Purpose – This paper aims to explore how social capital is leveraged in social innovations to overcome resource constraints. The paper reports on the findings from an exploratory study on the social innovation process within Indian social entrepreneurial ventures (SEVs) developed in a resource constrained environment. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts an interpretive case study approach to investigating social innovation that enables researchers to identify the cultural contexts within which social entrepreneurship emerges. Views of the social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs were gathered through semi-structured interviews and observations. Findings – Findings of the study demonstrated that there are distinctive stages of the social innovation process. The stages of the process are initial phase: emergence of a social idea for a venture; development phase: building the social venture; and scaling phase: growing the social venture. These stages of the process lead to the identification of social needs as social entrepreneurial opportunities, then to the initiation, development and scaling of conjectured solutions generating economic and social value. Practical implications – During the development stage of the social innovation, closer relationships with investors could help access scarce financial resources. Finally, in the scaling phase, greater involvement with the target beneficiaries can help reduce marketing and search-related costs for SEVs. Thus, greater engagement of beneficiaries throughout the social innovation process can help in the successful initiation, development and scaling of a social innovation. Originality/value – First, this study identifies the distinctive stages of the social innovation process. Second, this study provides empirical evidence to support previous claims that social innovations develop in resource-constrained environments. Finally, this exploratory research has investigated social innovations in a developing country context – India.

A diverse range of innovative solutions based on Free-and-Open-Source Software (FOSS) have been developed for marginalized communities in developing countries. It has been suggested that such small-scale and home-grown solutions (e.g. smart phone apps), usually championed by social enterprises (SEs), are more likely to introduce propoor change than infrastructure heavy ICT initiatives designed by state and other international actors for meeting development targets. In the Indian context, FOSS-based social innovations (SIs) introduced by SEs are helping communities of the poor tackle previously thought-to-be unresolvable socio-economic problems. An interesting question, therefore, would be: in what ways is the SE model and approach uniquely equipped to develop FOSS-based SIs that deliver tangible results? The empirical component of the research attempts to shed light on this question by uncovering the nuts and bolts of the development methodology deployed by an SE during the coding and launch of an FOSS-based SI. Findings highlight the significant role of the founder's social vision; the challenges of accurately capturing and translating to software developers the nature and nuance of social problems; and, the incumbent issues in putting together a methodology that creates active user engagement throughout the software development process, overcoming difficult barriers such as language and culture.

New sources of finance within the label of 'impact investing' have emerged as mechanisms to promote entrepreneurship within marginalized communities.Different vehicles for impact investment have emerged over the years; however, our understanding around their emergence, configuration and adoption is limited. Hence, the main purpose in this research is to study the role of the contextual drivers and conditions that gave rise to a unique form of impact investment in India, a financial social innovation -Developmental Venture Capital (DVC). Through the lens of capital theories, insights from the case of India's largest and oldest DVC firm along with three of its most prominent investees are presented. Findings highlight that the social entrepreneurs behind the case DVC wholly re-conceptualized silicon valleystyle venture capital financing to suit small brick and mortar investments in rural India, developed mechanisms for deploying funding frugally, and created partnerships of equals between themselves and their investees. Investee founders leveraged human and social capital throughout the social innovation process via deep immersion in the socio-cultural milieu of India.

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Concerned with the strategy of injecting the ethos of 'Learning Organisation' (LO) and TQM in HRD institutjons, the author briefly takes up organisational diagnosis to identify symptoms afflicting traditionally structured organisations, and discusses the ground rules and features of creating an 'LO' and adoption of"TQM approach as a paradigm shift in HRD institutions. He also briefly covers the difficulties involved therein and ways to resolve these.