Social Entrepreneurship Discourses and Contributions : A Literature Analysis

Abstract

Differing from traditional type of entrepreneurship (i.e. business/ commercial entrepreneurship), social entrepreneurship embeds social value creation as its main objective. Recently, social entrepreneurship research is gaining popularity; meanwhile, ethics within social enterprises have not been comprehensively analyzed and debated. How to teach and train social entrepreneurs has also become a point of pedagogical significance. With a critical review of extant literature related to social entrepreneurship, a series of concepts emanate. We categorized our findings into three conceptual groups – ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability. Based on a qualitative meta-analysis of relevant socially-constructed discourses, we summarized our findings as to articulate the relationships between these three concepts and social entrepreneurship. Relevant educational perspectives have also been discussed. Considering the corresponding concepts, social entrepreneurship is providing inspiring ideas and vitalizing traditional entrepreneurship research. More relevant concepts will evolve in social entrepreneurship research; they can be taken into consideration and debated. As social entrepreneurship emerges as a developing field, it is important to realize ways to educate students and train entrepreneurs for social changes.