Social entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship is a growing and rapidly changing field that examines the practice of starting and scaling social mission-driven for-profit and nonprofit ventures, that is, organizations that strive to advance societal change through innovative solutions. Social entrepreneurship is more than a set of tools and techniques for starting and growing a social venture. It is a mindset, a way of looking at things that is opportunity focused and creative. It is about creating wealth in all its forms: economic value, social innovation, sustainability, resilience, and making a difference in the communities we serve.

 

While numerous different definitions of social entrepreneurship exist, there appears to be a consensus on two major elements:

 

1. social entrepreneurship involves the creativity, imagination and innovation often associated with entrepreneurship; and
2. the outcomes of social entrepreneurship are focused on addressing persistent social and environmental problems.

 

To quote one of the main leaders in the field, Bill Drayton, CEO, Chair, and Founder of Ashoka:

"The job of a social entrepreneur is to recognize when a part of society is not working and to solve the problem by changing the system, spreading solutions, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps. Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or to teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry. Identifying and solving large-scale social problems requires social entrepreneurs because only entrepreneurs have the committed vision and inexhaustible determination to persist until they have transformed an entire system. The scholar comes to rest when he expresses an idea. The professional succeeds when she solves a client's problem. The manager calls it quits when he has enabled his organization to succeed. Social entrepreneurs can only come to rest when their vision has become the new pattern all across society."

 

Taking this into consideration, our class and our time together will be focused on the ideas, processes, steps, and strategies required for creating and scaling new social ventures. This course is designed to provide a socially relevant academic experience in order to help you gain in-depth insights into economic and social value creation across a number of sectors/areas including poverty alleviation, energy, health and sustainability. Through lectures, case studies, and classroom dialogue, you will have the opportunity to learn to think strategically and to act opportunistically with a socially-conscious business mindset.

 

Topics will include problem/opportunity assessment, acquiring the necessary resources to grow a social venture, and the trade-offs between social and financial returns on investment. You will also gain exposure to various social organizational models that are making tangible and potentially scalable progress across the world. In sum, this course draws on a variety of disciplines, including management and finance, to develop frameworks and techniques that are needed to evaluate, design and successfully operate social ventures.

 

THE COURSE OBJECTIVES INCLUDE:

 

OBJECTIVE 1: To gain a working knowledge of the concepts, opportunities and challenges of social entrepreneurship.
OBJECTIVE 2: To be able to demonstrate the role of social entrepreneurship in creating innovative responses to critical social issues (e.g., hunger, poverty, inner city education, global warming, biodiversity loss). 
OBJECTIVE 3: To engage in a collaborative learning process in order to develop a better understanding of the context and domain of social entrepreneurship.
OBJECTIVE 4: To prepare yourself personally and professionally for meaningful employment by reflecting on the issues of social entrepreneurship.