Dr. Sophia, Vitrierat NG,《集合吧！香港青年踐行社企新理想》, 2023

About the book

The book of United for Change! Hong Kong Youth Embracing Social Entrepreneurship: New Perspectives on Social Enterprise <<集合吧！香港青年踐行社企：社企新理想>> describes various social enterprises in Hong Kong that have been operating for at least five years. These enterprises focus on environmental protection, recycling, eldercare, social inclusion, promoting physical exercise, and reading. The book aims to tell the stories of these young social entrepreneurs and analyse their success in various forms of innovation.

Some people advocate for environmental protection by opening supermarkets that sell (almost) expired products. Others recycle coffee grounds that were supposed to be sent to landfills and turn them into high-quality gifts. Some care for the elderly by using a device that instantly ages the wearer, promoting intergenerational communication. There are those who promote social integration by training and providing job opportunities for ethnic minorities through the production of incense and herbal tea, allowing the public to directly interact with and understand these communities. Others collect calories and encourage the public to exercise while addressing food issues. Some still believe in the power of reading, using books to connect people through an extensive network.

Individuals born in the 1980s and 1990s founded all the social enterprises interviewed for this book in Hong Kong. When they started, most of them were in their twenties and were considered micro-enterprises. Now, they have grown and achieved the social goals they initially set, with some even entering the stage of scaling up and deepening their impact. How did they achieve product innovation, business process innovation, and business model innovation? What capital is needed for successful entrepreneurship? How do economic capital, cultural capital, and social capital complement each other? This book tells the stories of young people starting social enterprises, analysing their survival strategies and how they use knowledge to address various social problems.

Entrepreneurship is difficult, as statistics from the US reveals that only 80% of businesses survive the first year, with only around 55% surviving five years and only approximately 35% operating for ten years. In other words, the social enterprises interviewed for this book are "survivors" with a 50/50 chance.

Running a social enterprise is not easy. Compared to NGOs or commercial organisations, social enterprises need to balance profit and social goals, which can be challenging. During economic crises, companies may resort to salary cuts or layoffs. Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, the social enterprises interviewed for this book remained committed to their original goals and served the community.

About the author

Dr. Sophia Vitrierat NG obtained a PhD in sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2014. Currently working as an assistant professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Higher Education and Technology, she is teaching courses related to business and service leadership. She is focusing on doing research about civil society and social enterprises, with a focus on youth studies as the primary subjects of study.

Yan Ng worked as a news and feature editor in Ming Pao Weekly. Her work received honourable mention in "Investigative Feature Writing" from Human Rights Press Awards in 2021. As an independent journalist, she collaborates with scholars and media outlets to produce and publish in-depth features.