreneurship. It explores where and how these values emerge and how they underpin the perceived desirability and feasibility of social venture creation.

Values development across the life-course is interrogated through retrospective sense-making by thirty UK-based women social entrepreneurs.

The findings express values related to empathy, social justice and action-taking, developed, consolidated and challenged in a variety of experiential domains over time. The cumulative effects of these processes result in the perceived desirability and feasibility of social entrepreneurial venture creation as a means of effecting social change and achieving coherence between personal values and paid work, prompting social entrepreneurial action-taking.

This paper offers novel, contextualised insights into the role that personal values play as antecedents to social entrepreneurship. It contributes to the sparse literature focussed on both women’s experiences of social entrepreneurship generally, and on their personal values specifically.

The purpose of this study is to identify the key factors that drive social entrepreneurship (SE) among Ecuadorian social entrepreneurs.

The study was developed following a qualitative and exploratory research design based on the identification of social entrepreneurs through the nonprobabilistic sequential sampling technique, giving a total of fifteen social entrepreneurs who were given a structured interview that was later analyzed in the ATLAS.TI software for the identification, analysis and categorization of drivers.

The results will identify eight drivers for SE, including social exclusion, public support, sources of employment, economic income, family support, environmental awareness and fair trade, as standards and values. Overall, the findings help to improve the understanding of the factors that determine the creation and development of social enterprises in the country.

Deepen and increase the literature on SE in Latin America. Contribute to reducing the knowledge gap on the topic.

Taken together, the results provide empirical evidence and help to better understand the factors that determine the creation and development of social enterprises in the country.

Identificar los factores clave que impulsan el emprendimiento social en emprendedores sociales ecuatorianos.

El estudio se desarrolló siguiendo un diseño de investigación cualitativo y exploratorio basado en la identificación de emprendedores sociales a través de la técnica de muestreo secuencial no probabilístico, obteniendo un total de quince emprendedores sociales a quienes se les realizó una entrevista estructurada que posteriormente fue analizada en el software ATLAS.TI para la identificación, análisis y categorización de impulsores.

Los resultados identificarán ocho impulsores del empresariado social, entre los que se encuentran la exclusión social, el apoyo público, las fuentes de empleo, los ingresos económicos, el apoyo familiar, la conciencia medioambiental y el comercio justo, como normas y valores. En general, los resultados ayudan a mejorar la comprensión de los factores que determinan la creación y el desarrollo de empresas sociales en el país.

En conjunto, los resultados aportan evidencia empírica y ayudan a comprender mejor los factores que determinan la creación y desarrollo de empresas sociales en el país.

Profundizar e incrementar la literatura sobre Emprendimiento Social en América Latina. Contribuir a reducir la brecha de conocimiento sobre el tema.

Identificar os principais fatores que impulsionam o empreendedorismo social nos empreendedores sociais equatorianos.

O estudo foi desenvolvido de acordo com um projeto de pesquisa qualitativo e exploratório baseado na identificação de empreendedores sociais por meio da técnica de amostragem sequencial não probabilística, totalizando quinze empreendedores sociais que foram submetidos a uma entrevista estruturada, posteriormente analisada no software ATLAS.TI para identificação, análise e categorização dos fatores determinantes.

Os resultados identificarão oito motivadores do empreendedorismo social, incluindo exclusão social, apoio público, fontes de emprego, renda econômica, apoio familiar, consciência ambiental e comércio justo, como padrões e valores. Em geral, os resultados ajudam a melhorar a compreensão dos fatores que determinam a criação e o desenvolvimento de empresas sociais no país.

Em conjunto, os resultados fornecem evidências empíricas e ajudam a entender melhor os fatores que determinam a criação e o desenvolvimento de empresas sociais no país.

Aprofundar e aumentar a literatura sobre empreendedorismo social na América Latina. Contribuir para reduzir a lacuna de conhecimento sobre o tema.

This paper explores the motivating factors that lead to opportunity recognition among social entrepreneurs in India.

The study followed an exploratory, qualitative design based on thematic analysis of the interview data collected from 13 Indian social entrepreneurs.

The study identifies two aggregate factors that motivate social entrepreneurs: personal and contextual. Personal factors include life experiences, social awareness, social inclination since childhood, spiritual motives, the need for a meaningful career and entrepreneurial intention. Contextual factors included institutional voids, community development, the presence of a role model and volunteer experiences.

This study contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature by providing a model for motivating factors that lead to opportunity recognition. This study enables policymakers and social entrepreneurship educators to identify aspiring social entrepreneurs and provide target-specific support to them.

This study enables policymakers and social entrepreneurship educators to identify aspiring social entrepreneurs and provide target-specific support to them.

