Social entrepreneurship in the social policy curriculum

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to describe and analyse the development of a teaching module that introduces undergraduate students to the core skills required to develop and manage a welfare organisation. It makes particular reference to social enterprise. Design/methodology/approach -The paper explores the political and educational context which inspired this initiative and the theoretical basis for the approach used. A particular focus is placed on the entrepreneurial aspects of the development. It moves on to describe the delivery of the module to the first cohort of students and includes their assessment of the learning and an evaluation of how they performed the assessment task. Findings -Students were very positive about the content of the module; the teaching style employed and reported that it had inspired them to be entrepreneurial. Practical implications -Students who are now paying large sums in fees may well be motivated to enrol on courses that are practice based or enhance professional development through engaging with "real world" issues. Such courses equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to boost their chances of pursuing a career in an area that fits their personal motivations, values and interests. Originality/value -The paper addresses the real life experience of delivering enterprise skills training to social policy students, a group not traditionally associated with this type of approach. The paper will be of interest to students, academics and practitioners in the fields of contemporary welfare delivery and management who are interested in developing entrepreneurship skills training in higher education and workplace settings.

The Influence of Personality Traits and Demographic Factors on Social Entrepreneurship Start Up Intentions

“…21-40). Profits are reinvested in the business to serve social policy initiatives (Gunn et al, 2008), for example, micro-financing by Grameen Bank.…”

Learning-by-doing as an approach to teaching social entrepreneurship

“…In many SE curricula, inside and outside of the classroom, the pedagogy rotates around academic development (Kickul, Griffiths and Bacq 2010;Gunn et al, 2008). The creation of a business plan, as described by Gunn et al (2008), and Heriot, Cook, Simpson and Parker (2008), is very much in a shadowing role and does not give students direct experience of the business development role.…”

“…The creation of a business plan, as described by Gunn et al (2008), and Heriot, Cook, Simpson and Parker (2008), is very much in a shadowing role and does not give students direct experience of the business development role. Such methods do not provide the opportunity for students to make real business decisions or to discover the problems that social enterprises encounter, or how they actually generate funds.…”

“…In recent years SE education has also been on the rise as a subject of study in British and north American higher education institutions (Gunn, Durkin, Singh and Brown, 2008;Schlee, Curren and Harich, 2009). At present the approach to SE education varies widely, encompassing teaching techniques such as classroom based lectures and workshops to consulting in live projects (Frank, 2005;Gunn et al, 2008). However, the engagement of students in generating real revenues for social enterprises as a learning approach to social entrepreneurial learning has not been fully explored.…”

Facilitadores e dificultadores na implementação de um negócio inclusivo em três países de diferentes continentes

“…A perspectiva européia, nascida da tradição de economia social (associativismo, cooperativismo), apresenta a atuação de organizações privadas com forte apelo para finalidades públicas (BULL, 2006;GUNN et al, 2008;BORGAZA, GALERA, 2009); a norte-americana, entendida basicamente como organizações privadas, com lógica de mercado, dedicadas a soluções de problemas sociais (DIOCHON, ANDERSON, 2009;TREXLER, 2008;YOUNG, 2009) e uma terceira corrente, que inclui as iniciativas de países emergentes com foco principalmente na redução da pobreza e transformação das condições sociais dos indivíduos marginalizados .…”