Thinking about developing business leadership for the post-COVID world

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of a successful model on how to prepare business students to be successful in a new, post-pandemic world that faces enormous social challenges.Design/methodology/approachThe article discusses the current business and social movements that suggest the relevance of social entrepreneurship and explain the pedagogical model developed at the Center for Nonprofits at Sacred Heart University.FindingsThe article suggests how this pedagogical model may provide students with the skills, attitudes and values required for successful social entrepreneurship processes.Research limitations/implicationsThe article presents the current picture which will undoubtedly change over time. Thus the context is time constrained. The article presents one model to develop leaders' skills. There are many other models and experiences that should be considered and evaluated.Practical implicationsThe case explains a key initiative that can help universities improve pedagogical tools on building students' social entrepreneurship skills and extend this impact to their success in the post-pandemic environment and impact on surrounding communities.Social implicationsThere is a growing need for business leaders to have sophisticated business skills and purpose beyond financial profit. The article looks at the dual roles of social entrepreneurs as a model for the leaders and the Nonprofit Center at Sacred Heart University to develop the skills of the future leaders.Originality/valueThe article presents a new vision of the skills necessary for a leader in today's environment. It draws from the literature on social entrepreneurship. It also presents one model that has been successful for 15 years and the pedagogical underpinnings of that model.

Recognising the regenerative impacts of Canadian women tourism social entrepreneurs through a feminist ethic of care lens

Purpose>The overarching aim of this project is to understand the role women tourism social entrepreneurs (TSEs) play in contributing to regenerative practices in Canada.Design/methodology/approach>Semi-structured interviews were carried out with women food TSEs with snowball sampling. This paper challenges the assumption that the masculine experience is the human experience. Accordingly, this research is informed by a feminist ethic of care lens to recognise the important role of Canadian women TSEs. Methodologically, the authors employed the strategies of a constructivist grounded theory to guide the analysis (Charmaz, 2011). This process involved carefully engaging in a close line by line reading of the transcripts, developing codes based on the authors’ dealings with the data including summarising, synthesising and sorting the data (Charmaz, 2011).Findings>The analysis revealed three categories: (1) Adopting a regenerative mindset and enhancing well-being, (2) Supporting the consumption of real food and (3) Educating communities for regenerative and just futures. The analysis revealed the importance of women TSEs in adopting a regenerative and caring mindset to enhance the well-being of their communities and beyond.Research limitations/implications>The study focusses on the learnings from 11 entrepreneurs from Canada. There is a scope to expand the discussion with more interviews. The impact of this pandemic on the small businesses resulted in affecting the researchers’ participation by presenting some unique challenges in participant recruitment. Maybe the studies in the near future will focus on grounding the research papers based on other sexual orientations and indigenous social entrepreneurs.Practical implications>The authors hope future studies centre diversity and attend to the role of women in their communities to better under the diverse contributions. The work presented here is part of a broader study on the role and impact of women TSEs and so only reveals the tip of the Canadian iceberg. Forthcoming studies will attend to some of the gender-specific barriers faced by women TSEs and the supports required particularly in the wake of COVID-19. The authors hope other scholars continue to build on this work, adopting feminist approaches to enhance our understanding of the role women play in contributing to just, caring and regenerative futures.Social implications>Contributing to Higgins-Desbiolles and Monga's (2021) in-depth case study using an ethic of care to examine an Australian events business supporting homeless individuals, the analysis of the 11 in-depth interviews with Canadian TSE provides evidence of alternative ways women are delivering social value. Using an ethic of care lens has elicited the impacts created by the informants and the ripple effects particularly in light of regenerative practices which are crucial in the tourism sector as borders and destinations reopen to tourism as noted by Ateljevic (2020).Originality/value>There are few studies in the tourism social entrepreneurship literature that recognise the agency and centres the vocies of women. Kimbu and Ngoasong (2016) made a call for more research to understand how women engage in social entrepreneurial activities and benefit their local communities. There are limited analyses on regenerative tourism in practice in the scholarly literature. To respond to this gap the authors examine the regenerative practices of women TSEs in Canada.

