Case Studies in Social Enterprise
The term social enterprise was created by the American non-profit community in the 1970s, which began to create and operate their own businesses as ways to create job opportunities for the disadvantaged, homeless and other at-risk people. The idea is that a nonprofit business venture or revenue-generating activity can create positive social impact while operating with reference to a financial bottom line. Today, NGOs understand that only by establishing an independent means of support, can they continue to fulfill their mission. An NGO’s new vigor and growth enables it to provide and expand vital services to its constituents and members while moving the organization toward self-sufficiency.
Case Studies in Social Enterprise: Counterpart International’s Experience explains: (1) social enterprise, (2) its importance as a developmental tool in emerging economies around the world, and (3) through four in-depth case studies in Ukraine, highlights the beneficial impact of social enterprises on the non-profit sector, families and communities. These projects were developed and implemented by Counterpart under a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development between 1997 and 2002.
Counterpart’s experience demonstrates that social enterprises have high potential as a nonprofit sustainability strategy in emerging economies where markets are underdeveloped and entry barriers are low. Comprehensive and well-structured programs like the Counterpart Alliance for Partnership, which complements business training with loans, advocacy and legal advice and networking, increase the likelihood of NGOs’ successful creation of sustainable social enterprises that will achieve both financial viability and social impact in the long term. Counterpart’s social enterprise methodologies provide the tools and inputs that assist their NGO participants in their business activities. With Counterpart’s assistance, NGOs have successfully established or expanded their income-generating activities and, at the same time, are meeting their organizational mission.
Mirage at the Bottom of the Pyramid – How the private sector can help alleviate poverty
Poor people – at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) – represent a very attractive market opportunity. The ‘BOP proposition’ argues that selling to the poor can simultaneously be profitable and help eradicate poverty. This is at best a harmless illusion and potentially a dangerous delusion. This paper shows that the BOP argument is riddled with fallacies, and proposes an alternative perspective on how the private sector can help alleviate poverty. Rather than focusing on the poor as consumers, we need to view the poor as producers. The only way to alleviate poverty is to raise the real income of the poor.
Investigating social entrepreneurship: A multidimensional model
Social entrepreneurship is an emerging area of investigation within the entrepreneurship and not-for-profit marketing literatures. A review of the literature emerging from a number of domains reveals that it is fragmented and that there is no coherent theoretical framework. In particular, current conceptualizations of social entrepreneurship fail to adequately consider the unique characteristics of social entrepreneurs and the context within which they must operate. Using grounded theory method and drawing on nine in-depth case studies of social entrepreneurial not-for-profit organizations, this paper addresses this research gap and develops a bounded multidimensional model of social entrepreneurship. Implications for social entrepreneurship theory, management practice, and policy directions are discussed.
The Innovation Sandbox
Access to world class health care facilities is a big problem in India where 700 million live at bottom of the pyramid (bop). A need for innovations that could provide access to health care facilities and meet the requirements of the bop is now becoming obvious but designing a scalable product with world class quality yet affordable by the bop is no doubt an extremely challenging task. Due to such rigid constrains many companies do not consider the bop as a viable market. Despite of such rigid limitations health care providing organizations like Aravind Eye care Center etc. have not only tread into the bop but also successfully established themselves providing world class services to the poor with their break through innovations. This article analyzes the reasons behind the success of such organizations by illustrating a concept “innovation sand box” to show how innovation break through can be achieved if one demonstrates the exact knowledge and understanding of the needs and constrains at the bop.
Agriculture for Development
One of the main objectives of Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the number of people suffering from hunger and extreme poverty to half by 2015. Agricultural development is considered to be the vital tool for achieving this goal. The present report was prepared based on the studies carried out in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. This Report addresses three main questions: What can agriculture do for development? What are effective instruments in using agriculture for development? How can agriculture-for-development agendas best be implemented? This Report provides guidance to governments and the international community on designing and implementing agriculture-for-development agendas that can make a difference in the lives of hundreds of millions of rural poor.
