Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10321/4826
Title: Social entrepreneurship as a tool for sustainable development in the townships in KwaZulu-Natal province
Authors: Akoh, Emmanuel Inalegwu 
Issue Date: 2023
Abstract: 
Globally, social entrepreneurs have been identified as major contributors to
solving social problems such as unemployment, poverty and inequality. They can
also be considered a catalyst to economic transformation as a result of their
significant contribution to a country’s Gross Domestic product (GDP) and have
been identified as a crucial part of any country that aspires to achieve sustainable
development. In countries, such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada,
France and Australia, growth in social value creation attributable to social
entrepreneurs has strengthened, indicating any predicated or identified economic,
social and environmental challenges may be mitigated or addressed by their
inputs. This indicates beyond reasonable doubt that social entrepreneurs have an
important role to play in any country and, it can also be argued, more especially
in developing countries such as South Africa. The ineffective use and low
contribution of this phenomenon to address the many socio-economic challenges
affecting South Africa have been a significant concern to the South African
government, academies, investors and policy makers, leading to a call for
additional support for social entrepreneurship emergence and growth in the
country. The National Development Plan (NDP) considers small businesses such
as social enterprises a key component of any inclusive growth strategies and
envisions by 2030, 90 percent of new jobs will be created by micro, small and
medium enterprises.
Research on factors affecting social entrepreneurs’ growth and their contribution
to sustainable development in the country has seen various extensive studies in
this field, nonetheless, a serious research gap remains regarding an in-depth
understanding of those characteristics and factors that critically influence social
entrepreneurship and improve their contribution to sustainable development.
Furthermore, theoretical models of these factors are lacking. The current study, therefore, covers a critical research area with the potential to improve the present
state of South African social entrepreneurship, with specific reference to social
entrepreneurship within the townships in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The study aimed to identify the critical factors affecting social entrepreneurship as
a tool for sustainable development in the KZN townships and to propose a
prototype model to improve its effective contribution, since the contribution level
currently experienced in the social sector is poor, which is attributed to various
significant challenges faced by social entrepreneurs in South Africa. Research
was thus conducted in three townships within the KZN Province, employing a
quantitative research method, where the study population consisted of 90 social
entrepreneurs. A non-probability, convenience sampling technique was adopted,
while a closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect the primary data for the
study. Inferential and descriptive statistical analysis of the data was undertaken
using SPSS (version 27.0) software.
The findings of the study indicate several challenges severely affect social
entrepreneurs, who are constantly faced with significant barriers that affect their
performance, impacting on social entrepreneurs’ innovativeness and creativity
that could promote and improve their contribution to sustainable development.
The study identified environmental factors to have a significant impact on social
entrepreneurs’ contribution to sustainable development, while society’s
perception, social networking, social impact measurement and access to financial
resources were also identified as catalysts to social entrepreneurs’ performance.
Key insights are provided into both the theoretical and practical implications of
social entrepreneurs’ contribution to sustainable development. In addition, an
extensive range of recommendations is outlined and a theoretical framework
proposed for those factors that social entrepreneurs, government officials, and
policy makers can understand to help develop remedies for current challenges
affecting social entrepreneurs
Description: 
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: Doctor of Philosophy (Business Administration) in the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Durban University of Technology, 2023.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10321/4826
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51415/10321/4826
Appears in Collections:Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

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