Subject
Social Entrepreneurship
- code 12340
- course 2
- term Semester 1
- type op
- credits 3
Main language of instruction: English
Teaching staff
Introduction
Nowadays, the social economy is a movement that is increasing, at the Spanish level, it is working on the line of incorporating social entrepreneurship into the new law of entrepreneurship, the new law of patronage and the creation of a specific legal form of social enterprises, and at European level, appears at the centre of the EU 2020 Strategy. This business sector within the economy, at European level, accounts 17% of employment and 15% of GDP.
The course will provide to the students with the necessary skills to create, develop, manage, research, innovate and lead companies of the social economy. It is a program that facilitates and disseminates the necessary tools for the good internal functioning of social economy entities and cooperatives - analysing strategic, legal, economic-fiscal and human resources aspects - while promoting the Entrepreneurial and innovative competences as engines of change of these organizations and their leadership.
Pre-course requirements
Objectives
The main goal of this subject is to present the social business model to the students, in order that they can understand that there is a different way of doing business, focusing on social and environmental necessities, taking into account that financial sustainability is also very important.
Competences / Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 04 - To understand and know how to use financial terms within a business framework.
- 05 - To understand the functions of corporate finance departments.
- 12 - To be familiar with the main concepts and theories of economic and business philosophy.
- 13 - To be familiar with and understand the terms and processes of company management.
- 14 - To be familiar with and understand the legal framework of trade law and be able to apply it in practical cases related to the business world.
- 19 - To analyse quantitative financial variables and take them into account when making decisions.
- 24 - To be able to carry out a financial, social and historical analysis of the environment in which a company operates.
- 25 - To understand the commercial function of a company and its objectives.
- 27 - To be able to read and understand literature on economic and business issues.
- 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.
- 37 - To be able to apply managerial methods, tools and techniques.
- 41 - To be able to descriptively summarise information.
- 46 - To acquire the ability to understand and participate in conferences and lectures in an academic context.
- 51 - To develop decision making skills.
- 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.
- 55 - To adopt good time management skills.
- 56 - To be able to create arguments which are conducive to critical and self-critical thinking.
- 57 - To acquire skills which favour reading comprehension.
- 62 - To acquire mechanisms that facilitate the adoption of ethical commitments.
- 64 - To be able to plan and organise one's work.
- 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 analyze a social need
- Understand the concepts of social economy, social entrepreneurship and social business
- Identify the actors of social entrepreneurship ecosystem
- Understand the concept of social innovation
- Understanding the importance of social impact evaluation
- Identify the instruments to finance social projects
- Understand the differences in financial management of social businesses
Syllabus
Topic 1. Social entrepreneurship and fundamental concepts of social economy and third social sector.
- Introduction to the concept of social entrepreneurship and its fit in the third social sector (NGO) and the social economy.
- The ecosystem of non-profit organizations and social entrepreneurship in Catalonia, Spain and Europe. The actors that are part of the ecosystem of social entrepreneurship in Catalonia, Spain and Europe.
Topic 2. Social business model: social needs and business opportunities
- The concept of social need. Social needs as a base for business opportunities. The analysis of needs and the generation of solutions.
- The generation of their own social business models. Working in groups, identifying a social need. Develop an idea of social business. Transform it into a social business model.
- Social Innovation. The concept. The good practices of social innovation around the world. Social innovation against social enterprises.
Topic 3. The social impact and the theory of change
- The measure of the social impact.
- Quantitative and qualitative measurement indicators.
- Measurement tools (SROI, IRIS ...).
- Theory of change.
Topic 4. Economic and legal framework of companies in the social economy
- Corporate legal forms for the creation of a social enterprise
- Elaboration of the economic-financial plan of a social project. Specific aspects of the cost analysis and the preparation of the budget.
- Analysis of the financial information of social enterprises (analysis techniques, use of management indicators, etc.)
Topic 5. Financing tools and criteria for project selection
- Alternative financing instruments for social entrepreneurship projects.
- Public financing through subsidies, the role of banks, business angels and venture capital, and the negotiation process with investors, and the new social investment industry, such as crowdfunding, patronage and sponsorship.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Lectures:
120-minute 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 teacher by email or check Moodle for their tutoring hours or ask for time.
Individual work:
It includes the personal study work to assimilate the concepts and procedures covered during the plenary classes. The objective of the individual work is the assimilation and reflection on the contents presented in the classroom.
Work-in-group:
It includes work with classmates to 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 the participation in the classes, the attendance at the conferences of external professionals, and the development of a project. Below we can find the different sections that will be evaluated and their weight in the final grade:
- (30%) Continuous assessment through active participation in classes and delivery of exercises and case studies, where the following elements will be valued:
- Proactive attitude.
- Teamwork ability.
- Ability to argue, reason and debate.
- (50%) Project memory (maximum 10 sheets + annexes) where the following elements will be evaluated:
- Capacity to generate sustainable solutions to social needs.
- Ability to identify and analyse a business opportunity.
- Flexibility and creativity in the application of acquired knowledge.
- Writing communication skills.
- (20%) Oral presentation, by work groups, of the project developed throughout the course, where the following elements will be valued:
- Capacity to generate sustainable solutions to social needs.
- Ability to identify and analyse a business opportunity.
- Arguing ability.
- Communicative and speaking skills.
Bibliography and resources
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.
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - Barcelona