This study investigates whether and how the pursuit of certain commercial business practices such as market orientation and market disruptiveness capability improves both the economic performance and social performance of social enterprises. Based on the empirical data collected from 164 UK social enterprises, our results show that market orientation improves social performance and economic performance simultaneously, whereas market disruptiveness capability improves only the economic performance, not the social performance, of social enterprises. However, we found a positive interaction effect of market disruptiveness capability and market orientation on social performance, while its effect is negative on economic performance.

Increasingly, social enterprises are relying on collaboration with partners to tackle the resource constraints that they face. In this research we focus on the strategy of bricolage to explore whether and how the different types of partner becoming involved may impact on the mission of social enterprises. Grounded in resource dependency and transaction cost theories, we explore how power asymmetry and the nature of involvement may impact on the outcomes of bricolage. Our findings demonstrate that in the more integrated relationships with high power asymmetry, more instances of mission drift might be observed compared to when social enterprises develop the more collaborative or complementary nature of partnerships with symmetrical power dependency, or when the partners' involvements are mainly transaction-based.

This research aims to understand how resource bricolage strategy plays a role in the growth of social enterprises in terms of their product and market. Based on interviews with nine social enterprises, our exploratory finding suggests that social enterprises often employ both internal and network resources in the process of making do. We further explore the relationship between the form of resource utilisation and the nature and scope of activities that the social enterprises embark upon, and find that only those relying on both internal and network bricolage are able to expand into new markets utilising newly developed products. We also find that social enterprises relying on only internal resources can reach the same point through incremental improvisation, by first moving towards either product extension or market expansion, before then embarking on the other. This research contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature by enhancing our understanding of the relationship between resource bricolage strategy and growth of social enterprises through product/ market scope in a penurious environment. The findings of this research also have implications for social enterprise managers and policy makers in utilising their resources and responding to environmental opportunities and challenges.

War and conflict brings about adverse changes for those who are displaced. How do entrepreneurial individuals respond to such adversity to either setup , or continue with their existing entrepreneurial endeavours that would improve their own livelihood or that of others who have been affected? Whilst previous studies have found local knowledge, networks and resources to be crucial in the development of ventures in the war and conflict context, alienation from mainstream society within the host location often means that to succeed, those who are displaced require alternative strategies and approaches. Through examining the entrepreneurship ventures of six internally displaced entrepreneurs in Pakistan, our study identifies that entrepreneurial individuals find different ways to adapt to the new order, with both internal and external bricolage becoming the key strategies deployed to either re-establish their previous business(es) or to develop new endeavour(s) in the host location. To compensate for lack of local knowledge, networks and resources, we found that entrepreneurs followed closely their previous paths in their bricolage attempts, relying on reconfigurations of their preexisting competencies, as well as utilising pre-established and clandestine networks.

Purpose -The purpose of this study is to examine whether being female increases the probability that an individual feels difficulty in obtaining finance is a barrier to starting a business. The study aims to extend this to examine if a pure gender effect exists or whether it is the interaction of gender with demographic, economic and perceptual characteristics that plays the most important role in the perception of financial constraint. Design/methodology/approach -The data within this study are drawn from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) adult population survey between 2005 and 2007. The first stage of the study splits male and female respondents into separate sub-samples and runs individual regressions on each portion of the sample. The second stage of the study combines the male and female portions of the sample to directly examine the differences in perceived financial constraint between genders. Findings -The findings suggest that a greater proportion of women are solely constrained by financial barriers than their male counterparts. The gender of the respondent was also found to interact with a number of other personal characteristics in a significant manner. Practical implications -This finding suggests that policymakers should be encouraged to market the availability of start-up finance from various sources to encourage women to attempt to obtain the necessary finance rather than being discouraged at the first hurdle. Originality/value -Although actual financial barriers faced by female entrepreneurs have been extensively studied, this is one of the first studies to focus on the concept of perceived financial constraints faced by potential female entrepreneurs.