Academia Overview
SOCIAL BUSINESS ACADEMIA REPORT 2013
Social Business education is key to shaping a mind-set that puts society‘s needs first.
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Contents
_7 Introduction
_10 Academia Overview
_13 University Profiles
_71 Other Social Business Activities
_81 About Social Business
_84 Acknowledgement
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Introduction
What is this Academia Report about and why should I read it? Social business is gaining momentum all around the world. The idea to solve social problems in a selfsustainable way has attracted companies, entrepreneurs, governments, NGOs, as well as universities and their students alike. More than ever before, universities play an important role to grow the social business movement. Universities are not only a breeding ground for knowledge and new ideas, but also the ideal place to educate the young generation about the idea of social business. Universities act as a multiplier to promote and spread the idea. They are able to reach a multitude of students -the young generation that is shaping the future of this planet. Moreover, universities will contribute significantly to the further development of social businesses through research, which helps to better understand the impact social businesses have on society. Although it is still a rather new concept, it is now more and more represented at universities across the globe. Many universities have institutionalized their social business activities and launched Social Business Institutes, Social Business Center and Chairs, Incubators, as well as many other programs. This Academia Report on Social Business aims to give an overview about the various activities. We want to share the progress and the achievements that have taken place only in a few recent years. The report aims to inform, but also to inspire and motivate other universities to start their own social business initiatives and join this outstanding journey! This report will feature initiatives that focus on social business as defined by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus in his seven principles. We hope that you find this report valuable and inspiring. Read it with joy! The Grameen Creative Lab
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Academia Overview
“Many problems you see around the world are simple problems and can be solved in simple ways.�
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Academia Overview
It has only been a few years since most of the existing social business activities have been started at universities across the globe. Universities in different countries such as Kyushu University in Japan, HEC Paris in France, the National University of Singapore, the University of Florence in Italy, Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, the California State University Channel Islands in the US or the EBS University in Germany – just to name a few - are taking the lead within this still young concept. In addition, more and more universities have established new social business initiatives only in the past year, such as Okan University in Turkey, Sun Yat Sen University in China or ESPM Sao Paulo in Brazil. The social business movement has been growing in the past years, and will continue to grow in the future. There is an increasing demand from students. The young generation today has a growing desire for a meaningful contribution to a better planet and therefore seeks for alternative programs to study. In addition, the importance of universities will grow especially in the field of research. Since more and more social businesses will be established, it will become crucial to better understand their social impact. This will lead to an increasing demand for research activities. In the following section, many university activities will be described in detail. Given the recent growth of the social business idea, there might be more activities which are not yet covered in this report. In addition, there are many other great initiatives in related fields of social entrepreneurship, social enterprise, social innovation, etc. that are not part of this report.
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re·search /r-sûrch/ noun 1. Scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry 2. Close, careful study
teach·ing /tee-ching/ noun 1. The act or profession of a person who teaches 2. Something that is taught 3. Often, teachings. Doctrines or precepts
Academia Overview
University Profiles
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University Profiles California Institute for Social Business, United States of America
Institution California Institute for Social Business University California State University Channel Islands City Camarillo, California Country United States of America Focus Areas Teaching and Incubation Contact Martin Loeffler, Director Email martin.loeffler@csuci.edu
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About the California Institute for Social Business The California Institute for Social Business (CISB): Intersecting education, capitalism, and social change— Applying market principles to alleviate society’s most urgent needs. The California Institute for Social Business in collaboration with Professor Muhammad Yunus was established as part of the California State University (CSU) Channel Islands’ commitment to prepare students for the world they will inherit upon graduation. The CISB addresses the need for students to participate in local and global experiences and learn new methods of alleviating serious social ills that impact our region and the world. Building on the four pillars of the University, CISB exposes students to opportunities for learning about and addressing local and far-reaching social ills through the application, study and development of Professor Yunus’ notions of social business. The CISB