SOCIAL INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Developing Capacity to Reduce Poverty and Hunger
Social entrepreneurs are needed in adequate numbers in different spheres of development—that is, global, national, and community levels—to enable the effective design and implementation of poverty and hunger reduction programs. Yet, organized efforts to develop and promote the capacity for social innovation and entrepreneurship have been limited. This is in sharp contrast to the private sector, where entrepreneurship has been and continues to be a major force driving development. Recent experiences have shown that introducing entrepreneurial spirit into the development process can improve the effectiveness of intervention programs. This article discusses how social entrepreneurs at policy, business and programme levels could ensure the effective implementation of the programmes aimed at the poverty and hunger reduction and how the spirit and skills required could be infused through mainstream education programs. It is apparent that without new approaches and skills in regions where poverty and hunger are chronic, strategies and programs will continue to fall short of their intended goals.
By Frøydis Kvaløy, Noragric Working Paper No. 37, December 2004, Noragric Agricultural University of Norway.
This paper gives special attention to the questions of how and to what extent agricultural technology introductions particularly in the South have been informed by reductionist ways of thinking. The reductionist approach has dominated scientific investigation from as far back as the early seventeenth century. It has been incredibly successful when attempting to analyse and explain natural phenomena and processes. It may however be a different matter when reductionism constitutes the basis for technology applications in various contexts. Could the reductionist influence be the explanation when technology introductions bring about unexpected or problematic consequences in the field or in rural people’s livelihood situation? The issue is discussed with reference to the Green Revolution and agricultural gene technology. In the case of the Green Revolution environmental and socio-economic consequences are addressed. In the case of gene technology the paper focuses specifically on introduction of Bt cotton and Golden rice.
Keywords: Reductionism, agricultural technology transfers, the Green Revolution, gene technology, food security, poverty.
Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs
Unlike large established business firms innovative SMEs especially in developing countries finds it very difficult to generate financial resources to develop and scale up their businesses. As a result many promising innovative ideas fall by the wayside. This could be attributed to the reluctance of financing sources like banks to provide loans, lack of support from the Government and absence of proper policies. This Policy Brief looks at the extent of the SME “financing gap”, and what governments can do to make it easier for them to obtain the funding they need to start, grow and prosper, and thus contribute to creating jobs and economic growth.
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AdvAncing Agriculture in developing countries through Knowledge And innovation
Agriculture remains crucial to developing countries; yet agricultural development in these countries is often constrained by issues of access to appropriate technologies; immense “institutional weaknesses”; and deep problems with the organization and management of research, education, and extension systems. The Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) addressed these issues through the international consultative conference entitled “Advancing Agriculture in Developing Countries through Knowledge and Innovation.” The major focus of the conference was the recognition of the critical importance of knowledge and innovation in the pursuit of agricultural development for growth and poverty reduction. The papers explored the interplay of technologies, organizations, policies, institutions, and system dynamics in innovation processes, without advocating a particular paradigm. This document is a synopsis of the conference presentations, discussions and outcomes related to partnerships, platforms, coalitions, and linkages through which knowledge and innovation among different innovation agents (including public, private, and civil sectors) could be shared.
Agricultural Resources Information System (AgRIS): An e-Government Programme for fostering agricultural growth, poverty r… <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:DanteMT-Regular; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
Institutional marketing for high-growth business incubators. IndiaCo experience
The important aspect that is missing in most incubators is the ability to “self sustain” that leave the program financially viable and the incubator as self sustaining. To be financial self sustaining is important for these companies as they in turn should have the potential to create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, commercialize new technologies etc. all of which in turn should result in the strengthening of local and national economies. This article discusses the IndiaCo. story and presents a case that talks about how Incubators can incorporate these aspects into their own marketing plans and evolve from “theory” to “practice”. This article gives an overview of the concepts of institutional marketing for high-growth business incubators, the challenges and difficulties with marketing strategies for incubators.
