Social Enterprise and New Entrepreneurial Opportunities

This speech was given by Dr. Hsu Hung Huang, the chairman of SUNNET and deputy director of CSR & SD Research Center of Tsinghua University (Beijing).

Beginning with a discussion of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Dr. Huang explored the concepts of government failure, market failure, and the rationale behind capitalism. By reviewing key statistics, Dr. Huang then highlighted that the economic and social significance of the Third Sector in the United States and some major predicaments faced by Taiwan’s NGOs.

After that, Dr. Huang defined social enterprise as “a company aims to solve social problems using business methods”. Illustrated with case studies from around the world, he pinpointed that innovation is the core business competency, although social wnterprise varies from country to country. Utilizing the concept “monopolistic competition vs. altruistic economy”, Dr. Huang explored that Web 2.0 trends and characteristics leading the collaborative business model stand for an exciting opportunity to “online social enterprise”. Dr. Huang further outlined his research with reference to two key features of “online social enterprise”. One is information capital. The other is community impact.

Dr. Huang also briefly explained how an enterprises use idle or surplus assets to improve their performance by introducing new information and communication technology. Then, he concluded that the revolution of information and communication technology leads new paradigm not only for commercial business, but social enterprise as well. In the end, Dr. Huang remarked  repeadly that only innovation is the crux of entrepreneur.