consults with entrepreneurs and organizations in order to assist in the development of social business plans for firms which seek to apply market principles for the creation of social good. The CISB has been led by Faculty Director Professor Andrea Grove since its creation in 2010. In May 2013, Martin Loeffler, former CEO of Grameen Caldas, assumed the Director position. He brings expertise in consulting and design of social business that will help the CISB fulfill its vision to incubate social businesses locally, nationally, and globally. Principal elements of the CISB Undergraduate and graduate curricula The CISB has created a Minor and a Certificate in Social Business. The Certificate is available to nonmatriculated students and is geared toward members of our community who wish to better understand the principles of social business and social business planning. Our program is grounded in the principle of interdisciplinarity—students not only study social business but must also take courses that help them
understand in detail the social, economic, and political issues that social businesses can be designed to address. As part of these programs, three new courses are being taught—the first in the world about social business geared to undergraduates: Introduction to Social Business, Social Business Planning, and Research in Social Business. These courses are not standard classroom courses but have multiple active learning and community engagement components. Students have had face to face and virtual visits by leading social business entrepreneurs and analysts. For example, in 20122013, students have had Skype meetings with Eugenio La Mesa (Cure Thalessemia in India), Kerstin Humberg (researcher with extensive expertise on Grameen Danone and Grameen Veolia), and Holly Mosher (filmmaker, Bonsai People). They have met in person for in depth conversations with Nancy Wimmer (Expert and book author on Grameen Shakti), Martin Loeffler (Grameen Caldas), and local social entrepreneurs Brian Enright (Ventura Hometeam) and Bonnie Weigel (FoodShare). The Research in Social Business course involves facultystudent research teams studying a particular social business. In this course, students are learning from and assisting entrepreneurs and nonprofits in the development of social business plans. The students are deeply engaged in our local community, helping to address pressing issues. In Fall 2012, the CISB initiated a partnership between our social business students and Community Action of Ventura County. Students worked with Professor Maria BallesterosSola and CAVC to create a social business plan for a weatherization and energy conservation social business. Students will also work with other organizations to conduct feasibility studies for additional social businesses. Once we build our endowment, research teams will engage in these activities abroad.
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University Profiles
Academic Research In its second year (2011), the CISB named a Social Business Research Fellow. This CSU Channel Islands faculty member, Antonio Jimenez Jimenez, has (a) engaged in independent research to understand the background, evolution, and emerging methodology surrounding the design of social businesses; (b) conducted field research about the Social Business City model in Wiesbaden; and (c) is writing a case study evaluating/analyzing/assessing his subject for a book project sponsored by the CISB. The core research project currently is the book “Social Business: Theory, Practice and Critical Perspectives” (edited by Andrea Grove, Ph.D., Faculty Director, California Institute for Social Business in collaboration with Muhammad Yunus, CSU Channel Islands and Gary A. Berg, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Extended University, CSU Channel Islands. The book is a cuttingedge collection of articles and case studies and is one of the first comprehensive collections of theory and research on the emerging field of social business. The diverse group of authors come from around the world (United States, Germany, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, and Bangladesh) and from various disciplinary backgrounds (Business, Education, Political Science, Economics, Geography, etc.), representing the leading experts of the social business phenomena. The book examines theoretical foundations and features eight case studies of social businesses around the world. Next, there are three chapters focused on practice— state of the art assessment of the issues that arise in the planning, marketing, and evaluation of social businesses. That section is followed by a chapter on critical views of the concept and its application. A concluding piece looks back at what we have learned, points out gaps in research, and sets an agenda for future work.
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Partnership development We are developing partnerships with local and global social businesses, other community partners, and academic institutions around the world to a. speak with students in the social business courses; b. provide future work opportunities for our students; c. consider social business as an option for their existing non- profit organization’s work; and/or d. collaborate in our academic enterprises (teaching and research). Martin Loeffler’s experience, will move us forward in our effort to engage in consultancy projects.
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“Social business is an exciting new tool we can use to address in a sustainable way the problems that plague us.“ - Dr. Andrea Grove, California Institute for Social Business
Interview Dr. Andrea Grove
California Institute for Social Business
Please tell us a little bit how you got involved in social business and about your role at the CISB?
Are you planning any additional courses or also master courses in the near future?
