Social entrepreneurship and networking challenges: Impact on sustainable development in South Africa
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(4).2022.15
-
Article InfoVolume 20 2022, Issue #4, pp. 195-209
- Cited by
- 738 Views
-
173 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The overwhelming complexity of achieving sustainable development globally, including in South Africa, requires the networking and partnerships of all stakeholders. This paper reports networking challenges affecting social entrepreneurship’s contribution to sustainable development. The study aimed to investigate and analyze the impact of networking challenges on social entrepreneurship contribution to sustainable development in the townships in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. The study is quantitative and was conducted in three KZN township communities. The sample consisted of 90 social entrepreneurs selected using a snowball sampling technique. The respondents completed a self-administered close-ended questionnaire (employing a five-point Likert scale). The data were analyzed using SPSS (27.0 version). Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.808 indicated the reliability of the questionnaire as a measuring instrument for this study. The study revealed that lack of partnerships and networking with other social entrepreneurs, insufficient networking and partnership with corporate organizations, absence of networking and partnerships with government, and lack of platform use for social networking, affect social entrepreneurs’ activities. A chi-square test also revealed that all the tested variables were statistically significant, with a p-value = .000.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)L31, Q01
-
References77
-
Tables3
-
Figures0
-
- Table 1. Definitions of networking
- Table 2. Demographic information of surveyed social entrepreneurs
- Table 3. Frequency distribution, descriptive statistics, and chi-square statistics of the networking challenges
-
- Abi-Aad, G. (2015, August 16). Social media for social entrepreneurship. Entrepreneur Middle East.
- Acumen. (2015). Social enterprises and global corporations collaborating for growth with impact.
- Al Harrasi, N., Hakro, A. N., Srinivasan, V., Christina, B., & Al Jabri, M. (2022). Social media and entrepreneurship challenges in the Sultanate of Oman. Hong Kong Journal of Social Sciences, 58, 765-774.
- Assensoh-Kodua, A. (2016). Social purchasing and the influence of social networking: a conceptual view. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 11(3), 44-57.
- Atsan, N. (2019). Utilizing social networks in social entrepreneurship. In N. Iyigun (Ed.), Creating business value and competitive advantage with social entrepreneurship (pp. 233-250). IGI Global.
- Bandgar, B. M. (2014). The role of social network in recent era. International journal of research in computer science and management, 1(1), 22-26.
- Bansal, S., Garg, I., & Sharma, D. G. (2019). Social entrepreneurship as a part for social change and a driver for sustainable development: A systematic review and research agenda. Sustainability, 11(4), 1091.
- Barnard, H. (2019). From the editors: The social side of international business policy – mapping social entrepreneurship in South Africa. International Journal of Business Policy, 2, 1-8.
- Bhagwat, S., & Goutam, A. (2013). Development of social networking site and their role in business with special reference to Facebook. IOSR Journal of business and management, 6(5), 15-28.
- Bignotti, A., & Myres, K. (2022). A typology of social entrepreneuring models continued: Empirical evidence from South Africa. African Journal of Management, 8(3), 324-346.
- Bjärsholm, D. (2018). Networking as a cornerstone within the practice of social entrepreneurship in sport. European Sport Management Quarterly, 19(1), 120-137.
- Borgatti, S. P., & Ofem, B. (2010). Overview: Social network theory and analysis. In A. J. Daly (Ed.), The ties of change: Social network theory and application in education (pp. 17-29). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Press.
- Breytenbach, M. (2016, July 22). South Africa waking up to entrepreneurship, but coordinated strategy still lacking. Engineering news.
- Chimucheka, T., Chinyamurindi, W. T., & Dodd, N. (2019). The effects of the use of social networks on the performance of immigrant entrepreneurs operating SMEEs in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 25(4).
- Chipeta, E. M., Kruse, P., & Surujlal, J. (2020). Effects of gender on antecedents to social entrepreneurship among university students in South Africa. International Journal of Business and Management Studies, 12(1), 18-33.
- Chisholm, R. F. (1998). Developing network organizations: Learning from practice and theory. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
- Chukuakadibia, E. E., & Chijioke, O. (2018). The nexus of social capital, coping ability and employment creation in African immigrant-owned small businesses. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 16(3), 311-323.
- Coghlan, D. (2014). The SAGE encyclopedia of action research. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Cohen, N., & Arieli, T. (2011). Field research in conflict environments: Methodological challenges and snowball sampling. Journal of peace research, 48(4), 423-435.
- De Klerk, S. (2010). The importance of networking as a management skill. South African Journal on Business Management, 41(1), 37-49.
