TY - JOUR
T1 - The Impact of Moral Intensity and Desire for Control on Scaling Decisions in Social Entrepreneurship
AU - Smith, Brett R.
AU - Kistruck, Geoffrey M.
AU - Cannatelli, Benedetto Lorenzo
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - While research has focused on why certain entrepreneurs elect to create innovative solutions to social problems, very little is known about why some social entrepreneurs choose to scale their solutions while others do not. Research on scaling has generally focused on organizational characteristics often overlooking factors at the individual level that may affect scaling decisions. Drawing on the multidimensional construct of moral intensity, we propose a theoretical model of ethical decision making to explain why a social entrepreneur’s perception of moral intensity of the social problem, coupled with their personal desire for control, can significantly influence scaling decisions. Specifically, we propose that higher levels of perceived moral intensity will positively influence the likelihood of scaling through open as opposed to closed modes in order to achieve greater speed and scope of social impact. However, we also propose this effect will be negatively moderated by a social entrepreneur’s higher levels of desire for control. Our model has implications for research and practice at the interface of ethics and social entrepreneurship.
AB - While research has focused on why certain entrepreneurs elect to create innovative solutions to social problems, very little is known about why some social entrepreneurs choose to scale their solutions while others do not. Research on scaling has generally focused on organizational characteristics often overlooking factors at the individual level that may affect scaling decisions. Drawing on the multidimensional construct of moral intensity, we propose a theoretical model of ethical decision making to explain why a social entrepreneur’s perception of moral intensity of the social problem, coupled with their personal desire for control, can significantly influence scaling decisions. Specifically, we propose that higher levels of perceived moral intensity will positively influence the likelihood of scaling through open as opposed to closed modes in order to achieve greater speed and scope of social impact. However, we also propose this effect will be negatively moderated by a social entrepreneur’s higher levels of desire for control. Our model has implications for research and practice at the interface of ethics and social entrepreneurship.
KW - Entrepreneurship
KW - Scaling
KW - Entrepreneurship
KW - Scaling
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/62011
UR - http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/133/art%253a10.1007%252fs10551-014-2447-6.pdf?originurl=http%3a%2f%2flink.springer.com%2farticle%2f10.1007%2fs10551-014-2447-6&token2=exp=1479301316~acl=%2fstatic%2fpdf%2f133%2fart%25253a10.1007%25252fs10551-014-2447-6.pdf%3foriginurl%3dhttp%253a%252f%252flink.springer.com%252farticle%252f10.1007%252fs10551-014-2447-6*~hmac=fb2825d119de252800f807f57cafc351c1c0af576499999e5ad4b1d01c09b40e
U2 - 10.1007/s10551-014-2447-6
DO - 10.1007/s10551-014-2447-6
M3 - Article
SN - 0167-4544
VL - 2016
SP - 677
EP - 689
JO - Journal of Business Ethics
JF - Journal of Business Ethics
ER -