Social Entrepreneurship Opportunities via Distant Socialization and Social Value Creation

Abstract

Social entrepreneurs are catalysts for social change on account of social value creation and opportunity identification, thereby improving the quality of life. Their contribution to society is particularly significant in times of crises and pandemics. Hence, the world health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for social entrepreneurship across the globe. Despite social entrepreneurship’s relevance in social value creation, the studies regarding opportunity identification in times of social distancing are particularly rare. This constructivist-qualitative research fills the gap by employing the EDraw Mind Map tool to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic in general, and social distancing in particular, have shaped entrepreneurial opportunities for social innovation. The findings from content analysis reveal that ICT-based services and industry 4.0 hold a promising future during and post-COVID-19 scenario. They can facilitate a transformation of the threats of social distancing into distant socialization benefits and demand fulfillment. Furthermore, the study contributes to providing a comprehensive depiction of the myriad of opportunities created by social entrepreneurs worldwide. It also guides aspiring social entrepreneurs to adopt such technologies and aim for social integration to ensure quality mental health, education, employment, and manufacturing services in low-resource and developing countries’ contexts, as they are severely impacted by the pandemic.

Implicaciones de la investigación sobre el emprendimiento social en tiempos de la COVID-19: un enfoque desde la gestión negocios

“…El trabajo de Silva et al (2021) Partiendo de la premisa de que los modelos de ES se han vuelto necesarios para dar solución a los grandes problemas sociales, Kamran et al (2022) señalan que es imperativo estudiar oportunidades empresariales sociales en tiempos de distanciamiento social. En este sentido, aseguran que las empresas basadas en las tecnologías de la información tienen un futuro promisorio, paleando las amenazas y complicaciones del distanciamiento social en oportunidades de aprovechamiento de la comunicación a distancia para satisfacer la demanda creciente de los consumidores, por lo que invita a los emprendedores sociales en ciernes a adoptar las tecnologías comunicacionales para garantizar servicios de salud mental, educación, empleo y fabricación de bienes, sobre todo, en países en vías de desarrollo.…”

Revista Completa Scientia et PRAXIS Vol.02. No.04-2022

“…Partiendo de la premisa de que los modelos de ES se han vuelto necesarios para dar solución a los grandes problemas sociales, Kamran et al (2022) señalan que es imperativo estudiar oportunidades empresariales sociales en tiempos de distanciamiento social. En este sentido, aseguran que las empresas basadas en las tecnologías de la información tienen un futuro promisorio, paleando las amenazas y complicaciones del distanciamiento social en oportunidades de aprovechamiento de la comunicación a distancia para satisfacer la demanda creciente de los consumidores, por lo que invita a los emprendedores sociales en ciernes a adoptar las tecnologías comunicacionales para garantizar servicios de salud mental, educación, empleo y fabricación de bienes, sobre todo, en países en vías de desarrollo.…”

Government as a Facilitator versus Inhibitor of Social Entrepreneurship in Times of Public Health Emergencies

“…Like any other firm, social enterprises involve consumers, employees, and stakeholders, affected by their commercial endeavours [ 5 ]. Social entrepreneurs and enterprises also help governments by reaching out to remote areas and by developing innovative solutions to unresolved community and societal issues [ 6 ]. This means that they are needed to overcome challenges resulting from a crisis by providing strategic leadership.…”

“…Further, exploring the government’s part in both the facilitation and inhibition of social entrepreneurship can guide the drafting of effective policies and interventions to enhance the former role while reducing bureaucratic and other barriers associated with the government machinery. Many studies, including Kamran et al (2022), Bacq et al (2020), and others [ 6 , 15 ], have investigated the role of social entrepreneurship in assisting the government during times of social distancing. However, the role of government in influencing social entrepreneurship ventures during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been sufficiently addressed in the scholarly literature, as asserted by many studies [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”