Description

Social enterprises (SEs) are businesses managed by entrepreneurs who seek to improve society, and they represent an important trend in social change work. However, there is little empirical knowledge about which blended value accounting (BVA) methods are used by SE managers, and whether the use of BVA is perceived by SE managers as a critical success factor. Blended value accounting is a conceptual framework for measuring combined social and financial outcomes in SEs, and some believe that the use of BVA may be a critical success factor for SEs. This research was based on Covin and Slevin's conceptualization of entrepreneurial orientation. The main research question was whether the use of BVA methods was correlated with SE success from the perception of the SE managers. Surveys were sent to 3,682 SE managers in North America, the United Kingdom, Asia, and Africa (n = 280). Data were analyzed using multiple regression, with the dependent variable SE success, and the independent variables: the use of BVA method, number of employees, length of time in business, economic sector, and country of registration. Findings indicated no statistically significant correlation between the useof BVA method and SE success,