Thinking about developing business leadership for the post-COVID world

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of a successful model on how to prepare business students to be successful in a new, post-pandemic world that faces enormous social challenges. Design/methodology/approach: The article discusses the current business and social movements that suggest the relevance of social entrepreneurship and explain the pedagogical model developed at the Center for Nonprofits at Sacred Heart University. Findings: The article suggests how this pedagogical model may provide students with the skills, attitudes and values required for successful social entrepreneurship processes. Research limitations/implications: The article presents the current picture which will undoubtedly change over time. Thus the context is time constrained. The article presents one model to develop leaders’ skills. There are many other models and experiences that should be considered and evaluated. Practical implications: The case explains a key initiative that can help universities improve pedagogical tools on building students' social entrepreneurship skills and extend this impact to their success in the post-pandemic environment and impact on surrounding communities. Social implications: There is a growing need for business leaders to have sophisticated business skills and purpose beyond financial profit. The article looks at the dual roles of social entrepreneurs as a model for the leaders and the Nonprofit Center at Sacred Heart University to develop the skills of the future leaders. Originality/value: The article presents a new vision of the skills necessary for a leader in today's environment. It draws from the literature on social entrepreneurship. It also presents one model that has been successful for 15 years and the pedagogical underpinnings of that model. © 2021, Stephen M. Brown and Martha Crawford.

Values in the time of a pandemic: a study of social entrepreneurial values against the backdrop of COVID-19

This paper attempts to identify the set of values that social entrepreneurs deem most vital for their leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and captures their experience in mitigating various adversities regarding their financial and social mission obligations. It incorporates in-depth semi structured interviews and values Q sort analysis of 21 Indian social entrepreneurs. The findings underscore a set of espoused values that social entrepreneurs share and its interaction with the complex challenges they encounter. It also brings out the tension renascent in social entrepreneurship conceptualisation and reflects in the values' hierarchy, where social entrepreneurs strive to balance performance-oriented values with pro-social values in order to survive and maintain their social mission. The authors have also integrated the concept of Apad Dharma espoused in the Mahabharata to understand how the social entrepreneurs respond to various challenges.

SUSTAINABILITY OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN THE POST-PANDEMIC WORLD:BUSINESS LESSONS LEARNED

Social entrepreneurship gradually becomes a priority choice for international organizations, financial partners and other players on the market in terms of investment and doing business while achieving a social purpose. Covid-19 has increased the recognition of social entrepreneurs as advocates for change which contribute to the mitigation of the impact of the pandemic and the increased efforts to build back better towards a resilient recovery. However, social enterprises need a conducive business environment to thrive and fulfil their potential. The business dimension is one of the key factors for development of social entrepreneurship. The business environment in which social enterprises operate is a transversal topic in terms of policy, stakeholders and social outcomes. Conducive business environment fosters early entrepreneurial activity and access and engagement of social entrepreneurs on the market which present the prerequisite for development of the sector. This paper presents the results related to the business dimension from broader holistic research of the macro-environment conducted in the period October - December 2019 and a follow up a year later. Qualitative methodology was used, through conducting interviews with social entrepreneurs and key stakeholders, combined with document analysis to provide an insight into the business challenges and needs of social enterprises in North Macedonia. The evidence showed that access to market and funding, room for innovation, collaboration with the business sector and lack of public and customer recognition are some of the crucial issues for the development of social entrepreneurship in the country. The country's current business scenery is not enabling for traditional businesses which makes it even more perplexing for social enterprises. Social enterprises need conducive policies that facilitate business operations, but also empower intersectoral partnerships and collaboration.

Restoring the medical supply Chain from below: The role of social entrepreneurship in the production of face masks during the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic affected societies worldwide, compromising socio-technical systems across geographical, judicial, and administrative borders. It therefore a cross-border, transboundary crisis. It also exposed the global medical supply chain's vulnerability. Authorities' inability to restore it quickly caused serious problems in crisis response, but private initiatives provided unexpected bottom-up solutions. How social entrepreneurs respond to a crisis alongside the formal crisis governance system and generate resources related to product development and logistics deserves more attention. We therefore present a case study about a Dutch social enterprise (Refugee Company) engaged with the cross-border dimension of the COVID-19 crisis. We show it is possible to establish a supply chain and domestically produce personal protection equipment using a bottom-up approach. Policy and crisis governance should not overlook the potential of entrepreneurial activities to strengthen supply chains during crises, as they make supply chains more sustainable and crisis-resilient. © 2021 Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM. All rights reserved.