Dr Linh Nguyen is an Honorary Associate at the Discipline of Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The University of Sydney Business School. Linh’s research and educational work aims to create positive social change by contributing insights on social and economic returns and wellbeing to different communities in Australia and Southeast Asia. Linh’s research interests cover social entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship, social impact assessment, entrepreneurship and well-being with a focus on the Southeast Asia context.
Social entrepreneurial ventures are viewed as valuable tools for generating social and economic w... more Social entrepreneurial ventures are viewed as valuable tools for generating social and economic wealth and alleviating poverty in emerging economies. While there are many success stories of social ventures, there is a growing focus on the challenges in launching and managing social ventures in these economies. Social ventures in Vietnam face cultural obstacles and advantages that differ greatly from those in the US, where much of the research on social entrepreneurial ventures has focused. One key under-researched difference is culture. We use Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory as an orienting framework for understanding cultural differences between the countries. We use this framework and three case studies of Vietnamese social ventures to develop a series of research propositions about the differences between Vietnam and the US. We suggest implications of these propositions for Vietnamese and US social entrepreneurs and managers and provide guidance for organizations seeking to form culturally sensitive partnerships. Trang's vision for Fargreen's business model was, " … to prove that businesses can do well by doing good, that you can build prosperous and sustainable farming communities, prioritize the environment and still create a successful enterprise. That's why we called it Fargreen-going far by going green ". Trang contemplated how much easier it had been to develop Fargreen's business model on paper than to implement it within the complex realities of Vietnam's intricate social ties, evolving political and economic systems, difficult infrastructure, and unique history and culture. These factors amplified the challenges of balancing Fargreen's financial objectives with its social mission (Sarason, Aziz, & Fifield, 2017).
In response to recent calls for a better understanding of the connection between social enterpris... more In response to recent calls for a better understanding of the connection between social enterprises and their environments , we focus on the influence of funding relationships on social impact measurement in social enterprises in Vietnam. We utilize resource dependence theory and take a multiple case study approach to explore the issue. The findings suggest that in order to understand and explain the social impact measurement behaviours of social enterprises and funding organizations, it is critical to understand the interdependence of the parties rather than focus on the technical issue of measurement alone. The paper contributes to the relatively scant but burgeoning theoretical foundations of the social impact measurement and social entrepre-neurship domains. Résumé En réponse aux récents appels pour une meilleure compré-hension du lien entre les entreprises sociales et leurs environnements, cet article s'intéresse surtout à l'influence que les relations de financement ont sur le mesure de l'impact social au sein des entreprises basées au Vietnam. Il s'appuie sur la théorie de la dépendance des ressources et sur l'étude de cas multiples. Les résultats révèlent que pour pouvoir comprendre et expliquer les comportements liés à la mesure de l'impact social des entreprises sociales et des organismes de financement, il est crucial de prendre en compte l'interdépendance des parties au lieu de se focaliser uniquement sur l'aspect technique de la mesure. L'article contribue aux fondements théoriques relativement jeunes, mais prometteurs, de la mesure de l'impact social et aux domaines de l'entrepreneuriat social.
Social entrepreneurial ventures are viewed as valuable tools for generating social and economic w... more Social entrepreneurial ventures are viewed as valuable tools for generating social and economic wealth and alleviating poverty in emerging economies. While there are many success stories of social ventures, there is a growing focus on the challenges in launching and managing social ventures in these economies. Social ventures in Vietnam face cultural obstacles and advantages that differ greatly from those in the US, where much of the research on social entrepreneurial ventures has focused. One key under-researched difference is culture. We use Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory as an orienting framework for understanding cultural differences between the countries. We use this framework and three case studies of Vietnamese social ventures to develop a series of research propositions about the differences between Vietnam and the US. We suggest implications of these propositions for Vietnamese and US social entrepreneurs and managers and provide guidance for organizations seeking to form culturally sensitive partnerships. Trang's vision for Fargreen's business model was, " … to prove that businesses can do well by doing good, that you can build prosperous and sustainable farming communities, prioritize the environment and still create a successful enterprise. That's why we called it Fargreen-going far by going green ". Trang contemplated how much easier it had been to develop Fargreen's business model on paper than to implement it within the complex realities of Vietnam's intricate social ties, evolving political and economic systems, difficult infrastructure, and unique history and culture. These factors amplified the challenges of balancing Fargreen's financial objectives with its social mission (Sarason, Aziz, & Fifield, 2017).
In response to recent calls for a better understanding of the connection between social enterpris... more In response to recent calls for a better understanding of the connection between social enterprises and their environments , we focus on the influence of funding relationships on social impact measurement in social enterprises in Vietnam. We utilize resource dependence theory and take a multiple case study approach to explore the issue. The findings suggest that in order to understand and explain the social impact measurement behaviours of social enterprises and funding organizations, it is critical to understand the interdependence of the parties rather than focus on the technical issue of measurement alone. The paper contributes to the relatively scant but burgeoning theoretical foundations of the social impact measurement and social entrepre-neurship domains. Résumé En réponse aux récents appels pour une meilleure compré-hension du lien entre les entreprises sociales et leurs environnements, cet article s'intéresse surtout à l'influence que les relations de financement ont sur le mesure de l'impact social au sein des entreprises basées au Vietnam. Il s'appuie sur la théorie de la dépendance des ressources et sur l'étude de cas multiples. Les résultats révèlent que pour pouvoir comprendre et expliquer les comportements liés à la mesure de l'impact social des entreprises sociales et des organismes de financement, il est crucial de prendre en compte l'interdépendance des parties au lieu de se focaliser uniquement sur l'aspect technique de la mesure. L'article contribue aux fondements théoriques relativement jeunes, mais prometteurs, de la mesure de l'impact social et aux domaines de l'entrepreneuriat social.
Uploads