Social Entrepreneurship

Course Description

Social entrepreneurship is a new field that blurs the lines between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. It has emerged in response to the inability of government and philanthropy to alleviate the world's social ills, focusing on market-based solutions to problems such as hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and global warming. This course examines the three primary models currently being used: nonprofits starting for-profit ventures, for-profit companies with a social purpose, and nonprofits that approach social need in new and innovative ways. Students address such questions as: What does it take to be a social entrepreneur? Who are the leaders in this sector? What determines success and failure? Which is the appropriate business model for my idea? How does an organization find funding? How are corporations helping? And how does one assess the positive impact of the social venture?