A: I came to social business through the avenue of my teaching about development in the Global South. Through that work, I have read and taught about the work of Professor Yunus. When the opportunity arose for faculty on our campus to be part of a collaboration with Professor Yunus, I was very excited to be a part of it. My role has been to get the programs of the CISB off the ground. I have established partnerships with a number of local and national entrepreneurs and nonprofits with which our students are currently working to collaborate on social business planning and evaluation. I’ve also led the creation of our interdisciplinary curriculum on social business. This year, I led the effort to find a director for the institute to help us increase our role in consulting, for which there is a very high demand. The new director joined us in May 2013.
A: We have taught a social business course as part of our MBA program in the past and will do so again. We have been challenged by the budget crisis in California and the subsequent ability to pay for additional courses being taught.
Teaching social business plays an important role for the CISB. How is your experience with your newly developed undergraduate courses? How has the response been so far? A: Our first course aims to teach students about social business as a model, and to situate social business among other types of entities such as social enterprise, nonprofit organizations, and traditional businesses. In the second course, students learn the basics of social business planning and apply that knowledge to the design of their own social business model. In a third course, students engage in community-based research, working with people and/or organizations off campus to design social businesses. In all three courses, the faculty has worked hard to bring the world of social business into the classroom, by inviting guest speakers (such as Nancy Wimmer, expert and book author on Grameen Shakti, and Martin Loeffler, Grameen Caldas) or having virtual meetings with other social business leaders around the world (such as Eugenio La Mesa, Cure Thalessemia). Because of the hard work of the faculty teaching the courses, the courses have been successful and enrollment has increased each semester.
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What are the biggest challenges when designing courses in the field of social business? A: As we all know, social business is a new field. Because of that there is very little empirical analysis of the application of social business models. Most of the work that is out there is –appropriately for where we aredescriptive or proposes ways of analyzing social business efforts systematically as those efforts have been around over time (Kerstin Humberg’s work on Grameen Danone and Grameen Veolia is an exception that stands out). Therefore, one of the biggest challenges is finding appropriate readings. Another challenge that I feel we have met well is to understand social business as an interdisciplinary field. Students of social business cannot analyze and/or design social business models if they do not properly understand the social, economic, political, cultural, and international contexts of the problems a particular social business seeks to ameliorate. That is why our program is interdisciplinary in nature. One of the current tasks of the CISB focuses on compiling a textbook, when will the textbook be available? A: Yes! Our book, Social Business: Theory, Practice, and Critical Perspectives will be published by Springer in early 2014. We see the book as perfect for courses in social business, social entrepreneurship, development, etc. but also as a volume that will be very informative and useful for practitioners of social business and entrepreneurs considering the creation of a social business. Contributors to the book come from many countries of the world and represent many disciplines. The multinational, multidisciplinary nature of this project promises to bring diverse ways of analyzing social business theory and practice.
University Profiles Yunus & Shiiki Social Business Reseach Center, Japan
Institution
Yunus & Shiiki Social Business Research Center
University
Kyushu University
City
Fukuoka
Country Japan
Focus Areas
Research, Teaching and Incubation
Contact
Prof. Masaharu Okada
okada@sbrc.kyushu-u.ac.jp
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Current Social Business Activities Research Conducting studies and research on all types of social business taking place both in Japan and overseas • Creation of replicable social business models and test trials of social business role models. •
The Yunus & Shiiki Social Business Research Center (SBRC) has been established in 2011 as the most recent of many social business initiatives at Kyushu University with the first initial activities dating back to 2007. Aim To study, research, and promote social business. The center envisions to produce skilled social architects, to build partnerships with related organizations in the world, and to create replicable social business models to combat global issues (poverty, health, environment, energy, education, natural disasters & crises, etc) Key Activities Education and Research SBRC builds social business research models by studying current social business best practices in the world. Additionally it develops advanced curricula for students as well as social business white papers for industries in cooperation with other universities. Partnerships and Alliances SBRC creates and maintains partnerships among universities, companies, governments, NPOs/NGOs and with the organizations of the Grameen Family. Events SBRC acts as an open social business hub and organizes social business events such as workshops, forums, symposiums and Grameen social business exposure programs to Bangladesh. Through the use of social networks and real-time streaming, SBRC shares social business events. Archiving Social Business study materials (Books, Journals, Magazines, SB product samples, etc) are being archived both online and in the Grameen Creative House to be accessible for everyone.
