ENTR202 - Social Entrepreneurship

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

MGMT211 Social Entrepreneurship

Teaching organisation

150 hours over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period

Unit rationale, description and aim

Entrepreneurship does not take place only in for-profit businesses but also occurs when serious social and practical problems emerge in local and global communities. Social entrepreneurship is a rapidly developing and changing business field in which business and non-profit leaders design, grow, and lead enterprises with social and ethical missions. As the traditional lines blur between non-profit enterprises, government, and business, it is critical that business students understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape. Students in this unit will develop knowledge of social enterprise models, appreciate the role of social entrepreneurs in creating social and ethical change, making a social impact and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

This unit helps students effectively apply their skills and knowledge in business management to address complex social and ethical challenges. Its major aim is to develop a holistic understanding of the role of social enterprises and their associated entrepreneurial activities in creating value for local and global communities and societies and enhancing their sustainability.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Explain the key concepts underpinning social entrepreneurship and social start-ups with the purpose of making a social impact (GA5, GA6)

LO2 - Illustrate the opportunities, challenges, and issues facing social entrepreneurs and social start-ups (GA4, GA5)

LO3 - Apply business skills to the effective and ethical operation and standards of social enterprises and social start-ups (GA3, GA5)

LO4 - Examine the importance of respect and responsibility to multicultural communities, investors, donors, and beneficiaries in a social start-up project. (GA1, GA5)

LO5 - Develop an effective ‘elevator pitch’ along with a short proposal report to ‘sell’ a social innovation concept (GA5, GA9)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include:

• The ecosystem for social entrepreneurship
• Characteristics of social entrepreneurs
• Social value creation
• Social enterprise business models
• Stakeholder engagement in social entrepreneurship
• Funding social ventures
• Challenges and opportunities for social entrepreneurs
• Managing social enterprise staff, volunteers and investors relationships
• Governance of social enterprises
• Social innovation models
• Making a social and ethical impact
• Communicating in the social entrepreneurship context

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit adopts active, case study, problem-based and experiential (expert keynote speakers) learning approaches simultaneously to help students in acquiring and integration of knowledge and skills related to identifying and solving social problems by applying an entrepreneurial lens. Students will be able to learn the application of theories and concepts underpinning social entrepreneurship processes in a series of workshops or equivalent along with the materials (videos, texts, exercises, and cases) provided through the online learning platform. Each workshop or equivalent activities includes mini-seminars focusing on the core theories and followed by practical exercises. Few social entrepreneur experts will be invited throughout the semester as keynote speakers to share their practical experiences with students. In this blended mode of delivery, students- through individual and group activities- will be able to develop and accumulate practical knowledge of innovation and entrepreneurship theories/concepts.

Mode of delivery: This unit is offered in different modes. These are: "Attendance" mode, "Blended" mode and "Online" mode. This unit is offered in three modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.

Attendance Mode

In an attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops, most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Blended Mode

In a blended mode, students will require intermittent face-to-face attendance determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

In an online mode, students engage in asynchronous learning and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge. Students are required to participate in a series of online interactive activities to enhance their learning including knowledge checks, discussion boards and self-paced exercises. This approach allows flexibility for students and facilitates learning and participation for students with a preference for virtual learning.

Assessment strategy and rationale

To pass this unit, students are required to achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be by a rubric specifically developed to measure student level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the Unit. The assessment strategy for this unit helps students develop their knowledge and skills in social entrepreneurship to the point where they can propose a solution to social problems from a social entrepreneur’s perspective. To accumulate this level of aptitude, students will participate in the application of social entrepreneurship concepts and theories in a context of a real-world situation (Assessment 1), analyse and explain the key issues in social entrepreneurship and managing entrepreneurial enterprises (Assessment 2), and finally put themselves in a position of a social entrepreneur to innovatively offer a solution to a critical social issue (Assessment 3).

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Recommended references

Kickul, J., & Lyons, T. S. (2020). Understanding social entrepreneurship: The relentless pursuit of mission in an ever changing world. Routledge.

Bandinelli, C. (2019). Social Entrepreneurship and Neoliberalism: Making Money while Doing Good. Rowman & Littlefield International.

Cuta, N. (2019). Dey, Pascal & Steyaert, Chris (Ed.): Social Entrepreneurship. An Affirmative Critique. Cheltenham UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2018, pp. 328).

Beugre (2017), Social Entrepreneurship: Managing the creation of Social Value, Routledge.

Samson, D & Gloet, M 2015, Innovation and entrepreneurship: creating new value, Oxford University Press Australia, Melbourne.

Drucker, P 2015, Innovation and entrepreneurship, Routledge Classics, London.

Breuer, H & Ldeke-Freund, F 2016, Values-based innovation: innovating by what we care about, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingtstoke, England.

Journals

Social Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

Strategic Entrepreneurship

Journal of Business Venturing

Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research

Small Business Economics

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice