Back to Basics: What are Social Enterprises and Social Entrepreneurs for?

Although ‘social enterprise’ and ‘social entrepreneur’ have now become part of the daily language, there are no commonly acceptable definitions of these terms, in Hong Kong and abroad. And when these terms are translated into Chinese, the confusion is even bigger. There is absolutely no doubt that there are social enterprises and social entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China, but these terms have vastly different meanings in the respective regions. Instead of debating definitions, one way to gain understanding into this phenomenon is to look at their common denominator, which is tackling social issues in new and innovative ways. What are the social issues we concern about?

Lighting up Lives, from Hong Kong

With a plan to centralise several of the company’s key functions in Hong Kong, D.light Design – one of the world’s most successful social enterprises – has chosen the city to be a base for its mission to serve people around the world living without steady electricity supply. KK talked about the significance of D.light's presence in Hong Kong.

Singapore and Hong Kong: A Tale of Two Cities in a Single Global Movement

Singapore and Hong Kong face many common challenges. One of the greatest challenges in the decades ahead pertains to an unexpected area – social entrepreneurship. The two cities are poised to make a significant contribution to promoting and supporting the development of social entrepreneurship, not only in their respective cities but in the region as a whole. Let us first of all look at some striking similarities and differences of the two cities in this area.

Timothy Ma of SCHSA wins 2009 Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Asia

Timothy Ma is one of the three winners of the 2009 Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Asia, presented by the Schwab Foundation. The Award ceremony was held at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Dalian, China, on September 10-12, 2009. Timothy writes of his experience in Dalian as follows.