‘Trade vs. Grant Dependency’ and Social Enterprise Performance: a Mediating Role of Learning Orientation

Structured around the duality of fulfilling economic and social objectives have created complemented dilemmas for social enterprises that whether they should choose market-based income (trade dependency) or non-market-based income (grant dependency) as the primary source of income. Utilising a sample of 164 UK social enterprises, this study found that relative to grant dependency, trade dependency has a more substantial positive direct effect only on social performance, but it has a more substantial positive indirect effect via learning orientation on both economic and social performances.