Sustainable business models for social enterprises in developing countries: a conceptual framework

Social enterprises (SEs) have a high degree of complexity, as they are hybrid organisations that serve two missions: a social mission and a commercial mission. These missions are not always aligned, and tension can form between them as the commercial and social value creating activities compete for the limited resources available in the organisation. How can social enterprises sustainably create social and financial value while managing the tension that these hybrid organizations experience? The aim of this article is to create a conceptual framework (CF) which captures the concepts found in literature that are relevant to this question. The theoretical implication of this paper is the formulation of a comprehensive conceptual framework that consolidates the SE (O350) literature across business model innovation (M130), sustainability (O350), and hybridity (O350).