SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AND THE NOTION OF TALENT

Abstract

This study examined social entrepreneurship with the aim of differentiating it from other forms of entrepreneurship; particularly the more commonly understood business entrepreneurship. Using grounded theory development method through interviews with the founders and/or current owners of ten different social enterprises based in Singapore, this paper explored the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship from the entrepreneur perspective. Observations based on these interviews showed grounded evidence that the social entrepreneurial process consists of very different motivation, action and outcome in contrast with business entrepreneurship. From a processed oriented perspective, social entrepreneurship is described in a model proposed by this paper as a circular flow of opportunities and awareness creating sequences of events. The importance of empowerment in continuing the social entrepreneurship cycle is also evident from the ground and highlighted in the model. The significance in this study suggested that further research should focus on the impact of empowerment as well as the creation of social opportunities and social awareness in the process of social entrepreneurship.