Alex Nicholls

The Legitimacy of Social Entrepreneurship: Reflexive Isomorphism in a Pre-Paradigmatic Field

Following Kuhn, this article conceptualizes social entrepreneurship as a field of action in a pre–paradigmatic state that currently lacks an established epistemology. Using approaches from neo–institutional theory, this research focuses on the microstructures of legitimation that characterize the development of social entrepreneurship in terms of its key actors, discourses, and emerging narrative logics. This analysis suggests that the dominant discourses of social entrepreneurship represent legitimating material for resource–rich actors in a process of reflexive isomorphism. Returning to Kuhn, the article concludes by delineating a critical role for scholarly research on social entrepreneurship in terms of resolving conflicting discourses within its future paradigmatic development.

Strategic options in fair trade retailing

Notes that there has been a significant increase in the market for fair trade products in the UK over the past five years. Provides a definition of fair trade and goes on to set a context for the expansion of this market by examining the key drivers behind it, particularly noting the growth of ethical consumerism as a contributory factor. Develops the ethical strategy matrix, outlining the strategic options open to retailers for addressing this increase in ethical consumerism. It is argued that addressing the fair trade market in the UK offers retailers not only the opportunity to develop their profile in terms of corporate social responsibility, but also a chance to develop a competitive advantage in a new niche market. Recasts Strong’s marketing analysis of the difficulties of translating fair trade principles into actual purchase behaviour into an operational context and proposes solutions to the issues raised.

The Institutionalization of Social Investment: The Interplay of Investment Logics and Investor Rationalities

Abstract Across the world, a new landscape of social investment has been developing rapidly over the last 10–15 years, yet there has not been an academic study of the phenomenon to date. This paper aims to address this important gap in social entrepreneurship research with new empirical and theoretical work. Theoretically, the paper takes an interpretive approach drawing on institutional theory and other work on the sociology of markets to conceptualize social investment as a socially constructed space within which different investment logics and investor rationalities are currently in play. Using a Weberian analytic lens this paper identifies two ideal type investor rationalities (zweckrational; wertrational) that drive different institutional forms of social investment but also suggests that a third – systemic – rationality can be discerned that combines aspects of both in practice. This analysis suggests a three-part typology of social investment organized according to investor rationality that, in turn, generates a Social Investment Matrix consisting of nine distinct models. Empirically, this paper presents – for the first time – an attempt to quantify the flows of capital within the inchoate social investment landscape. The paper concludes by setting out three possible future scenarios for social investment each representing the ultimate dominance of a singular investor rationality.

Purchase decision‐making in fair trade and the ethical purchase ‘gap’: ‘is there a fair trade twix?’

Children are increasingly being recognised as a significant force in the retail market place, as primary consumers, influencers of others, and as future customers. This paper adds to the literature on children as consumers by exploring their attitudinal responses to a specific group of products: Fair Trade lines. There has been no research to date that has specifically addressed children as consumers of Fair Trade or the ethical purchase decision‐making process in this area. The methodological approach taken here is an essentially interpretive and naturalistic analysis of two focus groups of school children. The analysis found that there is an urgent need to develop meaningful Fair Trade brands that combine strong brand knowledge and positive brand images to bridge the ethical purchase gap between the formation of clear ethical attitudes and actual ethical purchase behaviour. Such an approach would both capture more of the childrens primary market and influence future purchase behaviour. It is argued that Fair Trade actors should coordinate new marketing communications campaigns that build brand knowledge structures holistically around the Fair Trade process and that extend beyond merely raising consumer awareness.Children are increasingly being recognised as a significant force in the retail market place, as primary consumers, influencers of others, and as future customers. This paper adds to the literature on children as consumers by exploring their attitudinal responses to a specific group of products: Fair Trade lines. There has been no research to date that has specifically addressed children as consumers of Fair Trade or the ethical purchase decision-making process in this area. The methodological approach taken here is an essentially interpretive and naturalistic analysis of two focus groups of school children. The analysis found that there is an urgent need to develop meaningful Fair Trade brands that combine strong brand knowledge and positive brand images to bridge the ethical purchase gap between the formation of clear ethical attitudes and actual ethical purchase behaviour. Such an approach would both capture more of the children’s primary market and influence future purchase behaviour. It is argued that Fair Trade actors should coordinate new marketing communications campaigns that build brand knowledge structures holistically around the Fair Trade process and that extend beyond merely raising consumer awareness.

