Understanding social enterprises in the United Kingdom: the case of South Yorkshire

Purpose-- This study analyses the development of social enterprises in the UK, in the context of the increased need for creative solutions to ameliorate deprivation and deliver effective public services.
Design/methodology/approach-- The investigation draws on a mixed method approach, using a postal survey of 102 social enterprises complemented by detailed analysis of two selected cases and key informant interviews.
Findings-- The results of the study show that there is a paradigm shift in the practice and conceptualisation of social enterprises in South Yorkshire as they are increasingly taking a more corporate approach to achieve their outcomes.
Research limitations/implications-- The study is limited to social enterprises in South Yorkshire, UK. Further comparative analysis in other regions and social contexts is required in order to explore if these results are widely applicable.
Practical implications-- This study is of potential benefit to researchers and those involved in formulating policies for the development and support of social enterprise.
Originality/value-- The study contributes to the extant literature by investigation of the development of social enterprise in competitive markets, which is an area that requires further academic scrutiny. The South Yorkshire region presents an interesting case that extends our understanding of the operations of social enterprises in the UK given the high levels of deprivation due to the steady decline of its industrial base ( Bache and Chapman, 2008).

This is the accepted version of the manuscript "Understanding social enterprises in the United Kingdom: the case of South Yorkshire", forthcoming/published in the journal "European Business Review" available via the journal site at: https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-05-2016-0066.
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