Alan Kay, Michael J. Roy and Cam Donaldson
This intentionally polemical paper will aim to re-examine what is meant by social enterprise and try to assert its role within the current economic system. It is well over a…
Abstract
Purpose
This intentionally polemical paper will aim to re-examine what is meant by social enterprise and try to assert its role within the current economic system. It is well over a decade since John Pearce’s Social Enterprise in Anytown was first published. Since then the term “social enterprise” has been used in multiple ways by politicians, practitioners and academics – very often for their own ideological ends.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper will outline the context and challenges currently facing social enterprise both from outside and from inside the social enterprise movement.
Findings
This paper re-affirms a paradigm for social enterprises through re-imagining how social enterprise should and could contribute to the creation of a fairer and more just society.
Originality/value
Finally, this paper will conclude with a reflection on what Pearce argued and how the social enterprise movement has to position itself as a viable alternative way of creating goods and services based on socially responsible values.
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Francesca Caló, Michael James Roy, Cam Donaldson, Simon Teasdale and Simone Baglioni
As the provision of public services in many advanced welfare states has increasingly come to be marked by competition, social enterprises have actively been encouraged by…
Abstract
Purpose
As the provision of public services in many advanced welfare states has increasingly come to be marked by competition, social enterprises have actively been encouraged by governments to become involved in the delivery of public services. While the evaluation of complex public health interventions has arguably become increasingly more sophisticated, this has not been the case where social enterprise is concerned: evaluation of the actual impacts of social enterprises remains significantly underdeveloped by comparison. This study aims to support the establishment of a robust evidence base for the use of social enterprise as a policy instrument.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper assesses the potential of three methodological approaches common in the evaluation of complex public health interventions and applies them to the complex realm of community-led social enterprise.
Findings
Only through the involvement of different comparator groups, based on the research questions addressed, would it be possible to disentangle the embedded characteristics of organisations such as social enterprises. Each of the methods adopted in this research is time-consuming and resource-intensive and requires the researcher to possess advanced skills. Public officials should recognise the complexity and resource-intensive nature of such evaluation and resource it accordingly. If the aim of policymakers is to understand the added value of social enterprise organisations, an integrative research approach combining different research methods and design should be implemented to improve generalisability.
Originality/value
This study applies a range of favoured approaches to evaluate “complex” public health interventions include systematic reviews, realist evaluation and quasi-experimental investigation. However, such evaluation approaches have rarely been applied before in the context of social enterprise.
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It is not possible to make a totally objective analysis of any health care system without assuming various values. These values, in turn, assume that the delivery of health care…
Abstract
It is not possible to make a totally objective analysis of any health care system without assuming various values. These values, in turn, assume that the delivery of health care should conform to various criteria. The Institute of Health Services Management (IHSM) set up a study which attempts to establish a framework of criteria against which alternative systems of funding can be tested. The conclusions of the study are based on a series of working papers which examined the available evidence. In addition the study contains a brief discussion of the management and organisation of the National Health Service.
Evelyn Cornelissen, Craig Mitton, Alan Davidson, Colin Reid, Rachelle Hole, Anne-Marie Visockas and Neale Smith
Program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) is a priority setting approach that assists decision makers with allocating resources. Previous PBMA work establishes its efficacy…
Abstract
Purpose
Program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) is a priority setting approach that assists decision makers with allocating resources. Previous PBMA work establishes its efficacy and indicates that contextual factors complicate priority setting, which can hamper PBMA effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to gain qualitative insight into PBMA effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
A Canadian case study of PBMA implementation. Data consist of decision-maker interviews pre (n=20), post year-1 (n=12) and post year-2 (n=9) of PBMA to examine perceptions of baseline priority setting practice vis-à-vis desired practice, and perceptions of PBMA usability and acceptability.
Findings
Fit emerged as a key theme in determining PBMA effectiveness. Fit herein refers to being of suitable quality and form to meet the intended purposes and needs of the end-users, and includes desirability, acceptability, and usability dimensions. Results confirm decision-maker desire for rational approaches like PBMA. However, most participants indicated that the timing of the exercise and the form in which PBMA was applied were not well-suited for this case study. Participant acceptance of and buy-in to PBMA changed during the study: a leadership change, limited organizational commitment, and concerns with organizational capacity were key barriers to PBMA adoption and thereby effectiveness.
Practical implications
These findings suggest that a potential way-forward includes adding a contextual readiness/capacity assessment stage to PBMA, recognizing organizational complexity, and considering incremental adoption of PBMA’s approach.
Originality/value
These insights help us to better understand and work with priority setting conditions to advance evidence-informed decision making.
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Nikolaos Apostolopoulos, Vanessa Ratten, Stavros Stavroyiannis, Ilias Makris, Sotiris Apostolopoulos and Panagiotis Liargovas
The COVID-19 crisis has brought to the forefront the importance of rural health enterprises (RHEs), the peculiarity, in these terms, of rural areas, and the impact of rurality on…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 crisis has brought to the forefront the importance of rural health enterprises (RHEs), the peculiarity, in these terms, of rural areas, and the impact of rurality on health entrepreneurial activities. This paper aims to undertake a literature review regarding RHEs in the EU, identify research gaps and set future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was conducted and the key aspects coded across four thematic areas – after examining 68 papers.
