• WHAT IS THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR?

I believe that the primary driver of the social entrepreneur is the interest of making a difference and finding innovative solutions to social problems such as global warming, natural resources conservation, pollution, and water or food shortages.

 

• SHOULD A GREEN OR CLEANTECH VENTURES BE CLASSIFIED AS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE? IF SO, WHY?

I think green or cleantech ventures should be classified as social enterprise as long as they are concerned about social problems and as long as they are doing something about it. Since green ventures do care about social problems such as global warming, pollution and natural resource conversation, I think they should be considered social enterprise; these ventures are trying to minimize and avoid damage to the environment.

 

• WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEGATIVES OF FORMING THE SOCIAL VENTURE AS A NONPROFIT?

Some of the negatives of forming the social venture as a nonprofit is that  there is a limited potential that can be developed. The venture unfortunately would have to rely on other sources to perform, if the social venture lacks of these resources (such as volunteering, government help,  etc) it will not be able to support itself unless it is funded by the founder of the venture. Another negative to this is even if the  social entrepreneur is willing to fund and sustain the social venture with his/her own money, unfortunately, he/she wouldn’t be able to benefit or get some money back if the nonprofit  are sold or stops operations because the money from the venture would have to go into another nonprofit.

 

• WHY DO STAKEHOLDERS VIEW THE SOCIAL VENTURE DIFFERENTLY FROM A TRADITIONAL VENTURE?

I believe that stakeholders view the social venture differently from a traditional venture because the venture is not focused on their own benefit or success but they are focused on finding innovative solutions to society’s most social problems not necessarily on making wealth for them. So, stakeholders view the social venture as a “change agent” that can make a difference and impact the world for better not as a primary way of making a living or money for themselves.

 

• WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GROWTH CHALLENGES OF A SOCIAL VENTURE?

Some of the growth challenges that a social venture faces is how to manage their team and how to keep them satisfied and motivated.  If the employee feels to be more of a follower than an employee, there is a risk that at some point of the growth period, the employee might feel like the company is losing its mission and the company must make sure that there is good communication and that employees don’t feel betrayed but are aware of the important function they play in the company.  The company have to decide whether it would be better to hire   “passionate employees who are likely to be true believers in the social goal of the venture” or just hire someone who wants the job. The challenge is that the communication must be efficient with all of its members and the mission must keep clear and consistent.