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The effect of altruism on social entrepreneurship

Tietmeyer, Raphael (2015) The effect of altruism on social entrepreneurship.

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Abstract:In recent years, the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship has gained more importance in modern society. So far, literature remains ambiguous whether social entrepreneurship might be triggered by altruism. However, no empirical evidence for this relationship exists. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between social entrepreneurship and altruism by means of a quantitative study. Based on literature, this paper identified the antecedents of social entrepreneurship. In order to provide empirical data to investigate the relationship between the level of altruism in a society and the percentage of people involved in Social Entrepreneurship in a country, a cross-sectional study across 49 countries was done through a combination of several datasets. No significant relationship between the total level of altruism and the percentage of people involved in social entrepreneurship was found. However, the results showed a significant correlation between the percentage of the population of a country that indicates to help a stranger and the percentage of people involved in new SE in a country. Moreover, the study showed that altruism is positively related to the total revenue in a country created in social entrepreneurship and is positively related to the the social orientation of a social enterprise in a country. The results do not confirm all assumed relations derived from literature concerning the relationship between altruism and social entrepreneurship activity. However, it can be said that altruism appears to be related to the revenue created in SE as well as the social orientation in SE. Researchers need to take altruism into account when investigating SE. Also, social entrepreneurs, or people considering to start a social enterprise should reflect on their altruistic behavior and put it into the context of their business. In addition to this, the research is especially valuable for managers who consider to engage in social entrepreneurship in a country with a lower altruism score, since they might need to evaluate their decision with respect to the altruism. Also, governmental institutions from low-altruism countries might consider stimulating altruism through teaching it in their country.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:International Business Administration BSc (50952)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/67394
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