- Title
- Social entrepreneurship and the tensions between social, environmental, and business goals: a case of Uganda
- Creator
- Okello, Emmanuel
- ThesisAdvisor
- Mohapeloa, Matshediso Masantho Elizabeth
- Subject
- Social entrepreneurship Uganda
- Subject
- Climatic changes Uganda
- Subject
- Social responsibility of business Uganda
- Subject
- Sustainable development Uganda
- Subject
- Environmental responsibility Uganda
- Date
- 2023-10-13
- Type
- Academic theses
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419662
- Identifier
- vital:71664
- Description
- Climate change has resulted in a global environmental crisis, with deforestation, plastic pollution, soil degradation, and species extinction increasing. Businesses have contributed significantly to these issues through their manufacturing processes. While many companies have implemented sustainability initiatives, systemic environmental problems persist, and businesses continue to play a significant role. One reason for this is that profit often takes priority over environmental considerations, limiting the effectiveness of sustainability programs. In response, environmental social enterprises are gaining prominence as a potent alternative to conventional business models. These enterprises are commended for placing environmental value generation at their core. Nevertheless, the simultaneous pursuit of financial, socio-economic, and environmental goals can instigate conflicts, including those related to performing, organizing, belonging, learning, and those spanning various levels of analysis. These conflicts impede the intended outcomes of these enterprises. This challenge is particularly under-addressed within contexts distinct from North America and Europe, like Uganda, which possesses unique geographic, political, and cultural attributes. Investigating how environmental social enterprises in Uganda navigate goal-related contradictions is pivotal for comprehending their internal mechanisms and strategies for economic sustainability. This study adopted a qualitative research strategy grounded in the interpretivist paradigm. Employing multi-qualitative methods, including interviews with 20 key decision-makers from 4 environmental social enterprises, the study delved into their experiences and practices. The findings revealed that these enterprises grapple with tensions stemming from their endeavors to balance economic, environmental, and social objectives. These tensions manifest both anticipated and unanticipated effects on organizational performance. Strategies for managing these tensions encompass collaborations with other organizations, experimentation with diverse management approaches, and acknowledging tensions as inherent and potentially beneficial. Nevertheless, the efficacy of these strategies hinges on the organizational context and systemic factors such as government regulations. While facing similar tensions, environmental social enterprises also adopt varied tactics—proactive, defensive, or a combination thereof—to address conflicts rooted in their goals. The chosen response method holds implications for ecological outcomes, underscoring the importance of framing tensions appropriately. Nonetheless, persistent tensions that resurface due to their dynamic nature pose a challenge. Consequently, addressing such tensions necessitates an iterative approach, often entailing a fusion of strategies. To address tensions between social, environmental, and economic objectives in environmental social enterprises, policymakers, governments, and social entrepreneurs should collaborate to institute supportive policies, encourage partnerships, invest in education and capacity building, and establish evaluation frameworks. Implementing these recommendations can adeptly manage such conflicts, fostering sustainable development and success.
- Description
- Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2023
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (263 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Okello, Emmanuel
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | OKELLO-MCOM-TR23-55.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |