Social Entrepreneurship: Professor Nanette S. Levinson

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SIS 400.003
Fall 2007

American University
THE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

SENIOR SEMINAR:
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Wednesdays, 2:10-4:50 p.m.
Nanette S. Levinson
Associate Professor, International Communication Program
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 10a.m.-12p.m., Thursdays, 3:00-5:00pm, Wednesdays, after class & by Appointment & Anytime By E-mail
Phone: (202) 885-1480
E-Mail: nlevins@american.edu
www.american.edu/levinson

OVERVIEW

Description

The last decade has seen an increase both in scholarly work related to the field of social entrepreneurship and in the number of social entrepreneurship organizations around the world. Social entrepreneurship itself directly matches the mission of American University with our emphasis on ideas into action and the distinctive strengths of the School of International Service with its research on international and cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, development, organization and politics and its tradition of linking multidisciplinary theory to ethical practice in order to make a difference in the world.

This Senior Seminar seeks to answer the following questions: What does social entrepreneurship entail and what literature exists to help understand this field? Who and what types of organizational structures are the players in this field now? What are the characteristics (including skill sets) of successful social entrepreneurs? What ethical issues/barriers/opportunities arise? Additionally, this Seminar emphasizes new research on cross-cultural communication, alliances and partnerships/networks of organizations, and interorganizational/cross-national learning and innovation as this work applies to the field of social entrepreneurship.

Learning Outcomes

• Use of approaches and concepts for effectively examining social entrepreneurship research and practice as a multidisciplinary field, with a focus on emerging research on cross-cultural communication and on networks of organizations and interorganizational learning
• Analysis of the major players, their changing roles, and their impacts
• Conduct of powerful case analyses, presentations, podcasts, and case teamwork.

Methods of Instruction

Utilizing a range of cases, the class format combines seminar discussion and teamwork. Case studies serve to illustrate and make concrete the breadth and depth of social entrepreneurship in comparative perspective. The Seminar casebook (available from the AU Campus store as SIS 400.003 Coursepack) covers the work of social entrepreneurs in:

• Argentina
• Bangladesh
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• India
• Kenya
• Four additional cross-regional or global settings.

The social entrepreneurship cases selected include organizations and alliances working to make a difference in the fields of:

• Agriculture and development
• Health
• Housing
• Microfinance
• Relief
• Technical assistance for nongovernmental organizations
• The three W's (waste, water, and wireless!).

In addition, class work requires the use of the internet and BLACKBOARD-facilitating learning, enhancing teamwork, and demonstrating cross-cultural communication strengths. There also are several of your professor's podcasts posted on BLACKBOARD to provide extra guidance. Students complete podcasts themselves and post them on BLACKBOARD; these highlight the ability to formulate a compelling message about an exemplar social entrepreneur. (You may best access BLACKBOARD at www.american.edu/blackboard.)

Assessment Format

The Senior Seminar provides assessment of research, writing, and cross-cultural communication skills through three written products (Opportunity/Need Niche Briefing, Case Study Literature Review, Final Case Study), two verbal products (Podcast and In-Seminar Presentation), and teamwork participation/skills. The ability to communicate effectively and compellingly in conveying your message in writing, in teams, and through podcast and in-class presentations is vital for the field of social entrepreneurship.

SENIOR SEMINAR ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT A GLANCE

Grading

Weighting of Grades for the Seminar:

Communication

Effective oral and written communications are essential for professional activities. Clear and concise writing is a required part of all materials submitted.

Academic Integrity Code Statement Overview

All students are governed by American University's Academic Integrity Code. The Academic Integrity Code details specific violations of ethical conduct that relate to academic integrity. By registering, you have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic Integrity Code, and you are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the code. All of your work (whether oral or written) in any and all classes is governed by the provisions of the Academic Integrity Code. Academic violations include but are not limited to: plagiarism, inappropriate collaboration, dishonesty in examinations whether in class or take-home, dishonesty in papers, work done for one course and submitted to another, deliberate falsification of data, interference with other students' work, and copyright violations. The adjudication process and possible penalties are listed in American University's Academic Integrity Code booklet, and is also available on the American University website. Being a member of this academic community entitles each of us to a wide degree of freedom and the pursuit of scholarly interests; with that freedom, however, comes a responsibility to uphold the high ethical standards of scholarly conduct.

READING MATERIALS

Note: Seminar members are expected to complete and prepare the reading and case assignments for each session prior to each class meeting. (Grades of incomplete can only be considered upon receipt of medical certification; late submissions receive one letter grade lower per day past the specified due date.)

