Social Innovation as an Ethical Basis for Innovation: An Analysis Through Stories of Entrepreneurship

In recent decades, globalization has provided an impetus for development in countless organizations, industries, and countries, but has also produced wide economic disparities, social injustices, and vulnerable communities. Against this backdrop, social innovation – with its ethical basis – shapes up as mechanism capable of levelling out inequities and empowering communities. This study examines a group of female entrepreneurs from the city of Tijuana, Mexico, and their potential to innovate socially. To this end, four main variables are studied: the entrepreneur’s life profile, capacity for collaboration, originality of the business venture, and social impact. The research is qualitative and data were collected through a semi-structured interview conducted with a purposive sample of 10 entrepreneurs. In conclusion, it was observed that women entrepreneurs’ life profiles – particularly their level of education and socioeconomic status – had a significant impact on their potential to socially innovate. Nonetheless, there are individual cases in which ethics, values, and a genuine desire to contribute to social transformation drive women to innovate socially, despite their socioeconomic status.