Education Social business workshops for corporate, governments, NPOs/NGOs, students & individuals (every three months) • Development of social business exposure programs (study tours) for Japanese professionals and students to learn on site about Grameen social business activities in Bangladesh. The program is developed in collaboration with the Grameen Communication Center and the Yunus Centre. • Publication of educational materials on social business both in English and Japanese • Leading and guiding of the student-run organization “Yunus Social Business Club”, which was formed at Kyushu University under the mission to ”Create a Social Business Hub in Japan by Youth.” •
Partnerships and Alliances Building partnerships with key players on the ground and related organizations within Japan • Working on the creation of a social business community and local alliances (e.g. with students/ corporate//volunteer groups) through workshops for different profiles •
Practice • Supporting the creation of new social business joint ventures between Japanese companies and the Grameen Family • Incubation of ongoing social business projects Promotion • Hosting of the annual social business promotion event “Social Business Forum Asia” in Fukuoka • Planning and execution of Prof. Yunus Japan Tour
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University Profiles
History 2007 The work of Professor Yunus was formally introduced to Kyushu University by Dr. Ashir Ahmed (a research fellow, now an Associate Professor at Kyushu University) who started a project at Kyushu University to design and establish an appropriate social information infrastructure for unreached people in developing countries. Subsequently, an agreement was signed between Kyushu University and Grameen Communications to carry out collaborative research to solve global issues through ICT. Since then, several joint research activities and projects have been conducted and implemented in the field of healthcare, agriculture, education, energy, etc.. 2008 In order to strengthen the relationship with Grameen, Prof. Ashir Ahmed invited Prof. Hiroto Yasuura (Executive Vice President of Kyushu University) and Prof. Masaharu Okada (Executive Director at SBRC) to Bangladesh to support industry-university collaboration projects. 2009 Kyushu University entered into the world of social business. Two MOUs were signed during Professor Yunus’ visit to Japan in September: 1. GCL (The Grameen Creative Lab / GCL@KU): Established between Yunus Centre and Kyushu University to advance social business in educational and promotional aspects. 2. GTL (Grameen Technology Lab): Established between Yunus Centre, Kyushu University and NTT Japan to advance social business in technology. 2010 In March 2010, the Grameen Creative Lab@Kyushu University (GCL@Kyushu University) was officially established, followed by the establishment of the foundation Grameen Technology Lab (GTL). GCL@ Kyushu University aims to proactively carry out education, research, and incubation of social business in collaboration with the Grameen family, Japanese companies, NPOs/NGOs, universities, and governments.
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GCL@Kyushu University was also committed to provide knowledge and facilitate the social business dialogue between different entities in order to benefit society in a positive way. On the other hand, GTL aims to solve the social problems defined in the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals by: 1. Developing affordable and usable technologies; and 2. Applying the concept of social business to serve the unreached communities in a sustainable manner. Since 2007, Kyushu University and Grameen Global Communication Center (GCC) in Grameen have been jointly exploring the field of social needs-based technology and product development. The determination that a multi-disciplinary approach is required wherein product development involves industry, academia, government, and the community was underlined. 2011 Thanks to the generous donation of Mr. Shiiki, a prominent Japanese business man, Kyushu University established the Yunus & Shiiki Social Business Research Center (SBRC) in November 2011 including the continuation of GCL@ Kyushu University activities within this center. 2012 Subsequent to the successful promotion of the social business concept in the past two years, SBRC has shifted into the second stage, in which SBRC focuses on creating social business companies in Japan. The first social business company Human Harbor was established in Fukuoka city in January 2013 and started its operation aimed to support prisoner with their rehabilitation into society. SBRC also established the Social Business Fund in collaboration with WATAMI, Japanese company.
