Why doing good is good business: An imperative for businesses to behave like social enterprises

The Philippines has seen a fantastic rise of social enterprises that generate vital employment and empower marginalized communities. From producers of sustainable products such as bamboo bikes to digital apps that provide farmers direct access to consumers. In a new study done by the British Council and the Philippine Social Enterprise Network (PhilSen), there may be as much as 164,473 social enterprises operating in the country.

But are social enterprises merely in the realm of community based associations and nongovernment organizations? Social enterprises are organizations that apply business solutions to solve social problems. In so doing, they are necessarily businesses that strive to maximize profits while maximizing benefits to the society and the environment.