A systematic review of performance measurement systems and their relevance to social enterprises

Marcello Cosa and Boris Urban

No 6ft2p, OSF Preprints from Center for Open Science

Abstract: Social enterprises (SEs) aim to optimise social value and financial performance, posing unique challenges for performance measurement. While performance measurement systems (PMSs) have been extensively studied in for-profit firms, they have not been widely taken up in SEs, potentially reflecting perceived difficulties in balancing social and financial goals. To better understand the evolution of the adoption, use, and effectiveness of PMSs in SEs, we conducted a systematic review encompassing 24 papers identified through comprehensive searches in Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO. Through thematic analysis, we classified the scholarly research into three key themes: ‘adoption’, ‘usability’, and ‘effectiveness’. Overall, our study confirmed that PMS uptake in SEs has been limited. We identified multiple barriers, but among the most prominent reasons were a lack of sufficient financial or human resources to implement them and cultural barriers whereby social entrepreneurs seek to distance themselves from seemingly traditional business practices. Future research should focus on practical applications of these tools in addressing specific social entrepreneurship sectors’ challenges.

Date: 2023-07-19
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent and nep-sbm
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:osfxxx:6ft2p

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/6ft2p

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