Although the need for a better understanding and deconstruction of the barriers that underpin and impede the realisation of inclusive education in many developing countries is acknowledged, few studies focus specifically on exploring how stigma affects the choices that parents in developing countries make on behalf of their children. This paper contributes to the understanding of the stigma experience of mothers of children with special educational needs (SEN) in a Nigerian context. The aim of the study was to explore how parents' interpretation of stigma directed towards their children with SEN affects the educational decision they make on behalf of these children. The study consisted of 8 interviews with mothers of children with SEN in Lagos, Nigeria. Specifically, stigmatization of children with SEN was found to be underpinned by a "non-materialistic" culture and worldviews that construct disability as "nonnormal". Findings also uncover a range of coping mechanisms adopted by mothers to deal with courtesy stigma and stigma stress. Theoretical and practical contributions to the literature on stigma and inclusive education are subsequently discussed. Theoretically, we introduce and discuss the import of "stigma transference" (the different modes that stigma can be transferred from one individual to the other) and practically, we discuss implications of findings for antistigma intervention.
In this paper we explore the environmental attitudes of polluting SMEs (small-scale firms that produce or deal with environmentally sensitive goods) from the perspective of owner/managers in a low-income developing country context. Utilising extensive qualitative data from SMEs operating in two of the most polluting industries in Bangladesh-leather tanning and textile dyeing, we provide a qualitative understanding of how the owner/managers formulate, interpret, and judge the environmental issues related to their business operations. Our analysis indicates that the owner/ managers hold four types of distinct environmental attitudes towards the environmental issues relevant to their businesses: conscious, instrumental, resentful, and complacent. We differentiate these attitudes based on three salient dimensions: owner/managers' general interest in environmental issues, their commitment to act in environmentally responsible ways, and key stakeholder focus. Our study contributes to the small business literature by identifying complexity in the owner/managers' responses to relevant environmental issues and offering a nuanced understanding of the environmental attitudes of polluting SMEs in a low-income developing country context. In addition, our findings inform policies designed with the practical needs of small-scale polluting firms in mind.
Society demands that businesses, including micro, small and medium enterprises, act responsibly towards their stakeholders and operating environments. Size and nationality contexts determine how businesses understand and approach their social responsibilities. Specific to size, evidence from the academic literature shows that small businesses understand the idea of social responsibility (SR) differently from large businesses. Small businesses may engage in SR without knowing it or without referring to their actions as SR (Hsu & Cheng, 2012). In other words, they may act responsibly towards their stakeholders and/or operating environments without labelling
Social enterprises are organizations created with the aim of applying entrepreneurial skills and innovations to solving social problems. They are managed by individuals who combine pragmatic and result-oriented methods of a business entrepreneur with the goals of a social reformer. Such enterprises combine resources in innovative ways to create social value in and for the society. However, social enterprises may face challenges that impact their ability to accomplish social goals. For instance, when confronted with the harsh realities of economic recession, teaming poor population, and the need to profit for social intervention, social enterprises existing in hostile economic environment in developing countries may face possibilities of shutdown. This chapter examines the concept of social entrepreneurship in a subsisting economy in Africa. Specifically, it draws from relevant primary and secondary data to explore the nature of social entrepreneurship in the Nigeria context and the potential role that social entrepreneurship can play in addressing social problems.
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