Academic literature on the topic 'Social Enterprise Initiative'

The image of an enterprise in relation to the environment in which it operates is currently of increased importance (Liskova, Cudlinova, Partlova & Petr, 2016, p.64). An enterprise's brand image is a customer's perception of a brand and can help customers assemble information, discriminate brands, create positive feelings, and create a reason to purchase (Huang, Yang & Wang, 2014, p.263). Therefore, enterprises aim to create a strong positive image of their brand which can be generated through marketing programmes. Social media marketing is the application of marketing principles, tools and techniques to social media platforms to differentiate and position the brand better than competitors (Neti, 2011, p.3). Enterprises should therefore use social media to promote and communicate their green initiatives to their stakeholders because of the prominent benefits it offers. Conscious and careful use of social media is the most promising investment for furthering an enterprise's green marketing strategies and by implementing green projects as a CSR initiative SMEs can satisfy their stakeholders (Williams, Page & Petrosky, 2014, p.26). SMEs do not effectively and efficiently market their enterprises due to the lack of funding, insufficient cash flow and the need for technical assistance to market their enterprise (National Small Business Chamber, 2016). Social media is the most popular means of communication in society and provide a good solution as it allows enterprises to interact with their stakeholders through dialogue and engagement to identify and satisfy stakeholder expectations (Bibri, 2008, p.14). The implementation of marketing activities that communicate enterprises' social and environmental initiatives creates added value and enhances financial performance (Bibri, 2008, p.14). If SMEs promote their green initiatives in their marketing communications that are directed at their stakeholders, they could succeed in marketing their business effectively and as a result grow and survive in the long term. However, few SMEs in South Africa are aware that implementing green strategies can improve their profitability and their survival. Keywords: Green marketing; social media marketing; SME's

A social enterprise is an innovative phenomenon in which every day entrepreneurial problems are solved by an entrepreneurial initiative of cooperating individuals. Espe-cially in regions with large social and human capital, among communities with high trust, sensitivity and a sense of common social purpose in business, people discover that together we can do more, especially in our small homelands that constitute the microcosm of economic life. The aim of the article is to show that in the era of rapid technological progress, social innovations are a boundary condition for the survival of not only social enterprises, but also commercial ones, which to a smaller or larger extent also realize or can achieve social goals.

Purpose This paper aims to reflect on 25 years of the social enterprise initiative at the Harvard Business School, examining the processes and thinking involved at key stages of this pioneering Initiative’s implementation and institutionalization. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopt an auto-ethnographical approach, reflexively considering the impact of our actions at key stages. Findings Reflecting on the experiences, the authors offer their thoughts on the challenges involved in establishing an educational program. They consider that there were give stages in the development of the program, which ensured its longevity, institutionalization and success: giving birth; starting an experiment; gaining acceptability; being embraced and achieving irreversibility. Practical implications The multiple challenges faced, as well as the successes that the authors had over the years, are set out. Awareness of the challenges that the authors faced will support educators to be prepared to overcome the same or similar challenges to implementing and embedding a social enterprise program. Originality/value This is the first time that the authors’ reflections on the history of the Social Enterprise Initiative have been brought together. As well as distinctive in their own right, the authors consider that the lessons learned from the work over such a long period could provide valuable insights to those who wish to integrate social enterprise teaching into their settings.

PurposeStates and development bodies are increasingly stimulating social enterprise activity in communities as an empowering social and economic development intervention. This type of development initiative is often facilitated by actors who are external to communities, and the role of community members is not clear. This paper aims to explore whether facilitated social enterprise benefits or disempowers communities.Design/methodology/approachThe focus is a case study of a project based in Scotland designed to stimulate the creation of social enterprises involved in community growing. The case study approach involved a mix of methods, including formal (semi-structured) interviews, participant observation and analysis of documentary evidence. Analysis of findings was undertaken using Muñoz and Steinerowski’s (2012) theory of social entrepreneurial behaviour.FindingsFindings suggest that social enterprise that originates outside communities and is facilitated by external actors is potentially disempowering, particularly when social enterprise development does not necessarily align with community needs. The paper reiterates findings in previous studies that certain roles in facilitated social enterprise require to be community-led. Projects that do attempt to facilitate social enterprise would benefit from community participation at the project planning stage.Originality/valueIf facilitated social enterprise is increasingly promoted as an empowering development intervention, this paper provides insight about how facilitated social enterprise occurs in practice and gives preliminary information about possible barriers to empowerment using this approach to development.

The research is devoted to the peculiarities of the formation of non-financial reporting as one of the tools for measuring the social activity of enterprises. The financial stability and successful business of enterprises is conditional on non-financial indicators and business orientation, ranks, reputation, openness and social responsibility. Non-financial reporting or a CSR report is an effective tool for measuring the performance of enterprises, a basis for the development and implementation of various strategic projects and programs. Information from non-financial reporting allows for assessing the effectiveness of management at an enterprise by economic, environmental and social component, their interdependence and contribution in achieving the main goal, and for subsequent goal setting and more effectively management of change. It means that the report in question serves as the main platform for communicating the results and impacts (positive or negative) of sustainable development. It shows the real effort of an enterprise in creating social, environmental and economic benefits. However, domestic enterprises do not have sufficient experience in the field of socially responsible business and need to create their own internal concept of corporate social responsibility considering international trends, which determines the relevance of this study Various international non-financial reporting standards are analyzed; it is demonstrated that the most popular mechanism for regulating non-financial reporting is the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which defines a set of indicators measuring the social, ecological and economic component of the economic activity of enterprises The mechanism for making up a non-financial report by phase of the enterprise development is built. The use of the proposed mechanism in making up non-financial reporting will enable to set up an effective link between the enterprise and the stakeholders, and to determine the strategic directions of the enterprise's activities in the context of its development.

Abstract The purpose of the study is the identification and forecasting of socioecological effects from the implementation of environmental responsibility by industrial enterprises at the local level. The development of methodical approaches and practical recommendations for the organizational and economic support of environmental responsibility to improve social tension in the industrial region is explored. The process of the assessment of the level of environmental responsibility of an industrial enterprise is improved based on the factors of its environmental obligation and environmental initiative. It is proposed to assess the level of environmental responsibility of enterprises not only on the basis of widely used coefficients characterizing the level of pollution, but also taking into account the level of environmental initiative of the enterprises under study, which is expressed mainly through social investments.

Social Enterprises are becoming a significant force of social as well as economic good despite facing many difficulties that are brought about by their unique characteristics. Chief among these is the question of their perceived legitimacy that impinges upon their ability to gain funding, acquire contracts and appear as capable organisations to potential partnering institutions. This study explores the means by which Social Enterprises are legitimized through participation in the Social Enterprise Place (SEP) programme in the UK. By examining the Boundary Objects (BO) that span the intersections of the incumbent social groups it identifies three pillars upon which SEPs have facilitated SE legitimacy. These pillars comprise (i) the place-based language (syntactic BO), that enables the identification of (ii) common social goals (semantic BOs), and thereby enables the (iii) mobilization of resources toward their resolution (pragmatic BOs). This research provides insight into the facilitation of legitimacy for Social Enterprises that are engaged in a place-based initiative. By responding to Peterson’s (2016) call for macromarketers to take more note of meso level marketing dynamics in different industries the paper highlights the potential for place to facilitate the legitimacy of SEs. In addition, it reveals a further macromarketing dimension to Boundary Object plasticity whereby they may evolve through syntactic, semantic and pragmatic forms over time.

