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Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

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Social Entrepreneurship

Semester 2 · 25562 · Master in Entrepreneurship and Innovation · 5CP · EN


The course deals with key concepts and theoretical approaches to social entrepreneurship. It explores different social enterprise models and how they generate impact, address societal challenges, and operate within networks and governance structures. Case studies and real-world projects help students critically engage with innovation and practical aspects of the field. After completing the course, students will be able to critically assess opportunities and risks related to the social entrepreneurship process and explain essential features of social enterprise models.

Lecturers: Richard Lang

Teaching Hours: 30
Lab Hours: 12
Mandatory Attendance:

Course Topics
- Concepts and theories of social entrepreneurship - Social enterprise models - Networks and governance in social entrepreneurship - Social entrepreneurship and innovation - Case studies of social ventures

Teaching format
Frontal lectures with classroom discussions, student group projects and presentations

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding The student acquires advanced knowledge and understanding of the models and instruments of economic-business analysis for the creation of a new company with particular attention to the identification of new market opportunities, the availability and procurement of economic-financial resources and technological and organisational skills for the development of the company The student acquires advanced knowledge and understanding of the models and tools of economic-business analysis for the management of a new enterprise, from the financial and organisational point of view and with respect to the dynamics of growth and development I/we acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of the theories and tools for the economic analysis of business decisions. I/we acquire knowledge and understanding of theories and tools for the economic analysis of the market, at the level of the individual enterprise and the supply system I/we acquire knowledge and understanding of the theories and tools of statistical analysis for making market forecasts The student acquires knowledge of the legal forms necessary for the establishment of a company and for the legal protection of intellectual property rights Ability to apply knowledge and understanding ability to acquire and select information that may be relevant from an entrepreneurial point of view, also in economic-productive contexts different from those studied ability to analyse the combination of market opportunities and resources of the enterprise and to identify entrepreneurial formulas, also with the elaboration of original, compatible and sustainable solutions and combinations ability to select business economics models, suitable for the appropriate analysis of a specific economic-social and productive context ability to select the tools for the strategy and management of the enterprise, consistent with the enterprise economy models considered appropriate ability to assess the potential and sustainability of new business projects (business plan), from a multidisciplinary (economic, business and legal) perspective ability to assess the entrepreneurial potential associated with the development of an innovation by an enterprise (learning area 2) ability to propose and implement strategic and operational courses of action to favour the birth of a new enterprise Autonomy of judgement Acquire the ability to analyse complex entrepreneurial issues, such as the elaboration and evaluation of a business project (business plan) or the development of a new product. Autonomy of judgement is developed in the training activities carried out for the preparation of the thesis, as well as in the exercises that accompany the lectures and that involve group discussions and the comparison of individual analyses carried out by students in preparation for the lecture. Communication skills Acquire the ability to describe and communicate in an intercultural context, in a clear and precise manner, problematic situations typical of the management of a new enterprise and the development of innovation, such as, for example, the conditions for the validation of a problem or solution, the prospects and risks associated with a business model or an innovation project. The development of communication competences assumes heterogeneous situations such as, for example, the presence of internal stakeholders (e.g. colleagues, managers, owners), or external stakeholders (e.g. potential investors, suppliers and other business partners) and the ability to sustain an adversarial process. The achievement of these objectives is assessed in the course of the training activities already mentioned, as well as in the discussion of the final thesis. Learning ability Acquire the ability to study independently, to prepare summaries. Acquire the ability to identify thematic connections and to establish relationships between different cases and contexts of analysis Acquire the ability to frame a new problem systematically and to generate appropriate taxonomies. Acquire the ability to develop general models from the phenomena studied.

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of fundamental concepts in social entrepreneurship. They will also demonstrate understanding of key features of different social enterprise models. Applying knowledge and understanding Upon completion of the course, students will have the ability to identify and assess stakeholder relationships of social enterprises and their importance for the development and impact generation of these types of enterprises.   Making judgments Students will be able to critically evaluate opportunities and risks related to social entrepreneurship practice within given regional contexts, and also examine alternative entrepreneurial approaches to address societal challenges.   Communication skills Students will be able to clearly communicate scientific knowledge and derived recommendations related to social entrepreneurship to different target audiences, such as professional colleagues or policy makers.

Assessment
The assessment of the course consists of two parts: • final examination (60%): assessed with a single written exam at the end; • group case presentation (40%): assessed through a presentation and documentation on a selected topic. Students who choose not to participate in the course work will be graded 100% based on the results of a single written exam at the end, including a written case analysis.

Evaluation criteria
Individual written exam: clarity of answers, ability to evaluate and summarize, and establish relationships between topics. Group case presentation: quality and clarity of problem identification and analysis, ability to apply theoretical concepts during the analysis and to summarize in own words, participation in teamwork.

Required readings

Selected chapters in:

Richter, R., Fink, M., Lang, R., Maresch, D. (2019) Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Rural Europe. New York and London: Routledge.

Huybrechts, B., Nicholls, A. (2012). Social Entrepreneurship: Definitions, Drivers and Challenges. In: Volkmann, C., Tokarski, K., Ernst, K. (eds) Social Entrepreneurship and Social Business, pp. 31-48. Gabler Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-7093-0_2

Defourny, J., Nyssens, M. (2017). Fundamentals for an International Typology of Social Enterprise Models. Voluntas, 28, 2469-2497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9884-7

Lecture slides will be made available through the Teams channel of the course.



Supplementary readings

Further supplementary reading material will be published in the Teams channel of the course.




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Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

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