Social Impact Entrepreneurship 1600-SZD-SPEC-PSW-ZJ
Although social impact entrepreneurship has been practiced for centuries, it only attained the status of a formalized academic concept at the beginning of the 21st century. Today, this phenomenon is becoming a cornerstone of the society-economy nexus, bridging social objectives with a business-driven approach; yet, it remains an ambiguous term, subject to varying interpretations worldwide. Both the public sector and international organizations view it as an opportunity to address complex social issues—so-called "wicked problems"—and to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. But what exactly defines a social entrepreneur amidst a myriad of different schools of thought? How can we effectively distinguish authentic pro-social initiatives from traditional business, CSR, or pure philanthropy? How do management tools, such as the Theory of Change, allow for the transformation of an intuitive idea into measurable and substantively grounded social impact? What does research say about strategies that protect an organization from the risk of "mission drift" while simultaneously ensuring financial stability? And finally—how can we explain that a single initiative has a real chance to trigger lasting systemic change within a complex ecosystem of socio-economic interdependencies? The lecturer will seek to address these questions, highlighting key theoretical and empirical aspects on social impact entrepreneurship within a market economy.
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge | The graduate knows and understands:
WG_01 - to the extent necessary for existing paradigms to be revised - a worldwide body of work, covering theoretical foundations as well as general and selected specific issues - relevant to a particular discipline
within the social sciences
WG_02 - the main development trends in the disciplines of the social sciences in which the education is provided
WG_03 - scientific research methodology in the field of the social sciences
WK_01 - fundamental dilemmas of modern civilisation from the perspective of the social sciences
Skills | The graduate is able to:
UK_05 - speaking a foreign language at B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages using the professional terminology specific to the discipline within the social sciences, to the extent enabling participation in an international scientific and professional environment
Social competences | The graduate is ready to
KO_01 - fulfilling the social obligations of researchers and creators
KO_02 - fulfilling social obligations and taking actions in the public interest, in particular in initiating actions in the public interest
KO_03 - think and acting in an entrepreneurial manner
Assessment criteria
• Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the permitted number of explained absences: participation in 80% of the classes, study of the required literature, participation in the class discussion
• Principles for passing the classes and the subject (including resit session): participation in the classes (30% of the final grade), class activity (30% of the final grade), written assignment (40% of the final grade)
• Methods for the verification of learning outcomes: Written assignment: Assessment of theoretical knowledge related to the lecture topics; Written assignment: Assessment of argumentation and critical thinking skills; Discussion: Assessment of argumentation and teamwork skills.
• Evaluation criteria: To pass the course, students are required to attend 80% of the classes and achieve a minimum score of 60% on the written assignment
Bibliography
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