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2014/2015  KAN-CCMVV1535U  Social Entrepreneurship: Creating Social Change Using the Power of Entrepreneurship

English Title
Social Entrepreneurship: Creating Social Change Using the Power of Entrepreneurship

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Kai Hockerts - MSC
Administration: Maja Dueholm (md.ikl@cbs.dk)
Main academic disciplines
  • Business Ethics, value based management and CSR
  • Innovation and entrepreneurship
  • Experience economy and service management
  • Corporate and Business Strategy
Last updated on 22-04-2014
Learning objectives
At the end of the course students should be able to:
  • Discuss the differences between the social entrepreneurship theories discussed in the course.
  • Explain how these theories link to social performance.
  • Enumerate which variables impact the social performance of social enterprises
  • Apply these theories to the analysis of social entrepreneurship in a wide range of case studies.
Course prerequisites
The course relies heavily on classroom discussions and case examples.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam
Number of mandatory activities: 2
Requirements about active class participation (assessed approved/not approved)
As a precondition for taking the final exam students will have to participate in group work. The first part of this requirement means that students have to upload case discussions on CBS Learn prior to five classes. These presentations can be prepared in study groups or alone. Secondly, each student group will have to research a social enterprise and present their findings in class.
Examination
Individual Project, 15 pages:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual
The course concludes with a 15 pages individual project exam/home assignment. The exam requires a considerable amount of independent research of primary data on a social enterprise that you select yourself. As a result the K72 elective requires a higher than average work load and should only be selected by students highly committed to the topic.
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Winter Term
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Course content and structure

The domain of social change is no longer reserved to students of political sciences and development studies. Increasingly business students are recognized as possessing important skills that can drive social change. This new discipline is often referred to as Social Entrepreneurship (S-ENT). S-ENT describes the discovery and sustainable exploitation of opportunities to create public goods. This is usually done through the generation of disequilibria in market and non-market environments. The S-ENT process can in some cases lead to the creation of social enterprises. These social ventures are hybrid organizations exhibiting characteristics of both the for-profit and not-for profit sector. People engaging in S-ENT are usually referred to as social entrepreneurs, a term that describes resourceful individuals working to create social innovation. They do not only have to identify (or create) opportunities for social change (that so far have been unexploited), they must also muster the resources necessary to turn these opportunities into reality. A typical example is Prof. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank (Bangladesh) and recipient of the Nobel Peace price in recognition of his contribution to poverty alleviation through the invention and popularization of Microfinance. Other examples include fair trade or car-sharing. Today many foundations aim to identify and promote social entrepreneurs. Two prominent examples are Ashoka and the Skoll Foundation. So called venture philanthropists adopt methods from the domain of venture capital, for example, encouraging social entrepreneurs to provide detailed business plans and to measure and report systematically on their social performance. Social Return on Investment (S-ROI) analysis is an example, for an emerging tool aiming to describe the social impact of S-ENT in dollar terms, relative to the philanthropic investment made.
 

The course´s development of personal competence:

Participants in this course will learn what role management students can play in the initiation of social change. In particular they will become skilled at how to identify opportunities for social change and how to develop plans for their exploitation. They will also acquire the basic skills needed for launching and growing social enterprises.

Teaching methods
Lectures.
Further Information
This course is part of the minor in Social Entrepreneurship

Changes in course schedule may occur
Monday 09.50-12.25, week 36-48
Expected literature

· Bornstein D. 1998. Changing the World on a Shoestring. The Atlantic Monthly. 281(1): 34-39.

· Drucker, Peter, 1989: What Business Can Learn from Nonprofits. Harvard Business Review, Jul/Aug89, Vol. 67.

· Dees JG. 1998. Enterprising Nonprofits. Harvard Business Review. 76(1): 54-66.

· Prahalad, C. K.; Hammond, Allen, 2002: Serving the world's poor, profitably, in: Harvard Business Review, Sept 2002.

· Yunus M. 1998. Poverty Alleviation: Is Economics Any Help? Lessons from the Grameen Bank Experience. Journal of International Affairs. 52(1): 47-65.

· Porter, Michael E., Kramer, Mark R., 1999: Philanthropy's New Agenda: Creating Value, Harvard Business Review; Nov/Dec99, Vol. 77(6): 121-130

· Robert S. Kaplan, 1999: New Profit, Inc.: Governing the Nonprofit Enterprise, HBS Case, 9-197-036.

· Letts CWR, William, Grossman A. 1997. Virtuous Capital: What Foundations Can Learn from Venture Capitalists. Harvard Business Review. 75(2): 36-43.

Last updated on 22-04-2014