University Profiles GCL@NUS, Singapore
Institution GCL@NUS
University
National University of Singapore
City
Singapore
Country
Singapore
Focus Areas Incubation
Contact
Prof. Wong Poh Kam
PohKam@nus.edu.sg
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Overview of GCL@NUS The Grameen Creative Lab@NUS is a partnership formed between The Grameen Creative Lab and the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre back in March 2011. It was initiated with the purpose to leverage on the global resources and networks of The Grameen Creative Lab to promote and incubate innovation-based social businesses in Singapore that have the potential to generate scalable, sustainable social impacts, especially for social groups at the Bottom of the Pyramid. The work of GCL@NUS can be broken down into 2 main components- outreach activities that promote social entrepreneurship and incubation of social businesses. (Note: NUS Entrepreneurship Centre also engages in a third component – research & teaching of social entrepreneurship – through collaboration with the Asian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy (ACSEP) at the NUS Business School.) Outreach Programs A flagship program of the outreach component is the Social Business Week (SBW), which was held in February 2012 over a period of 4 days. The program included a boot camp and three public lectures. This year GCL@ NUS was privileged to have the active participation of Professor Muhammad Yunus throughout the program. The start of the SBW was a two-day Social Business Boot Camp. This boot camp was tailored for social entrepreneurs with existing social ventures or developed business ideas. It provided hands-on training for them to develop sustainable and scalable business plans. One of the tools used for this purpose was the Business Model Canvas. Experienced mentors and facilitators were at hand to assist the participants throughout the boot camp, which culminated with a pitching session to a panel of judges that included social business experts and investors. Participants’ feedback generally concluded that the Business Model Canvas was a useful tool to evaluate and innovate their business plans and the mentorship component proved to be most valuable.
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University Profiles
Following the boot camp were three public events, each targeting three relevant groups - corporates, civil society and policy makers, and lastly youths. The first was the Social Business Forum for Corporate Leaders. This forum featured a panel discussion led by Prof Muhammad Yunus, together with global corporate leaders from companies such as Yukiguni Maitake Co, Unilever Asia and PhilipCapital, a Singapore-based company. The panelists shared their experience and insights in harnessing market opportunities to solve social problems at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP). The intention of the forum was to highlight the market opportunities at the BoP, and opportunities for corporate leaders to “do good and do well”. One of the models illustrated was large corporations partnering with social entrepreneurs already working at the BoP. At the Public Lecture targeting civil society and policy makers, Prof Yunus spoke on “Creating a Supportive Environment for Social Business”. This lecture was co-hosted with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, reaching an audience of government bodies, NGOs, think-tanks, social enterprises and the general public. The last Public Lecture was targeted at youths and co-organized with the Raffles Institution, a high school in Singapore. Through its network, students from high-school to university-level were invited to the lecture, where many were greatly inspired by Prof Yunus’ personal journey from a young schoolboy to where he is today. Held during Social Business Week was also a closeddoor private luncheon with Prof. Yunus and Hans Reitz (Creative Advisor Yunus Centre) together with a select group of high-net-worth family business owners, corporate leaders, social impact investors and social entrepreneurs.
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Apart from the Social Business Week, another flagship program launched in 2011 is the introduction of a separate prize category on Social Entrepreneurship/ Cooperative Enterprise in Start-Up@Singapore, the annual business plan competition that NUS Entrepreneurship Centre has been organizing in Singapore since 1999. Fully-run by NUS students since 5 years, Start-Up@Singapore is the largest business plan competition in Singapore, open to all participants. The inaugural Social Entrepreneurship/Cooperative Enterprise prize track, which included a youth category, has attracted over 130 team submissions over the last two years. Other activities GCL@NUS organizes during the year include documentary screenings, panel discussions and talks by social entrepreneurs, which have included Jack Sim of the World Toilet Organisation and Carol Chyau of Shokay. Leveraging on the global TEDx platform, we established TEDxKRP to feature, twice a year, speakers on the theme of social change through entrepreneurship and innovation. The TEDxKRP platform also provided an opportunity to showcase some of the social businesses incubated by GCL@NUS.