The aim of the article is to develop a mechanism for intensifying socially responsible activity (SRA), which can be used by enterprises to ensure sustainable development of both each individual enterprise and Ukraine as a whole. The article allocates the signs of social responsibility: a social phenomenon endowed with a specific historical content; conscious fulfillment of a person’s duty to society; execution is a dictate of the subject’s conscience; failure to fulfill the duty implies condemnation on the part of society; contains an initiative nature; a trade-off between the public interest and individual goals; people’s behavior in the context of social responsibility. The subjects of institutional stimulation of the principles of socially responsible activity are identified as follows: legislative bodies; executive bodies; interstate structures; civil society; international and local associations of enterprises; trade unions and professional associations of workers. The directions of SRA of enterprises in Ukraine are defined as follows: support of social initiatives and projects; charitable activities; effective involvement of the public in charitable activities; improving working conditions with the help of recent achievements; creating opportunities for learning and development of the younger generation; introduction of alternative energy sources in production; improvement of medical care. Potential incentives for the SRA programs of enterprise are studied as follows: tax reduction; reduction of administrative pressure; proposals for the implementation of social responsibility programs; expansion of the bank of social and information programs; media coverage; closer ties with non-profit organizations. The following constituent elements of the process of actuation of the SRA of enterprises are proposed: motivation and stimulation. The prerequisites that ensure the effective implementation of the mechanism for actuating the enterprise’s SRA are analyzed: a clear understanding of the purpose and role of the developed mechanism; forms of assistance (informational, legal and regulatory); tools to ensure the operation of the mechanisms, capable of actuation of SRA of the enterprise; resource support for the implementation of mechanisms for actuating the enterprise’s SRA. A mechanism for actuating the SRA of an enterprise in Ukraine has been developed, which consists of two parts: the theoretical foundations of the mechanism for actuating the SRA of an enterprise and the practical implementation of this mechanism.

This thesis is situated in the history of British debates over the relationship of technical and vocational schooling to capitalism. It analyses the impact of 'new vocational' policy initiatives on English education from the 1970s, using an approach termed 'historical ethnography.' Using this methodology, it draws on ethnographic studies of the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) between 1985 and 1992.
My argument is that TVEI represents the most recent manifestation of a long history of educational policies that have systematically produced and ordered the social relations of class in an educational form. In this vein, I argue that the technical and vocational curriculum can be seen as an integral site within the English educational State for the production and formation of class relations within schooling. TVEI, I assert, was central to such a process through its capacity to concert and co-ordinate the social relations and practices of secondary schooling around the concept of enterprise, which acted as an organising device for management/administration, teaching, learning, and most crucially, the formation of individual subjectivities. Understood this way, we can see how TVEI effected reforms that contributed to the formation of clusters of social relations that produced class in new ways.
I show how this process emerged under TVEI through my ethnographic studies of enterprise, school-based management, business studies, and assessment. What each study reveals is how TVEI worked to effect a generalised shift in the culture of schooling away from the post-war social democratic politics of education, to that of a 'managed market' and enterprise culture. In this respect, I argue, TVEI prefigured many of the reforms that were to flow from the Education Reform Act (1988).

Over the past decade, Social Impact Investing (SII) has garnered increasing attention among public policy makers as a solution for multigenerational, complex, intractable social and environmental problems, or as some advocates like to say, ‘wicked’ problems. The growing interest in SII aligns with the expansion, since the 1980s, of a set of public sector reforms that make use of new public policy instruments to achieve public objectives. Neoliberal economists and New Public Management (NPM) theorists have long argued for these reforms to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government bureaucracies. These reforms have led to a paradigm shift that Lester M. Salamon has labeled ‘New Governance’, characterized by public policies that make use of market mechanisms, partnerships with new actors, networks and flexible rules. Public administration scholars have suggested focusing on public policy instruments instead of the traditional focus on programs and institutions to gain an understanding of the dynamics of the ‘New Governance’ paradigm and to address important questions that go beyond the dimensions of effectiveness and efficiency. This dissertation draws on Lester M. Salamon’s framework for analyzing public policy instruments combined with a conceptual framework developed by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD). The thesis uses this framework to assess the SII market by examining three cases of Canadian federal public policy instruments designed and implemented to achieve socio-economic objectives. These policy instruments provide either a cash transfer or a tax incentive to create investment funds mandated to invest with a purpose of making a return and achieving a positive social outcome. The dissertation employs a qualitative research approach and case study method to explore questions of equity and effectiveness to produce findings and recommendations useful to pubic administration scholars who focus their research on public policy instruments and to public policy makers who are considering policy options for structuring and growing the SII market. Data was collected through an extensive document review and 19 semistructured interviews. A dimensional analysis, SII analysis and discourse analysis of the data were undertaken. The researcher made the choice of undertaking a discourse analysis in order to fill a gap in the public policy instrument literature and inform the debate on SII. This dissertation contributes to the body of knowledge on public policy instruments and SII by presenting the results of a comparative analysis of three public policy instruments that created investment funds mandated to produce socio-economic outcomes.

The growing importance of non-market considerations has led multinational corporations to globalize not just production and commercialization but also their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives as nonmarket strategies. Scholars have shown that CSR can create intangible assets that help companies reduce their foreignness and gain competitive advantages over local rivals. To what extent multinational enterprises (MNEs) can transfer CSR initiatives to other locations is an important question. Prior research, focusing on the transfer of operational initiative, is silent on the transfer of practices that extend beyond the boundaries of the firm to influence the welfare of external stakeholders. This study builds a theory about the conditions that influence success and failure in the transfer of CSR initiatives from headquarters to overseas subsidiaries. Through a case study of an Indian multinational, qualitative data is combined with the formal logic of fuzzy set analysis. The findings reveal that it is the combination of practice characteristics and local contexts that influence the success of practice transfer. Specifically, I explore two characteristics of CSR initiatives that facilitate practice transfer: stakeholder multiplicity and ambiguity. The former denotes the degree to which a CSR initiative can serve more than one stakeholder and the latter denotes the degree to which a CSR initiative can be applied to multiple contexts in different ways. The analysis suggests that stakeholder multiplicity is a predictor of transfer success to countries where coordination among diverse social actors is easy to achieve. In contrast, in high-context culture locations where rapid coordination is less easy to achieve, the ambiguity of CSR initiatives is a more important predictor of transfer success.

