Antecedents of the Social Impact of Social Enterprises: A Systematic Review and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

Despite growing research interest in the social impact of social enterprises (SEs), limited attention has been paid to the antecedents of social impact. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of 52 extant studies that examine the antecedents of SEs’ social impact. The paper synthesizes the antecedents identified from prior work and categorizes them into individual- and organizational-level factors. Based on the findings, we develop a future research agenda to advance our knowledge of the antecedents of SEs’ social impact. A key research opportunity is to explore the social impact antecedents related to the institutional and external environment of SEs, an area that has been overlooked in the literature. In terms of practical implications, the study can be used to consider which factors policy makers and practitioners should focus on to develop strategies for improving the social impact of existing and future SEs.

Digital Transformation as a Driver of Sustainability Performance—A Study from Freight and Logistics Industry

“…It has been suggested that businesses or other organisations that succeed in balancing these contrasting factors of innovation in sustainability are likely to demonstrate a higher ESP than those which focus on a single factor [57,58]. This theory is supported by other research, such as that by Tang et al [61] and Dressler and Paunovic [56], who argue that the expectations of stakeholders associated with ESP are constantly changing as the market evolves and organisations which are adept at exploration are more able to identify and seize new opportunities [62]. At the same time, effective exploitation allows firms to maximise the value of existing resources [57,58].…”