Moral Engagement vs. Situational Variables

The academic paper entitled "Motivation To Create Social Ventures: A Theory of Moral Engagement" develops the theory of moral engagement to explain the motivation underlying the creation of social ventures . The author attempts to answer the question: Are social entrepreneurs driven by selfish interests or by a sense of mission - that is the betterment of the world?

Within the executive summary, moral engagment is defined as "a cognitive process in which the individual feels strongly committed and determined to create a social venture to address a social need." With the definition, the author leads the reader through the reasoning to reach the conclusion as to how moral engagement is "the main determinant of people's intention to start social ventures."

Social Entrepreneurs vs. Business Entrepreneurs vs. Philanthropists

Social Entrepreneurs:

• focus on creating social value
• attempts to fullfil a social need
• wealth is just a means to an end
• the primary objective is social creation
• involved in the creation and management of the social venture

Business Entrpreneurs:

• focus on creating economic value
• wealth creation is the way of measuring value creation
• desires to exploit a business opportunity

Philanthropists:

• only provide resources to help address social issues
• provide resources to help social ventures accomplish their mission, but they are not themselves involved in the management of the social venture
  

The above figure attempts to denote the process in which a social venture is created through the realization of unmet social needs.

The author notes: "In developing a strong sense of moral engagement, social entrepreneurs are more motivated to help others than to fulfill their selfish interests." This statement leads me to ask the question, can a social venture idea begin out of selfish interest?