Social entrepreneurship: How intentions to create a social enterprise get formed

Mair, J. and Noboa, E.  2003. IESE Paper D-521.

IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Barcelona.

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship has raised increasing interest among scholars, yet we still know relatively little about the particular dynamics and processes involved. This paper aims at contributing to the field of social entrepreneurship by clarifying key elements, providing working definitions, and illuminating the social entrepreneurship process. In the first part of the paper we review the existing literature. In the second part we develop a model on how intentions to create a social venture -the tangible outcome of social entrepreneurship- get formed. Combining insights from traditional entrepreneurship literature and anecdotal evidence in the field of social entrepreneurship, we propose that behavioral intentions to create a social venture are influenced, first, by perceived social venture desirability, which is affected by attitudes such as empathy and moral judgment, and second, by perceived social venture feasibility, which is facilitated by social support and self-efficacy beliefs.

An adapted version of this paper was published as a chapter in J. Mair et al, 2006. “Social Entrepreneurship”, Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke, UK and New York, pages 121-135.