Hostname: page-component-5b777bbd6c-2hk6m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-06-23T19:49:01.933Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sentimental Drivers of Social Entrepreneurship: A Study of China's Guangcai (Glorious) Program

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Daphne W. Yiu ,
William P. Wan ,
Frank W. Ng ,
Xing Chen  and
Jun Su
Daphne W. Yiu
Affiliation:
Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
William P. Wan
Affiliation:
City University of Hong Kong, China
Frank W. Ng
Affiliation:
Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Xing Chen
Affiliation:
Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Jun Su
Affiliation:
Beijing Technology and Business University, China
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship plays an important role in local development in emerging economies, but scholars have paid little attention to this emerging phenomenon. Under the theory of moral sentiments, we posit that some entrepreneurs are altruistically motivated to promote a morally effective economic system by engaging in social entrepreneurial activities. Focusing on China's Guangcai (Glorious) Program, a social entrepreneurship program initiated by China's private entrepreneurs to combat poverty and contribute to regional development, we find that private entrepreneurs are motivated to participate in such programs if they have more past distressing experiences, including limited educational opportunities, unemployment experience, rural poverty experience, and startup location hardship. Their perceived social status further strengthens these relationships. Our study contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature by offering a moral sentiment perspective that explains why some entrepreneurs voluntarily join a social entrepreneurship program to mitigate poverty in society.

社会创业在新兴经济体的发展中担任着重要的角色, 但对这一新兴现象的学术研究尚显不足。 本文基于道德情操理论, 提出创业者会无私地投身社会创业活动, 从而促进了道德经济体系的有效运作。 中国光彩事业是由国内民营企业家发起, 致力于国内地区开发扶贫的社会创业项目。 通过对此项目的研究, 本文发现了创业者有愈多早年的困苦经历(包括教育程度低、 失业、 在贫穷乡村的经历、 创业地域的贫困), 他们就愈会参与社会创业活动; 同时, 他们的社会地位感知可改变此关系的强弱。 这次研究将道德情操理论引入至社会创业文献, 对理解为何创业者会自愿参与社会创业、 解决社会贫困问题提供了新的理论和依据。

Keywords

moral sentimentspersonal experiencesocial entrepreneurshipsocial status道德情操个人经历社会创业社会地位
Type
Articles
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , March 2014 , pp. 55 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © International Association for Chinese Management Research 2014

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Adler, N. E., Epel, E. S., Castellazzo, G., & Ickovics, J. R. 2000. Relationship of subjective and objective social class with psychological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy white women. Health Psychology, 19(6): 586–592.Google Scholar
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. 1991. Testing and interpreting interactions in multiple regression. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., & Norton, M. I. 2012. Happiness runs in a circular motion: Evidence for a positive feedback loop between prosocial spending and happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13(2): 347–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alvord, S. H., Brown, L. D., & Letts, C. W. 2004. Social entrepreneurship and societal transformation: An exploratory study. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 40(3): 260–282.Google Scholar
Anderson, J., & Markides, C. 2007. Strategic innovation at the base of the pyramid. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(1): 83–88.Google Scholar
Anderson, R., Dana, L., & Dana, T. 2006. Indigenous land rights, entrepreneurship, and economic development in Canada: ‘Opting-in’ to the global economy. Journal of World Business, 41(1): 45–55.Google Scholar
Austin, J., Stevenson, H., & Wei-Skillern, J. 2006. Social and commercial entrepreneurship: Same, different, or both? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 30(1): 1–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bamford, C. M., Dean, T. J., & McDougall, P. P. 2000. An examination of the impact of initial founding conditions and decisions upon the performance of new bank start-ups. Journal of Business Venturing, 15(3): 253–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Begley, T. M., & Tan, W.-L. 2001. The socio-cultural environment for entrepreneurship: A comparison between East Asian and Anglo-Saxon countries. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(3): 537–553.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boeker, W. P. 1989. Strategic change: The effects of founding and history. Academy of Management Journal, 32(3): 489–515.Google Scholar
Bowles, S. 2008. Policies designed for self-interested citizens may undermine ‘the moral sentiments’: Evidence from economic experiments. Science, 320: 1605–1609.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruton, G. D., Ahlstrom, D., & Obloj, K. 2008. Entrepreneurship in emerging economies: Where we are today and where should the research go in the future. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 32(1): 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, A. 1979. A three-dimensional model of corporate social performance. Academy of Management Review, 4(4): 497–505.Google Scholar
