DEVELOPING SOCIO-ECONOMICS OF THE COMMUNITIES VIA SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: ROLES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

The concept of social entrepreneurship is increasingly popular throughout the world. In Malaysia, the need for social entrepreneurship is based on community-related issues such as economic, social, environmental and educational development. Communities need to be strengthened as a group of individuals who make up and become valuable human capital for the country. Community cultures that are keen to wait and rely on the assistance of the government and the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) in particular need to be changed. By generating as many social entrepreneurs in the community, it is believed to be able to enhance the socio-economic status of the community as well as stimulate the country's development rapidly. Therefore, communities in this country need to be exposed and educated with the concept, role and opportunity of social entrepreneurship for them to move social and economic development through social entrepreneurship platform. The success of individuals pioneering the social entrepreneurial approach to solving community problems needs to be publicly disseminated, especially to groups within the community; to be an exemplar of the successful social entrepreneurship endeavour. Through this social entrepreneurial approach, community socio-economic empowerment is expected to be realized. Hence, this concept paper aims to explain the concepts and approaches of social entrepreneurship towards the socio-economic development of the community with the emphasis on social entrepreneurship roles and opportunities.