IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/jsocen/v4y2013i1p40-68.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Quantitative Comparison of Social and Commercial Entrepreneurship: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of Social Entrepreneurship Organizations in Context

Author

Listed:
  • SOPHIE BACQ
  • CHANTAL HARTOG
  • BRIGITTE HOOGENDOORN

Abstract

This study empirically addresses the differences between social and commercial entrepreneurship by using the largest available quantitative data source, namely the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2009 survey on social entrepreneurship in Belgium and The Netherlands. We use a combination of exploratory statistical analyses and qualitative techniques to generate propositions on the organizations and initiatives that social entrepreneurs are involved in and contrast them with our understanding of commercial entrepreneurs. This study contributes to answer the call for more quantitative research and simultaneously argues that, despite the potential contribution of large-scale data, the validity and reliability of measurement instruments cannot be seen independently from their particular context. With this important observation in mind, our findings indicate a predominance of younger social organizations or initiatives that rely to a great extent on government funding, whereas earned income is limited. Furthermore, social entrepreneurs show less ambition in terms of employment growth and progression to more mature stages of the entrepreneurial process compared with commercial entrepreneurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Sophie Bacq & Chantal Hartog & Brigitte Hoogendoorn, 2013. "A Quantitative Comparison of Social and Commercial Entrepreneurship: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of Social Entrepreneurship Organizations in Context," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 40-68, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jsocen:v:4:y:2013:i:1:p:40-68
    DOI: 10.1080/19420676.2012.758653
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/19420676.2012.758653
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/19420676.2012.758653?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mair, Johanna & Marti, Ignasi, 2004. "Social entrepreneurship: What are we talking about? A framework for future research," IESE Research Papers D/546, IESE Business School.
    2. Hoogendoorn, B. & van der Zwan, P.W. & Thurik, A.R., 2011. "Social Entrepreneurship and Performance: The Role of Perceived Barriers and Risk," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2011-016-ORG, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gafar ALMHAMAD & Vilmos LAKATOS & Ali ALKERDI & Lama ALKHATIB, 2022. "Social Entrepreneurship Research In The Middle East (Systematic Review)," CrossCultural Management Journal, Fundația Română pentru Inteligența Afacerii, Editorial Department, issue 1, pages 7-15, July.
    2. Valery Chistov & Nekane Aramburu & María Eugenia Fabra Florit & Iñaki Peña‐Legazkue & Pauline Weritz, 2023. "Sustainability orientation and firm growth as ventures mature," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5314-5331, December.
    3. Eduardo da Silva Fernandes & Inês Hexsel Grochau & Carla Schwengber Ten Caten, 2023. "Impact Investing: Determinants of External Financing of Social Enterprises in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Jørgensen, Matias Thuen & Hansen, Anne Vorre & Sørensen, Flemming & Fuglsang, Lars & Sundbo, Jon & Jensen, Jens Friis, 2021. "Collective tourism social entrepreneurship: A means for community mobilization and social transformation," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Philipp Kruse & Florian Rosing, 2023. "An Experimental Investigation of Perceived Differences in Personality and Leadership Attributes of Social Entrepreneurs Compared to for Profit Entrepreneurs and Non-Profit Organisations Leaders," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 32(1), pages 75-110, March.
    6. Helena Barnard, 2019. "From the editor: The social side of international business policy – mapping social entrepreneurship in South Africa," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 2(1), pages 1-8, March.
    7. Dwyer, Sean M. & Lerman, Michael & Gras, David, 2023. "When the going gets tough: Stressors and purpose in life among social and commercial entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    8. Rocío Aliaga-Isla & Benjamin Huybrechts, 2018. "From “Push Out” to “Pull In” Together : An Analysis of Social Entrepreneurship Definitions in the Academic Field," Post-Print hal-02312230, HAL.
    9. Diana M. Hechavarría, 2016. "The impact of culture on national prevalence rates of social and commercial entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 1025-1052, December.
    10. MD Nazmul Islam & Wilson Ozuem & Gordon Bowen & Michelle Willis & Raye Ng, 2021. "An Empirical Investigation and Conceptual Model of Perceptions, Support, and Barriers to Marketing in Social Enterprises in Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, January.
    11. Junguang Gao & Tao Chen & Thomas Schøtt & Fuzhen Gu, 2022. "Entrepreneurs’ Life Satisfaction Built on Satisfaction with Job and Work–Family Balance: Embedded in Society in China, Finland, and Sweden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-21, May.
    12. Professor Dr. Pradip Kumar Panday & Md Golam Rabbani & Md Mahbub Alam Prodip, 2022. "Can Social Business Tackle the Water Crisis in Bangladesh? An Analysis from Social Inclusion Perspective," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(12), pages 808-815, December.
    13. Diana M. Hechavarría & Siri A. Terjesen & Amy E. Ingram & Maija Renko & Rachida Justo & Amanda Elam, 2017. "Taking care of business: the impact of culture and gender on entrepreneurs’ blended value creation goals," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 225-257, January.
    14. Etayankara Muralidharan & Saurav Pathak, 2019. "Consequences of Cultural Leadership Styles for Social Entrepreneurship: A Theoretical Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-19, February.
    15. Sahasranamam, Sreevas & Nandakumar, M.K., 2020. "Individual capital and social entrepreneurship: Role of formal institutions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 104-117.
    16. Brigitte Hoogendoorn & Peter Zwan & Roy Thurik, 2019. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship: The Role of Perceived Barriers and Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(4), pages 1133-1154, July.
