Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
A.Y. 2021/2022
Learning objectives
Whether it is ample access to sustainable energy, equitable stewardship of Earth's ecosystems to counter climate change, food security or poverty eradication, entrepreneurship is taking a leading role in the search for sustainable solutions to the most pressing, wicked problems of society. At the intersection of business, government and nonprofits, social and sustainable entrepreneurs are increasingly visible and having an impact on local and global scales.
Building on the most recent advancements in entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainability, the course will provide students with the opportunity to learn how to apply business knowledge and skills to address complex social and environmental problems.
Students will first address the complexity of sustainability, as well as how related challenges are altering the social and competitive arena for companies and organizations, creating new threats and market opportunities. The focus will then move on knowledge and tools to sustain social and sustainable opportunity identification and exploitation. Social and sustainable business planning will be addressed along the stages of entrepreneurial discovery, with a focus on hybrid business models and supportive ecosystems. Moreover, recent advancements in the field of innovation for social change will be reviewed, with a focus on bottom of the pyramid strategies, scaling opportunities, and cross-sector social partnerships.
Building on the most recent advancements in entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainability, the course will provide students with the opportunity to learn how to apply business knowledge and skills to address complex social and environmental problems.
Students will first address the complexity of sustainability, as well as how related challenges are altering the social and competitive arena for companies and organizations, creating new threats and market opportunities. The focus will then move on knowledge and tools to sustain social and sustainable opportunity identification and exploitation. Social and sustainable business planning will be addressed along the stages of entrepreneurial discovery, with a focus on hybrid business models and supportive ecosystems. Moreover, recent advancements in the field of innovation for social change will be reviewed, with a focus on bottom of the pyramid strategies, scaling opportunities, and cross-sector social partnerships.
Expected learning outcomes
Participants in this course will lean what role management students can play at the initiation of social and sustainable change. They will know how to set the boundaries of social and sustainable entrepreneurship and understand the steps through which a typical process for social change unfolds. In so doing, participants will learn a vocabulary for thinking and communication about social and sustainable values. Additionally, students will apply knowledge and understanding to the identification, exploitation and scalability of social and sustainable opportunities.
Lesson period: Second trimester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second trimester
More specific information on the delivery modes of training activities for academic year 2021/22 will be provided over the coming months, based on the evolution of the public health situation.
Course syllabus
The course consists in the following topics:
1. Introduction to social and sustainable entrepreneurship: Starting from presenting current theories and approaches, the first part aims at creating a common language among participants related to entrepreneurial projects with a strong focus on social change and sustainability objectives. Sustainability challenges are reviewed with a focus on their impact on companies and organizations. The relationship between social and business entrepreneurship is presented, together with a focus on the changing dynamics in the non-profit sector. New legal forms and organizations are presented with an international focus.
2. Planning dynamics and tools: The second part focuses on a process-based view of social and sustainable entrepreneurship, starting with opportunity identification and ending-up with opportunity exploitation into a running organizational form. The role of planning in supporting idea refinement for social change and sustainability is presented, with specific regards to the development of a theory of change and a related business model. The specificities of social business plans will be also introduced, with reference to a social start-up.
3. Social impact assessment and maximization: The need for measuring social value creation and sustainability is introduced, both as a forecast before launching a social venture to attract potential resource providers and as an approach to formalize internal mechanisms aimed at making people responsible for the correct use of resources. Attention will be focus on social return on investment analysis. The economic quantification of the social value created will also represent the precondition to maximize mission attainment by informing decisions regarding scaling options.
4. Financial innovations for impact: Innovation in funding strategies for social and sustainable entrepreneurial ventures will be covered. Impact investing and social venture capital will be explored, comparing and contrasting alternative models.
1. Introduction to social and sustainable entrepreneurship: Starting from presenting current theories and approaches, the first part aims at creating a common language among participants related to entrepreneurial projects with a strong focus on social change and sustainability objectives. Sustainability challenges are reviewed with a focus on their impact on companies and organizations. The relationship between social and business entrepreneurship is presented, together with a focus on the changing dynamics in the non-profit sector. New legal forms and organizations are presented with an international focus.
