Author(s):
1. Liliya Terzieva,

Abstract:
Social entrepreneurship is a 21st century phenomenon, by means of which innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems are being provided. It is more than ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change not only for the pure economic growth but mainly for the long-term benefit of the society. Rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business sectors, social entrepreneurship finds what is not working and solves the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps. Social entrepreneurs often seem to be possessed by their ideas, committing their lives to changing the direction of their field, being both visionaries and ultimate realists, concerned with the practical implementation of their vision above all else. However in the transition economies networking and especially social entrepreneurship collaboration models are still a solution formula, which needs more than argumentation for people to believe in and commit their business efforts to in order to co-explore and further co-create sustainability. The challenge of the social entrepreneurship networking model based on the HUB global network is the already existing and proven practice of covering all industries and professions, from fair-trade eco-fashion to micro-finance for the poor, from inclusive education to zero-waste supply chains, from corporate intrapreneurship to peer-to-peer crowdsourcing models, thus providing direct support to scalable business models so that ventures developed by means of the model become financially sustainable and create real impact. They set out to create spaces that combine the best of a trusted community, innovation lab, business incubator and the comforts of home. Spaces with all the tools and trimmings needed to grow and develop innovative ventures for the world. By gathering and sharing best practices and practical examples of innovative sustainable ideas from around the globe, the HUB applies in practice the idea that the power of inspiration can move development forward in a more sustainable way for the planet and the people. In this respect the paper has the objective of extrapolating social entrepreneurship networking models versus sustainable development in transition economies and based on this to reveal certain specific characteristics and discuss innovative networking problems, which to serve as a transformative mindset, having a direct impact on the potential for economic development, especially in terms of organizational structuring and change. The paper is based on the case studies and results gathered within the framework of the Academy for Leisure at the NHTV University of Applied Sciences, Breda, the Netherlands and the Global HUB Network social entrepreneurship impact measurement programme for economic and sustainable growth.

Key words:
social entrepreneurship, HUB, networking, organizational structures

Thematic field:
(Re)positioning of entrepreneurship: Back to the b

Date of abstract submission:
14.06.2012.

Number of visits:
430

Conference:
REDETE 2012