Module Description

This 10 credit optional module focuses on three critical new developments relating to the social aspects of business. They include the emergence of social entrepreneurship as a new form of enterprise, the growth of social innovation as a legitimate form of development of new products and services for social purposes with a market orientation, and the social impact of business investment decisions. The module enables students to acquire a critical understanding of theories and practice of how the process of social entrepreneurship, social innovation and social impact embraces a range of entrepreneurial and management skills to address social issues such as exclusion, collaboration, networking, poverty alleviation, inequality and environmental concerns. It is also concerned with the use of those skills to generate new opportunities for their organisations, novel forms of managing people, resources and the wider environment, and for better ways of engaging with different groups of stakeholders


Aims

This module provides the necessary theoretical framework for the study of social entrepreneurship, social innovation and social impact. The module will provide the critical, theoretical underpinning for the study and investigation of the social dimensions of new forms of business organisation, innovation and the impact of investment decisions. by answering five important questions

What are the characteristics of social enterprises?
What and how does social innovation contribute to organisations and the wider economy?
How do investment decisions account for the exploration of opportunities for innovation in both social and economic settings?
How are social enterprises and how is social innovation managed and what skills are necessary for their advancement?
What are the future prospects for sensitive and high social impact investment decision makings and how can they be better supported through effective policy, better awareness of their work and effective management?




Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Understand critically the concept of a social enterprise, social innovation and the social economy
Obtain a critical appreciation of the vital role social enterprises and social innovation play in addressing societal problems, including, inter-alia, social exclusion to environmental degradation
Understand critically the motivations of social entrepreneurs and investors and the social and institutional barriers to setting up social organisaions
Understand critically the process of social entrepreneurship and social innovation including the generation of social capital and social networking
Recognise the key policy issues that will support the development of social impact investment (Learning Outcomes: A; A3; B1; B 5;C2;C;3 D1-2)