Social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility
This article is intended for all employers and businesses who are actively implementing or intending to start implementing corporate social responsibility practices in the business they run.

Social corporate responsibility is the responsibility of the organization for the impact of its decisions and activities on society and the environment through transparent and ethical behavior, so as to contribute to sustainable development, to take into account the expectations of stakeholders, to be in accordance with legislation and international norms of behavior to be integrated throughout the organization and applied in its relationships.

Social responsibility is addressed to a wide range of organizations and has a broad scope, including the private sector, government institutions and the non-governmental sector.

The competitive advantages and effects of the implementation of corporate social responsibility are manifested in the following several directions:
increasing the reputation and strengthening the good image of socially responsible companies;
establishing a new type of organizational behavior, business ethics and culture;
loyalty to staff and retention of quality human resources in the organization;
increasing customer, supplier, local community and investor ratings;
successful implementation of the public-private partnership mechanism in the interest of society, in the context of “green” public procurement;
increasing the publicity of non-financial information.
For employers, CSR is a way to increase competitive advantage, protect and increase brand awareness, and build trust with customers and employees. Many companies already publish information about their CSR activities on their websites. There are already a number of indices that measure the level of social engagement of individual brands around the world.

Social entrepreneurship is a special form of business venture in which the development of the activity brings clear and direct benefits to society, while simultaneously solving an existing social problem. Social entrepreneurs are people who find their own business model that provides them with an opportunity to make a profit and to help society. This type of activity can be called “business with a cause”. Social enterprises in Bulgaria generate positive social added value in terms of employment, living standards and social inclusion of vulnerable groups of the population and can play an important role in the development of the Bulgarian economy, possessing the potential for sustainable economic growth, including different social groups.

A distinction must be made between the concepts of ‘corporate social responsibility’ and ‘social entrepreneurship’. For most of the companies, recognizing individual causes, projects or organizations as objects of financial or organizational support is an increasingly common practice. This process is part of their corporate social responsibility, i.e. it is fulfilling an unspoken commitment to improving the living conditions of the local or national community where companies do business. Support is expressed by supporting social, cultural or sports activities, investing in education and professional development, etc. Social responsibility is increasingly expressed in actions and policies where funds are not “poured” unilaterally into a given organization, but building sustainability, long-term social effect and development of ideas is sought.

In a number of cases, social entrepreneurs can be recognized by large and small companies as an object of support. In this case, their corporate social responsibility would help a social entrepreneur in organizational development. If a company makes a donation in the form of providing a lump sum of money to support a disabled person or a family of disabled children, it is undoubtedly a good deed given the low social benefits provided by the state. At the same time, it is a phenomenon that is isolated in time and space. We also leave aside the emotional state of people who are in a situation where they can only rely on aid, turning them into outsiders of society.

However, if the company purchases a product or service or invests an amount in the organizational development of a certain social entrepreneur who carries out an activity aimed at providing permanent work for persons with disabilities or for parents of children with disabilities in order to solve the existing social problem, the effect would be far greater and more stable over time. Support for the social entrepreneur can be direct – through investment (in resources, equipment or infrastructure) or indirect – through the purchase of goods and services produced by social enterprises. Using services and purchasing products from social enterprises, organizations and institutions extend a friendly hand to disadvantaged people, provide support – not help or handouts, but an opportunity for a dignified existence and overcoming poverty and isolation.

Dear Employers,

www.TheSocialMarket.eu is a marketplace platform representing a shared network of social enterprises, with a database and opportunities for resource sharing and information exchange between the various actors in the social economy, incl. persons in a disadvantaged position on the labor market, employed in social enterprises and in institutions and organizations related to social entrepreneurship and the social economy.

Any public, private or non-governmental organization, any public institution, any company or enterprise, can demonstrate its corporate social responsibility by purchasing products and services produced in Bulgarian social enterprises, supporting the creation and preservation of jobs for the disabled, for parents of children with disabilities and for all vulnerable groups of Bulgarian society.

The opportunity to buy from social enterprises and donate products to social, children’s and health institutions will increase the social added value of your gesture.

Since the production volume of social enterprises is not large, you can submit a request in advance for individual products to be produced within a certain period, thereby providing work, hope and security for the disadvantaged for a certain period.

The platform launched on December 1, 2019, and will be periodically updated with new social enterprises, new products and services, causes and support offers.

Roman Voinski

Project manager

www.TheSocialMarket.eu

BuySocial!