Incubation GCL@NUS leverages on the existing incubator resources of the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, which has been providing incubation support for technology-based start-ups since 2001. Some of the incubation support provided by GCL@NUS to social businesses include seed funding, office space, dedicated mentorship, subsidized corporate secretarial services, business clinics, access to networks and introduction to potential impact investors. GCL@NUS offers a small seed funding of SGD10,000 to NUS students to test pilot their social venture idea. So far, 4 out of the 6 GCL@NUS-supported social ventures were recipients of that grant. Once these early social venture ideas are validated, GCL@NUS works with the social entrepreneurs concerned to apply for follow-on funding, including grants of SGD50,000 provided by various government agencies that supports student entrepreneurship, as well as investment by impact investors. So far, 3 of the social ventures we incubated received these grants, while 2 others have received investment by impact investors. To support the social ventures that we incubate, GCL@ NUS works actively to build up the emerging social entrepreneurship support ecosystem in Singapore and Asia. GCL@NUS has established collaborative relationships with other ecosystem partners such as The HUB Singapore, which offers co-working space for social innovators; the Business Angel Network South East Asia and the Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX), which offer platforms for matching social entrepreneurs to impact investors for follow-on funding; the Family Business Network, which provides access to experienced mentors with interest in social businesses; and BOP Hub, a platform operated by Jack Sim to support Singaporeheadquartered social entrepreneurial ventures that target BOP markets around the world.
Future Directions Through the experience gained from the GCL@NUS initiatives launched so far, NUS Entrepreneurship Centre will further refine its social entrepreneurship support programs in the coming years to become more effective in our support of social entrepreneurial activities in NUS and Singapore. In particular, we will work on improving the use of the Business Model Canvas analytic tool in the Social Business Boot Camp, growing the Social Entrepreneurship/ Cooperative Enterprise track of the Start-Up@Singapore business plan competition, and providing stronger mentoring support for the social businesses we are incubating. In terms of new initiatives, we will work with the NUS Engineering School to launch a pilot course called Frugal Innovation Lab to provide hands-on learning opportunities for graduate engineering and MBA students to develop solutions targeted at solving specific social problems in India and Indonesia. Business Model Foundry, 2011. Business Model Generation. [Online] Available at: http://www. businessmodelgeneration.com/ [Accessed 19 October 2012]
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University Profiles The Yunus Social Business Centre, Italy
Institution Yunus Social Business Centre University University of Florence City Florence Country Italy Focus Areas Research, Teaching and Incubation Contact Enrico Testi Email enrico.testi@pin.unifi.it
Description The Yunus Social Business Centre University of Florence (YSBCUF) is the first centre in Italy accredited by the Yunus Centre in Dhaka, founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. The Centre was born in 2011 thanks to a partnership between the University of Florence, PIN S.c.r.l. – Servizi Didattici e Scientifici per l’Università di Firenze and the Yunus Centre in Dhaka. It is based at PIN S.c.r.l. and it is the result of the research and consulting job carried on in these years by ARCO lab (Action Research for CO-development) on Social Business, Social Enterprise, Impact Evaluation and Local and Human development. The centre works in order to spread the theories of social business in Italy and to offer strategic support to private individuals and Institutions who want to put it into practice. The centre also acts as intermediary with the Yunus Centre in Dhaka and Italian organizations that want to be in contact with Prof. Yunus. The YSBCUF is a social business itself. Any profit is reinvested in the activities of the YSBCUF to promote and support the creation of social businesses in Italy and in the world. Activities The main activity that has been implemented by the YSBCUF is the launch and the operation of the Social Business City Program in Pistoia. The Social Business City Program (SBCP) takes inspiration from the visionary and valuable intuition and experience of The Grameen Creative Lab on “Social Business Cities” which has been used, and adapted by the Yunus Social Business Centre University of Florence.