This research paper seeks to draw on social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) as an overarching framework to examine how unit managers’ ethical leadership style affects the team and individual prosocial voice behaviors in the context of social enterprises in Hong Kong. Ethical leadership has been found to be conducive to both desirable team and individual employee behaviors. However, scholarly understanding of the multi-level effects of ethical leadership and the underlying mechanisms involved is rather limited. Moreover, previous research has directed attention almost exclusively to the influence of ethical leadership in the context of commercial organizations. This narrow stance has curiously left open the question of whether ethical leadership can profoundly and uniquely induce prosocial and desirable outcomes among employees in typical hybrid organizations, such as social enterprises. first conducted 20 semi-structured interviews among employees, unit mangers, and senior executives from 29 social enterprises in Hong Kong to obtain the field illustrations of ethical leadership. Then, I proceeded to collect multi-level, multi-wave, and multi-sources data from employees, unit mangers, and senior executives (i.e., three sources) of 59 teams from the participating social enterprises across three points of times. Findings of both the qualitative and quantitative study confirmed the positive role of ethical leadership in social enterprises. More specifically, this study demonstrated that ethical leadership is vital for encouraging the team and individual to voice out their concerns and opinions through different motivational mechanisms. Team initiative climate mediated the relationships between team ethical leadership and both team and individual prosocial voice; individual prosocial motivation mediated the relationships between team ethical leadership and individual prosocial voice; team initiative climate mediated the relationships between team ethical leadership and individual prosocial motivation; and finally, individual prosocial motivation mediated the relationships between team initiative climate and individual prosocial voice. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Thesis (MComm) – Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Global interest in responsible investing has grown in recent years. To make effective decisions, responsible investors require listed companies to report on financial and nonfinancial performance, giving particular attention to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations. This study was undertaken to address the paucity of academic research on ESG reporting in South Africa. A number of local studies had focused on environmental and governance reporting, but no studies had taken a holistic view of ESG reporting. Nor had any studies focused on the metals and mining industry in particular. This is a very important industry from an economic and ESG perspective, both in South Africa and internationally. The primary objective of this study was two-fold. Firstly, it was to investigate the extent of ESG reporting (both in South Africa and in a sample of international Metals and Mining companies). The second objective was to evaluate the factors that could potentially influence ESG reporting in these two samples. A positivistic research methodology was adopted as this approach allowed the researcher to test the stated research hypotheses. Quantitative secondary data were thus collected and analysed. The data collection process consisted of three phases: the first phase involved an extensive literature review of the key constructs; the second phase dealt with the collection of data for the dependent variable (Overall ESG score) from MSCI ESG Research’s database; and the third phase entailed collecting data for the 12 independent variables from Bureau van Dijk and selected websites. MSCI ESG Research’s universe was used to establish the two samples used in this study. The JSE sample consisted of 110 listed companies, whereas the international Metals and Mining sample consisted of 173 companies. Because MSCI ESG Research had completed only one year of ESG research when this study commenced, only data for 2012 were available. Descriptive and inferential statistics were completed to analyse the data. The empirical findings of the JSE sample show that the Governance pillar mean score was significantly higher than the Social pillar mean score and the Environmental pillar mean score. ESG reporting was found to be positively associated with companies which were included in the Nedbank Green Index. Companies included in the JSE Socially Responsible Index produced significantly better ESG reports than those excluded from the index. Significant differences were also noted in the Overall ESG score based on the nature of the industry in which a company operated. In the international Metals and Mining sample, two statistically significant relationships were found: larger companies had higher ESG score than smaller companies; and the greater the ownership concentration in a company, the better the ESG reporting on average. Four statistically significant differences were observed. Companies included in the FTSE4Good Index Series had better ESG scores than companies excluded from the index. Companies in developed countries had better ESG reporting than companies in emerging markets. The third difference related to companies which used the Global Reporting Initiative’s guidelines. These companies had higher Overall ESG scores than those which did not use the guidelines. The same applies to companies which were participants of the UN Global Compact and those who were not. It was concluded that investors who favour sound ESG reporting (and hence ESG management) should ideally focus on larger companies, those which are included in an responsible investing index, use the Global Reporting Initiative’s guidelines, and are participants of the UN Global Compact. Listed companies, particularly those in the Metals and Mining industry, should give more attention to environmental and social considerations, to the overall quality of their ESG reports, and should make more use of available initiatives to aid non-financial reporting.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die afgelope jare het belangstelling in verantwoordelike beleggings wêreldwyd toegeneem. Ten einde verantwoordelike beleggers in staat te stel om doeltreffende besluite te neem, moet genoteerde maatskappye oor hul finansiële én nie-finansiële prestasie verslag doen, met bepaalde klem op omgewings-, maatskaplike en korporatiewe beheer (OMB) kwessies. Hierdie studie is onderneem om ’n leemte in akademiese navorsing oor verslagdoening in Suid-Afrika te vul. ’n Aantal plaaslike studies het al op omgewings- en beheerverslagdoening gekonsentreer, maar geen navorsing tot dusver het OMB-verslagdoening holisties beskou nie. Ook het geen studies nog die soeklig op die metaal- en mynboubedryf in die besonder gewerp nie. Hierdie is ’n baie belangrike bedryf uit ’n ekonomiese en OMB-oogpunt, in Suid-Afrika sowel as internasionaal. Die hoofoogmerk van hierdie studie was tweeledig. Eerstens wou die studie ondersoek instel na die omvang van OMB-verslagdoening (by ’n Suid-Afrikaanse steekproef sowel as ’n steekproef van internasionale metaal- en mynboumaatskappye). Tweedens wou die navorsing die faktore bepaal wat ’n moontlike invloed op die OMB-verslagdoening van hierdie twee steekproewe kan hê. ’n Positivistiese navorsingsmetodologie is gebruik, aangesien hierdie benadering die navorser in staat gestel het om die navorsingshipoteses te toets. Kwantitatiewe sekondêre data was dus ingesamel en ontleed. Die data-insamelingsproses het uit drie fases bestaan: In die eerste fase was ’n omvattende literatuurstudie oor die hoofkonstrukte onderneem; die tweede fase het uit data-insameling oor die afhanklike veranderlike (algehele OMB-telling) uit die databasis van MSCI ESG Research bestaan, terwyl die derde fase data-insameling oor die 12 onafhanklike veranderlikes uit Bureau van Dijk en op uitgesoekte webtuistes behels het. Die universum van MSCI ESG Research is gebruik om die twee steekproewe in hierdie studie te bepaal. Die Suid-Afrikaanse steekproef het uit 110 genoteerde maatskappye bestaan, terwyl die steekproef van internasionale metaal- en mynboumaatskappye 173 entiteite ingesluit het. Aangesien MSCI ESG Research met die aanvang van hierdie studie nog net een jaar van OMB-navorsing onderneem het, was data slegs vir 2012 beskikbaar. Beskrywende en inferensiële statistieke is ontwikkel om die data te ontleed. Die empiriese bevindinge van die Suid-Afrikaanse-steekproef lewer ’n beduidend hoër gemiddelde telling vir beheerverslagdoening as vir maatskaplike en omgewingsverslagdoening op. OMB-verslagdoening blyk ’n positiewe korrelasie te toon met maatskappye wat by Nedbank se groen-indeks ingesluit is. Maatskappye wat ingesluit was in die Johannesburg Effektebeurs se indeks vir maatskaplike verantwoordelikheid het op hulle beurt aansienlik beter OMB-verslae opgestel as dié buite die indeks. Beduidende verskille in algehele OMB-tellings is ook opgemerk op grond van die aard van die bedryf waarin ’n maatskappy funksioneer. In die internasionale metaal- en mynbousteekproef is twee statisties beduidende verwantskappe aangetref: Groter maatskappye het ’n hoër OMB-telling as kleiner maatskappye getoon, en hoe hoër die eienaarskapskonsentrasie in ’n maatskappy, hoe beter die OMB-verslagdoening oor die algemeen. Vier statisties beduidende verskille is boonop waargeneem. Maatskappye wat deel was van die FTSE4Good-indeksreeks het beter OMBtellings opgelewer as maatskappye buite die indeks, en maatskappye in ontwikkelde lande het beter gevaar met OMB-verslagdoening as dié in ontluikende markte. Die derde verskil hou verband met maatskappye wat die riglyne van die Globale Verslagdoeningsinisiatief (GRI) volg, wat algeheel hoër OMB-tellings gehad het as diegene wat nié die riglyne gebruik nie. Dieselfde geld vir maatskappye wat aan die Verenigde Nasies (VN) se wêreldverdrag (“Global Compact”) deelneem en diegene wat nie deelneem nie. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat beleggers wat goeie OMB-verslagdoening (en dus goeie OMB-bestuur) verkies, behoort te konsentreer op groter maatskappye, maatskappye wat by ’n indeks vir verantwoordelike belegging ingesluit is, wat die riglyne van die Internasionale Verslagdoeningsinisiatief volg, en wat aan die VN se wêreldverdrag deelneem. Genoteerde maatskappye, veral dié in die metaal- en mynboubedryf, behoort ook meer aandag te skenk aan omgewings- en maatskaplike sake sowel as die algehele gehalte van hul verslae, en behoort meer gebruik te maak van beskikbare inisiatiewe om nie-finansiële verslagdoening te ondersteun.

