Partners in Social Entrepreneurship : A UK Approach to Buyer's Risk-Externalities

This article advances the idea that social entrepreneurship is achievable through partners working together within a supply chain. Following the 2008 economic crisis, three business trends have emerged in the UK-First, there is an increase in outsourcing activities. Second, recent UK laws have created an atypical workforce mostly composed of women. Third, there is an increase in social enterprises. This article highlights that the creation of buyer’s risk-externalities underpins these three trends’ modus operandi. Risk-externalities are the risks which businesses pass onto others in the attempt to reduce costs and burdens. Some businesses profit in this kind of environment. However, there are instances of adversities particular in the low-skilled labour sector where workers, especially women, are vulnerable to such externalities. These individuals are in the atypical workforce which is composed of zero-hours workers, fixed-term workers and agency workers. It is argued in this article that all atypical workers ought to have their interests protected because their struggles will ultimately become the community’s struggles. It is advanced here that the society’s fabric begins with the low-skilled workforce’s protection. Businesses ought to play a substantial role in maintaining society’s fabric through forming partners in social entrepreneurship