2. Planning dynamics and tools: The second part focuses on a process-based view of social and sustainable entrepreneurship, starting with opportunity identification and ending-up with opportunity exploitation into a running organizational form. The role of planning in supporting idea refinement for social change and sustainability is presented, with specific regards to the development of a theory of change and a related business model. The specificities of social business plans will be also introduced, with reference to a social start-up.
3. Social impact assessment and maximization: The need for measuring social value creation and sustainability is introduced, both as a forecast before launching a social venture to attract potential resource providers and as an approach to formalize internal mechanisms aimed at making people responsible for the correct use of resources. Attention will be focus on social return on investment analysis. The economic quantification of the social value created will also represent the precondition to maximize mission attainment by informing decisions regarding scaling options.
4. Financial innovations for impact: Innovation in funding strategies for social and sustainable entrepreneurial ventures will be covered. Impact investing and social venture capital will be explored, comparing and contrasting alternative models.
Prerequisites for admission
To feel comfortable in this course, students should have general background in management, performance management and control systems, organization and business planning.
For MIE students, first year courses are propaedeutic to second year courses.
For MIE students, first year courses are propaedeutic to second year courses.
Teaching methods
The course is based on active teaching methodologies aimed at maximizing students' participation. In addition to face-to-face lectures, attending students will be involved in the discussion of case studies and incidents obtained using real-life examples. Guest speaker's talks will be organized, as well as group projects, role playing and simulations.
Teaching Resources
Attending students
A collection of readings and instructor materials will be made available to attending students on Ariel.
Non-attending students
Handbook (HB): Beugré, Constant. Social entrepreneurship: Managing the creation of social value. Routledge, 2016 (all chapters)
Additional readings (only for non attending students):
R1: Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C.K. & Rangaswami M.R., (2009), "Why Sustainability Is Now the Key Driver of Innovation", Harvard Business Review, September, 56-64
Management, 47/3: 368-384.
R2: European Commission. 2014. "A map of social enterprises and their eco-systems in Europe, Executive Summary", DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
R3: Santos, F., Pache, A., & Birkholz, C., 2015. "Making hybrids work: Aligning business models and organizational design for social enterprises", California Management Review, 57/3: 36-58.
A collection of readings and instructor materials will be made available to attending students on Ariel.
Non-attending students
Handbook (HB): Beugré, Constant. Social entrepreneurship: Managing the creation of social value. Routledge, 2016 (all chapters)
Additional readings (only for non attending students):
R1: Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C.K. & Rangaswami M.R., (2009), "Why Sustainability Is Now the Key Driver of Innovation", Harvard Business Review, September, 56-64
Management, 47/3: 368-384.
R2: European Commission. 2014. "A map of social enterprises and their eco-systems in Europe, Executive Summary", DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
R3: Santos, F., Pache, A., & Birkholz, C., 2015. "Making hybrids work: Aligning business models and organizational design for social enterprises", California Management Review, 57/3: 36-58.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Attending students
The final grade will consist of the following components:
End-of-term exam: 50%
Group assignment: 50%
In-class assignments: 0-2 bonus points.
The end-of-term exam tests the knowledge obtained by attending classes and studying materials. It will consist of a mix of multiple-choice questions and short-essay questions (e.g. concept questions or cases analysis).
The group assignment will consist of the development of a business plan for a social start-up dealing with a specific social or environmental problem. Details will be provided in class.
In-class assignments will be developed in groups and based on cases and short exercises.
Non-attending students
Written exam to test knowledge obtained studying required chapters of the textbook + readings. As for attending students, the exam will consist of open-ended and multiple-choice questions.
The final grade will consist of the following components:
End-of-term exam: 50%
Group assignment: 50%
In-class assignments: 0-2 bonus points.
The end-of-term exam tests the knowledge obtained by attending classes and studying materials. It will consist of a mix of multiple-choice questions and short-essay questions (e.g. concept questions or cases analysis).
The group assignment will consist of the development of a business plan for a social start-up dealing with a specific social or environmental problem. Details will be provided in class.
In-class assignments will be developed in groups and based on cases and short exercises.
Non-attending students
Written exam to test knowledge obtained studying required chapters of the textbook + readings. As for attending students, the exam will consist of open-ended and multiple-choice questions.
SECS-P/08 - MANAGEMENT - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professors:
Romito Stefano, Vurro Clodia
Professor(s)
Reception:
Next dates available online. Registration required following the link below
on Teams