Purpose: This paper investigates how sustainability reporting differs between state-owned enterprises and if there is a difference given the quality in the information within state-owned ownership. Theory: Begins with the reporting legislation and Global Reporting Initiative. Thereafter previous research is presented with sustainability reporting to define the quality concept. The theory ends with institutional logic. Method: This paper uses a qualitative method as the research design. The paper has used an assessment sheet composed by previous researchers. Empirics: Firstly the formulation of the sustainability reports for the companies are presented. Thereafter the reports relevance and reliability are revealed. Conclusions: In this report there is no difference of quality in the sustainability report within stateowned enterprises and partial state-owned enterprises. However, this study finds one other factor that has an impact between the enterprises.
Syfte: Studien undersöker hur hållbarhetsredovisningen skiljer sig åt mellan statligt ägda företag och om det är skillnad i informationens kvalitet utifrån den statliga ägarandelen. Teori: Börjar med lagstiftningen och Global Reporting Initiative därefter presenteras tidigare forskning inom hållbarhetsredovisning för att sedan definiera kvalitetsbegreppet. Teoriavsnittet avslutas med institutionell logik. Metod: Denna studie använder sig av en kvalitativ metod där forskningsstrategin består av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Studien har vidare använt sig av ett bedömningsschema som är framtaget av tidigare forskare. Empiri: I empirin presenteras först utformningen av hållbarhetsredovisningarna för de undersökta företagen för att sedan presentera resultatet av rapporternas relevans och trovärdighet. Slutsatser: Kvaliteten på hållbarhetsredovisningen inom statligt ägda företag är lika varandra och det framkommer inte någon större skillnad mellan helt och delvis statligt ägda företag. Däremot finner studien att det finns en annan faktor som påverkar skillnader mellan statligt ägda företag.

碩士
國立中正大學
勞工關係研究所
105
The social enterprise is the organization to solve certain social problems through business management approach. Taiwanese government integrated the central por-tions, corporates and local resources. Started the “Multiple Employment Develop-ment” program in 2002. This program is with reference to the European third sector to promote employment patterns. So this study want to discuss employment issues of the social enterprise project managers and find out their causes. This research used two methods to analyze: Interview and Document Analysis. It aims to explore to the flow phenomena, the employment problem and its causes. In this study, we chose six project managers who have been performed or being performed multivariate employment development programs unit in the Southwest region. We also used the literature review to analyze the data of Taiwanese social enterprises. The study have four conclusions. (I) The project managers of the social enterprise in Taiwan southwest Region has low flow rate. (II) The common employ-ment issues of project managers include five aspects. (III) In employment problems of project managers, the most affective external factor is heavy work. The mainly internal factors are insufficient personal skills and personality traits. (IV) Current system too emphasis on revenue performance and project manager inadequate protection affect the operation of the unit. This case study may be an example for other enterprises.

A realização desta investigação tem como objectivo elaborar Linhas de orientação e sugestões para um Plano de Marketing para a empresa de Economia Solidária – Kairós – recorrendo a um estudo realizado na zona de actuação da mesma – ilha de São Miguel, Açores. O estudo, que teve como principais objectivos apurar a percepção da imagem da Kairós e recolher opiniões dos indivíduos em relação à mesma, foi aplicado presencialmente a 200 pessoas. Assim, o método utilizado para a escolha do público-alvo foi o de amostragem por conveniência. A visão de Marketing para uma empresa que actua na área do social tem diversas especificidades, isto é, características próprias, pelo que não se pode pensar em realizar um Plano de Marketing para uma empresa deste tipo, da mesma forma que se realiza para uma empresa comum, dita comercial. Assim, tanto na realização do questionário, como na elaboração das sugestões para o Marketing para a Kairós, procurou-se ter essas especificidades em conta. As conclusões deste trabalho têm, então, como base a aplicação dos questionários, os resultados obtidos através destes, e a reflexão de Marketing esboçada para a Kairós.
The main purpose of this research is to draw some guidelines and suggestions for a Marketing Plan to Kairós Solidary Economy Enterprise – through a research done within the area where it works (the island of São Miguel, in the Azores). The main goals were to find out what Kairós image perception was and to collect people opinions about it. The study was applied face-to-face to 200 people. The method we chose to select the target audience was the convenience sampling. The Marketing vision for an enterprise which works in the social area has several specifications, i.e., its own characteristics, so we can not think of elaborating a Marketing Plan for such an enterprise in the same way we elaborate one for a common enterprise, as a commercial one. We tried to bear all this in mind either during the questionnaire construction or the suggestions elaboration. The conclusions of the research are based on the questionnaire application, its results and on the Marketing reflection drawn for Kairós.

