Seeing social enterprise through the theoretical conceptualisation of ethical capital

Objectives: Current conceptualisations of social enterprise fail to fully satisfy an understanding of the movement. A focus on the economic implies a business model where deep tensions lie. A focus on social capital offers a different frame of reference, yet both these conceptualisations fail to fully identify the phenomena that is social enterprise. The objective of this paper seeks to fill that gap. Ethical capital is offered here as the missing conceptualisation in the field of social enterprise. Prior work: Pearce (2003) describes social enterprises as part of the third system, closer to the first system (private business), than the second system (public provision), yet primarily social and secondly a business. Social Enterprises are described as trading organisations in a market (Pearce 2003). A focus and operationalisation for social enterprises to be ‘business-like’ and ‘entrepreneurial’ is well documented (Leadbeater 1997; Dees 1998; Nicholls 2006b). Approach: Yet, if as part of the third sector, social enterprises are as Dart (2004) suggests; ‘blurring the boundaries between non-profit and profit’, but what blurs? What is compromised? What exactly is lost (or gained)? What challenges are there for social enterprises? And is a managerialist ideology taking precedence over the social? This paper provides a conceptual paper that seeks to outline the arguments on the table and develop an ethical capital conceptualisation of social enterprise. Results: This paper very much aims at starting the process of intellectual debate about the notion of ethical capital in social enterprises. The conclusions of this paper outline further research questions that need to be addressed in order to fully develop this concept. Implications: The current ideology of the neo-classical economic paradigm it is argued in the paper pursues interests towards the self and towards the erosion of the moral basis of association. The outcome leaves society with a problem of low ethical virtue - the implications of this paper are that social enterprises maximise ethical virtue beyond any other form of organisation and as such hold great value beyond their missions and values. Value: This paper offers great value in the understanding of social enterprise through fresh insight into the conceptualisation. A critical perspective to the current literature is taken and discussed but though the introduction of ethical capital this paper takes our understanding of the value of the sector into another light, providing practitioners, business support agencies and academics alike with a different level of conceptualisation that has not been explored before.</p

How Do Kosovo Firms Utilize Business Intelligence? An Exploratory study

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Kosovo firms utilize business intelligence to analyze their data and better understand the past, present and the future of their firm. Business intelligence offers firms the ability to analyze large amount of data quicker and more effective. Decision making has become easier with the use of BI tools, but making the right decision at right time has become vital for the firms performance. This research will contribute on business industry by providing evidence how Kosovo firms utilize the BI system, what BI tools and what business values and processes BI offers to the firms

How Do Kosovo Firms Utilize Business Intelligence? An Exploratory study

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Kosovo firms utilize business intelligence to analyze their data and better understand the past, present and the future of their firm. Business intelligence offers firms the ability to analyze large amount of data quicker and more effective. Decision making has become easier with the use of BI tools, but making the right decision at right time has become vital for the firms performance. This research will contribute on business industry by providing evidence how Kosovo firms utilize the BI system, what BI tools and what business values and processes BI offers to the firms

Quality Management System an ace in the sleeve of the SME to gain competitiveness on the international markets

After the adhering of Romania at European Union, the level of competition became very high, so, it is vitally important for entrepreneurs know what helps company to be successful on an international market. There are many factors which can lead to be successful in the business, but quality is the real arm in the „battle” for gaining of competitivness on international market. So that, obtaining quality products and services have to be the principal strategic objective and the SME have to do all the neccesary efforts for this. Implementing of one efficace quality management system compliant with ISO 9001 requirements is a true „ace in the sleeve of the SME” for gaining competitiveness.SME,management

Entrepreneurship by Alliance

Recent years have seen the introduction of markets and a system of private property rights in China with a view to changing the composition of production and demand and enhancing welfare. Central to the success of these reforms is the rise of entrepreneurship with its potential to set the economy on a higher growth path by supplying the products which consumers need and want, creating new employment opportunities, and introducing new and more efficient technologies of production. But to what extent can we expect to see entrepreneurs in China behaving like their counterparts in the advanced industrial economies of Western Europe, Japan, and the United States? This is the question we address in this chapter. In our view, the reform programme has, indeed, opened up new opportunities for private enterprise activity; but idiosyncrasies of the business environment are at the same time generating novel institutional arrangements in support of entrepreneurs' investments. We agree, therefore, with Herrick and Kindleberger when they assert that "Development ought not to be viewed as a monotonic, stylized path, ever onward and upward, historically established and invariably repeated" (1983, p.62).entrepreneurship;economic growth;economic development;business networking;Western economies

