THE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONUNDRUM: ANALYZING THE PROBLEMATIC CONCEPTUALIZATION OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY THE PRESS MEDIA IN SINGAPORE AND INDIA

Abstract

This exploratory study set out to analyze the problematic conceptualization of social entrepreneurship by the press media in Singapore and India. Using grounded theory approach, this paper explores the key conceptual ideas of social entrepreneurship by examining press articles collected between 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012 in India and Singapore. The study proceeds with five propositions which highlight the the critical differences between social entrepreneurship that is carried out in two different Asian socio-economic contexts (Propositions 1 & 2) and the key features of social entrepreneurship that are uniquely emphasised by press media but not academia (Propositions 3, 4 & 5). Based on these five propositions, a stakeholder model of social entrepreneurship which includes the role of educational institutions, government, youth and civil society in shaping social entrepreneurship is conceived. This proposed model explains the various interactions between the actors and their resultant effect on the perception and portrayal of social entrepreneurship by the press media. Finally, the paper concludes with an evaluation of the proposed model and recommendations for future research.