Peripheralisation is a process to which a person, a group or an area might be subjected to. Stigmatisation, selective migration, disconnection, dependence and social exclusion are dimensions of peripheralisation that are interconnected and that accelerate each other’s effects. Structurally disadvantaged rural areas, especially remote small villages in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are particularly affected by the processes of peripheralisation. While economic decline and ethnic exclusion produced contagious “ghettoes” (Virág 2010) or “internal colonies” (Kóczé 2011) in the last two decades in structurally disadvantaged small villages of Hungary, in the German context the phenomenon of a “rural ghetto” seems to be non-existent. In Germany, mainly East German old industrial towns and rural areas are affected by peripheralisation, selective out-migration, demographic shrinking and demographisation are emphasised here. Ethnographic research in the case study villages of Eastern Germany and Hungary confirmed that peripheralisation is relational and amongst others national and regional social policies influence how it manifests on the local level. While areas undergoing moderate peripheralisation were able to attract counter-cultural migrants (“back-to-the-landers“, Calvário and Otero 2015), who further counteracted peripheralisation processes, socially excluded people (Roma and long-term unemployed) accumulated in areas undergoing advanced peripheralisation. While counter-cultural migrants (case study G1 and H3), who follow a critique of materialist mainstream culture, modern farming practices, and the globalization of the agri-food systems, were free to decide where to live, the inhabitants of areas undergoing advanced peripheralisation (H2) got locked into spaces which are abandoned by the state, investors and the majority society (non-Roma people). As class, gender, ethnicity and place of residence influences autonomy, the individual and collective autonomy of the counter-cultural migrants is on a higher level than the autonomy of the inhabitants of areas undergoing advanced peripheralisation. As local initiatives (social and solidarity economy initiatives or rural social enterprises) are created to counteract processes of peripheralisation, the central question of this research is: In the context of peripheralisation how can social and solidarity economy initiatives contribute to local development? To explore in what ways rural social enterprises may (or may not) counteract processes of peripheralisation this study relies on a critical realist ethnography (with participant observation, in-depth interviews and documentary analysis) and on a normative approach of local development, integrating economic, social, and environmental aspects too. ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS In line with the relational approach to individual autonomy (Mackenzie 2014), a normative assumption of social enterprise scholars is that even if social enterprises receive state funding or money from private foundations or churches, they should be able to preserve their organisational autonomy. However, it should be pointed out that existing institutional contexts influence the political and organisational independence of social and solidarity economy (SSE) initiatives. Even if the reunification of Germany resulted in the assimilation of many East German institutions into West German ones, compared to Hungary, East Germany got integrated into a country with a thick institutional system for welfare provision and in which state-civil society relationships are rather characterised by partnership than state control. The current Hungarian government shows authoritarian tendencies, when it limits funding sources for civilian-based initiatives. Such a context, leads to municipality-based and faith-based social enterprises to blossom over civilian-based ones. These organisations are embedded in centralised structures and they often envision development through patronising means and thus reproduce the marginality of the socially excluded (particularly Roma) within the local society. Beyond monetary resources, non-monetary resources, such as volunteers or strong communities with reciprocal behaviour are considered to be potential resources for social enterprises. However, this research showed that with intensifying peripheralisation (eg. the selective out-migration of better-off social strata) SSE initiatives can decreasingly rely on non-monetary resources locally. Even if capitalist integration of CEE influenced negatively village communities, the reciprocal structures still existed in a village undergoing a higher (but not advanced) level of peripheralisation (H3) when the Ministers moved there and started their faith-based social enterprise together with the locals. In contrast, when the colleagues of the Equality Foundation started their civilian-based social enterprise in a village undergoing advanced peripheralisation, structures of reciprocal relations no longer existed there (H2). People in this village had time, but had been experiencing socio-spatial marginalisation (educational and territorial segregation, lack of jobs locally, limited access to public transport and car) for such a long time that they did not have the actual capacity to initiate local development without assistance coming from outside the village. SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS The potential of participative decision-making is recognised by social enterprise researchers as a vehicle to empower marginalised people. From the four case studies only two initiatives (H2, G1) aim explicitly to achieve participative decision-making. Within the two other projects decisions are made through representatives of the community. In the case of the municipality-based social enterprise (H1), dominantly one representative, the Mayor has the power to make decisions, while in the case of the faith-based social enterprise (H3) the community representative, the 8 Presbyters and the Minister (who are all male) have the institutionalised right to make decisions for the community. The two civilian-based social enterprises (G1 and H2) are embedded in differently peripheralised contexts. In the case of advanced peripheralisation (H2) help comes outside of the village, from a development organisation. Building up the capacities of the local stakeholders for participative decision-making is a long-term strategy for the Foundation, which explicitly focuses on the empowerment of Roma and women. In case of moderate peripheralisation (G1) local agents, amongst whom counter-cultural migrants are overrepresented, have a capacity to start their SSE initiatives without help coming from a development organisation. Even if inhabitants of areas undergoing advanced peripheralisation have an agency, they need professional assistance from outside. It is, however, of particular importance that the development organisation follows the philosophy of democratic solidarity and has a capability-based approach. Without such assistance it would be naïve to expect agents of severely peripheralised areas to set up and run SSE initiatives themselves. At the same time it would be also wrong to think that without local knowledge (for example the knowledge of surviving in conditions of deep poverty and lived experiences of institutional racism) “developers” could reach long lasting results. Among the four case studies, the empowerment capacity was the highest in the civilian-based social enterprise (belonging to the Equality Foundation). This was the only initiative that acknowledged the ethnicised (and gendered) structural oppression of Roma (women). In addition to aiming to increase the individual autonomy of their stakeholders (through supporting adult education or providing advices on how to deal with domestic abuse), the organisation also aims to develop the collective autonomy of the inhabitants of the village through their community development project. Without identifying themselves as a Roma feminist organisation, the Equality Foundation has consciously focused on women as partners of local development. The reasoning behind their decision is connected to the role women play in the social reproduction of their households. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS There are life situations, when social needs get prioritised over environmental considerations. Deep poverty is one of those life situations. For example, the daily survival under conditions of housing poverty and extreme cold weather overwrites long-term strategies, such as environmentalism. Due to a lower purchasing power, poorer households have lower levels of consumption too. This, however, does not mean that underprivileged people would not aim to consume more. On the contrary, as our society is dominated by the ideology of capitalist consumerism, to counteract social exclusion consumerism is seen as a strategy towards social integration for people living in deep poverty. The comparison between a Hungarian village undergoing advanced peripheralisation (H2) and a German village undergoing moderate peripheralisation (G1) shows that only people with a higher level of individual autonomy are capable of “decolonizing their imaginary” (Latouche 2011), namely of questioning capitalist consumerism and develop ethical consumption practices.:Contents List of Abbreviations 11 Figures / Maps / Images 13 Tables 15 1 Introduction 17 1.1 AIMS AND MOTIVATION 17 1.2 THE RELEVANCE OF THE RESEARCH 20 1.3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 21 2 Theorising peripheralisation and local development 23 2.1 PERIPHERALISATION, A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL, SELF-REINFORCING PROCESS 23 2.1.1 Dimensions of peripheralisation 23 2.1.2 Advanced peripheralisation 28 2.2 SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT 29 2.2.1 Economic dimension 30 2.2.2 Social dimension: autonomy and empowerment 31 2.2.3 Environmental dimension 36 2.3 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 38 3 Contexts: social and solidarity economy in the context of peripheralisation 41 3.1 PERIPHERALISATION 41 3.1.1 Post-socialist transformation, a historical overview of periheralisation 41 3.1.2 Multi-dimensional peripheralisation in East Germany and Hungary 44 3.1.3 The relational aspect of peripheralisation 48 3.1.4 Advanced peripheralisation, a Hungarian (semi-peripheral) reality 50 3.2 SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY IN CEE 51 3.2.1 Informal social and solidarity economy 52 3.2.2 Institutionalised social and solidarity economy 54 4 Methodology 59 4.1 TOWARDS A CRITICAL REALIST ETHNOGRAPHY 59 4.1.1 The scope of postmodern reflexive ethnography 60 4.1.2 Critical realism 61 4.1.3 Critical realist ethnography 62 4.2 CASE SELECTION AND COMPARATIVE PROCEEDING 63 Stage 1: Selecting areas undergoing peripheralisation 63 Stage 2: Identifying rural social enterprises 66 4.3 DATA COLLECTION 68 4.3.1 Interviews 69 4.3.2 Participant observation 72 4.3.3 Documents 76 4.4 POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS OF THE METHODOLOGY 77 4.4.1 Positivist critiques of the ethnographic approach 77 4.4.2 Anti-realist and postmodern critiques of ethnography 78 4.4.3 Critical realism and political engagement 79 4.4.4 Data analysis and reflections on the field experiences 81 5 Peripheralisation and the local scale 83 5.1 PERIPHERALISATION: THE LOCALITY AND THE CASE STUDY PROFILES 83 5.2 PERCEPTIONS AND RESPONSES TO PERIPHERIALITY IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS 91 5.2.1 Surviving advanced peripheralisation 91 5.2.2 Uneven access to education 92 5.2.3 Counter-cultural migration 93 5.3 THE MAIN CHALLENGES AND MISSION OF THE CASE STUDY SOCIAL ENTERPRISES 95 6 The interplay between autonomy and local resource-mix strategies 99 6.1 ORGANISATIONAL AUTONOMY AND ACCESS TO FUNDING 99 6.2 MARKET-BASED RESOURCES: EARNED INCOME 102 6.3 NON-MARKET RESOURCES: GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES 106 6.3.1 International governmental funding 106 6.3.2 National governmental funding 114 6.3.3 Non-governmental funding 119 6.4 NON-MONETARY RESOURCES: THE CAPACITIES OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY 120 7 Empowerment capacity of the case study initiatives 123 7.1 DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURES 123 7.1.1 Representative decision-making structures 124 7.1.2 Participative decision-making structures 127 7.2 EMPOWERMENT OF ROMA (WOMEN) 131 7.2.1 The empowerment capacity of rural social enterprises: a perspective of the Roma 132 7.2.2 A gendered aspect: the empowerment of Roma women 137 8 Environmental considerations 143 8.1 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE LOCAL LEVEL 143 8.2 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL 145 9 Summary and conclusions 149 9.1 LIMITATIONS AND POTENTIALS OF THE METHODOLOGY 149 9.2 THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS: THE CAPACITY OF SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY IN COUNTERACTING PERIPHERALISATION 150 9.2.1 Economic considerations: autonomy and local resource-mix strategies 150 9.2.2 Social considerations: Autonomy and Empowerment 153 9.2.3 Environmental considerations: environmental consciousness and environmental impact 156 9.3 POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL ECONOMY POLICIES 156 10 References 159 10.1 GENERAL WORKS 159 10.2 DATABASES, RELATED MATERIALS 172 10.3 MEDIA SOURCES 172 10.4 WEBPAGES 173 10.5 LEGAL REFERENCES 174 Annex 1 Expert sampling sheet (hu) 175 Annex 2 Information sheet (hu) 177 Annex 3 Information sheet (de) 179 Annex 4 Consent form (hu) 181 Annex 5 Consent form (de) 183 Annex 6 Expert interviews 185 Annex 7 Case study interviews 187 Annex 8 Participant observation 189 Annex 9 Anonymised data sources 193