Castro, R., Clementi, G., & MacDonald, G. 2004. Investor protection, optimal incentives, and economic growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 119(3): 1131–1175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Certo, S. T. 2003. Influencing initial public offering investors with prestige: Signaling with board structures. Academy of Management Review, 28(3): 432–446.Google Scholar
Certo, S. T., & Miller, T. 2008. Social entrepreneurship: Key issues and concepts. Business Horizons, 51: 267–271.Google Scholar
Chai, S. K., & Rhee, M. 2010. Confucian capitalism and the paradox of closure and structural holes in East Asian Firms. Management and Organization Review, 6(1): 5–29.Google Scholar
Chan, G. K. Y. 2008. The relevance and value of Confucianism in contemporary business ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 77(3): 347–360.Google Scholar
Chen, G., Li, J., & Matlay, H. 2006. Who are the Chinese private entrepreneurs: A study of entrepreneurial attributes and business governance. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 13(2): 146–160.Google Scholar
Chen, Y., & Touve, D. 2011. Conformity, political participation, and economic rewards: The case of Chinese private entrepreneurs. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 28(3): 529–550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Child, J. 1972. Organizational structure, environment and performance: The role of strategic choice. Sociology, 6(1): 2–22.Google Scholar
China Revieuv News, 2009. Valuing education: The wish of the whole nation. [Cited 11 September 2012.] Available from URL: http://www.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1009/0/5/4/100905444.html?coluid=123&kindid=0&docid=100905444 (In Chinese.)Google Scholar
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. (Eds.). 2003. Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Cooper, A. C., Gimeno-Gascon, F. J., & Woo, C. Y. 1994. Initial human and financial capital as predictors of new venture performance, Journal of Business Venturing, 9(5): 371–395.Google Scholar
Croson, R. T. A., Handy, F., & Shang, J. 2010. Gendered giving: The influence of social norms on the donation behavior of men and women. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 15(2): 199–213.Google Scholar
CSPGP (China Society for Promotion of Guangcai Program). 2011. China Society for Promotion of Guangcai Program home page. [Cited 6 December 2011.] Available from URL: http://www.cspgp.org.cn/13_English/index.htm Google Scholar
Cui, Z., Liang, X., & Lu, X. in press. Prize or price? Corporate social responsibility commitment and sales performance in the Chinese private sector. Management and Organization Review , doi: 10.1111/more.12033.Google Scholar
Cull, R., & Xu, L. 2005. Institutions, ownership, and finance: The determinants of profit reinvestment among Chinese firms. Journal of Financial Economics, 77(1): 117–146.Google Scholar
Davis, M. H. 1983. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44(1): 113–126.Google Scholar
Dees, J. G. 1998. Enterprising nonprofits. Harvard Business Review, 76: 54–67.Google Scholar
Dees, J. G., Emerson, J., & Economy, P. 2002. Strategic tools for social entrepreneurs: Enhancing the performance of your enterprising nonprofit. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Deng, Z., & Treiman, D.J. 1997. The impact of the Cultural Revolution on trends in educational attainment in the People's Republic of China. American Journal of Sociology, 103(2): 391–428.Google Scholar
Dorado, S. 2006. Social entrepreneurial ventures: Different values so different processes of creation, no? Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 11: 319–343.Google Scholar
Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. 2008. Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science, 319: 1687–1688.Google Scholar
Eisenhardt, K. M., & Schoonhoven, C. B. 1990. Organizational growth: Linking founding team, strategy, environment, and growth among U.S. semiconductor ventures, 1978–1988. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(3): 504–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fineman, S. 1979. A psychosocial model of stress and its application to managerial unemployment. Human Relations, 32(4): 323–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, A. 2000. NGO Futures: Beyond aid: NGDO values and the fourth position. Third World Quarterly, 21(4): 589–603.Google Scholar
Francois, P., & Lloyd-Ellis, H. 2003. Animal spirits through creative destruction. American Economic Review, 93(3): 530–550.Google Scholar
Frey, B. S., & Meier, S. 2004. Social comparisons and pro-social behavior: Testing ‘conditional cooperation’ in a field experiment. American Economic Review, 94(5): 1717–1722.Google Scholar
Galaskiewicz, J., & Barringer, S. N. 2012. Social enterprises and social categories. In Gidron, B. & Hasenfeld, J. (Eds.), Social enterprises: An organizational perspective: 47–70. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Gujarati, D. N. (Ed.). 1995. Basic econometrics. New York: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Holt, D. 1997. A comparative study of values among Chinese and US entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 12(6): 483–505.Google Scholar
Hoogendoorn, B., Pennings, E., & Thurik, A. R. 2010. What do we know about social entrepreneurship: An analysis of empirical research. International Review of Entrepreneurship, 8(2): 71–112.Google Scholar
