Elements Analysis for Social Entrepreneurship: Theoric Contributions

Social entrepreneurship is a theme that emerged from the empirical framework for scientific framework. It has record that social enterprises have been recognized in the empirical framework, approximately in the 1960s, but in the scientific framework has been recognized and discussed this issue only from the 1990s. Since then, discussions on social entrepreneurship has grown in the literature, but it is believed that there is still no clear and objective conceptualization of the term, making it difficult for the empirical framework to recognize and understand a social enterprise. Therefore this study aims to propose characteristic analysis for social entrepreneurship in order to contribute to the advancement of literature. It can be seen that social entrepreneurship in the scientific community, need to create patterns and limits that characterize effectively in the literature. There are theoretical perspectives that link four categories to distinguish a social entrepreneur of a traditional entrepreneur: a) are driven by a social mission; b) act in an entrepreneurial way in the face of social problems; c) take innovative actions; and, d) manage the financially independent companies. However it is understood that not only these features define a social enterprise. Such definitions can lead to understanding only some configurations of social undertakings, leaving aside other wide range of companies that generate social change, and in fact are born with this goal, but which do not constitute the basis of these considerations. As scientific method of inductive research will be adopted. As it proposes the analysis of characteristic elements for setting up social enterprises. Since the authors are research subjects and, the approach will be configured as qualitative. The objective of the research is descriptive, exploratory and propositional in order to draw up the existing contexts and also bring to the notice new factors that need to be explored. It is understood that social entrepreneurship has a more urgent need than to create or define a clear and logical concept for the term, which is the practical and effective action in a community with specific needs, for its early social transformation. This paper believes that social entrepreneurship cannot and need not have a clear concept and goal, however needs characteristic elements that constitute an undertaking to be social. While making a clear and timely analysis of an enterprise through proposed characteristic features, it is possible to have clarity to your model. It is noteworthy that there is still much confusion between the terms social responsibility, social business, social impact business and social entrepreneurship, in common sense. Mainly because his likeness is not only in name but also in the effective action in society. Therefore, rather than proposing concepts, it is understood that a proposition of characteristic elements is very important for the scientific and academic community but also for the whole society.