Your parents started a small business whilst you were still at school. During the start-up years, you and your siblings worked over weekends and holidays in the business. During these times, your parents taught you valuable business skills that would eventually see you finishing a Bachelor of Commerce degree before returning to the business. You are the last of the three siblings to return to the business and thus have the most junior role within the business. The small business that your parents established is called Family DIY. Family DIY is a hardware store that is 17 years old and has a good reputation within the local community with the supply of building materials for major construction projects as well as supporting the local handyman with equipment and services to attempt small DIY projects at home. As the last member of the family to join Family DIY and the only one with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, you are thrown into the deep-end at the annual strategic meeting. The strategic committee decides that the business must establish itself as a franchise and open more stores across the province with a focus on developing and increasing small family-owned business.

d) Your family have an extremely close relationship with the local community and support community projects and events throughout the year. Explain to the franchisees the importance behind participating in social entrepreneurship projects within the community.

ision I Of making a decision is to resolve an ethical dilemma. So, has the situation improved, worsened, or stayed about the same? Has the solution crea ition created ethical issues of its own? Has information come to light indicating that your decision was not the most ethical course of action? Everyone makes mistakes. You may very well need to reopen the matter to make things right. But remember, if your decision was based on the best of intentions and information available at the time, you can wade back into the waters of ethical turmoil with a clear conscience, and there is no substitute for that. at oldatqsoon isgrol on al aboodwodrigion omni salon bris mis sdi omni amanimation L 2-5 Social Entrepreneurship: A Continuing Trend gabelsopo, Jori The social issues affecting businesses are numerous and diverse. Businesses are expected- Defi at different times and by various groups-to help solve social problems related to edu- entrepre cation, crime, poverty and the environment. In fact, these expectations converge in a describe form of venturing called social entrepreneurship, which continues to gain momentum. on small c Though the term has been defined in different ways, Harvard researchers suggest that start-up social entrepreneurship refers to "entrepreneurial activity with an embedded social pur- pose"" It has been described more poetically as "[having] a vision of a greater good and working to make it real".# In other words, a social entrepreneur is one who comes up with innovative solutions to society's most pressing needs, problems and opportunities and then makes them happen. 101 .genoa ad yd noitsin 2-5A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE Becoming a social entrepreneur usually does not mean that a business owner is no longer concerned with making money-financial gain is just one of an expanded set of goals. In fact, the outcomes of interest are sometimes referred to as the 'triple bottom line' or 'triple context' because they focus on people, profits and the planet.4 Clearly, no enterprise can exist for long without making a profit. But social entrepreneurs believe that ventures should also be concerned with people and the environment. To get a feel for the wide range of enterprises that fall under the social entrepreneurship umbrella, consider the following cases: . Alicia Polak moved to South Africa and started the Khaya Cookie Company to create jobs in the poor towns outside Cape Town. After growing the business into a sizeable and successful enterprise, she sold it back to local South Africans in the true spirit of empowerment." . Bertie van Zyl and his family use the resources from their family business, ZZ2, to social improve the lives of their employees and the communities in which they operate. Entrep The Van Zyl family achieve this through the active empowerment and development that p soluticof their employees, both permanent and seasonal. They have numerous projects focused on providing health-care facilities, housing, bursaries, learnership and men- tor programmes, as well as other social investment projects. 50 . For years, Bart Weetjens has been training rats in the African nation of Tanzania to sniff out the deadly unexploded land mines that litter the countryside in so many war-torn nations. It turns out that rats are better than dogs for this work-lighter, cheaper to keep, and less prone to tropical diseases-and they clear areas so that children can run and play without fear of stepping on a mine. "They save human lives," says Weetjens, who calls the rodents 'heroes'.51 These entrepreneurs clearly do not fit the money-obsessed stereotype that some associ- ate with business owners. They are hoping to do more than make a profit, but they are doing well financially, too. And this is not surprising. According to Nielsen's 2013 'Con- sumers Who Care' study, 50 per cent of global consumers said they would pay more for the goods and services of companies that give back to society.$2 onmini asH Enwo adj d froilas to salon isoldis 2-5B SMALL BUSINESS AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT At one time, there was little concern for the impact that businesses had on the environ- ment, but that is rapidly changing. For instance, releasing industrial waste into streams, contaminants into the air, and noise into neighbourhoods is no longer acceptable. In fact, escalating concern for the environment has spawned a shift towards sustainable small business. This trend recognises that a business must be profitable to stay in busi- ness, but it also promotes the use of eco-friendly practices (careful use of resources, antied energy conservation, recycling, etc.) through all facets of a business's operations. In short, a sustainable enterprise must respond to customer needs while showing reason- l aff edhoagb able concern for the environment. This is consistent with the concept of integrity out- Compa lisme no lined in this chapter. hogg0 quahsle Sustainability Matters The interests of small business owners and environmentalists are not necessarily in conflict. Some business leaders, including many in small businesses, consistently work and act for the cause of environmentalism and, in many cases, this emphasis makes sound financial sense. For example, businesses can vastly improve their rep- utation by being involved in a Green Star SA building project or leasing one of these Green Star-rated buildings. The number of environmentally conscious movements in South Africa is constantly increasing to keep up with the international demand for the conservation of natural resources and a reduction in CO, emissions. Though more expensive to construct, such buildings can decrease energy costs from oper- ations by as much as 20 per cent, and healthier workplace environments improve employee productivity, reduce illness and absences, improve recruitment, and raise retention-all of which can create a net savings for the business. One analyst esti- ole small mates that a 2 per cent initial investment in eco-friendly design can generate tenfold savings in operating costs. $3 le business that We need to emphasise, however, that the sustainability news for small business is not to customers' all good. For example, some businesses are adversely affected by new laws passed to ile showing rea- protect the environment. Businesses such as vehicle service centres, medical waste dis- concern for the ent. posal operations, self-service car washes and asbestos removal services have been espe- cially hard hit by expanding environmental regulations. The costs can be punishing. In mentalism t to protect and fact, many businesses in these industries and others have closed because of the financial the environment. burden of environmental controls. While small businesses that enjoy favourable market conditions can often pass higher environmental costs o