This study combines international trade theories, purchase management theories and SWOT analysis together. Based on these theories, this study firstly finds the problems in multinational procurement management and then studies how multinational enterprises (MNEs) select their procurement strategy for the procurement of raw materials under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Also, this study takes Group A as a case company to perform a detailed analysis on. Contributions of this study are as follows. Firstly, from the macro level, the current research is mainly about the purchasing behaviours and procurement management in MNEs especially the procurement management in MNEs. However, this study conducts a micro level analysis of a specific enterprise, taking Group A as a case study. Secondly, combined with the MNEs location choice and procurement management, this study analysed, in particular, the localised purchase management models. Thirdly, by taking Group A as an example, the author constructed a dynamic mechanism of its procurement management selection mode combined with corresponding data of raw material procurement costs. Fourthly, the study analysed the motivation of procurement management shifts and discusses the possible new growth engine of Chinese MNEs and the localisation selection of MNEs.
Este estudo combina teorias referentes ao comércio internacional com as teorias de gestão de compras e a análise SWOT. Com base nessas teorias, este estudo investiga primeiramente os problemas na gestão de aquisições das empresas multinacionais e, em seguida, estuda como as EMNs selecionam a sua estratégia de aquisição para a compra de matérias primas tendo em consideração a Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Além disso, esta tese toma o Grupo A como um exemplo para realizar uma análise detalhada. As contribuições deste estudo são as seguintes. Em primeiro lugar, as pesquisas existentes preocupam se, a um nível macro, com os comportamentos de compra e gestão de aquisições em empresas multinacionais. No entanto, este estudo conduz uma análise mais ao nível micro de uma empresa específica, tomando o Grupo A como um estudo de caso. Em segundo lugar, combinando a escolha da localização das EMs e a gestão de aquisições, este estudo analisa o modelo de gestão de compras. Em terceiro lugar, tomando o Grupo A como exemplo, o autor constrói um modelo dinâmico de seleção e gestão de compras combinando os dados correspondentes aos custos de aquisição de matéria prima. Em terceiro lugar, o estudo analisa a motivação das mudanças na gestão de compras e discute o possível motor novo de crescimento das empresas multinacionais chinesas e a seleção da localização das empresas multinacionais.

This chapter concludes The Goldilocks Challenge, summarizing key lessons about when and when not to collect data and how to build evidence systems for learning and improvement. The chapter also identifies areas for future work related to right-fit data, including social enterprise, organizational behavior, government contracting, and responsibility in the era of “big data.” Lastly, the chapter introduces Innovation for Poverty Action’s (IPA) “Goldilocks Initiative” and the Goldilocks Toolkit, efforts to help organizations apply the Goldilocks principles. The Goldilocks Initiative will complement IPA’s traditional randomized evaluation work with an aim of helping organizations find the right-fit in their monitoring and evaluation systems. The initiative provides resources and consulting services for organizations, donors, and governments seeking to design and support the implementation of cost-effective, appropriately sized monitoring and evaluation systems.

AbstractThis chapter addresses social enterprises as a special corporate category, which in some European jurisdictions, and increasingly so after their promotion by the European Union, are provided with a specific legal framework to promote and encourage their development. The paper begins with a brief compilation of the several social enterprise concepts developed by economic doctrines both in the United States and Europe, which reveal a great diversity of approaches. This is followed by an analysis of the various documents published by the European Union, showing the increasing recognition of this business phenomenon, from the publication of the Social Business Initiative in 2011 to the recent Action Plan for the Social Economy in 2021. Finally, the results obtained from the analysis of the different European legal systems are presented, and three main models of legal regulation of social enterprises are distinguished, namely, the use of the social cooperative form, enactment of a special law, and integration into a social economy law. The chapter concludes with a table comparing the essential aspects of the regulation of social enterprises in 14 European countries.

