Understanding the impact of learning orientation and the mediating role of new product development capability on social enterprises' performances
研究英国164家社会企业发现，学习导向通过新产品开发能力提升经济绩效，同时直接提升社会绩效，为社会企业平衡双重目标提供路径。
Purpose Social enterprises (SEs) offer a unique context as they have the challenge of finding solutions that not only improve their economic performance but also their social performance, simultaneously. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether learning orientation and new product development capability can support SEs to enhance both their economic and social performances. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research design has been employed and data have been collected from a sample of 164 SEs in the UK. Findings The findings of this study illustrate that if SEs want to enhance their economic performance, they should ensure that learning orientation leads to new product development capability. Otherwise, learning orientation cannot improve their economic performance. However, surprisingly, learning orientation can impact SEs' performance not only by developing new product development capability but also by having a direct impact on their social performance. Originality/value This article contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature by illustrating the role of learning orientation and new product development capability in enhancing the economic as well as the social performance of SEs.