Findings
The findings reveal that more intense research should be conducted across four area which emerged; rural health providers vs urban health providers; RHEs and rural development; RHEs and quality of life; and social RHEs.
Research limitations/implications
Future research avenues were identified and suggestions for further research on RHEs were provided.
Practical implications
The paper provides insights into how rural areas can attract health enterprises and how health enterprises can operate in rural areas.
Originality/value
This research expands on the limited existing knowledge of RHEs and sets the foundations for further research.
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The Equal Pay Act 1970 (which came into operation on 29 December 1975) provides for an “equality clause” to be written into all contracts of employment. S.1(2) (a) of the 1970 Act…
Abstract
The Equal Pay Act 1970 (which came into operation on 29 December 1975) provides for an “equality clause” to be written into all contracts of employment. S.1(2) (a) of the 1970 Act (which has been amended by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975) provides:
Clementine Hill O’Connor and Rachel Baker
This paper considers the specific opportunities and challenges of engaging in ethnographic research with organisations in which the researcher participates as a volunteer…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper considers the specific opportunities and challenges of engaging in ethnographic research with organisations in which the researcher participates as a volunteer ethnographer.
Design/methodology/approach
The findings in this paper are based on four years of ethnographic research within a social enterprise.
Findings
This paper finds that there are significant benefits of the role of the volunteer ethnographer and suggests ways to address some of the challenges.
Research limitations/implications
As the field of social enterprise and ethnography grows and researchers engage with methodological discussions about participant observation, the authors suggest that attention should also be paid to the specifics of the role of the volunteer ethnographer.
Originality/value
There is growing interest in the use of ethnography in social enterprises. This paper offers unique insight into how this methodology has been applied in the context of self-reliant groups and the importance of the engaging with discussion about the specific role of the volunteer ethnographer.
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Using a single case study of The Global Soap Project, a social enterprise founded by an African Immigrant resident in the USA, this study aims to explore and posit how lives could…
Abstract
Purpose
Using a single case study of The Global Soap Project, a social enterprise founded by an African Immigrant resident in the USA, this study aims to explore and posit how lives could be saved in Sub-Saharan Africa and especially so in light of the Ebola pandemic ravaging swathes of West African communities.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative study interrogates both the identity of a diasporic social entrepreneur in an attempt to develop a framework that links this concept to community entrepreneurship using a single case study.
Findings
With hindsight, The Global Soap Project has much to offer in terms of “saving lives” in these communities, as the battle against the Ebola virus calls for containment measures.
Research limitations/implications
While arguably limited in terms of being a single case, this study furthers the understanding on the role of social entrepreneurship in complementing community efforts and coping strategies for tackling pandemics such as the Ebola virus.
Social implications
Evidently, while vaccines are being fast-tracked, the spread of the virus can be curtailed through personal hygiene, and the project illustrates how an individual social enterprise can be leveraged at the community level.
Originality/value
The study provides avenues for future research enquiry into how single cases might be transformed into multiple cases, both within and across sectors, for the benefit of humanity in general and affected communities in particular.
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Pawan Budhwar, Andy Crane, Annette Davies, Rick Delbridge, Tim Edwards, Mahmoud Ezzamel, Lloyd Harris, Emmanuel Ogbonna and Robyn Thomas
Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce �…
Abstract
Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce – not even, in many cases, describing workers as assets! Describes many studies to back up this claim in theis work based on the 2002 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, in Cardiff, Wales.
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Xiaodie Pu, Meng Chen, Zhao Cai, Alain Yee-Loong Chong and Kim Hua Tan
This study aims to examine the impact of lean manufacturing (LM) on the financial performance of companies affected by emergency situations. It additionally explores the role of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of lean manufacturing (LM) on the financial performance of companies affected by emergency situations. It additionally explores the role of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) in complementing LM to enhance financial performance in emergency and non-emergency situations.
Design/methodology/approach
Both survey and archival data were collected from 219 manufacturing companies in China. With longitudinal data collected before and after an emergency situation (i.e. Typhoon Rumbia), regression analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of LM and AMTs on financial performance in different contexts.
Findings
Our results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between LM and financial performance in the context of emergency. We also found that AMTs exerted a positive moderation effect on the inverted U-shaped relationship, indicating high levels of AMTs that mitigated the inefficiency of LM in coping with supply chain emergencies.
Research limitations/implications
Through simultaneous investigation of LM and AMTs as bundles of practices and their fit with different contexts, this study takes a systems approach to fit that advances the application of contingency theory in the Operations Management literature to more complex patterns of fit.
Originality/value
This study illuminates how AMTs support LM practices in facilitating organizational performance in different contexts. Specifically, this study unravels the interaction mechanisms between AMTs and LM in influencing financial performance in emergency and non-emergency situations.