Interview schedule and questions used for this research

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. This is going to be an unusual interview in that what we are trying to do is draw out your idea of what social enterprises – either your own or the sector in general – could be doing 20 years into the future. We’re not just asking for a reasoned and realistic forecast – although you can give us that if you’d like. We’re looking for what you think social enterprise could or should be 20 years down the line. We’re looking for what we call: Future Visions.

Once we’ve interviewed you, we’ll take away your answers and try to write up a small story on your future vision. We’ll send it back to you to check that it represents what you want it to, making any changes necessary until it's right.

First of all – we’d like to ask two introductory questions, so that we are familiar with your current work and stance. These are different if you a run a social enterprise yourself to if you support a social enterprise, research them or advise them.

Do-ers

• • What is your social enterprise's mission and how are you delivering on that mission?

• • What support or information have you received to help you specifically with social enterprise start-up or development?

Thinkers/supporters

• • What is your personal working definition of ‘social enterprise’ (Note: we are not looking for a long definitional debate here, just a sentence or two on your everyday understanding of social enterprise)?

• • What support or information do you think is necessary for social enterprise start-up or development? Have you been involved in providing any of this?

Now we’re going to ask you questions to help you think about your vision:

• • What do you want your social enterprise/the social enterprise sector to do in the future?

• • Who do you want to own social enterprises, run them and work for them? That is, who should have involvement with social enterprises?

• • Where will the boundaries of the public and private sectors be – or will there be no boundaries?

• • Will social enterprise become a mainstream way of doing business, understood by the general public?