Quality control and product tracing in ERP systems

Food safety and quality are keys to companies' business survival and great efforts and resources are devoted to them. This is an on-going challenge, demanding the best control systems and day- to-day vigilance on farms, in processing plants and throughout the distribution system. The product quality of the Hungarian meet industry meets the high level international standards, because the Hungarian meet industry is an export oriented sector. However, the application of computers and information systems still haven’t got enough emphasis in the food sector, although the majority of companies use ERP systems. IT budgets of Hungarian companies are smaller than of the ones in industrialized countries. They spend 0.49% of their return from sales on IT operation and development. We find different rates among Hungarian owners and foreign owners. The Hungarian ones spend less (0.36%), but foreigners spend twice this amount (0.61) on informatics. Quality control is conducted at several stages of the production flow. The most important targets are basic materials coming from partners, purchased and processed products and foods. We have to be able to identify and determine what ingredients there are in the end-products and what the production and distribution processes were. Sometimes this refers to a process backwards that we have to conduct when we discover a mistake in the production flow or in the quality of the end-product. Back- tracing is a six stage flow in the system. Our paper and lecture describes how the ERP system is built-in food tracing functions and experiences in Hungary

Knowledge-intensive business services as an element of learning regions - the case of Baden-Wurttemberg

In the globalizing process, the production of knowledge and the management of information gain increasing strategic importance for the competitiveness of regions. Theoretical conceptions of the learning economy and the learning region emphasise that the capability to learn is crucial for the economic success of firms, regions and national economies. Given this background, the proposal will focus on the significance of knowledge?intensive business services for innovation and learning. So far, knowledge about innovative activities of service firms and their significance in the technological change is existent only to a low extent. For a long time, research concerning technological change as well as innovations focussed on the manufacturing industry and the development and transfer of technological knowledge. The dynamic growth of business?related services has now been documented in numerous studies not only in Germany, but also in other European countries. Their role in innovativeness and competitiveness in the current situation of structural change has, however, received little attention. A major reason is that it is very difficult to establish the quantitative contribution these services make to innovation at both the macro and micro levels. The present state of the statistics for services and innovation make it impossible to determine what the contribution is. From a qualitative point of view, however, this service segment is an important element in the innovation system. The contribution of knowledge?intensive business service firms to innovation is not just the result of their own innovative activities. It also results from the indirect and positive feedback effects which originate on the demand side as a result of the use of the services by client firms. The speech will focus on specific development trends of knowledge?intensive business services in the regional innovation system of Baden?Wuerttemberg, and the role of these services in the present regional restructuring process will be examined.

Are business and economics alike?

This paper investigates the decision of Italian high school leavers to enroll at Economics or Business degree courses. We use data from National Student Register gathered by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, which provides information for all the students that enroll at the university as well as their academic career. The academic years analysed are 2008-2015. From the aggregate data, we know that at matriculation, the ratio between the enrollment in Economics and Business is 1:3, but what happens in the following years? Is that proportion stable or does it change? We estimate a multiple equation system model for each field of study. First, we focus on the determinants of the decision to enroll. We analyse whether Economics and Business that might be perceived as similar at the time of enrollment, might instead be different in many respects. Second, we exploit the panel component of the dataset to investigate what happens after the first-year: is the student still enrolled in the same field? Or, is the student enrolled in a different major, or in a different topic? We offer policy implications

What is Product-Service Systems (PSS)? A Review on PSS Researches and Relevant Policies

In order to achieve sustainable society, it is necessary to transform industrial structure to the one that does not reduce the Earth's resources. Under this circumstance, a business model of "not selling goods, but selling services" has been expected as a measure of co-existence of business and the environment. This idea, which is called as "Product-Service Systems: PSS" or "Servicizing" etc., has been studied in Europe, the United States and international organisations, and is now studied in Japan. However, the idea of PSS is still not effectively used for policy development.One of the major reasons is that PSS concept itself is under-developed. Under the unclear concept of PSS, researchers are working towards more scientific understanding while policy makers are trying to develop new policy measures, and there is confusion in those communities. In order to develop policy measures, it is necessary to make clear the position of PSS in socio-economic system. This paper overviews previous PSS researches and relevant policy measures conducted in Japan, the US and EU, and tries to grasp the context of researches and policy activities and to find out the agenda of the current status. The characteristics of PSS rest on the innovative relationship between producer and consumer. However, PSS researches are stuck at measurement of environmental loads, and relevant policies tend to be rest on the ones targeting producers. In order to get out of this situation, it is necessary to ask question what is PSS and to make it clear where PSS can be positioned in socio-economic system. PSS is important, because PSS has an element of creating sufficiency as well as eco-efficiency. It is recommended that PSS concept needs to be examined as a research effort, and environmentally sound product policy needs to be systematically organised

Salient features of an ideal accounting system for a retail bookstore

The amount of business done by a retail book store is generally sufficient to warrant the expenditure of the time required to keep the books by the double entry system as explained in all books on bookkeeping. This system furnishes a means of analyzing the business transactions not possessed by any other system. In order that the proprietor may know just where he stands financially at the end of each month he should prepare or have prepared for him a balance sheet. This statement shows the assets, liabilities and capital as at the close of business on the last day of the month. When the books are properly kept an increase or decrease in the proprietorship or capital account as compared with the preceding month will reflect the profitableness or unprofitableness on the undertaking for the month. If the results shown indicate that the present policy is yielding a good profit, the proprietor has nothing to worry about on the one hand, but if the results obtained from operations are not what they should be, the proprietor knows that he should look around for ways and means with which to make a better showing