A performance tool for policy-makers to monitor the dual objective of social enterprises: A data envelopment analysis approach

TY - CHAP

T1 - A performance tool for policy-makers to monitor the dual objective of social enterprises

T2 - A data envelopment analysis approach

AU - Staessens, Matthias

AU - Kerstens, Pieter Jan T

AU - Bruneel, Johan

AU - Cherchye, Laurens

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - The importance of performance measurement for social enterprises has been widely acknowledged in recent years, leading to a significant increase in related studies (see, e.g., Maas & Liket, 2011; Millar & Hall, 2012). Social enterprises pursue social and economic missions simultaneously, and hence need to achieve goal duality, combining social and economic performance. Performance benchmarking should therefore also reflect this goal duality. Although current measurement methods are useful management tools for individual organizations, they do not offer the standardized numerical outputs necessary to undertake consistent comparative analyses across organizations (Rotheroe & Richards, 2007; Kroeger & Weber, 2014), and lack applicability in practice to enable policy-makers to compare the performance of supported organizations. Importantly, performance measurement plays a key role not only at the organizational level, but also at the level of policy-makers. These stakeholders widely acknowledge the importance of standardized performance tools to measure the accountability of social enterprises. After all, it is at this level that it is possible to oversee and compare the performance of organizations receiving support (Ebrahim & Rangan, 2014).

AB - The importance of performance measurement for social enterprises has been widely acknowledged in recent years, leading to a significant increase in related studies (see, e.g., Maas & Liket, 2011; Millar & Hall, 2012). Social enterprises pursue social and economic missions simultaneously, and hence need to achieve goal duality, combining social and economic performance. Performance benchmarking should therefore also reflect this goal duality. Although current measurement methods are useful management tools for individual organizations, they do not offer the standardized numerical outputs necessary to undertake consistent comparative analyses across organizations (Rotheroe & Richards, 2007; Kroeger & Weber, 2014), and lack applicability in practice to enable policy-makers to compare the performance of supported organizations. Importantly, performance measurement plays a key role not only at the organizational level, but also at the level of policy-makers. These stakeholders widely acknowledge the importance of standardized performance tools to measure the accountability of social enterprises. After all, it is at this level that it is possible to oversee and compare the performance of organizations receiving support (Ebrahim & Rangan, 2014).

M3 - Book chapter

SP - 102

EP - 121

BT - Measuring and Controlling Sustainability

A2 - Lindgreen, Adam

A2 - Vallaster, Christine

A2 - Yousofzai, Shumaila

A2 - Hirsch, Bernhard

PB - Taylor & Francis

CY - London

ER -