- Desta, N. T. (2015). Networking as a growth initiative for small and medium enterprises in South Africa. University of the Free State.
- Dodd, S. D., & Keles, J. (2014). Expanding the network of disadvantaged entrepreneurs. OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development.
- Dufays, F., & Huybrechts, B. (2014). Connecting the dots for social value: A review on social networks and social entrepreneurship. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, 5(2), 214-237.
- Dzomonda, O. (2021). Demystifying the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs in pursuit of their social mission in South Africa. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal (AEJ,) 27(4), 1-17.
- Fatoki, O., & Garwe, D. (2010). Obstacles to the growth of new SMEs in South Africa: A principal component analysis approach. African Journal of Business Management, 4(5), 729-738.
- Folmer, E., Nederveen, C., & Schutjens, V. (2018). Network importance and use: Commercial versus social enterprises. Social enterprise journal, 14(4), 470-490.
- Forret, M. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (2001). Correlates of networking behaviour for managerial and professional employees. Group & Organisation Management, 26(3), 283-311.
- Fubah, C. N., & Moss, M. (2022). Exploring COVID-19 challenges and coping mechanisms for SMEs in the South African entrepreneurial ecosystem. Sustainability, MDPI, 14(4), 1-20.
- Gigauri, I., & Damenia, N. (2020). Cooperation between social entrepreneur and government to develop solution to social problems. Business and economic research, 10(3), 116-136.
- Griffiths, M. D., Gundry, L. K., & Kickul, J. R. (2013). The socio-political, economic, and cultural determinants of social entrepreneurship activity: An empirical examination. Journal of small business and enterprise development, 20(2), 341-357.
- Hassan, H. M. K., Igel, B., & Shamsuddoha, M. (2022). Entrepreneurship Education and Social Entrepreneurial intentions: The mediating effects of entrepreneurial social network. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-12.
- Hope, B. (2022, April 6). How companies can benefit from working with social enterprises. Sustainability.
- Hosking, M. (2021, April 6). The importance of social entrepreneurship for economic regeneration in a post-Covid world. BizCommunity.
- International Labour Organization (ILO). (2013). The potential of non-profit organizations in the Free State Province to adapt a social enterprise approach.
- International Labour Organization (ILO). (2016). Access to finance for social entrepreneurs in South Africa.
- Islam, M. D. N., & Chitran, V. (2019). Social media and social entrepreneurship. In G. Bowen & W. Ozuem (Eds.), Leveraging Computer-Mediated Marketing Environments (pp. 104-123). IGI Global.
- Javed, A., Yasir, M., & Majid, A. (2019). Is social entrepreneurship a panacea for sustainable enterprise development? Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 13(1), 1-29.
- Kajiita, R. M., & Kang’ethe, S. M. (2020). The prospects of social entrepreneurship in South Africa: Lessons for social development practitioners. Journal of human ecology, 69(1-3), 95-106.
- Kasemsap, K. (2014). The role of social networking in global business environment. In P. Smith & T. Cockburn (Eds.), Impact of emerging digital technologies on leadership in global business (pp. 183-201). IGI Global.
- Kerrin, M., Mamabolo, A., Mugadza, N., & Jankelowitz, L. (2018). Social enterprises in South Africa. Discovering a vibrant sector. Gordon Institute of Business Sciences (GIBS), Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Government of Flanders and the SAB Foundation.
- Konrad, E. D. (2013). Cultural entrepreneurship: The impact of social networking on success, Creativity and innovation management, 22(3), 307-319.
- Lekhanya, L. M. (2013). The use of social media and social network as the promotional tool for rural Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises in KwaZulu-Natal. International journal of scientific and research publication, 3(7), 1-7.
- Littlewood, D., & Holt, D. (2018). Social entrepreneurship in South Africa: Exploring the influence of environment. Business & Society, 57(3), 525-561.
- Liu, U., Sidhu, A., Beacon, A. M., & Valente, T. W. (2017). Social network theory. In The international encyclopaedia of media effects (pp. 1-12).
- Lovasic, L., & Cooper, A. (2020). Creative and social enterprise in South Africa. British Council & DICE.
- Manello, A., Cisi, M., Devicienti, F., & Vannoni. D. (2020). Networking: a business for women. Small Business Economics, 55(2), 329-348.
- Mary, I. V. A. I., Anthuvan, L. V. M., & Christie, P. (2019). Networking for social enterprises: A quintessential aspect. International Journal of Research in Engineering, IT and Social Sciences, 9(01), 122-128.
