Sustaining Entrepreneurship Over time: Case of a Social Innovation in India

• One of the main aims of entrepreneurship is value creation. But what if the intended beneficiaries of that value cannot afford paying for it fully? What if those who need it most are poor? How an entrepreneur create social value through a venture? Many might believe that entrepreneurship is about making money and maximizing financial returns for the stakeholders, yet there are a growing number of entrepreneurs whose primary driving force is to create value for the society, especially for those who are disadvantaged. Their desire for money is to use it to make a positive change in the society. They come up with innovative ways to create social ventures that are financially viable, and sometimes even profitable. Social entrepreneurship, which combines business discipline with compassion, is a growing field in business today. For an entrepreneur just having a good idea is not enough. There needs to be a plan to sustain the venture over time and develop value creation. Similarly, in social entrepreneurship it takes more than just good intentions to sustain the social impact of the venture. Succesful social entrepreneurs often manage to make a fine blend of social and economic returns to make the venture financially viable . In this chapter we look at a successful case of social entrepreneurship from India that started from the social mission of offering eye care services to eradicate needless blindness and managed to scale-up and sustain value creation over a long period.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation, hälsopolitik och hälsoekonomi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Social Entrepreneurship

India

Healthcare management

Poverty

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kap (subject category)