Abstract:
A social enterprise is a company that has its primary goal to achieve
particular social goals while operating under a commercial structure. The
purpose of this study was to discover what drives social entrepreneurs in
Sri Lanka to start new social businesses. The study enhances the generation
of new knowledge linked to the Sri Lankan social entrepreneurship
environment by examining motivational factors for starting social
enterprises, which is a previously unexplored subject in the Sri Lankan
context. The study employed an inductive research approach with data
gathered through focus group discussions and outdoor observations. Five
focus group interviews were conducted with 25 social entrepreneurs
chosen from different divisions in the Kalutara district. The study findings
discovered that social problems entrepreneurs meet through networks,
educational backgrounds, religious commitments, lived experiences, and
personal attributes as motivating factors for starting social enterprises. As
recommendations, the government should play a critical role in fostering a
conducive climate for social entrepreneurs by providing infrastructure
facilities encouraging public-private partnerships to attract donors, offering
volunteer information, and improving social entrepreneurship education at
universities, institutions, and other educational establishments to create
social entrepreneurs. Knowledge generated through the current study will
be contributed to conducting empirical studies for future research and
implications for policymakers.
