Social Entreprenurism Case Study 2 - Coursework Example

For example, laws are passed to deter cases of unfair treatment to employees while numerous organizations examine the business operations of a company in relation to environmental preservation, use of non-hazardous raw materials, and what not. It is through the marriage of these two ‘formerly contradictory’ concepts that social entrepreneurship came to existence. As such, some of the key issues that social entrepreneurship confronts are as follows: (1) how important are social values in the formation of a company’s business strategy? and (2) how do these values guide the overall operations of a company—specifically, in the way it manages its external publics?

These questions will be answered through a critical examination of the case assigned—Ibrahim Abouleish’s Sekem. In the end, this paper aims to reinforce its thesis that the proper integration of social values into the business operations of a social enterprise lies in the adoption of an ‘innovation strategy’. According to Leadbeater (2007),“a social enterprise offers a new way to do business that is animated by a social purpose” (p. 2). Unlike a normal business enterprise that measures its success through the attainment of its set objectives (whether sales growth, market expansion, operational efficiency, or brand building), a social enterprise assesses its success by the positive social impacts it has contributed to the society.

As further commented by Leadbeater (2007), “many social enterprises, however, internalise their social mission as they make it central to the way they operate” (p. 3). In this regard, profit-maximization is regarded as a tool to further the enterprise’s social goals. Going back to the case study, it could be claimed that Sekem’s foundation was built around the goal of sustainable human development. Its values, therefore, are rooted on the goal of being able to contribute to the comprehensive development of the