Early Challenges of Nascent Social Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 37(5), 1045-1069, 2013
47 Pages Posted: 1 Sep 2012 Last revised: 29 Nov 2017
Date Written: April 1, 2012
Abstract
Social entrepreneurs are celebrated as transformational leaders whose accomplishments create opportunities for those less fortunate. However, little is known about the early stages of social enterprise development. This study focuses on how a nascent entrepreneur's prosocial motivation affects the progress in building a new venture. Results show that prosocial motivation decreases the likelihood of firm emergence within a 4-year follow-up period, and even more so when the product offering of the emerging venture is new to the markets. These findings are discussed in the light of previous research on prosocial motivation, social entrepreneurship, market novelty, and nascent entrepreneurship.
Keywords: social entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurship, nascent entrepreneurs
JEL Classification: M13
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