Social Enterprise Essay: PT Foundations

You are required to write an essay based on a real-life case of social
entrepreneurship.

Based on any (one) social enterprise, address the following in your essay:

Identify if the selected firm is a social enterprise. Provide evidence to support yourjustification.

What social issue(s) is the selected social enterprise addressing? What is the role of other stakeholder(s) in the economic system in tackling such an issue?

Discuss specifically whether social enterprise is able to make valuable contribution or is its role minor and redundant in addressing this issue?

Evaluate to what extent the selected social enterprise has achieved the triple bottom line outcomes. Finally, propose how the social enterprise could enhance the existing business model to achieve better outcomes into the future.

You are expected to provide theory, evidence and analysis to support your arguments and discussion. Critical evaluation of relevant theories and approaches to social entrepreneurship as they relate to your chosen case study will be highly regarded.

Social Enterprise and PT Foundations

Social Entrepreneurship, it is observing and analyzing social issues and a will to bring social change to the world for that issue. This can be done by employing the entrepreneurial process, operations, and principles. A research is conducted for a particular problem in society or social issue. For the issue selected, and to bring the desired social change, a social venture is created, organized, and managed. The person who takes responsibilities of these social issues, and creates venture can into these areas, with an intention to make profits as well, are social entrepreneurs. There are many benefits to social entrepreneur, like raising capital is very easy for social enterprise and many schemes and incentives from the government are received for same. Since social issues are taken into account, promotions and marketing of these enterprises become so easy. Media and people attention can easily be gained. Solution to the problem, uniqueness will affect the degree of publicity. People are hired on less salary because the enterprise is on the social side when compared to other industries. Some people also work for free as a part of their donation, might be part-time or for a day in a week or month (managementstudyguide, Advantages of social enterprises, 2018). Here, to understand social enterprise and the issues in social terms will be understood by an example to one selected social enterprise, that is “pt foundations” by Yayasan PT.

PT Foundations, it was earlier named as ‘Pink Triangle Sdn Bhd’. It is a non-profit making organization, working voluntarily, and is community-based. It was founded in 1987, for vulnerable communities of Malaysia. Provides education, care, prevention, empowerment programs, support programs, and sexual health to hiv/aids. The enterprise considers five key-affected population, sex workers, men who have sex with men , drugs users, people living withhiv/aids, and transsexuals to work with. The mission statement of PT Foundations is “Our mission is to be the leading community-based organization in Malaysia working with key affected populations onhiv/aids,gender identity and sexual health, providing information, advocacy, HIV prevention, care, and support services.” Major objectives of the enterprise are to reduce sexually transmittable infections and HIV in numbers. hiv’s in Malaysia to empower their living. Also, help other enterprises working for this social issue to increase their capacity (ptfmalaysia, About us, 2018).

One of the major social issue addressed by PT Foundations,hiv/aids, in the year 1986, the first hiv/aids issue was recorded in Malaysia. In 2012, there were 81,900 people having this issue in Malaysia. In this country, higher rate was seen through sexual transmission. Heterosexual intercourse was recorded 51% cases in 2013, which was 45% in 2012. Almost 10 Malaysians were diagnosed with HIV every day. More than 100,000 Malaysians were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2013. Due to this issue, more than 13,000 people died in Malaysia (ptfmalaysia, hiv/aids in Malaysia, 2018). Sexually transmitted infection (STI), due to unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex, or through sharing sex toys, some infections can be transfer to another person. STI’s can increase the risk of HIV either can cause lesions that increase HIV risk through Chancroid, herpes, and syphilis. Or STI’s can cause inflammation, that affects immunity of a person, in this way HIV can increase through Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis (ptfmalaysia, General Info – Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), 2018). 

Addressing the Social Issue of HIV/AIDS

PT Foundation plays important role in this issue, they hold 100 HIV workshops every year to educate people about this disease and how to prevent it, every year they reach to over 40000 people in Malaysia, provide HIV training each year to more than 3,000 people. Provide a meal to more than 30,000 people each year. PT Foundation has done some valuable contribution to this issue through various programmes. Firstly, “isean hivos Programme (IHP),” initiated in 2011, and ended in 2016. Populations who are most at-risk in Malaysia is Transgender (TG) and Men – who – have – Sex – with – Men (MSM) are two vulnerable communities contracting HIV. The reason for such an issue could be the impact of stigma or poor lifestyles. IHP try to help these two communities in living a better quality of life, better health services to them, and for equal opportunities programme help to empower them. Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) grant funds for this programme. This Programme was implemented in four countries that are, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Indonesia, and the Philippines (ptfmalaysia, ISEAN Hivos Programme, 2018). Secondly, “Community Health Care Clinic : hiv  Testing & Counselling,” initiated in 2012, mainly focus to provide health care to the public to those risk at HIV/AIDS. Main services that chcc offers include providing confidential and anonymous HIV screening, also provide counseling through telephone, face – to – face, pre-test, and post-test (ptfmalaysia, chcc : hiv Testing & Counselling, 2018). Thirdly, “2nd Chance Program” it works for psychosocial support, financial assistance, infected mothers and child, HIV peer-support, and education to HIV affected. Major services include Outreach orientation sessions on HIV at hospital Kuala Lampur, counseling and mentoring sessions every week for shelter homes children, meetings and training every month with other NGO’s (ptfmalaysia, 2nd Chance Program, 2018). Fourthly, “Pink Triangle Programme: Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)” it was initiated in1987 working with MSM and gay men in Malaysia. It provides support, care services, and information related to hiv. In order to make msm and gay men take responsibility for their lives decisions, it provides services and facilities to them. This program also provides a drop-in center, telephone-counseling line, facilitate group sessions. With this program, FT Foundation wish to educate about safer sex to MSM’s through training, early access to counselling and early msm detection, increase use of condoms to reduce hiv transmission among msm, creating awareness in public to reduce discrimination against MSM and gay men (ptfmalaysia, Pink Triangle Programme : Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), 2018).