The SBCP aims to promote social businesses and social innovation at city/local level favouring synergic strategies and collaboration among various institutions – for-profit firms, cooperatives, public activities, social businesses, third sector initiatives, and so on – that could act in a complementary and mutually-inspiring way. The flexibility of the SBCP encompasses – beyond the enterprise’s typology that it devotes attention to – its twofold inclination to figure out suitable interventions coming out both from locally contrived initiatives and international experiences. Thus, the SBCP promotes the scaling-up of innovative ideas and initiatives at local level, by providing training, consultancy, technical support, and results evaluation. In the meantime, SBCP endeavours to connect virtuous international practices and experiences to stimulate networking and coordination. The general objective of the Social Business City Program is to: “Create a Facilitating System for the birth and flourishing of Social Business and Social innovation” The specific objectives of the program are: • to raise awareness of social business and promote social innovation • to facilitate the creation of social businesses • to improve an entrepreneurial mind-set in the young generations The YSBCUF is also providing consultancies to NGOs, Enterprises and Foundations that want to implement social business in Italy and abroad.
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University Profiles
Research The YSBCUF is conducting two main research projects. One research project is action-oriented and is based on 200 social businesses already existing in the city of Pistoia where the YSBCUF is implementing the Social Business City Program. The research aim is to verify the relation between four dimensions: “management” “economic efficiency” “Innovation (and Social Innovation)” “network”. The results of the research will also be used by the YSBCUF to provide targeted activities to already existing social businesses. This research will be done annually for the next two years thus providing longitudinal data through which the impact of the actions of the YSBCUF can be assessed. The second research is about drafting an “evolutionary theory” of social businesses considering how the social business sector has evolved in 10 European Countries. The YSBCUF proposed a European project on related topics of this research in order to acquire the necessary knowledge to develop the theory. Teaching The YSBCUF reached until June 2013 through introductory workshops on social business up to 270 people, mainly university students and entrepreneurs. In May 2013 it ended the first edition of a program with a business plan competition for 200 students aged 16-18 in Pistoia. Workshops on business planning, local development, needs assessment and legal framework are planned in the next months. Latest publications in English: Bellucci M., Bagnoli L., Biggeri M., Rinaldi V. (2012). Performance measurement in solidarity economy organizations: the case of Fair Trade shops in Italy. ANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, vol. vol.83(1), pp. 25-50, URL: http://www.wiley.com/bw/ journal.asp?ref=1370-4788 L.Bagnoli; G.Manetti (2012). Mutual and Social Efficiency in Co-operative Banks: Empirical Evidence from Italy. In: X Conference of the International Society for Third Sector (ISTR), Siena, 10-13 July 2012
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L.Bagnoli, C.Megali (2011). Measuring performances in social enterprises. NONPROFIT AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR QUARTERLY, vol. 40, pp. 149-165, URL: http://nvs.sagepub.com/ L.Bagnoli; G.Manetti (2011). Voluntary Organizations as Social Enterprises? Empirical Evidence from Tuscany. ECONOMIA AZIENDALE ONLINE, vol. 1, pp. 119-137 L. Bagnoli; S. Toccafondi (2011). A reporting framework for social enterprises in Europe: empirical evidence and possible convergences. In: CIRIEC International, Valladolid, Spagna, 6-8 aprile 2011, pp. 1-21, URL: http://www.seconferenceciriec.es/ Testi E., Bellucci M. “Measuring an organisation’s Social and Economic Performance for Public Tenders”, 2011, paper presentato alla conferenza ECPR di Rejkiavik Latest publications in Italian: Federico V., Russo D., Testi E., Impresa Sociale e Valore Aggiunto: Un approccio Europeo, Cedam, 2012 Bellucci M., Biggeri M., Testi E., “Efficienza economica e sociale nella cooperazione sociale” in IRPETUnioncamere, “Le imprese cooperative nel sistema economico della Toscana, Quinto Rapporto”, 2011 Tognetti M., Testi E., Biggeri M., Bagnoli L., “Dal Non Profit Caritatevole al Non Profit Imprenditoriale: fattori per lo sviluppo delle imprese sociali e social business nei PS e nei PVS”, Colloquio scientifico annuale sull’impresa sociale, 2011
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University Profiles Yunus Centre for Social Business & Health, Scotland
Institution Yunus Centre for Social Business & Health University Glasgow Caledonian University City Glasgow Country Scotland Focus Areas Research and Teaching Contact Prof. Cam Donaldson Email Cam.Donaldson@gcu.ac.uk
