Overview of my course on Social Entrepreneurship

1. The Social Enterprise
course overview"
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

2. Course Objectives"
emerging opportunities good not only for business,
but also for society and the environment."
This course is aimed at exploring
To provide participants with a clear vision of the social enterprise as a unique way to «do
good
by doing well»."
practical course provides students with an overview of sustainable development,
introduces them to stakeholder engagement, measuring impact, support
networks, and through a course project, offers concrete implementation in preparing a
The
business plan for a social enterprise."
Throughout the course, students are encouraged to look at
innovation
and
entrepreneurship as increasingly determinant values to succeed in any form of employment."
Finally, the course aims to help young people discover the entrepreneurial
lies within them."
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potential which
© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

3. Motivations"
Having worked for over 15 years with NGOs, UN
agencies and business networks on sustainability, I am
convinced of the power of enterprise to seize
opportunities in social and environmental challenges,
in order to do well by doing good.
The current global urgency means we can no longer
rely on Governments, inter-governmental agencies,
or NGOs to tackle environmental and social
challenges alone. Business tools and strategies must
increasingly play an active role in addressing societal
challenges.
entrepreneurship, as an alternative to classical
employment.
The Social Enterprise can be one of the ways in which
motivated individuals can develop an innovative
business while at the same time contributing to
leaving a better world for future generations.
Sharing knowledge has forever been a passion for me.
Opening the minds of younger generations to new
ways of thinking is a particularly rewarding challenge I
integrate into my teaching.
Furthermore, the power of innovation must be
cultivated at the individual and small group level.
Individuals, particularly youths, entering the labour
force, must be made aware of the value of
entrepreneurship, and more importantly social
Full bio available on www.linkedin.com/in/pierreechard "
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

4. Target Audience"
This course can be tailored to diverse audiences:"
• Undergraduate university students in areas such as business
management, international relations, communications, social
sciences, environment, development studies"
• Young audiences in secondary education"
• Professionals wishing to engage in developing innovative project
ideas around sustainability within their organisation or creating their
own."
• Organisations wishing to develop staff capacities in the
development of new and sustainable products & services"
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

5. The learning journey…
"
Support
Networks
It all begins
with YOU:
passions,
dreams, skills,
what you want
to change in
the world!
The need!
Measuring impact,
recognition
Bottom of the Pyramid
Microfinance
Stakeholder
engagement
Fair Trade
Introduction to the
social enterprise
Social Business
Plan
Overview of Sustainable
Development
Multimedia content
Guest Speakers
Debate, discussion
Case Studies
Social Innovation examples
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

6. Structure"
The full course is designed to be delivered over a period of 18-20 hours. It is divided
into independent modules which can be combined and programmed over several
continuous days (workshop format) or over an academic term."
All sessions include ample time for reflection and debate, enabling students to confront
ideas, implement learning into practical situations, and bring new knowledge home. "
During the course participants may engage in the following tasks, which may or may
not be evaluated:"
•
•
•
design and present a business idea for a social enterprise"
undertake exercises individually or in groups throughout the course"
take a final examination or series of tests during the course."
Given the workshop format of this course, ideal number of participants is between 7
and 20 participants."
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

7. Methodology"
• This course focuses on immediate practical application of knowledge
acquired. "
• Theory is provided as a background enabling students to put in
practice their learning during the course, but is not a fundamental
element of this course. "
• Multimedia content is used frequently to illustrate concrete application
of learning in real-life circumstances. "
• Guest Speakers are invited whenever possible to join the course for
presentation and question and answer sessions. "
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

8. Course Overview*"
Introduction to the Social Enterprise
Overview of Sustainable Development
Introduction to Stakeholder relations
The evolution of Innovation
New business models
(Fair Trade, Microfinance, Bottom of the Pyramid)
Measuring impact; monitoring, recognition, labeling / certification
Support networks (financing and networking)
* Detailed syllabus available upon request
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

9. Experience"
This course has been delivered in the following institutions:"
•
University of Lille - ESTICE International Business School (semester
course format, 25 students, in English) - 2009, 2010, 2011"
•
ESCiP School of International Business, France (semester course
format, 53 students in lecture and breakout groups, in English) 2011"
•
University of Granada, Spain (workshop format, 10 participants, in
English) - 2010"
•
University of Geneva (workshop format,15 participants, in English,
only module on Stakeholder Engagement) - 2009, 2010"
•
Novia Salcedo Foundation, Spain (workshop format for job seekers,
25 participants, in Spanish using English multimedia support
materials) - 2010"
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

10. Participant Feedback"
Over the years, participant feedback has been particularly encouraging. "
"
They have expressed particular appreciation for:"
•
Interactive, action-oriented learning approach"
•
Dynamic and varied multimedia support"
•
Introduction to a wide range of issues related to Sustainable Development"
•
Opportunity to work on personal project in a new field."
•
Opening of new perspectives in terms of ethical implications but also
potential areas for employment or creating companies themselves."
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

11. Academic Feedback"
«Pierre is a dynamic trainer, creative and passionate. He
stimulates interest among students for his field, and is very
attentive to their needs for complementary information.
Attentive to each member of the group, he sparks curiosity
while entrusting students with the responsibility of their own
learning. His pedagogical supports are rich and varied.»!
!
!
!
Elena Choquet, Academic Director, "
ESTICE/ESPAS, University of Lille, France"
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

12. Selected References
"
• Bornstein, David (2007) “How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of
New Ideas”, Oxford University Press
• Elkington, John and Pamela Hartigan (2008) “The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social
Entrepreneurs Create Markets”, ‪Harvard Business Press
• Prahalad, C.K (2010) “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through
Profits”, FT Press
• Yunus, Muhammad, (2007) “‪Creating a World Without Poverty‬: ‪Social Business and the Future
of Capitalism”, PublicAffairs
• Easterly, William R. (2006), “‪The White Man's Burden‬: ‪Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest
Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good‬”, Penguin Books
• Elkington, John (1998) “Cannibals with forks: ‪the triple bottom line of 21st century business”,
New Society Publishers
• Nelson, Jane. 2007. “The Operation of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in a World
of Corporate and Other Codes of Conduct.” Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative,
Working Paper No. 34. Cambridge, MA: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University.
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!

13. more information & contact "
"
"
pierre.echard@mac.com"
www.linkedin.com/in/pierreechard "
Skype: pierre_echard"
+ 32 498 102 751"
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© Pierre Echard, InnovaTerra SPRL 2012!