Philanthropy: the art of giving wisely

What do they have in common?

(1)               In 1990, HSBC founded the first kindergarten catering for its own staff’s children. The kindergarten operates from 8:00a.m. to 7:00p.m. With extra-curricular activities provided for the children after 5:00p.m. This allows most of the single-child parents concentrate at their work. (p.14)

(2)             A group of Christians are operating a Hair Salon at Shaukeiwan serving the ex-inmates. (p.26)

(3)             Mei Xiang Yak Cheese is run by a Tibetan family enterprise and has been trained by an American cheese expert which seeks to bring development to their village. (p.38)

They are social enterprises. They exist in response to “many common problems in advanced countries, such as structural unemployment, inadequacy of traditional policies, increasing demand for social and community services as well as the need for more active social integration measures (p.2).” They aim at serving “the community or a specific group of people, promoting corporate social responsibility at the local level (p.3).”

The existence of social enterprises becomes a new phenomenon in advanced countries. Yet it is always hard to determine “which goods are to be provided by the government, which to be provided by the private sector and which by the voluntary sector (p.11).”

This small booklet tells you more about the development of social enterprises, the challenges and opportunities that they embrace.  How to make economics works in enhancing some social goals like poverty.