    17. Habib Kachlami & Per Davidsson & Martin Obschonka & Darush Yazdanfar & Anders Lundström, 2021. "The regional employment effects of new social firm entry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 1221-1241, October.
    18. Sahasranamam, Sreevas & Nandakumar, M.K. & Pereira, Vijay & Temouri, Yama, 2021. "Knowledge capital in social and commercial entrepreneurship: Investigating the role of informal institutions," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    19. Philipp Kruse, 2021. "Exploring International and Inter-Sector Differences of Social Enterprises in the UK and India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-18, May.
    20. Sophie Bacq & Chantal Hartog & Brigitte Hoogendoorn, 2016. "Beyond the Moral Portrayal of Social Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Approach to Who They Are and What Drives Them," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(4), pages 703-718, February.
    21. Florian Lückenbach & Holger J. Schmidt & Jörg Henseler, 2023. "Building brand meaning in social entrepreneurship organizations: the social impact brand model," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 30(3), pages 207-226, May.
    22. Alexandra Graddy-Reed, 2021. "Decisions of firm risk and the role of organizational identity," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 1-21, June.
    23. Mendoza-Abarca, Karla I. & Anokhin, Sergey & Zamudio, César, 2015. "Uncovering the influence of social venture creation on commercial venture creation: A population ecology perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 793-807.
    24. Nuria Toledano, 2020. "Promoting Ethical Reflection in the Teaching of Social Entrepreneurship: A Proposal Using Religious Parables," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 115-132, June.
    25. De Beule, Filip & Klein, Martin & Verwaal, Ernst, 2020. "Institutional quality and inclusive strategies at the base of the pyramid," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chantal Hartog & Brigitte Hoogendoorn & Sophie Bacq & Jan Lepoutre, 2011. "Social and commercial entrepreneurship: Exploring individual and organizational characteristics," Scales Research Reports H201110, EIM Business and Policy Research.
    2. Barbara Bradač Hojnik & Katja Crnogaj, 2020. "Social Impact, Innovations, and Market Activity of Social Enterprises: Comparison of European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Sorin I. Blaga, 2020. "A Review Of Romanian Social Entrepreneurship And Further Research Agenda," Romanian Economic Business Review, Romanian-American University, vol. 15(4), pages 7-24, december.
    4. Nur Raihan Che Nawi & Mohd Mursyid Arshad & Steven Eric Krauss & Ismi Arif Ismail, 2018. "Social Entrepreneur as Career: Why it Attracts Youth in Malaysia?," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 8(6), pages 24-36, June.
    5. José Cadima Ribeiro & José Freitas Santos & Susana Bernardino, 2015. "Social Entrepreneurship: Does Institutional Environment Make a Difference?," ERSA conference papers ersa15p175, European Regional Science Association.
    6. Khan, Rizwan Ullah & Richardson, Christopher & Salamzadeh, Yashar, 2022. "Spurring competitiveness, social and economic performance of family-owned SMEs through social entrepreneurship; a multi-analytical SEM & ANN perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    7. Zahra, Shaker A. & Gedajlovic, Eric & Neubaum, Donald O. & Shulman, Joel M., 2009. "A typology of social entrepreneurs: Motives, search processes and ethical challenges," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 519-532, September.
    8. Sascha Bjarnø Olinsson, 2017. "Social Entrepreneurship-Committing Theory to Practice," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 225-247, May.
    9. Sophie Bacq & Chantal Hartog & Brigitte Hoogendoorn, 2016. "Beyond the Moral Portrayal of Social Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Approach to Who They Are and What Drives Them," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(4), pages 703-718, February.
    10. Anastasia COSTANTINI & Gianluca PASTORELLI & Alessia SEBILLO, 2019. "How Social Enterprises Contribute to Alternative Food Systems," CIRIEC Working Papers 1914, CIRIEC - Université de Liège.
    11. Fahmeed Idrees & Hamid Hassan, 2019. "Entrepreneurships Role in Enhancing the Productivity and Sustainability of Pakistan," Global Regional Review, Humanity Only, vol. 4(1), pages 376-383, March.
    12. S. Bacq & F. Janssen, 2011. "The multiple faces of social entrepreneurship: A review of definitional issues based on geographical and thematic criteria," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(5-6), pages 373-403, June.
    13. Majda EL Agy, 2021. "The Social Enterprising Success: Comparative Study of Social and Economic Entrepreneurs," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 14(5), pages 1-65, July.
    14. Adam Jabłoński & Marek Jabłoński, 2020. "Business Models in Water Supply Companies—Key Implications of Trust," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-27, April.
    15. Ada Domanska & Robert Zajkowski, 2022. "Barriers to gaining support: a prospect of entrepreneurial activity of family and non-family firms in Poland," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 17(1), pages 191-224, March.
    16. Amouri, Abdellatif & Festa, Giuseppe & Shams, S.M. Riad & Sakka, Georgia & Rossi, Matteo, 2021. "Technological propensity, financial constraints, and entrepreneurial limits in young entrepreneurs’ social business enterprises: The tunisian experience," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    17. Roy Thurik & Brigitte Hoogendoorn & Enrico Pennings, 2011. "A conceptual overview of What We Know About Social Entrepreneurship," Scales Research Reports H201114, EIM Business and Policy Research.
    18. Agnieszka Pacut, 2020. "Drivers toward Social Entrepreneurs Engagement in Poland: An Institutional Approach," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-24, January.
    19. Barinova Vera, 2018. "Foreign experience in socially responsible business and feasibility of its implementation in Russia," Research Paper Series, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, issue 174P, pages 100-100.
    20. De Beule, Filip & Klein, Martin & Verwaal, Ernst, 2020. "Institutional quality and inclusive strategies at the base of the pyramid," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:jsocen:v:4:y:2013:i:1:p:40-68. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RJSE20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.