Social Enterprise and the Capability Approach: Exploring How Social Enterprises Are Humanizing Business

ABSTRACT

This mixed-method empirical study applies the capability approach, a multidimensional framework for evaluating human development, to survey 115 social enterprises on their social activities. Findings reveal that social enterprises create services and programs that seek to meet an average of three types of human needs and are more likely to target some human needs more than others. Research implications include the creation of a model and a tool for applying the capability approach to examine social value creation in social businesses. Findings contribute to practice by introducing a tool that leaders of social organizations, consultants, or training institutions may use to design the social activities of social enterprises and other social businesses and organizations.

KEYWORDS:

• Social enterprise
• capability approach
• social value
• humanize business

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Rutgers University-Camden Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for funding this research by granting me a dissertation fellowship. Thank you to Dr. Lorraine Minnite, Dr. Adam Okuylicz-Kozaryn, and Dr. Robyne Stevenson for serving on my dissertation committee.

Disclosure statement

This manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication anywhere else.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Rutgers University-Camden Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Dissertation Fellowship.