Three Avenues for Social Entrepreneurship Research

Abstract

This course will provide an opportunity for you to learn the core concepts of social entrepreneurship and to apply those concepts as you analyze the role of nonprofit organizations' social entrepreneurship activities. The focus is on entrepreneurship activities that further the public good - the creation of a social enterprise by a community organization that benefits the community, encourages civic engagement, and meets the needs of both the clients of the organization and the residents of the community. IDS 321 is the first course in a two course sequence in entrepreneurship for the public good, you must complete both courses. In IDS 321, you will focus on acquiring the core analytic concepts and skills. In the second course, you will use these analytic skills in your work with leaders from an area nonprofit partner to produce a plan for a new program that is consistent with the partner's mission and that benefits its clients and community. Each student-community partner teams will present its project at a social entrepreneurship plan competition to be held at the end of the second course. Social entrepreneurship is the process through which an organization develops new programs that provide solutions to social issues that has been identified in the community. The fundamental premises are that the program (1) is an innovative approach to solving a social issue, (2) is consistent with the broader mission of the organization, (3) benefits the civic life of the community, (4) benefits the clients of the program, and (5) is managed in a way that is operationally feasible for the organization. In this course, we will focus on examples in which a nonprofit organization creates a new social enterprise that earns revenue while it benefits its community and the people who live there. Consider a local example: the Rescue Mission in Trenton has a variety of programs - a homeless shelter, drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs, programs to help the homeless make the transition to work and housing, etc. But it also runs a thrift shop that earns revenue. The thrift shop provides low-cost clothing and household goods for area residents and experience for people who are making the transition to work. The course will meet specific learning goals in social entrepreneurship as well as the behavioral, social, or cultural perspectives requirement in the College's liberal learning program.