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Towards an integrative definition of scaling social impact in social enterprises

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  • Islam, Syrus M.

Abstract

Scaling social impact is a key concept in the social enterprise literature. While central, the wide range of meanings and the lack of conceptual uniformity detract from its usefulness. To tackle this issue, this paper conducts a systematic review to derive an integrative definition of scaling social impact: Scaling social impact is an ongoing process of increasing the magnitude of both quantitative and qualitative positive changes in society by addressing pressing social problems at individual and/or systemic levels through one or more scaling paths. Alongside improving conceptual clarity, the definition offers an operational structure with five underlying elements, setting the basis for new empirical work and theorising in social enterprise research.

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  • Islam, Syrus M., 2020. "Towards an integrative definition of scaling social impact in social enterprises," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 13(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobuve:v:13:y:2020:i:c:s2352673420300202
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2020.e00164
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    4. Roundy, Philip T. & Lyons, Thomas S., 2022. "Humility in social entrepreneurs and its implications for social impact entrepreneurial ecosystems," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    5. Bruce Martin & Lucia Walsh & Andrew Keating & Susi Geiger, 2024. "The Demise of a Rising Social Enterprise for Persons With Disabilities: The Ethics and the Uncertainty of Pure Effectual Logic When Scaling Up," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 191(1), pages 107-130, April.
    6. Mair, Johanna & Gegenhuber, Thomas & Thäter, Laura & Lührsen, René, 2023. "Pathways and mechanisms for catalyzing social impact through Orchestration: Insights from an open social innovation project," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    7. Hameed Asghar Sana & Salem Alkhalaf & Salman Zulfiqar & Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi & Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan & Anas Ratib AlSoud, 2021. "Upshots of Intrinsic Traits on Social Entrepreneurship Intentions among Young Business Graduates: An Investigation through Moderated-Mediation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, May.
    8. Kumudu Jayawardhana & Imali Fernando & Janaka Siyambalapitiya, 2022. "Sustainability in Social Enterprise Research: A Systematic Literature Review," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(3), pages 21582440221, September.
    9. Kishore Kumar François & Hoe Chin Goi, 2023. "Business Model for Scaling Social Impact towards Sustainability by Social Entrepreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-17, September.
    10. Leitão, Maria Eugénia & Amaral, Miguel & Carvalho, Ana, 2024. "Reconceptualizing socio-tech entrepreneurship: A systematic literature review and research agenda," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    11. Healy, John & Hughes, Jeffrey & Donnelly-Cox, Gemma & Shantz, Amanda, 2024. "A long and winding road: The hard graft of scaling social change in complex systems," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    12. Paolo Esposito & Emanuele Doronzo & Spiridione Lucio Dicorato, 2023. "The financial and green effects of cultural values on mission drifts in European social enterprises," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 1-29, January.

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