OBGP 3250 - Introduction to Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

***UPDATED for 2023/24***

From M. Yunus' Nobel prize in 2006 to E. Duflo, A. Banerjee and M. Kremer ‘s Nobel prize in 2019, from the EU social business initiative in 2010 to the 2023 UN resolution on social economy, from Acumen, Symbiotics to Mirova, social innovation is becoming a key model to address the current complex social and environmental challenges.
A growing body of literature and experience suggests that social innovation and social ventures offer new answers to local societal demands, develop cross-sector collaboration and enhance capacities for social change.
The course aims at:
- Providing tools to analyze the concept of social innovation, its background and evolution, its key pillars of success
- Providing tools and best practices to create and develop social ventures
- Use social innovation and social entrepreneurship to analyse key topics such as : circular economy, digital social innovation, inclusive value chain, impact investing, climate change and ecopreneurship, inclusion and poverty alleviation, collective impact
The course will give an international perspective, based on experiences in every part of the world. Each session is organized in 2 parts: a first part dedicated to fundamentals, tools and methodology in social innovation and entrepreneurship and project management; a second part based on field experiences, specific exercises and case studies to apply the knowledge developed in the first part.
It will give the students analytical and strategic skills. The students shall also develop tools and methodology in project management (theory of change, impact business plan, impact management and measurement, partnership management) to develop and scale up social enterprises and social innovation.
The course also allows to work at a strategic level for a social venture (team work), which will give a first professional experience in the social innovation and social entrepreneurship sector.

Learning Outcomes

1.Build knowledge and understanding of the history, the diversity and key pillars of social innovation and entrepreneurship, through research and analysis

2. Apply tools and good practices to develop social innovation and social venture, through theory of change design and impact business model canvas, scaling up strategies, financing, management and governance

3. Analyse and measure innovative solution, through needs analysis, problem understanding and financial and social performance measurement

4. Understand the social innovation eco-system and the cross sectors collaboartion

Professional Skills:

• Creative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit through analysis of social venture model

• Leadership and Management , team management, through team work on strategic projects and case studies

• Basic finance and basic project/venture management through strategic project and cases studies analysis

• Understanding stakeholders and Needs analysis, through case studies and essay

Céline HYON

Séminaire

English

- In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
- Online learning activities: 1 hours a week / 12 hours a semester
- Reading and Preparation for Class: 1 hours a week / 12 hours a semester
- Research and Preparation for Group Work: 4hours a week / 48 hours a semester
- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

Autumn 2023-2024

(iii) Students will work on a team based project: 60% of grading : written deliverables+ oral presentation at the end of the semester. The topic will be selected by each student out of a list of strategic projects, presented at the 1st class. The group work will be led by a dedicated coach with the regular support from the instructor
(iv) They will hand-in a 4000 words essay. They choose a specific topic related to social innovation or create their own social business (the essay being their canvas to do so) 40% of grading. They will use the tools, facts and framework seen during the sessions -to be handed back at the end of the semester
(v) Participation (class interaction and class games) will act as a malus or bonus.
The strategic group is the opportunity to develop the innovative and entrepreneurial mindset (initiative, creativity, needs assessment and solution design), the team work (coordination, leadership), and the necessary skills in project management (research, analysis, organization).
Examples of previous strategic groups:
• Social creative industry : Develop PPSE “cabaret” business unit in Phnom Penh
• Social creative industry: Increase the growth of Phare Creative Studio, a social animation studio in Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Research and development on participative rural micro-insurance (in emerging countries)
• Develop social housing in Senegal
• Set up an innovation fund for local agri-food network
• Promote an inclusive governance for a social business with a smallholders farmers cooperative as shareholder – Western Africa
• Propose a strategy of digital communication to highlight and promote social innovation for innovative access to water –social business in Western Africa
• Propose a development and fundraising strategy for innovative access to water –social business in Western Africa,
• Social creative industry: : Propose a digital strategy for a social cultural enterprise - Cambodia
• Measuring and Managing Impact, Latin America, Africa, Asia –focus on environment and gender
• Turning a conventional vineyard into an ecological one- France
• Smart Farming: dream or reality?- worldwide
• Social creative industry: Develop a social music production company in Cambodia
• Social creative industry: Develop a social circus festival in Europe
• Social creative industry: Develop a social cultural arts village in Cambodia
• Plastic waste pollution: identify and analyse business model of innovative social enterprises fighting plastic waste- worldwide
• Set up a rural impact investment fund- worldwide
• Develop a digital investment strategy into MFI- Asia
• Analyse public policies and the space for social innovation in India for access to energy
• Develop market analysis for Revolutionary African Food
• Develop an educative app
• Develop an impact finance fund fundraising strategy
• Develop a digital strategy for a socially and environmentally responsible vineyard
• Develop a tool to value social and environmental impact of biodiversity scheme in Brazil
• Analyze the success factors and impact of agro-ecological progammes in Sahel
• Promote inclusive value chains in Cambodia
• Propose a strategy to protect cultural heritage in French rural areas

The course will be interactive, and based on a “learning by doing” approach, combining knowledge sharing, interactive case studies and intervention of experts of the sector. Feedback to students:
- working group: feedback based on individual and collective criteria, given back after the deliverables, to the members of the group. Grading done jointly by the instructor and the group coach. Oral presentation (and clarity and creativity) are included into the assessment criteria.
- essay: feedback given on an individual basis