A social enterprise, broadly defined, is a 'for profit' organisation that has a social or environmental mission at the core of what it does. Whilst social enterprises might have different legal structures and reinvest or redistribute profits in different ways, they are all characterised by an integrated business model that enables their (social and/or environmental) mission to be realised through their direct business operations and not by business profits alone. Driven by the desire to find innovative solutions to systemic social problems and environmental challenges (local and global), social entrepreneurs have facilitated collaboration across traditional 'sectorial boundaries' (the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors) using business thinking to reach people in need and utilising markets for social good. The aim of this course is to first introduce the key features of a social enterprise, examining the various, and at times contested, terminology used in social enterprise/social business contexts, and compare and contrast social enterprises to other enterprise forms (corporations, businesses, and charitable/benevolent organisations). The course will then consider some of the challenges, constraints, and opportunities that social enterprises confront in pursuing their organisational mission (both social/environmental and financial) before examining how a social enterprise might be designed, launched, and scaled. In addition to developing foundational knowledge about social enterprises, the course will also focus on development presentation skills, in particular, how to pitch to potential investors an idea for 'doing business for social good'.
