An Exploratory Study on the Impact of Social Entrepreneurship Orientation on Business Survival during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Abstract

There is a continued lack of opportunities to improve lives and livelihoods in Indonesia, and this has deteriorated during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobilization controls and lockdowns during the pandemic have stifled entrepreneurship in all sectors of the economy, leading to an unprecedented challenge to business survival. This research aims to investigate the impact of social entrepreneurial orientation, such as proactiveness, risk-taking, innovativeness, and socialness, on business survival during the pandemic in Indonesia. This research used an inductive method through a survey, interview, and focus group discussion. The responses were obtained from thirty-one social entrepreneurs in urban cities in Indonesia. The research findings suggest that social entrepreneurial orientation such as proactiveness, risk-taking, innovativeness, and socialness is important for business survival during the pandemic. The findings also indicate that financial accessibility, formal business registration, and opportunity-seeking were shaped by the social entrepreneurship orientation. This research fills the knowledge gap in the relationship between social entrepreneurial orientation and business survival during the pandemic in Indonesia, especially to the extent of how the government may help businesses in the postpandemic period to achieve a faster recovery.