Digital business models applications within the social enterprise context

In the context of this research project, a digital social enterprise is defined as an organization operating with commercial activities to generate a significant amount of its income from the Internet and reinvest the profit in the business or in the community to sustain the primary social mission. Literature review indicates that research conducted in areas of social enterprise emphasises on the value, such as value creation, value capture, and value delivery. However, little is known on how social enterprises generate income and deliver value through the Internet. This research aims to fill in the knowledge gap by exploring how digital business models are applied within the social enterprise context to create, capture, and deliver value. The qualitative case study methodology has been adopted to investigate six social enterprises in Thailand as representatives of social enterprises across industries. In-depth interviews will be conducted with social enterprise operators and their stakeholders to gain insights in practical experiences. Social enterprise founders and employees, customers, business partners, collaborators, and beneficiaries are included in the face-to-face and focus groups interviews. The findings are envisioned to contribute to theoretical and practical knowledge to support social enterprises adopting digital business models to be even more valuable, inclusive, efficient, and innovative.