The study uniquely contributes to the social entrepreneurship field by offering deep qualitative insights into the motivational and opportunity recognition patterns of social entrepreneurship.

As the backbone of the social open innovation (SOI) system, social enterprises (SEs) are the key drivers of social value creation (SVC). However, at the micro-level, research in this area is lacking, as attention is scantly paid on the comprehensive capabilities of renewable energy enterprises, their industrial heterogeneity and heterogeneous social connections, including bricolage and utility innovation. Drawing from the social resource-based view theory and institutional theory, the research investigates SOI effect on SVC, the moderating role of social ties (ST) and entrepreneurial bricolage (EB) mediation.

The research methodology encompassed several key steps. Initially, a research framework was constructed based on a comprehensive literature review. Subsequently, data were collected by surveying 133 middle to senior-level managers. To assess the proposed hypotheses, a structured equation modeling analysis was conducted using a two-stage approach, which involved partial least squares and hierarchical regression techniques.

The study reveals that SOI affects SVC significantly, and SOI positively impacts EB. Furthermore, political ties strengthen the positive impact of SOI on EB. Moreover, EB positively impacts SVC. Additionally, EB mediates the relationship between SOI and SVC.

Firstly, the measurement of variables relies on a subjective approach. Future research could employ a quantitative comprehensive index evaluation method of assessment, thereby providing additional validation for the authors' findings. Secondly, although cross-sectional data can be utilized to explore the relationships between variables, there may be inherent biases in the results. Therefore, longitudinal data collection in future research would enable the observation of the long-term effects of SOI and EB on SVC and ST. Thirdly, it would be beneficial to examine other potential factors that could contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms linking SOI to SVC.

First, the study underscores the significance of EB in the interplay between SOI and SVC. By embracing innovative approaches and fostering collaborations, SEs can harness EB as a powerful tool for achieving their social missions while overcoming resource constraints. Second, it is imperative for managers to foster a conducive environment for SVC within their organizations, characterized by network ties and partnerships. Simultaneously, they should proactively drive ST initiatives and remain attuned to evolving changes in external environmental laws and regulations. Third, the Malagasy government is actively advocating for social interventions and the establishment of social milieus reminiscent of corporate social responsibility.

This study emphasizes the importance of ST and recognizes the pivotal role of EB in generating social value within an ecosystem that supports SOI. SEs can create lasting positive impacts on society (e.g. improving access to electricity) by embracing these principles and collaborating with stakeholders.

These findings serve to enhance the underlying theoretical context of social entrepreneurship, propose nuanced insight into the methodologies for implementing SVC within the context of renewable energy enterprises and make significant contributions to the ongoing progress of research in the domains of open innovation and social entrepreneurship.

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that drive superior social enterprise performance for women-led social enterprises. The authors examined the role of individual entrepreneur cognitive characteristics contributing to social enterprise performance and recommended a framework for women's social entrepreneur development.

The authors conducted an exploratory qualitative study of 22 women founders of social enterprises using a semi-structured questionnaire. In-depth interviews were conducted, and the transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis.

This study found a significant impact of self-efficacy on the performance of social enterprises among the studied subjects. Social support in the form of material, information and emotional support enhanced the ability of women social entrepreneurs to better achieve business sustenance and continuance of operations. The business skills of the women social entrepreneurs led them to move from just social impact generators to becoming thought leaders. The strong prosocial motivation of the founders contributed to building their resilience in the face of adversity.

This study extended the existing theories on social entrepreneurship by bringing the dimensions of entrepreneurial resilience in driving social enterprise performance along with business skills. Thus, it provided an enhanced explanation to the existing body of knowledge on contributors to superior social enterprise performance.

This study gathered insights into the role of entrepreneurship education focused on business skills, especially for women social entrepreneurs in achieving superior performance for their social ventures. This also reconfirmed the role of social support and how structurally this could be provided by educational systems to aspiring women social entrepreneurs.

The practice of social entrepreneurship by women social entrepreneurs has been growing. Its importance in developing economies because of its ability to make grassroots changes at the lower levels of society was substantive. Women have shown more inclination toward social business with an affinity for prosocial contribution. By focusing on nurturing these social enterprises, governments as well as global agencies like the United Nations and the World Economic Forum could accelerate social change. Furthermore, support for the current women social entrepreneurs as change-makers making a difference in society could be achieved.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research study was one of the first studies on women social entrepreneurs focusing on the factors of self-efficacy, social support and entrepreneurial resilience contributing to social enterprise performance. This study combined the social entrepreneurship intention theory with entrepreneurial resilience and business skills to understand the factors leading to successful social enterprise performance for women social entrepreneurs.