Social entrepreneurial business models: An exploratory study

Introduction
In 2003 Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, better
known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. The jury saw in Sekem “a business model for the 21st
century” (Right Livelihood Award 2003), one in which commercial success is integrated
with and promotes social and cultural development.
As societies search for more innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable ways to
address social problems, “social ventures”, typically led by inspired individuals – so-called
“social entrepreneurs” – have attracted increasing attention. Because they combine a social
purpose with a for-profit mindset these initiatives are seen as an effective means to cater to
largely unsatisfied social needs (Seelos and Mair 2005a,b), especially as traditional social
sector activities often are considered inefficient, ineffective and unresponsive (Dees 2001).