Author(s): Shuhui Pan
This paper aims to analyze the ethical concerns in the emerging community-based social enterprises in Chengdu and then propose a strategic focus of public policy towards the cultivation and development of social enterprises. The concept of community entrepreneurship is defined as a community cooperative action in which entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial enterprises pursue common public welfare, and indicate that it involves the process of establishment of new enterprises and the activities that enable them to operate within the existing social structure of the community. This article adopts a mixed methods approach including 5 qualitative interviews with key stake-holders in the local community-based social enterprises, a focus group as well as a six-month field work to better understand its operational characteristics and social impact in a particular social enterprise ecosystem. This paper explores the management structure of the local community-based social enterprise and its connections with the community residents committees, especially on the usage of public assets, distribution issues, as well as the changing roles of the community residents committees. The author proposes a strategic focus of public policy based on the characteristics of different kinds of social organizations. This paper provides empirical evidence on the ethical concerns of community-based social enterprises in Chengdu in the context of policy-driven environment for the development of social enterprises in China, and contributes to the research on social enterprises and relevant policy-makings.