Ip, P. K. 2009. Is Confucianism good for business ethics in China? Journal of Business Ethics, 88(3): 463–476.Google Scholar
Jiao, H. 2011. A conceptual model for social entrepreneurship directed toward social impact on society. Social Enterprise Journal, 7(2): 130–149.Google Scholar
Jones, D., Li, C., & Owen, A. L. 2003. Growth and regional inequality in China during the Reform Era. China Economic Review, 14: 186–200.Google Scholar
Ketelaar, T. 2006. The role of moral sentiments in economic decision making. In Cremer, D. D., Zeelenberg, M. & Murnighan, J. K. (Eds.), Social psychology and economics: 97–116. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Kilkenny, M., Nalbarte, L., & Besser, T. 1999. Reciprocated community support and small-town small business success. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 11(3): 231–246.Google Scholar
Kim, U. 2000. Indigenous, cultural, and cross-cultural psychology: A theoretical, conceptual, and epistemological analysis. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 3(3): 265–287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kojima, K., Choe, J. Y., Ohtomo, T., & Tsujinaka, Y. 2012. The corporatist system and social organizations in China. Management and Organization Review, 8(3): 609–628.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurucz, E. C., Colbert, B. A., & Wheeler, D. C. 2008. The business case for corporate social responsibility. In Crane, A., McWilliams, A., Matten, D., Moon, J. & Seigel, D. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook on corporate social responsibility: 83–112. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Lan, G. Z., & Galaskiewicz, J. 2012. Innovations in public and nonprofit sector organizations in China. Management and Organization Review, 8(3): 491–506.Google Scholar
Lasprogata, G., & Cotton, M. 2003. Contemplating ‘enterprise’: The business and legal challenges of social entrepreneurship. American Business Law Journal, 41(1): 67–114.Google Scholar
Llewellyn, D.J., & Wilson, K. M. 2003. The controversial role of personality traits in entrepreneurial psychology. Education + Training, 45(6): 341–345.Google Scholar
Lo, P. C. 1999. Confucian ethic of death with dignity and its contemporary relevance. Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics, 19: 313–333.Google Scholar
London, T., & Hart, S. L. 2004. Reinventing strategies for emerging markets: Beyond the transnational model. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(5): 350–370.Google Scholar
Mair, J., & Noboa, E. 2006. Social entrepreneurship: How intentions to create a social enterprise get formed. In Mair, J., Robinson, J. & Hockerts, K. (Eds.), Social entrepreneurship: 121–135. London; Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Manolova, T. S., Eunni, R. V., & Gyoshev, B. S. 2008. Institutional environments for entrepreneurship: Evidence from emerging economics in Eastern Europe. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 32(1): 203–218.Google Scholar
Miller, T. L., Grimes, M. G., McMullen, J. S., & Vogus, T.J. 2012. Venturing for others with heart and head: How compassion encourages social entrepreneurship. Academy of Management Review, 37(4): 616–640.Google Scholar
Neter, J., Wasserman, W., & Kutner, M. H. (Eds.). 1990. Applied linear statistical models. Homewood, IL: Irwin.Google Scholar
Newbert, S. L. 2003. Realizing the spirit and impact of Adam Smith's capitalism through entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(3): 251–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nga, J. K. H., & Shamuganathan, G. 2010. The influence of personality traits and demographic factors on social entrepreneurship start up intentions. Journal of Business Ethics, 95(2): 259–282.Google Scholar
OHCHR, United Nations. 2009. China Society for Promotion of the Guangcai Program (CSPGP) poverty alleviation work report. [Cited 6 December 2011.] Available from URL: http://www.upr-info.org/IMG/pdf/CSPGP_CHN_UPR_S4_2009anx_PovertyAlleviation.pdf Google Scholar
Pan, Y., Rowney, J. A., & Peterson, M. F. 2012. The structure of Chinese cultural traditions: An empirical study of business employees in China. Management and Organization Review, 38(1): 77–95.Google Scholar
Peng, M. W., 2001. How entrepreneurs create wealth in transition economies. Academy of Management Executive, 15(1): 95–108.Google Scholar
Peredo, A. M., & Chrisman, J.J. 2006. Toward a theory of community-based enterprise. Academy of Management Review, 31(2): 309–328.Google Scholar
Peredo, A. M., & McLean, M. 2006. Social entrepreneurship: A critical review of the concept. Journal of World Business, 41(1): 56–65.Google Scholar
Phan, P., Zhou, J., & Abrahamson, E. 2010. Creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship in China. Management and Organization Review, 6(2): 175–194.Google Scholar
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. 2011. Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2): 62–77.Google Scholar
Prahalad, C. K., & Hammond, A. 2002. Serving the world's poor, profitably. Harvard Business Review, 80(9): 4–11.Google Scholar
Romer, P. M. 1990. Capital, labor, and productivity. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity: Microeconomics (Special Issue): 337–367.Google Scholar
Schmitz, J. A. 1989. Imitation, entrepreneurship, and long-run growth. Journal of Political Economy, 97(3): 721–739.Google Scholar
