Consulting for Sustainability and Social Impact in Social Enterprises and Not for Profits

2022 ◽  
pp. 216-242
Author(s):  
Onyekachi Wambu ◽  
Amanda Rodrigues Amorim Adegboye ◽  
Kumar Kotecha ◽  
Natasha Bonsu
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Community Groups ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Or Organization

A key remit of any consultant is to assist the client or organization they work with to achieve their objectives by mapping out a strategy for developing and sustaining the work of the organization. The aim of this chapter is to use an autoethnographic method and semi-structured questioning to reflect on our consultancy activity with social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations. As a part of their lived experience of engaging with clients, a group of diverse consultants reflect on their work of providing consultancy services to community groups, academics, and organisations.

scholarly journals A Third Sector-Led Economic Model: Scopes of Islamic Entrepreneurship

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Rafiqul Islam Molla
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Economic Model ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Welfare Programs ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Wealth Concentration ◽  
Social Welfare Programs ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Market State

Private (first sector) and public (second sector) sector economics, both individually and jointly, have failed to ensure the wellbeing of human societies on the national and global levels. In response, social enterprise (third sector) economics, which features cooperatives and not-for-profit social enterprises, foundations (awqāf), and similar undertakings, has emerged as a make-up strategy in an attempt to counter the deficiencies of the market-state economic model. However, there is a strongly felt belief that the third sector needs to be broadened and mainstreamed in order to include both not-for-profit and for-profit businesses blended with social justice (via provision of such social welfare programs as corporate social responsibility) so that they can play a major role in poverty alleviation and economic growth. Islamic entrepreneurship, which is basically a community-centric mode of business initiative, is an antidote to the problem of intolerable economic and social dualism, a natural strategy against all forms of capitalist exploitation and attempts to control a nation’s resources. Moreover, it is the natural model for solving economic inequity, wealth concentration, and social divides. Based on its potential and using examples from Bangladesh and Malaysia, we present the Islamic style of entrepreneurship. We contend that this particular style is the most efficient and desirable one for effectively widening and mainstreaming community-centric third sector economics so that it can ensure development with equity and social justice especially in developing countries.

Balgran: solving issues of an NGO in Jammu and Kashmir

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Aarushi Mahajan ◽  
Gopalakrishnan Narayanamurthy
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Organizational Legitimacy ◽  
Voluntary Organizations ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes have been prepared in accordance with Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956). After completing the case, the students shall be able to do the following: • describe the challenges faced by the not-for-profit, non-governmental and voluntary organizations operating at a local level in a conflict-ridden zone (knowledge). • Explain the key features, roles and typologies associated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (comprehension), apply such typologies to specific organizations (application) and differentiate between social enterprises and NGOs (analysis). • Analyse various scaling-up techniques and infer the technique(s) used or can be potentially used by a particular organization (analysis). • Synthesize different elements of the organizational environment and reflect on the potential influence of these elements on an organization (synthesis). • Develop frameworks by applying institutional theory and motivations for volunteerism to map challenges of organizational legitimacy and volunteer turnover, respectively, as well as make recommendations to tackle these challenges (synthesis and evaluation) • Develop recommendations for the problems faced by not-for-profit voluntary NGOs (evaluation). Case overview/synopsis Balgran, a local not-for-profit non-governmental voluntary organization operating in the conflict-ridden state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India was established in the year 1975 to empower destitute, orphans, abandoned and socially handicapped children. Since its inception, Balgran has expanded its services at a rapid pace including Bal Bharti public school, health care centre, vocational training and a computer centre. Mr A.K. Khajuria, President of Balgran, was concerned about the high turnover of the voluntary staff, mistrust among the potential donors concerning fund management of NGOs and inadequate funding. Mr Khajuria after a few failed attempts at resolving these issues, called for a meeting of the members of the governing body in February 2019 to decide the future plan of action to resolve these issues. Through this case, the students can understand the challenges faced by local NGOs in general and unique challenges (mistrust among potential donors) faced by NGOs operating in conflict-ridden areas such as J&K. The students will be able to enhance their skills in brainstorming and making recommendations while framing possible solutions to the challenges faced by Balgran. The case seeks to enable the students to comprehend the features and typologies associated with NGOs; the role played by local NGOs in community development; differences between social enterprises and NGOs; scaling-up techniques and paths with special reference to local NGOs and the environmental factors that can potentially influence the operation of NGOs. Complexity academic level This case is suitable for undergraduate and graduate-level students learning social entrepreneurship, social work and management of alternate organizations such as NGOs. This case could be used to discuss concepts related to not-for-profit organizations operating in voluntary settings. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Enterprise and care

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Needham ◽  
Kerry Allen ◽  
Kelly Hall
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
The Social ◽  
Delivery Models ◽  
Micro Enterprises

This chapter focuses on enterprise and care considering the contribution that new delivery models such as social enterprises make within public services more broadly and care in particular. The chapter also considers the ambiguity of the social enterprise label and its capacity to be claimed by a range of governance types, including the for-profit as well as the not-for-profit. The chapter then draws together the evidence on micro-enterprises into four research hypotheses that are tested in later chapters of the book, through qualitative and quantitative research. These are derived from the policy claims that are made by proponents of micro forms of service delivery: that micro-enterprises are more personalised, innovative, cost-effective and outcomes-oriented than larger organisations.