AbstractThis chapter frames the recent rise and vibrant growth of the phenomenon concerning benefit companies in the broader context of the general trend of a re-thinking of corporate purpose, shareholder welfare, shareholder theory, enlightened shareholder value, as well as corporate social responsibility.After tracing this framework, the present study particularly focuses on the necessity (or advisability) of a regulatory initiative regarding benefit companies and, if so, for which purposes. According to the authors, the point is to decide whether it is necessary to pass a law on benefit societies to be able to steer the management of the companies towards pursuing the dual purpose (i.e., a specifically determined social interest after balancing the selfish shareholder interest and that of other parties).In conclusion, the authors believe that, except in those cases where benefit corporations contribute to the creation of shareholder wealth, it is hard to imagine them being used in a numerically meaningful way.

AbstractMany countries around the world have introduced specific legal forms to meet the needs of benefit corporations and social enterprises. Unlike these jurisdictions, Switzerland’s legislator has decided not to provide for such a dedicated legal structure. And this stance is unlikely to evolve since the Federal Council stated in 2018 that it did not intend to encourage the creation of a new legal structure for benefit corporations or social enterprises, although it supported private initiatives in this sector, such as the B corp movement.In this contribution, the authors analyze the social enterprise, benefit corporation and B corp movement in Switzerland and how such ventures may fit into existing legal structures, given the absence of any specific legal form. To this end, they will review the legal contours of corporations (LLC or LTD), cooperatives, and charities, namely, associations and foundations, and the possibilities that they offer for social enterprises and benefit corporations.Finally, the authors also address tax-related aspects, as well as past and current legislative initiatives intended to make Swiss law evolve towards a legal structure that would be dedicated to social enterprises or benefit corporations.

AbstractThis chapter presents some examples of recent initiatives by social enterprises using aquaponics. Aquaponics offers an innovative form of therapeutic horticulture, which can provide employment and promote well-being for people with disabilities. If implemented as a program to be managed by local communities, aquaponic systems also have the potential to address issues such as food security and food sovereignty, especially in urban areas. Increasing public familiarity with aquaponics has seen a number of social ventures being set up around the world. However, the viability of these depends not only on stakeholder commitment, thorough market analysis, clear governance structures, and a robust business plan but also on external factors, such as the local political context and regulations.

AbstractThe new economy challenges companies to identify ways to generate positive social and environmental impact through their activities so that a corporation’s purpose lies in not only making a profit for the shareholders but also adding value to its stakeholders. The article addresses the economic legal concepts by looking at the impact of economic activity on the collective and sets out the legal principles, grounds, and limits of application to concrete cases. An overview of social enterprises in Brazil is presented, considering the particularities of the national context and the absence of a specific legal format. Through legislation, the proposal to create the qualification of benefit corporations is laid out as a useful and ready-to-use tool to foster entrepreneurial initiatives. Additionally, capital market self-regulation is explored, as a measure aligned with sustainable development.

Blue Lotus 360° (Pvt) Ltd is a Sri Lankan cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system provider. They specialize in offering a user-friendly web-based ERP solution for businesses of all sizes and industries. Blue Lotus 360° brings a wealth of experience and expertise to drive strategic initiatives. With a global presence and local offices, Blue Lotus 360° serves thousands of users and collaborates with strategic partners. By actively embracing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and engaging in strategic partnerships, Blue Lotus 360° enhances its reputation and competitiveness in the market while prioritizing social and environmental concerns. Blue Lotus 360° stands to gain substantially by embracing CSR principles, establishing itself as a magnet for individuals who prioritize values and ethics in their professional journeys. Among various CSR initiatives of the Blue Lotus 360°, the implementation of the ERP system at Mithuru Mithuro (MM) stands out as a notable work. MM is a leading non-government organisation in Sri Lanka which provides rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts, covering three districts on the island with a total of over 800 residents in their care. Recognizing the technology’s pivotal role in enhancing operational efficiency and addressing the existing issues in the organization, the Board of Directors of the MM Movement selected Blue Lotus 360° (Pvt) Ltd to implement an ERP system as it is a pioneering company in providing software solutions in the dynamic landscape of the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left an overwhelming impact on socio-economic life around the world. In the current context, in which we are still facing a new coronavirus pandemic wave, the negative impact is becoming difficult to quantify. Therefore, it can be said that the world is in a moment of reflection, in which new opportunities must be identified in or­der to accelerate social and economic recovery. If in the past CSR initiatives were considered a breath of fresh air, today we look with confidence to a future in which there is a whole range of opportunities due to the activities of social enterprises. Therefore, this article aims to highlight the possibility of defining the social economy through social enterprises that offer a new way of doing business.

The number of social enterprises is increasing rapidly. Social enterprises are looking for new, innovative and economically sustainable ways to tackle structural societal challenges that generally fall outside the direct focus and objectives of the public and private sector. Social enterprises are primarily mission-driven, where profit is not a goal in itself but a means of creating social impact with regard to a specific social problem. The intended impact areas of social enterprises broadly range from poverty reduction, sustainability, healthcare, or labor participation of vulnerable groups. With respect to the latter impact area, many initiatives have been taken across Europe to prevent and combat marginalization of vulnerable groups as a result of long unemployment spells, which may cause financial and social pressure, as well as decay of physical and psychological health conditions. Nevertheless, the nature and extent of these initiatives vary considerably across countries (CEDEFOP, 2018). Social enterprises, in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders such as ‘conventional’ companies or local governments, can play a key role in addressing these challenges. This proposal builds on research that was completed earlier this year at HU concerning the scaling of social enterprises with a particular focus on work integration of people with a distance to the labor market (so-called WISEs) (e.g. people with low qualifications, young people disengaged from education, people with mental or physical disabilities, refugees, former prisoners, former addicts, or people who have difficulties finding a job due to their age etc.). One of the outcomes of this research showed that it is difficult for WISEs to transcend its societal impact beyond the local level. In practice, the effective realization of both social and economic value is not easy for many WISEs, but the interaction with and between different actors in the external environment or ecosystem also plays a crucial role in its success. More research is needed on what works in successfully addressing the work integration of vulnerable groups in different parts of Europe, and under what conditions. The aim is to come to a joint EU research proposal, in which WISEs play a central role, to contribute to innovative and more structural solutions for labor participation of vulnerable groups.

Entrepreneurship has received increased attention during the last few decades. Private entrepreneurship provides numerous opportuni­ties for the economic development of society. Entrepreneurship marks its peak through the development of small and me­dium-sized enterprises (SME). The advantages and attributions from SMEs have been widely accepted as a great influence factor on job creation and support of regional revitalization, based on the development of indigenous resources, great flexibility and promotion of industrial innovation. Entrepre­neurship also provides a solid basis for sustainable local and regional eco­nomic development. It contributes towards decreasing the regional dispar­ities both, within the country itself and among countries as well. SMEs are supposed to initiate economic development in underdeveloped regions with very high poverty levels and living standards, thus alleviating the economic and social integration of the country. Taking this into consideration, there is a need for local and regional structures in the country to concentrate their activities on providing various measures and activities aimed at initiating and stimulating the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

In many EU countries economic and social development stagnates. The reasons are various and depends on the country. Some countries are still leaders (Germany, Great Britain, France), but depending on political events and complicated issues in each of them common EU internal market is kept as rather passive and not expanding in terms of consumption and investments. Especially it is related to countries suffering their internal business problems. The research problem of this paper is related to the issues how to provide some innovative solutions to traditional enterprises in Lithuania and Poland for their prosperous development. The aim of the paper is to analyse the situation and problems of traditional business in rural areas of Lithuania and Poland and propose development possibilities applying social initiatives and becoming social enterprises. The research object of the paper is traditional and social enterprises in rural areas. The research discloses that in Lithuania and Poland the situation in rural areas has a lot of similarities in terms of development and problems. Social entrepreneurship in both countries is kept as possibility but still problems and specificity exist in the countries.