The Child-Parent Purchase Relationship: Pester Power, Human Rights and Retail Ethics

This paper explores the role of the child in modern consumption in terms of rights and responsibilities, particularly focussing on the child–parent purchase relationship. Two new models of this relationship are presented that integrate elements of post-modern marketing theory and ethics thinking. The paper concludes with a survey of leading UK retailers that market to children that provides an operational context for the overall discussion and allows recommendations to be made that enhance the childrens shopping experience in both a commercially viable and ethically sound fashion.

Rediscovering consumer-producer involvement - A network perspective on Fair Trade marketing

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the value of a network perspective in enhancing the understanding of the business to consumer marketing of high‐involvement product categories. This is achieved through the analysis of the development of fair trade marketing in the UK.Design/methodology/approach – The paper addresses the research question through an analysis of relevant literatures from both marketing and other disciplinary areas. The paper is thus multidisciplinary in nature. Findings from a series of in depth, semi‐structured interviews with senior representatives of a fair trade wholesaler, of a specialist fair trade brand, of supermarket retailers involved with fair trade and of other fair trade labelling and support organisations are reported and discussed.Findings – The relevance of an actor network theory (ANT) informed interpretation of the development of the fair trade marketing network is revealed. Its emphases on the processes of exchange and the role of human and non‐human actants in ena...

The Nature of Social Innovation

Historical analyses of macro-level innovation across the developed economies often identify a series of waves of technological change, typically starting with the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century (Kondratiev, 1998; Alexander, 2001; Moulaert, 2009). Each wave is usually presented as distinct from what came before, but also as sharing particular economic and social outcomes.

Social Entrepreneurship: Definitions, Drivers and Challenges

Despite widespread acknowledgement that social entrepreneurship and social enterprise remain highly contextual –and, therefore, contestable– notions which can be interpreted in various ways depending on the ideology and the goals of the institutions championing them (Dart 2004; Dey & Steyaert 2010; Nicholls 2010c), there are common features upon which most scholars and commentators can agree. This chapter aims to capture the essence of what social entrepreneurship is and also of what it is not. The chapter is structured as follows. The following section examines the concept of social entrepreneurship and reviews a number of definitions in order to highlight common features. Then, social entrepreneurship is compared with, and differentiated from, related –but distinctive– concepts. After this, the fourth section looks at the origins and drivers of social entrepreneurship in an historical perspective. Finally, this chapter concludes by suggesting a number of challenges for practice, policy and research in this field.

The Social Finance and Social Innovation Nexus 1

Abstract Social innovation will be essential for addressing todays complex social and ecological challenges. Social entrepreneurs involved in the generation and implementation of innovative endeavours have repeatedly pointed to the critical need for financial support. However, mainstream financial institutions and practices have tended to marginalize both the social entrepreneurs and the individuals and communities who may benefit the most from a variety of social innovations, largely due to perceived risks associated with return on investment. Significant barriers and disincentives exist within current mainstream economic structures despite a growing interest and willingness of some individuals and organizations capable of channelling private capital into innovative social and environmental products or processes. This article provides a conceptual framework for bridging social innovation theory and social finance practices in order to develop an improved understanding of the conditions most conducive to the success of social finance and social innovation.

Social finance and crowdfunding for social enterprises: a public–private case study providing legitimacy and leverage

The authors work closely with academia and governmental organizations in the UK and abroad to develop new, innovative schemes for social impact investing. Such schemes include considerations for public–private collaborations, legislative actions, and especially in this case, for the leveraged use of public and philanthropic funds in Crowdfunding (CF). The relatively new phenomenon of CF can not only provide necessary funds for the social enterprises, it may also lead to a higher legitimacy of these through early societal interaction and participation. This legitimacy can be understood as a strong positive signal for further investors. Governmental tax-reliefs and guarantees from venture-philanthropic funds provide additional incentives for investment and endorse future scaling by leveraging additional debt-finance from specialized social banks. This case study identifies idiosyncratic hurdles to why an efficient social finance market has yet to be created and examines a schema as a case of how individual players’ strengths and weaknesses can be balanced out by a concerted action. The paper discusses the necessary actions, benefits and implications for the involved actors from the public, private and third sector.