Social Entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurship: making a real difference looks at the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship, its origins, manifestations and practical implications. Social entrepreneurship as a subject has evolved through two academic routes; the study of entrepreneurship and the study of social enterprise/nonprofit sector. This is still a developing subject of study but is increasingly relevant in the current economic environment with reduced public-sector expenditure and increasing social demands. The use of entrepreneurship and business models to achieve social value appears to be an increasingly important phenomenon in Ireland and Europe.

The programme is split into 3 elements: theoretical underpinnings (session 1-4), an understanding of the implementation of social entrepreneurship in practice (sessions 5-8) and the practical assignment (social entrepreneurship in action) (sessions 8-11). This module is designed to give students an insight into the nature of social entrepreneurship and its application in various organisational settings. Much of the learning from practice will be done through role play and other exercises which will allow students apply the material presented and apply it to individual case studies.

COURSE CONTENT:

Week 1: Course Introduction
(tba) Introduction to social entrepreneurship; concepts and definitions
Social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship
Earned-income strategies and where it fits in
Social entrepreneurship outputs: organisational types
Introduction to practical assignment and guidelines

Week 2: Social entrepreneurship and social enterprise in the International context
(tba) Historical context
American versus European traditions
Pressures since the 1970?s
Commercialism, professionalism and entrepreneurial governance
The current situation

Week 3: Social enterprise in Ireland
(tba) Historical background and traditions
The Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS)
Social Partnership and the ?Social Economy?
Social enterprise programmes
The extent of social enterprise in Ireland
The forms of social enterprise in Ireland

Week 4: Theoretical understanding
(tba) Social capital
Economic theory
Entrepreneurship theory
Institutional theory

Week 5: Setting up a social venture: Internal issues
(tba) Defining social and economic objectives
Social mission
Beneficiaries
Stakeholder engagement
Defining the business structure
The role of the social entrepreneur in the process
Culture conflicts
Mission drift

Week 6: Funding and developing issues
(tba) The funding options
The funding mix
The public sector
The private sector
Philanthropy
Other options
Transition to alternative management ? moving on

Week 7: New Initiatives
(tba) Social Economy Task Force
WINSENT
Socialenterprise.ie
Social Entrepreneurs Ireland
Accountability: social auditing and social return on Investment (SROI)

Week 8: Social entrepreneurship game
(tba) Role play/team competition

Week 9: Practical assignment: introduction and planning session
(tba)

Week 10: Practical assignment
(tba)

Week 11: Practical assignment
(tba)

Week 12: Conclusion and wrap up
(tba) Presentation of learning from practical assignments
Final comments