Earth system observations, science, and services (OSS) inform and guide the activities of virtually every economic sector and innumerable institutions underlying modern civilization. OSS are a fundamental component of efforts to meet basic human needs including food, shelter, energy, health and safety. At the same time, opportunities to enhance the societal benefits of OSS are vast and increasing. Better understanding of the weather, water, and climate (WWC) enterprise’s value could: create new opportunities to apply OSS for societal benefit; help justify public investments in OSS; and guide future investments in OSS to help ensure that they confer the maximum possible benefit to society. As a result, there is great need for efforts to understand, assess, communicate, and advance the value of OSS. This study synthesizes the results of a multi-year project on the valuation of Earth system OSS. The conclusions are based on four studies relating to different aspects of the societal benefits of Earth system OSS: 1) Societal Benefits of Weather, Water, and Climate: Understanding, Communication, and Enhancement, 2) The Value Chain of Earth System Observations, Science, and Services, 3) Three Policies Shape Enterprise Value: Minor Adjustments Could Enhance the Societal Benefit, and 4) Options for Enhancing the Value of the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Initiative. Valuation is critical to decision making at all levels. The set of studies synthesized here can contribute to a common understanding how value can be enhanced and communicated within and outside of the weather, water, and climate enterprise.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL)/Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) Joint Task Force on Research Data Services (RDS) formed in 2020 with a two-fold purpose: (1) to demonstrate and commit to the roles research libraries have in stewarding research data and as part of institution-wide research support services and (2) to guide the development of resources for the ARL and CARL memberships in advancing their organizations as collaborative partners with respect to research data services in the context of FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data principles and the US National Academies’ Open Science by Design framework. Research libraries will be successful in meeting these objectives if they act collectively and are deeply engaged with disciplinary communities. The task force formed three working groups of data practitioners, representing a wealth of expertise, to research the institutional landscape and policy environment in both the US and Canada. This report of the ARL/CARL RDS task force’s working group on partnerships highlights library RDS programs’ work with partners and stakeholders. The report provides a set of tools for libraries to use when assessing their RDS partnerships, including assessing partnerships using a partnership life cycle, defining the continuum of possible partnerships, and creating a catalog. Not all partnerships will last the entirety of a librarian’s career, and having clear parameters for when to continue or sunset a partnership can reduce ambiguity and free up resources. Recognizing the continuum of possible partnerships can provide the framework by which librarians can understand the nature of each group. From cyclical to seasonal to sporadic, understanding the needs of a type of partnership can help libraries frame their understanding and meet a group where they are. Finally, creating a catalog of partnerships can help libraries see the landscape of the organization, as well as areas for growth. This approach also aligns with OCLC’s 2020 report on Social Interoperability in Research Support: Cross-Campus Partnerships and the University Research Enterprise, which highlights the necessity of building and stewarding partnerships. Developing and providing services in a decentralized organization relies on the ability to build trusted relationships. These tools will help libraries achieve sustainable growth that is in concert with their partners, generating robust, clearly aligned initiatives that benefit all parties, their campuses, and their communities.

In the decade after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African Americans made historic gains in accessing employment opportunities in racially integrated workplaces in U.S. business firms and government agencies. In the previous working papers in this series, we have shown that in the 1960s and 1970s, Blacks without college degrees were gaining access to the American middle class by moving into well-paid unionized jobs in capital-intensive mass production industries. At that time, major U.S. companies paid these blue-collar workers middle-class wages, offered stable employment, and provided employees with health and retirement benefits. Of particular importance to Blacks was the opening up to them of unionized semiskilled operative and skilled craft jobs, for which in a number of industries, and particularly those in the automobile and electronic manufacturing sectors, there was strong demand. In addition, by the end of the 1970s, buoyed by affirmative action and the growth of public-service employment, Blacks were experiencing upward mobility through employment in government agencies at local, state, and federal levels as well as in civil-society organizations, largely funded by government, to operate social and community development programs aimed at urban areas where Blacks lived. By the end of the 1970s, there was an emergent blue-collar Black middle class in the United States. Most of these workers had no more than high-school educations but had sufficient earnings and benefits to provide their families with economic security, including realistic expectations that their children would have the opportunity to move up the economic ladder to join the ranks of the college-educated white-collar middle class. That is what had happened for whites in the post-World War II decades, and given the momentum provided by the dominant position of the United States in global manufacturing and the nation’s equal employment opportunity legislation, there was every reason to believe that Blacks would experience intergenerational upward mobility along a similar education-and-employment career path. That did not happen. Overall, the 1980s and 1990s were decades of economic growth in the United States. For the emerging blue-collar Black middle class, however, the experience was of job loss, economic insecurity, and downward mobility. As the twentieth century ended and the twenty-first century began, moreover, it became apparent that this downward spiral was not confined to Blacks. Whites with only high-school educations also saw their blue-collar employment opportunities disappear, accompanied by lower wages, fewer benefits, and less security for those who continued to find employment in these jobs. The distress experienced by white Americans with the decline of the blue-collar middle class follows the downward trajectory that has adversely affected the socioeconomic positions of the much more vulnerable blue-collar Black middle class from the early 1980s. In this paper, we document when, how, and why the unmaking of the blue-collar Black middle class occurred and intergenerational upward mobility of Blacks to the college-educated middle class was stifled. We focus on blue-collar layoffs and manufacturing-plant closings in an important sector for Black employment, the automobile industry from the early 1980s. We then document the adverse impact on Blacks that has occurred in government-sector employment in a financialized economy in which the dominant ideology is that concentration of income among the richest households promotes productive investment, with government spending only impeding that objective. Reduction of taxes primarily on the wealthy and the corporate sector, the ascendancy of political and economic beliefs that celebrate the efficiency and dynamism of “free market” business enterprise, and the denigration of the idea that government can solve social problems all combined to shrink government budgets, diminish regulatory enforcement, and scuttle initiatives that previously provided greater opportunity for African Americans in the government and civil-society sectors.

Credit is the boost small and medium enterprises in Latin America need most. It gives companies that anchor distribution chains the opportunity to integrate small producers into the formal economy. This creates jobs, strengthens domestic markets and improves access to exports, while increasing productivity and bettering the lives of poor producers at the base of the pyramid.The Inter-American Development Bank¿s (IDB) Opportunity for the Majority Initiative (OMJ) is lending up to $3 million to the Fondo de Desarrollo de Emprendimientos Socialmente Responsables (PymeCapital S.A,) to bolster small and medium anchor companies in agriculture, agroindustry, manufacturing, and tourism in nine countries in Central and South America. Through the OMJ loan, PymeCapital will provide credit and technical assistance to SMEs and small producers in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Peru, Paraguay, El Salvador, and Colombia. The fund lends to companies whose business models incorporate social and environmental impact, and is thus developing a portfolio with a triple bottom line.