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This paper seeks to contribute to understanding of the factors associated with an effective emergent emergency response organisation and to provide new insights into this understudied area. It examines, through an analysis of a range of textual resources, the emergence and re-emergence of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) during the devastating earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2010-11. This evaluation is conducted in relation to the four key features of an effective emergency response organisation: adaptability; direction; leadership; and communication. In addition, the paper aims to further understanding of 'emergency entrepreneurship' and thus of the values and strategies that underpin social entrepreneur organisations in times of normalcy. The paper concludes that the unique position of the SVA as a 'repeat emergent' emergency response organisation enabled it to innovate continually and to improve repeatedly its systems, relationships, and image, such that it exhibited features common to emergent and established emergency response organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the first evaluation processes on how nations and regions have interpreted and specified the smart specialization strategy, this paper applies the lens of evolutionary economic theory to interpret the causes of the lock-in mechanisms in learning processes that seem to prevail in most regions. The paper elaborates the notion of regional learning paradigms and trajectories to interpret evolution in the way innovation occurs in regions. By identifying the sources of path-dependence in regional learning paradigms and trajectories, the paper explains the difficulties faced by regions in ‘jumping’ on a new paradigm/trajectory and initiating an explorative entrepreneurial discovery process. Once the reasons for lock-in are highlighted, the paper advances some suggestions on possible adjustments to the design of a smart specialization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract Definitions are important! They are composed of words that express what people think. Despite numerous efforts to bring about a clear and unbiased definition of social entrepreneurship, there is still confusion as how social entrepreneurship should be defined. The objective of this paper is not to state a novel definition, this means not to "push out", but rather to "pull in" together to better understand what the scholars are talking about through their own social entrepreneurship (SE) definitions. In doing so, we contribute to the literature by synthesizing and analysing the SE definitions to better understand the field. To do so, a combination of methods was used: systematic review to reach the articles proposing definitions and memetic analysis to understand the content of the definitions by analysing their memes. From the analysis, three main categories were considered: entity types, entrepreneurial opportunities and intentions/promises. Future research lines and implications are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability-oriented organizations have typically adopted governance approaches that undertake community participation and collaboration through multistakeholder arrangements. Documented challenges of this model are associated with collaboration and institutional capacity, and include reactive accountability structures, inability to reach consensus, funding limitations, and lack of innovation. Social entrepreneurship is a model used successfully in other social sectors; yet, it has rarely been explored by sustainability-oriented organizations. Nevertheless, research in other sectors has found that social entrepreneurship models of governance can encourage diverse participation from a wide range of social groups. In this paper we consider the value of social entrepreneurship for sustainability-oriented organizations by examining whether it can help address governance-related challenges associated with collaboration and institutional capacity. Analysis of organizational documents and participant interviews in three biosphere reserves in Atlantic Canada revealed that, over time, these organizations have struggled to maintain their mission objectives, retain productivity, and respond to economic stress. By examining social entrepreneurship theory and its practice in a biosphere reserve in northern Quebec, we learned that social entrepreneurship strategies more effectively target values and expertise, encourage meaningful engagement, foster strategic direction, and promote diversified and stable funding models than the stakeholder models explored. We determined there are opportunities to develop hybrid governance models that offer the benefits of social entrepreneurship while addressing the procedural concerns outlined by the stakeholder model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across health and social service sectors internationally there has been a rapid uptake of social entrepreneurship (SE) as a model for developing innovative and scalable interventions. However, much less is known about its utility and use in mental health services. This paper employs a scoping review and qualitative interviews with 27 leading social entrepreneurs working in mental health to assess the uptake of SE in the literature and to articulate this concept for mental health. The findings suggested both the potential of SE as a frame for advancing services and a paucity of research into specific processes and impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Western world, social enterprises are increasingly seen by governments and non-government agencies as important for addressing social and economic exclusion, and for providing much-needed services to disadvantaged people and places. But in order to fulfil expectations, social enterprises seem to be turning more and more to mainstream business practices, thereby putting at risk the very characteristics that distinguish them from conventional businesses. In this paper, I ask whether social enterprises have to follow a business-as-usual approach or whether there are other economic practices they can draw on to achieve their social (and environmental) ambitions. To do this, I examine two Australian initiatives that operate in economically novel ways; I argue that these enterprises demonstrate the variety of largely untapped economic innovations that can be used to build viable social enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work integration social enterprises (WISE) are under pressure in two different regards. On the one hand, they have to participate in the market and compete with other firms, ensuring that they are sustainable in terms of prices, costs and quality. On the other hand, they endeavour to offer a means of social integration through employment. WISE must therefore show their efficiency from both an economic and a social perspective, justifying their usefulness and legitimacy to all the social actors. In order to be seen as socially legitimate they must do more than simply abide by the legal regulations; they must resort to accountability tools that provide greater transparency and responsibility than any other market entity. This paper presents an accountability model based on our experience with Aragonese WISE, theories of accountability in NPOs and a review of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]