Knowledge transfer requirements for the management of social enterprises and organisations

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-112
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Zontek ◽  
Christopher Whitworth
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Almost All ◽  
New Applications

The authors have extensively researched motivation and situated learning in social organisations and enterprises via qualitative processes. This was an original work in an under-researched area. The use of open interpretative phenomenological analysis allowed an in-depth study of over 30 individual’s motivations and processes. Their findings clearly demonstrate the role of, and need for, knowledge acquisition, restructuring and transfer into new and evolving NGO’s and similar not-for-profit ventures. Study of 10 very different organisations in two European countries revealed common mechanisms for gaining and utilising knowledge in new ways and for new applications. All were Communities of Practice (CoPs) with a well-defined purpose and rationale. Almost all those interviewed reported utilising their knowledge from earlier experiences, in new ways, and situations. This need for internal and external knowledge transfer was stressed by almost all participants, and how they solved it in their CoP forms a key outcome of the research.Keywords: Management, social enterprise, knowledge transfer.

scholarly journals Everyone's Story Counts: Measuring Social Impact in the Not-for-profit sector, an overview.

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Collective Impact ◽  
Impact Measurement ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit

As a lead-up to a symposium on measuring social impact in the not-for-profit sector, held in November 2011, the author conducted a small number of interviews (20) across the not for profit sector in Sydney, as to their views, concerns and issues regarding the measurement of social impact of their organisations' work within their communities. This paper provides a synthesis of these interviews, as well as situating social impact measurement within a broader economic and political frame. The paper draws the conclusion (confirmed by many at the above symposium) that the concept of collective impact - where a large number of diverse organisations collaborate through for example, agreed benchmarks of performance and shared measurements, in order to make a difference, and know that they have made a difference, to the lives of specific populations in need.

Cost Stickiness in the New Zealand Charity Sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (03) ◽  
pp. 1950012
Author(s):  
Ahsan Habib ◽  
Hedy Jiaying Huang
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Managerial Decisions ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Cost Stickiness

We investigate whether New Zealand charities exhibit cost stickiness, conceptualized as cost increases in response to an increase in income that are greater than the cost decreases associated with an equivalent decrease in income. Drawing on the holistic accountability rationale, we posit that charity managers consider themselves accountable to a wide range of stakeholders and, therefore, are more concerned about the social impact of their managerial decisions. As a result, charity managers will be reluctant to adjust resources downward immediately after an income drop, as such decisions could lead to the loss of trust and confidence of their internal and external stakeholders. Based on a large sample of charities in New Zealand, we find evidence of cost stickiness. Importantly, we find that cost stickiness varies across a number of characteristics of charities, including charity size, sources of income and expenditure, crisis periods, and the sectors within which the charities operate. Our study contributes to a hitherto unexplored setting and provides empirical evidence on the theoretical debate of hierarchical versus holistic accountability in the not-for-profit sector.

scholarly journals Understanding Motivations for Volunteering in Food Insecurity and Food Upcycling Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Rondeau ◽  
Sara M. Stricker ◽  
Chantel Kozachenko ◽  
Kate Parizeau
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Life Improvement ◽  
The Many

For non-profit organizations relying on volunteers to operate, investigations into the motivations of volunteerism are critical to attract new volunteers and to support the current ones. This study looked at volunteerism in the not-for-profit project The SEED in Ontario, Canada, which is looking to address food insecurity through a new social enterprise project that will create value-added “upcycled” products from second-grade produce while offering training opportunities for youth facing barriers to employment. The aims of this paper were to explore why volunteers chose to offer their time to this project and to gauge the current volunteers’ interest in volunteering with the organization’s new “Upcycle Kitchen”. Thirty-seven volunteers responded to a self-administered survey. They reported altruism, self-development, and social life improvement as their main motivations for volunteering. The volunteers expressed enthusiasm toward the Upcycle Kitchen initiative, which seems to be attributable to the multidimensional, creative, and educational aspects of the project. Tackling food insecurity and reducing the environmental impact of food waste are values which would most likely influence the respondents’ willingness to volunteer in food upcycling activities. We believe that this study is a good model to learn about the many facets of volunteerism for social enterprises developing upcycling-based food projects.

