Promoting Social Entrepreneurial Intention in Food Industry: The Roles of Social Capital and Creativity

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Researcher, Department of Social and Economic Research, Ilam Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Ilam, Iran

2 Department of Entrepreneurship and Rural Development, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

3 Department of Management, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

Abstract

Today, food security has become one of the main concerns for key stakeholders, including businesses, governments, and educational institutions. Therefore, identifying the drivers of social responsibility development—such as social entrepreneurship—in the food industry can effectively contribute to achieving sustainable development. However, the entrepreneurship literature in the field of social entrepreneurship development in the food industry is weak, especially in the context of Iran. To fill this gap and assist policymakers, the present study was conducted to investigate the impact of social capital and creativity dimensions on Social Entrepreneurship Intention (SEI) among food industry owners. The statistical population in this study consisted of all food industry entities (n=1208) in Ilam Province (western Iran). The research samples included 415 food industry owners in western Iran, who were selected using a random stratified sampling method with proportional assignment. The findings indicated that the SEI status of the participants was at a moderate level. The modeling results indicated that strong and weak social connections and interactions play a decisive role in the development of SEI. Among the dimensions of creativity, only the originality dimension facilitates the SEI development process, while the usefulness dimension does contribute positively to this process. Therefore, by developing bridging and bonding social capital and promoting the innovative ideas and initiatives of people working in the food industry, we can witness the development of social entrepreneurship and, as a result, achieve sustainable food security in society.

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Main Subjects

References

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Interdisciplinary Journal of Management Studies
Volume 18, Issue 4
October 2025
Pages 635-649

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