Social Innovation and Business in Taiwan

Globalization and technological innovation have greatly enhanced the free mobility of currencies, commodities, services, information, jobs and people; yet this can also cause gaps in regional development and create uneven wealth in minority economies. Social Innovation and Business in Taiwan links the ultimate goal of the common good by connecting people not just through technology, but through new forms of organization.

Based on five major research cases observed in Taiwan, this book introduces the core concept of a social innovation system to show how the common good can be established, adapted and diffused across communities, societies and national boundaries. By identifying effective and sustainable ways to create social value, this innovation system shows a universally true way to lead to a more humane global society.

"This book is a milestone for the recent hot topics of social enterprises and businesses in Taiwan. Professor Han and Professor Hou have been devoted to industry-academia collaborative research for a decade. Base on the taxi industry and agricultural communities, these cases in this book could be beneficial to Social Enterprises. Reading this book, we can easily get a theoretical concept embedded in real practices from chapter to chapter. As a Social Entrepreneur, I certainly encourage many of you who care to read this book and take an action for a new move to contribute to worldwide industries and societies." Stan Shih, Founder, Acer Group

"In 2014, I chaired a committee to select 100 exemplary social innovations from Taiwan, covering government, living, cuisine, culture, society, and technology. Committee members were truly surprised and encouraged to discover so many excellent cases throughout Taiwan. This reflects a pervasive awareness of current social issues facing Taiwan, such as a widening wealth gap and urban-rural divide, agriculture, transportation, and energy issues, and unequal access to education. All sectors of Taiwanese society are working to create solutions to these problems, making social innovation and social enterprises a core value and concern. Professors Hou and Han have been deeply involved in the examples presented here, whether initiating, implementing, or researching. The Center for Creativity and Innovation Studies at National ChengchiUniversity has also witnessed and been involved in many of these activities. Utilizing a variety of cases from various industries in Taiwan, this book contributes to our understanding of practice and theory surrounding social innovation, with worldwide implications and applications, making it a must read for scholars, policymakers, and active participants interested in generating, evaluating, and implementing meaningful innovations to aid society." Dr. Jing-Jhi Wu, Endowed Chair in Creativity, Center for Creativity and Innovation Studies, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

"Social Innovation and Business in Taiwan is a major contribution to the study of the social enterprises in Taiwan. This excellent volume not only provides inspiring theoretical analyses in applications of new methods to resolve complex social problems in Taiwan based on four solid case studies, but these authors successfully introduce significant achievements of Taiwan's social innovation and social enterprises." Professor Dung-Sheng Chen, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

Auteur
I Han is Assistant Professor of International Trade at Feng Chia University, Taiwan. Her research focuses on collaborative relationships in the Asian agricultural industry, and she has published on the importance of local embeddedness in the Asian agricultural contexts under globalization competitions.

Sheng-Tsung Hou is Professor of Management of Technology and Director of Center for Service Innovation and Mobility Design at Feng Chia University, Taiwan. He specializes in technology and innovation management, social innovation and entrepreneurship, competitive dynamics and cooperation, and academia-industry collaboration.

Contenu
List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword by Dr. Cheng-Shu Kao
Preface
Introduction

1. Why Social Enterprise Matters
2. Theoretical Foundations
3. Methodology: Participatory Action Research via Industry-Academia Collaboration
4. Taiwan Taxi Company
5. East-Taiwan Private Trip
6. Happy Yilan?Creative Countryside
7. The Post-WTO Rice Industry in a Local Development: The Initiatives of Chih Shang Rice Company
8. The Rural Community of Regeneration: Yong-An Community at Luyeh Taitung
9. Theoretical Implications
10. Practical Implications
11. Towards The Practice of Social Innovation of Common Good: An Integration of "Teaching Research Service"
    References
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