Required Books

• Bornstein, David. 2004. How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• SIS 400.003 CoursePack — Nanette Levinson: Fall 2007. Available from the Campus Book Store.

Required Articles

See individual class session listings.

Recommended Books

• Gardner, Howard. 2006. Five Minds for the Future. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
• Nicholls, Alex, ed. 2006. Social Entrepreneurship: New Models of Sustainable Social Change. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• Hamel, Gary. Leading the Revolution. Harvard Business School Press, 2000.
• Wei-Skillern, Jane, Austin, J.E., Leonard, H. and Stevenson, H. 2007. Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Yunus, Muhammad with Jolis, A. 2003. Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle against World Poverty. New York, NY: Public Affairs.

Representative Journals

Academy of Management Review
Administrative Science Quarterly
American Sociological Review
Communication Research
Development
The Information Society
Stanford Social Innovation Review

Selected Links

• Center for Social Innovation at Stanford University: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/csi/
• Stanford Social Innovation Review: http://www.ssireview.org/
• Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University's Said Business School: http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/skoll/
• Social Enterprise Initiative at Harvard University: http://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/
• Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University: http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/case/
• Social Enterprise Program at Columbia University: http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/socialenterprise/
• Research Initiative on Social Entrepreneurship at Columbia University: http://www.riseproject.org/
• Program on Social Enterprise at Yale University: http://pse.som.yale.edu/
• Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures at Yale University: http://www.ventures.yale.edu/default.asp
• Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at NYU: http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/berkley/
• The School for Social Entrepreneurs, United Kingdom: http://www.sse.org.uk/network/index.shtml
• Pace University Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship: http://appserv.pace.edu/execute/page.cfm?doc_id=15819
• PBS Documentary on Social Entrepreneurship — "The New Heroes": http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/whatis/
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy, online newspaper: http://philanthropy.com/
• Changemakers: Open Source Social Solutions: http://www.changemakers.net/
• Kauffman Foundation: Entrepreneurship and Education: http://www.kauffman.org/
• The Public Forum Institute: National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship: http://www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde/
• Draper Richards Foundation: http://www.draperrichards.org/
• Ashoka Foundation: http://www.ashoka.org/
• The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: http://www.schwabfound.org/
• Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF): http://www.redf.org/
• The Social Enterprise Alliance: http://www.se-alliance.org/
• Social Edge Online Community: http://www.socialedge.org/
• Manhattan Institute Social Entrepreneurship Awards: http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/social_entrepreneurship.htm
• University Network for Social Entrepreneurship: http://www.universitynetwork.org/
• Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship: http://www.bus.ualberta.ca/ccse/
• The Canadian Social Entrepreneurship Foundation: http://www.csef.ca/
• The Skoll Foundation: http://www.skollfoundation.org
• The Acumen Fund: http://www.acumenfund.org
• Echoing Green: http://www.echoinggreen.org
• Avina: http://www.avina.net
• Social Profit Network: http://www.socialprofitnetwork.org
• Social Venture Network: http://www.svn.org
• Global Reporting Initiative: http://www.globalreporting.org
• World Economic Forum Blog on Social Entrepreneurship: http://www.forumblog.org/blog/2007/01/social_entrepre.html
• Social Return on Investment: A Social Entrepreneurship Blog: http://www.socialroi.com/

RESEARCH CASE STUDY INFORMATION

Proposal

Due: 3 October
Length: One Page
Format:

• Preliminary Title
• Brief Description of Your Focal Social Entrepreneurial (SE) Organization/Alliance for the Case Study ^*
• Preliminary Bibliography (for the separate, related Literature Review due on 17 October)
• Work Plan (the projected milestones for completion of the required final case study components)

^* Must be an SE organization/alliance not previously profiled in print or on the web. Or, with the professor's approval, you may design and analyze your own SE organization/alliance!

Research Case Study

Due: 5 December
Length: 10 pages (excluding the one half page single-spaced Executive Summary)
Format: Section & Possible Points

• Executive Summary: 10
• Environmental Assessment: 20
• Opportunities and Challenges: 20
• Comparative Analysis & Recommendations: 30
• Writing/Communication Skills: 10
• Creativity: 10

Note: Any descriptions of the organization/alliance belong in an Appendix.

PODCAST

Due: 24 October
Length: 7 minutes
Format:

• Introduction: Attention Catcher and Introduction of your Social Entrepreneur (SE)
• Why your nominee should be selected as an SIS 400.003 Exemplar SE — A SENIOR SEMINAR SE STAR! (Be sure to highlight those specific characteristics that qualify your SE as an exemplar as well as any outcomes of the work of the SE. Consult the criteria used, for example, in nominating SEs to be ASHOKA fellows.)
• Conclusion
• Remember creativity and professionalism in communicating your ideas in a compelling way to convince the audience such as a Selection Panel!

