Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Social Entrepreneurship
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish,
Teaching staff
Tutorials will be held upon request by email: nmagomedova@uic.es
Introduction
Social entrepreneurship, i.e. business that generates positive social and/or environmental impact, has experienced a steady growth in the last decade. It has gained an increasing importance in the Spanish economy, as well as globally. Within the European economy, social enterprises account for 17% of employment and 15% of GDP.
This course provides students with the necessary skills to create, develop and lead companies of the social economy. The course facilitates and disseminates the necessary tools for the good management of social enterprises, analysing strategic, legal, financial and human resource aspects, while promoting entrepreneurial and innovation competencies as engines of change of these organizations and their leadership.
Pre-course requirements
No special requirements
Objectives
The main goal of this subject is to present a social enterprise model as an alternative way of doing business that focuses on social and environmental necessities, while taking into account the importance of financial sustainability.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 28 - To be able to work in another language and use terminology and structures related to the economic-business world.
- 32 - To acquire problem solving skills based on quantitative and qualitative information.
- 33 - To be able to search for, interpret and convey information.
- 39 - To acquire the ability to solve problems and make decisions based on relevant information, applying the appropriate methods and situating the problem within the organisation as a whole.
- 52 - To develop interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
- 53 - To acquire the skills necessary to learn autonomously.
- 54 - To be able to express one’s ideas and formulate arguments in a logical and coherent way, both verbally and in writing.
- 56 - To be able to create arguments which are conducive to critical and self-critical thinking.
- 58 - To be able to develop self-assessment exercises.
- 60 - To acquire knowledge that promotes respect for other cultures and habits.
- 62 - To acquire mechanisms that facilitate the adoption of ethical commitments.
- 63 - To be able to analyse business related behaviour and decisions and evaluate them from an economic, social and ethical point of view.
- 64 - To be able to plan and organise one's work.
- 65 - To acquire the ability to put knowledge into practice.
- 66 - To be able to retrieve and manage information.
- 67 - To be able to express oneself in other languages.
- 68 - To develop mechanisms that encourage sensitivity towards social welfare issues.
Learning outcomes of the subject
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
• Understand, identify and analyse a social need
• Understand the concepts of social entrepreneurship, social impact and social finance.
• Identify the stakeholders of social entrepreneurship ecosystem
• Understand the concept of social innovation
• Understanding the importance of social impact evaluation
• Understand the differences in management between conventional and social enterprises
Syllabus
Topic 1. Fundamentals of Social Entrepreneurship
• Social economy, its roots, key stakeholders. Social entrepreneurship and its fit in the third sector (NGO) and social economy.
• The ecosystem of social economy in Catalonia, Spain and Europe.
• Gender equality in the Third Sector.
Topic 2. Social need as a business opportunity
• The concept of a social need. Social needs as a base for business opportunities. The analysis of needs and the generation of solutions.
• Social Innovation. The concept. Good practices of social innovation around the world. Social innovation vs. social enterprises.
Topic 3. Social impact and the Theory of Change
• Measuring social impact. Quantitative and qualitative indicators.
• Social Return on Investment metrics: IRIS, GVE, GRI, Social Balance.
• Applying Theory of Change to achieve measurable social impact.
• Challenges of measuring social impact.
• Impact washing: what it is and how to avoid it.
Topic 4. Social enterprises vs. Responsible enterprises
• Corporate Social Responsibility. Shareholder value maximization vs. corporate citizenship.
• Benefit corporations as a reinvention of CSR.
• BCorps in the world and in Spain
• Other certification for social impact measurement
Topic 5. Social Entrepreneurial Project: Impact Business Model
• Stanford’s social business model canvas. Problem and mission statement.
• Social marketing mix
• Operations plan for a social enterprise
• Measuring social impact
• Financial and legal framework of a social enterprise
Teaching and learning activities
In person
- Lectures: 2-hour sessions with the whole group. The teacher presents the key theoretical concepts according to each topic.
- Professional conferences: Sessions in which one or more specialists expose their experiences or projects to students.
- Tutorials: Students can contact the teachers by email, check Moodle for their office hours or ask for an appointment.
- Individual work: Personal study of the material provided by the course to assimilate the concepts and procedures covered during the classes. The objective of the individual work is an in-depth comprehension of and reflection on the contents of the course.
- Group work/case studies and project-based learning: Includes work in groups of roughly 5 students to solve a case study or carry out a project linked to a challenge that will be proposed by a social entrepreneur.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The evaluation of the achievement of the competences will be assessed taking into account the continuous work carried out by the student through active participation, conference attendance, the preparation and presentation of case and the final project. Below we can find the different sections that will be evaluated and their weight in the final grade:
- (30%) Continuous assessment (class participation and case studies)
- (30%) Social Entrepreneurial project
- (40%) ¼ Midterm and ¾ Final exam
Bibliography and resources
Bastida R., and Mas-Machuca, M. (2020). Cració i gestió d’empreses socials. Teoria I casos pràctics resolts
Defourny, Jacques; Hulgard, Lars & Pestoff, Victor (2014), Social Enterprise and the Third Sector. Changing European Landscapes in a Comparative Perspective. Routledge. London.
Mertens, S.(2010), La gestion des entreprises sociales, Edipro, Liège.
Yunus, Mohammad (2011) Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs Paperback.