scholarly journals The Human Capital for Value Creation and Social Impact: The Interpretation of the IR’s HC Definition

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 6989
Author(s):  
Maurizio Cisi ◽  
Francesca Alice Centrone
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Human Resources Managers ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Selection Of

The paper aimed at assessing and identifying in a comparative way the potentiality and suitability of the Integrated Reporting (IR)’s definition of human capital (HC) within a selection of companies and social cooperatives. Employing in-depth interviews, the qualitative study analyzed the points of view of a selection of human resources managers to firstly check and test the connection between human capital, value creation, and social impact. The contribution of human capital to value creation is not easily recognized, especially by smaller-sized companies. The results suggested that the HC definition of the IR in the for-profit sector seems to be more applicable to the top management than to the whole workforce, while it appears as “fitting” for the managers of social cooperatives because of its explicit focus on ethical values, loyalty, and motivation. This allowed opening possible channels of dialogue between the profit and not-for-profit sectors. The paper proposed practical recommendations to operationalize the IR’s HC definition.

scholarly journals Financial accounting for the common good – from a social economy perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Maureen McCulloch
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social

This thesis is a pragmatic exploration of concepts to be found in social economy organisations with a view to improving the connection between financial accounting practice and organisational impact in the social and physical world. It approaches financial accounting from a social economy perspective. The research draws on ideas from Aristotle, contrasting the pursuit of wealth for its own sake – chrematistics – with the pursuit of the wise allocation of resources towards a good society in which people can flourish – economics. It also uses Kantian concepts of creative agency and experience as essentially limited and emergent, to discuss the inevitability of diverse views of flourishing. The study develops through three stages. First, there is a qualitative case study exploration of ideas of purpose found in a range of social enterprises. Second, there is analysis of the findings using theories drawn from development studies and sociology. Third, there is a discussion of the implications for current practice in accounting for financial resources, specifically contrasting not for profit accounting with for profit accounting. The findings suggest that the social economy accommodates myriad possible purposes, both macro and micro, within and between organisations, with the organisational macro purpose acting as the internal orchestrator of other priorities. Our current not for profit formats and systems for financial accounting, if understood in non-philanthropic, multiple macro and micro purposes terminology, provide a starting point for the development of financial accounting as a tool for Aristotelian economics; for the allocation of resources to meet diverse needs and interests. The study contributes to critical accounting research, particularly the strand focused on flourishing, from the perspective of the social economy. It shows that the multiple purposes approach, by accommodating choice of organisational macro purpose, can encompass profit as a macro purpose but the for profit approach is too narrow to accommodate any other purpose. It demonstrates that we already have in practice a broader, more flexible way of accounting for financial resources than for profit accounting, and suggests that this approach should be recognized and further developed.

scholarly journals The distinctive challenges and opportunities for creating leadership within social enterprises

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad Jackson ◽  
Matthew Nicoll ◽  
Michael J. Roy
Keyword(s):  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Leadership Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
The Social ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Legal Forms

Purpose The purpose of this study is to present a systematic assessment of the distinctive challenges and opportunities associated with creating leadership within the realm of social enterprise. A modified and expanded form of Grint’s leadership lenses heuristic framework (i.e. person, position, process, performance, purpose and place) is used to examine and highlight what is particular about creating leadership in social enterprises by virtue of their distinctive missions, strategic contexts, legal forms and organisational structures and cultures. Based on this initial exploration, five research priorities are identified to better understand and then develop leadership practice in the social enterprise realm. Design/methodology/approach An enhanced heuristic framework for systematically examining leadership within the social enterprise research literature has been applied, drawing on the leadership practice literature. The application is illustrated through six instrumental case studies. Findings While there are a number of similarities between leading in the social enterprise realm and leading within the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, the levels of complexity, ambiguity and the lack of an established theoretical and practical knowledge base makes creating leadership in the social enterprise sector that much more challenging. On the positive side of the ledger, the fact that the purpose is at the core of social enterprise means that it is relatively easier to use the purpose to create a basis for common meaningful action, compared to leadership within the private and public sectors. Related to this, given the strongly local or “glocal” nature of social enterprise, a ready opportunity exists for leaders to draw upon a place as a strategic resource in mobilising followers and other stakeholders. The novel, uncertain and pioneering nature of a social enterprise is also arguably more tolerant and accommodating of a leadership mindset that focuses on posing questions regarding “wicked” problems compared to public, private for-profit and, indeed, traditional not-for-profit sector organisations. Originality/value As far as we can ascertain, this is the first systematic attempt to examine the distinctive challenges and opportunities associated with creating leadership within the social enterprise realm. The application of the heuristic framework leads to the identification of five key inter-related lines of empirical research into leadership practices within social enterprises.

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