- Masi, R. (2021). Social enterprise and the Malawian economy. Social Enterprise Academy.
- Matsimela, R. (2017). Social capital and the process of social innovation: A case study of technology-based social enterprises in South Africa. University of Witwatersrand.
- Mitra, C., & Borza, A. (2010). The role of corporate social responsibility in social entrepreneurship. Management & marketing challenges for knowledge society, 5(2), 63-76.
- Mitra, C., & Borza, A. (2012). Social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibilities. International business research, 5(2), 106-113.
- Moreno, C. N., & Agapitova, N. (2017a). Social Enterprise Ecosystem Country Profile South Africa. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
- Moreno, C. N., & Agapitova, N. (2017b). Emerging social enterprise ecosystem in East and Southern African countries. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
- Mthembu, A., & Barnard, B. (2019). Social entrepreneurship: Objectives, Innovation, Implementation and Impact on Entrepreneurship. Expert Journal of Business and Management, 7(1), 147-177.
- Nicolls, A., & Collavo, T. (2019). The concept of social entrepreneurship.
- Niño, A. C. S. (2015). Social entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility: Differences and points in common. Journal of business and economic policy, 2(2).
- Oprica, R. (2013). Social networking for social entrepreneurship. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, 92, 664-667.
- Park, J., Hwang, K., & Kim, S. J. (2018). Forming a social partnership between small social enterprises and a large corporation: A case of the joint platform, H-JUMP. Sustainability, 10(10), 3612.
- Písař, P., & Tomášková, A. (2020). The importance of social networks for the SMEs innovation potential in industry 4.0. Innovative Marketing, 16(3), 48-61.
- Prasetyo, P. E., Setyadharma, A., & Kistanti, N. R. (2021). The collaboration of social entrepreneurship and institution for sustainable regional development security. Open journal of business and management, 9(5), 2566-2590.
- Saebi, T., Foss, N. J., & Linder, S. (2019). Social entrepreneurship research: Past achievements and future promises. Journal of management, 45(1), 70-95.
- Sargenton, S. (2021, February 15). Business networking for social entrepreneurs. The Community Entrepreneur.
- Scuotto, V., Del Giudice, M., & Carayannis, E. G. (2017). The effects of social networking sites and absorptive capacity on SMES’ innovation performance. The Journal of Technology transfer, 42, 409-424.
- Seelos, C., & Mair, J. (2004). Social entrepreneurship the contributions of individual entrepreneurs to sustainable development (Working Paper No D/553). IESE Business School.
- Seelos, C., & Mair, J. (2005). Social entrepreneurship: Creating new business model to serve the poor. Business horizon, 48(3), 241-246.
- Sesale, E. L., & Seeletse, S. M. (2017). Marketing fortification of business through crowdfunding and social responsibility: focus on South African SMEs. Environmental Economics, 8(1), 18-25.
- Subrahmanyam, S. (2019). Social networking for entrepreneurship. International journal of Commerce and Management Research, 5(1), 117-122.
- Turkina, E. (2018). The importance of networking to entrepreneurship: Montreal’s artificial intelligence cluster and its born-global form element AI. Journal of small business & entrepreneurship, 30(1), 1-8.
- Urmanavičienė, A., Chantzi, K., & Tambari, B. (2021). Challenges of cross-sectional collaboration of social enterprises in Baltic states. European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy, 2(2), 59-75.
- Van Vuuren, J. J. (2022, January 12). Five of the most common challenges faced by South African entrepreneurs. GVI.
- Vijayann, M. (2013, May 23). Five social media tips for social entrepreneurs. The Guardian.
- Visser, K. (2011). Social Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Context, Relevance and Extent. Industry and Higher Education, 25(4), 233-247.
- Watters, K., Willington, L., Shutte, T., & Kruh, R. (2012). Social entrepreneurship – Individuals with vision hold unlimited potential to alleviate poverty: The UnLtd South Africa model. Towards Carnegie III Conference Paper.
- Weber, C., & Kratzer, J. (2013). Social entrepreneurship, social networks and social value creation: A quantitative analysis among social entrepreneurs. International Journal of Entrepreneurial venturing, 5(3), 217-239.
- Zakaras, T. (2021, December 29). Why companies partner with social enterprises. Resonance.
- Zhang, J. (2010). The problems of using social network in entrepreneurial resource acquisition. International small Business Journal, 28(4), 338-361.
- Zimmer, K., & Pearson, K. (2019). This is what is still holding social entrepreneurs back. World Economic Forum (WEF).