Objective & Learning Outcomes
This course exposes students to how technology, business and innovation can be leveraged to create social impact and social good. We study how social enterprises create social change while remaining financially sustainable. We study how inclusive, fair trade and circular economy businesses operate with a combined focus on inclusion, environmentally sustainable practices, and financial sustainability. We look at how technology and digital solutions are built to enable development and poverty alleviation. The course covers concepts, theory and practice of social entrepreneurship, social innovation and inclusive business and give students a sense of how they are put into practice, and how they create social value in society. The course also covers conventional business activities to create social impact, such as CSR & ESG. We learn through case studies, invited speakers, hands-on activities including field visits, and exercises to formulate a social enterprise idea.
Modules
- Social Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship: theoretical underpinnings
- Social Enterprise models: Examples across different sectors
- Understanding low-income customers/ consumers + Inclusive Markets
- Technology and development
- Measuring the impact of social enterprises
- Supporting social enterprises: impact investors, blended finance and philanthropy
- Inclusive Business: Business at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP)
- ESG, Corporate Social Responsibility