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

Key Dates

Sessions I and II:
29 August and 5 September

• Introductions
• Discussion of Syllabus and Seminar Requirements
• Social Entrepreneurship As A Field: Definitions of Social Entrepreneurship
• Approach to Case Study Analysis
• Teamwork: Grameen Phone and Sekem Initiative Cases

Required Reading

• IQBAL QUADIR, GONOFONE,& THE CREATION OF GRAMEEN PHONE CASE
• THE SEKEM INITATIVE CASE
• Bornstein, Chapters 1 and 2.
• Dees, Gregory J. 2007. Taking Social Entrepreneurship Seriously. Society. 44 (3), 24-31.
• Gurcharan, Das. July/August 2006. The India Model. Foreign Affairs.

Sessions III and IV:
12 September and 19 September

• Characteristics of Entrepreneurs
• Vision, Values, Ethics
• Ideas and Action: Creation and Dissemination of Innovations
• Teamwork: The Eye Hospital and Waste Concern cases

Required Reading

• THE ARAVIND EYE HOSPITAL CASE
• WASTE CONCERN CASE
• Bornstein, Chapters 8 and 18.

DUE DATE: SEPTEMBER 19 FOR ONE PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION OF YOUR OPPORTUNITY/NEED NICHE AND ONE LINE LISTING OF YOUR NOMINEE FOR SIS SE SEMINAR STAR FOR YOUR PODCAST.

Sessions V and VI:
26 September and 3 October

• Identification of Opportunity/Need Niches
• Environmental Assessments
• Identification of Resources
• Culture, communication and leadership
• Teamwork: The Fundacion and ACOSAMA cases

DUE DATE: OCTOBER 3 FOR SEMINAR CASE STUDY PROPOSAL.

Required Reading

• FUNDACION PRO VIVIENDA SOCIAL: THE ENTREPRENEUR'S NETWORK AS A SOURCE OF RESOURCES CASE
• ACOSAMA CASE
• Bornstein, Chapters 3 and 10.

Sessions VII and VIII:
10 October and 17 October

• Alliance/Partnership Formation
• Governance and Structure
• Interorganizational Learning
• Teamwork: The McKinsey-Ashoka/Fundacion Compromiso and CARE Kenya Cases

Required Reading

• ALLIANCES THAT BUILD ALLIANCES: MCKINSEY-ASHOKA AND THE FUNDACION COMPROMISO CASE
• CARE KENYA CASE
• Bornstein, Chapters 11 and 14.

DUE DATE: OCTOBER 17 FOR 3-4 PAGE LITERATURE REVIEW RELATED TO YOUR CASE STUDY SE ORGANIZATION/ALLIANCE & OPPORTUNITY NICHE. LISTEN TO LEVINSON PODCAST ON 'LINING UP LITERATURE REVIEWS: CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS'.

Sessions IX and X:
24 October and 31 October

• Growing and Evaluating Social Entrepreneuring Organizations/Alliances
• Measuring Impact
• Teamwork: The Women's World Banking and ACCION cases

Required Reading

• WOMEN'S WORLD BANKING: CATALYTIC CHANGE THROUGH NETWORKS CASE
• ACCION INTERNATIONAL CASE
• Bronstein, Chapters 5, 12 and 16.

DUE DATE: OCTOBER 24 FOR PODCAST.

Sessions XI and XII:
7 November and 14 November

• Making social change happen
• Innovations and impacts
• Sustaining the transformations: institutionalizing change!
• Philanthropy, social venture capital and the future
• Teamwork: The Mercy Corps and Omidyar-Tufts Cases

Required Reading

• MERCY CORPS: GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTRPRENEURSHIP (A) AND (B) CASES
• OMIDYAR-TUFTS MICROFINANCE FUND
• Bruck, Connie. 2006. Millions for Millions. The New Yorker, 30 October, 65-70
• Bornstein, Chapters 4, 20, 21 and 22.

Note: No AU Wednesday Classes on November 21!

Sessions XIII and XIV:
28 November and 5 December

• Seminar Members' Presentations
• Cross-case Comparisons and Next Steps. . .

DUE DATE: 5 DECEMBER FOR RESEARCH CASE STUDY.

Session XV
17 December

• Welcome Hours/No Final Exam in Seminar Course

PLEASE NOTE: SEMINAR MEMBERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING COPIES OF ALL SUBMISSIONS TO THE PROFESSOR.

HAPPY WINTER BREAK...