PT Foundation follows approaches while working towards its mission and vision. Those approaches are “Consultative and community-centered”, they believe community participation as an effective strategy.” Innovative Planning and Programming,” according to this enterprise will use innovation approach for such sensitive issue. “Diversity and inclusivity,” it serves many individuals from a diverse range of perspective like differing sexuality, race, gender, age, religion, economic, geographic, social, and various backgrounds. “Non-discriminatory and Non-judgmental,” foundation will not discriminate communities due to hiv/aids, behavior, gender, and sexual identity, and will be serving them without prejudice. “Transparent and Open,” culture foundation follow is open and transparent to deliver care, prevention, and support to HIV’s. “Teamwork and solidarity,” serve these communities unitedly (ptfmalaysia, our WAY OF WORKING, 2018).

Contributions to Achieving Triple Bottom Line Outcomes

Other stakeholders also play a vital role in the economic system in tackling this social issue of hiv/aids. The Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF), it is a non-profit organization initiated on May 13, 2003. Through its programs and activities, it was able to provide maximum possible people with HIV with care, service, and compassion to make their life better for a living. It involves increasing public awareness on HIV issues; Prevent HIV spread in Malaysia, supports Malaysians, including children and women suffering by aids, and protects PLHIV rights so they do not feel discriminated due to such issue . UNICEF of Malaysia create policies and technical support for  hiv/aids like “National Strategic Plan for hiv and AIDS 2006-2010,” “Harm reduction for injecting drug users,” (unicef, 2018).

The triple bottom line includes three aspects of performance, that are environmental, financial, and social. It is an accounting framework commonly said three P’s that is a planet, profits, and people. Here, ecological and social dimensions are difficult to measure. Organization activities and their impact on the world are measured based on its profitability and value of its shareholder, and its human, environmental, and social capital. For the PT Foundation, the extent to which it has achieved the triple bottom line outcomes is, not sustainable according to one of the three P’s that is profit, as per company financial reports 2017, a loss occurred. Therefore, the financial dimension of TBL was not attained. If social and human capital is considered, PT has fulfilled many aspects of a social issue.

PT Foundation could enhance the existing business model to achieve better outcomes in the future; this can be done by improving the financial position of the enterprise, with the topmost priority. The enterprise must expand to more countries as well.

To conclude, it can be said that social entrepreneurship is running an enterprise for profitability as the main motive and work for some social issue. To discuss this topic a social enterprise of Malaysia, “PT Foundation” is discussed to understand hiv/aids issue in society considering five main vulnerable communities of this issue and the role of this foundation and other stakeholders for the same. Four major programs run by PT Foundations were discussed in detail. In the triple bottom line, this enterprise is quite low, as the basic motive of profitability was not been fulfill.

References

MAC. (2018). About Malaysian AIDS Foundation. Retrieved from mac: https://www.mac.org.my/v3/about-maf/

managementstudyguide. (2018). Advantages of social enterprises. Retrieved from managementstudyguide: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/social-enterprises-advantages.htm

managementstudyguide. (2018). What is social entrepreneurship. Retrieved from managementstudyguide: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/social-entrepreneurship.htm

ptfmalaysia. (2018). 2ND Chance Program. Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/how-can-we-help-you/back-to-school-program/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). About us. Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/about-us/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). CHCC: HIV Testing & Counselling. Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/hiv-sti-info/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). General Info – Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/hiv-sti-info/general-info-sexually-transmitted-infection-sti/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). HIV/AIDS in Malaysia. Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/hiv-sti-info/hivaids-in-malaysia/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). ISEAN Hivos Programme. Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/isean-hivos-programme/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). OUR WAY OF WORKING. Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/sample-page/our-way-of-working/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). Pink Triangle Programme : Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/how-can-we-help-you/pink-triangle-programme-men-who-have-sex-with-men-msm/

ptfmalaysia. (2018). Reports and Financial Statements For Year Ended 31st December,2017. Retrieved from ptfmalaysia: https://ptfmalaysia.org/v2/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Financial-Report-2017.pdf

unicef. (2018). Challenging HIV and AIDS. Retrieved from unicef: https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/hiv_aids_actions_policy.html