Schneider, F. 2002. The size and development of the shadow economies of 22 transition and 21 OECD countries, IZA Discussion Paper Number 514.Google Scholar
Sen, A. 1999. The possibility of social choice. American Economic Review, 89(3): 349–378.Google Scholar
Shane, S., & Khurana, R. 2003. Bringing individuals back in: The effects of career experience on new firm founding. Industrial and Corporate Change, 2(3): 519–543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shang, J., Reed, A., & Croson, R. 2008. Identity congruency effects on donations. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(3): 351–361.Google Scholar
Sharir, M., & Lerner, M. 2006. Gauging the success of social ventures initiated by individual social entrepreneurs. Journal of World Business, 41(1): 6–20.Google Scholar
Short, J. C., Moss, T. D., & Lumpkin, G. T. 2009. Research in social entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future opportunities. Strategic Entrepreneurial Journal, 3(2): 161–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shrader, R. C., & Simon, M. 1997. Corporate versus independent new ventures: Resource, strategy, and performance dificrences. Journal of Business Venturing, 12(1): 47–66.Google Scholar
Sicular, T., Yue, X., Gustafsson, B., & Li, S. 2010. How large is China's rural-urban income gap? In Whyte, M. K. (Ed.); One country, two societies: Rural-urban inequality in contemporary China: 85–104. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Smith, A. 1759. The theory of moral sentiments. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Smith, E. B., Menon, T., & Thompson, L. 2012. Status differences in the cognitive activation of social networks. Organization Science, 23(1): 67–82.Google Scholar
Stinchcombe, A. L. 1965. Social structure and oganizations. In March, J. G. (Ed.), Handbook of organizations: 142–193. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
Su, J., & He, J. 2010. Does giving lead to getting? Evidence from Chinese private enterprises. Journal of Business Ethics, 93(1): 73–90.Google Scholar
Sutton, R., & Hargadon, A. 1996. Brainstorming groups in context: Effectiveness in a product design firm. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(4): 685–718.Google Scholar
Thake, S., & Zadek, S. 1997. Practical people, noble causes. London: New Economics Foundation.Google Scholar
The New York Times. 2005. China's boom in higher education. [Cited 28 May 2013.] Available from URL: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/10/28/intcrnational/20051028_CHINA-GRAPHIC.html Google Scholar
Thompson, J. L., Alvy, G., & Lees, A. 2000. Social entrepreneurship - A new look at the people and potential. Management Decision, 38(5): 328–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsang, E. W. K. 1996. In search of legitimacy: The private entrepreneur in China. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 20(1): 21–30.Google Scholar
Tsui, A. S. 2013. On compassion in scholarship: Why should we care? Academy of Management Review, 38(2): 167–180.Google Scholar
Tsui, A. S., & Jia, L. 2013. Calling for humanistic scholarship in China. Management and Organization Review, 9(1): 1–15.Google Scholar
United Nations. 2000. NGO committee continues review of applications for consultative status. NGO/346 Press Release.Google Scholar
Van de Ven, A. H., Sapienza, H. J., & Villanueva, J. 2007. Entrepreneurial pursuits of self- and collective interests. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 1(3–4): 353–370.Google Scholar
Van der Sluis, J., Van Praag, M., & Vijverberg, W. 2005. Entrepreneurship selection and performance: A meta-analysis of the impact of education in developing economies. The World Bank Economic Review, 19(2): 225–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Praag, M., & Cramer, J. C. 2001. The roots of entrepreneurship and labor demand: Individual ability and low risk aversion. Economica, 68(269): 45–62.Google Scholar
Wang, L. 2012. Building a knowledge-driven society: Scholar participation and governance in large public works projects. Management and Organization Review, 8(3): 535–557.Google Scholar
Weerawardena, J., & Mort, G. S. 2006. Investigating social entrepreneurship: A multidimensional model. Journal of World Business, 41(1): 21–35.Google Scholar
Wegener, B. 1992. Concepts and measurement of prestige. In Blake, J. & Hagan, J. (Eds.), Annual review of sociology, 18: 253–280. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.Google Scholar
Xinhua News. 2013. UN official: Bright future of China due to valuing education. [Cited 11 September 2013.] Available from URL: http://news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2013-07/02/c_124940184.htm (In Chinese.)Google Scholar
Yu, X. 2011. Social enterprise in China: Driving forces, development patterns and legal framework. Social Enterprise Journal, 7(1): 9–32.Google Scholar
Zahra, S. A., Gedajlovic, E., Neubaum, D., & Shulman, J. 2009. Typology of social entrepreneurs: Motives, search processes and ethical challenges. Journal of Business Venturing, 24(5): 519–532.Google Scholar
Zhang, H. Y. 1994. The status of the private enterprise owners class in Chinese social structure. Journal of Chinese Social Sciences, 6: 100–116.Google Scholar
Zhou, C., & Burns, T. 2000. Enterprises and entrepreneurs in the private sector in Chinese transitional society. International Review of Sociology, 10(1): 173–182.Google Scholar