Content, structure, and teaching:
This class will help SDC students understand the processes underlying social innovation and entrepreneurship. Given a population of over one billion in China, scaling up social innovations requires the use of online tools, in particular virtual platforms and social networking. The course will thus pay particular attention to how online platforms can be used to facilitate social innovation. You will also gain hands-on experience with the practice of social business modeling and the systematic management of tacit and explicit knowledge in the development of these business models.
Students will work in teams to identify a real-world opportunity in the form of an innovation that will create charitable or societal benefits, either being developed in the public or private sector. You will then be required to “transfer” this knowledge into the real world. You will use the virtual open innovation platform The seizmic App to identify and describe your business model, determining relevant market segments, income strategies, and financing models. The course will be completed with the students presenting their business models and opportunities.
The course will include lecturing and case studies but will consist primarily of team-based work on your social enterprise business models.
The course’s development of personal competences:
The course will develop your ability to articulate individual to collective knowledge both through face-to-face group work and virtual collaboration. Moreover, you will acquire capabilities in social opportunity identification as well as the writing of business plans for social enterprises. You will learn how to identify ideas for social innovation that will help create charitable or societal benefits and how to use collaboration and social networking to leverage social innovation. Furthermore, you will be introduced to the disciplines of business modeling and knowledge management. As a participant, you will practice the use of theoretical texts in a practical context. In particular, the class will ask you to set up your own social enterprise during the course of the class, which will expose you to the practical challenges associated with launching social ventures.
Objectives:
At the end of the course students should be able to
a. Contrast different theories of social innovation.
b. Explain how these theories link to social performance.
c. Explain the opportunities and challenges in managing knowledge work for social innovation.
d. Reflect on how knowledge collaboration and knowledge strategies can be used to leverage social innovation.
e. Define which variables impact the social performance of social enterprises.
f. Apply the theories to the analysis of social entrepreneurship in a wide range of cases.
g. Apply classroom learning to a specific real-world example for which a business plan has to be prepared and defended.
Academic qualifications and limitations:
One main element of the course is the development of a business plan. For this students work in groups together.
Type of examination: Written exam on the basis of a mini project (seizmic business model)
Your exam will be based on group work in which you will select a social issue related to China, identify an opportunity for social innovation, and develop a social business model (following the framework provided in the seizmic App).
The completion of the business model in all its parts, as outlined in the syllabus, together with a positive evaluation at the end of the project presentation (Group Pitches – Monday, 01 June), are required conditions for eligibility to sit the written exam.
Your final grade will be based on an individually written exam (Cloosed book).
In the exam, you are expected to respond to the questions by engaging in deep and critical reflection on your group’s work, drawing on the course literature. You should reflect on both your group’s social enterprise business model and the group processes.
You are required to use the readings from the course syllabus to support your analysis.
This class will help SDC students understand the processes underlying social innovation and entrepreneurship. Given a population of over one billion in China, scaling up social innovations requires the use of online tools, in particular virtual platforms and social networking. The course will thus pay particular attention to how online platforms can be used to facilitate social innovation. You will also gain hands-on experience with the practice of social business modeling and the systematic management of tacit and explicit knowledge in the development of these business models.
Students will work in teams to identify a real-world opportunity in the form of an innovation that will create charitable or societal benefits, either being developed in the public or private sector. You will then be required to “transfer” this knowledge into the real world. You will use the virtual open innovation platform The seizmic App to identify and describe your business model, determining relevant market segments, income strategies, and financing models. The course will be completed with the students presenting their business models and opportunities.
The course will include lecturing and case studies but will consist primarily of team-based work on your social enterprise business models.
The course’s development of personal competences:
The course will develop your ability to articulate individual to collective knowledge both through face-to-face group work and virtual collaboration. Moreover, you will acquire capabilities in social opportunity identification as well as the writing of business plans for social enterprises. You will learn how to identify ideas for social innovation that will help create charitable or societal benefits and how to use collaboration and social networking to leverage social innovation. Furthermore, you will be introduced to the disciplines of business modeling and knowledge management. As a participant, you will practice the use of theoretical texts in a practical context. In particular, the class will ask you to set up your own social enterprise during the course of the class, which will expose you to the practical challenges associated with launching social ventures.
Objectives:
At the end of the course students should be able to
a. Contrast different theories of social innovation.
b. Explain how these theories link to social performance.
c. Explain the opportunities and challenges in managing knowledge work for social innovation.
d. Reflect on how knowledge collaboration and knowledge strategies can be used to leverage social innovation.
e. Define which variables impact the social performance of social enterprises.
f. Apply the theories to the analysis of social entrepreneurship in a wide range of cases.
g. Apply classroom learning to a specific real-world example for which a business plan has to be prepared and defended.
Academic qualifications and limitations:
One main element of the course is the development of a business plan. For this students work in groups together.
Type of examination: Written exam on the basis of a mini project (seizmic business model)
Your exam will be based on group work in which you will select a social issue related to China, identify an opportunity for social innovation, and develop a social business model (following the framework provided in the seizmic App).
The completion of the business model in all its parts, as outlined in the syllabus, together with a positive evaluation at the end of the project presentation (Group Pitches – Monday, 01 June), are required conditions for eligibility to sit the written exam.
Your final grade will be based on an individually written exam (Cloosed book).
In the exam, you are expected to respond to the questions by engaging in deep and critical reflection on your group’s work, drawing on the course literature. You should reflect on both your group’s social enterprise business model and the group processes.
You are required to use the readings from the course syllabus to support your analysis.