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Overview Our Centre was established in 2010 under the directorship of Professor Cam Donaldson (Yunus Chair in Social Business & Health). We focus mainly on the pillar of research, with projects on the impacts on health and well-being of social business and microcredit. We have a ‘health’ theme in addition to social business because, despite world class publicly-funded health services in the UK, health inequalities continue to widen. Gaps in life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas of our home town of Glasgow have now grown to 28 years. Our view is that further away from diseases and risk factors are the root causes of ill health - poverty and exclusion - as indicated by the poverty-health relationship. It is low income, societal exclusion and hopelessness that kill people. Without working on the ‘causes of the causes’ more-conventional attempts at public health improvement will have limited impact. It is these relationships that we aim to investigate based around bringing Professor Yunus’ ideas to Scotland. As well as research, however, we do have programmes for training researchers and social enterprise practitioners, which we deliver in collaboration with the Social Enterprise Academy. We are also thinking of expanding our offerings in the social business field subsequent to the appointment of Professor Yunus as Chancellor of our University. Research programme Results of studies will not show through for some time, but, since its establishment, Glasgow Caledonian University’s (GCU’s) Yunus Centre has already commenced several projects with financial support from private donations, Scottish Government, Santander Bank and the Church of Scotland. Some of these projects reflect the research that has to be conducted to prepare for bringing Grameen-style banking to deprived areas of Scotland. These projects are as follows:
Theorising the transfer of microcredit to more-advanced economies: Reviewing the theoretical literature on microcredit and its adaptation to the special circumstances of Grameenstyle banking, and how this can be applied in more Western settings. The work also involves interviews with ‘early adopters’ of similar loans-for-enterprise approaches to microcredit in the UK and US settings with respect to what they perceive as the barriers and facilitators. Mapping ‘microloans for enterprise’ in Scotland: If a new Grameen-style microloans-for-enterprise institution for Scotland is to garner official support, it is important to know the extent of initiatives and projects that aim to support enterprise and self employment in this country, the aim of this project being simply to identify and ‘map’ provision of lower levels of lending (below £5,000 per loan) - ‘micro-lending for enterprise’ – reflecting the niche that Grameen will aim at in the UK.
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University Profiles
Systematic review of microcredit as a public health intervention: If, in countries like Scotland, we are to think of microcredit (in the form of Grameen-style banking) as a potential route to better health and well-being, then it is important to conduct a systematic review of the literature to assess what we know about the magnitude of impacts on health and well-being and the quality of this literature. From these initial projects we intend to then establish a long-term study following Grameen customers, interviewing them annually about their health and wellbeing and to try to compare this with what is happening in the population more generally and in groups with no such access to microcredit to determine the extent to which it makes a difference. Our Centre is also open to collaborations on related issues which involve thinking differently about public health and how it can be improved. For example, other projects exploring related concepts but in other contexts, are: ‘Passage from India’: self-reliance groups in a UK context: ‘Passage from India’ was devised by the Church of Scotland’s Priority Areas Committee. 13 women in 7 deprived ‘priority areas’ in Glasgow were selected, and have met as a group prior and subsequent to embarking on an 11-day trip to India to learn more about the concepts and practices of women’s self-help groups and meet those who were a part of them. Having gained such insights, these women will recruit more women to develop other like-minded groups (termed ‘self-reliance groups’) in their own communities which will encourage different forms of self-reliance but hopefully allow women to pursue business and community-oriented ideas. The aims of the research project are to follow the development of both the groups and the women themselves over a four-year period. Social business and well-being in Scotland: Although there are differences between the terms ‘social business’ and ‘social enterprise’, they share the common goals of being mission driven and encouraging some sort of trading activity in achieving that mission. Similar to how we are trying to think of microcredit as a public health intervention, we are also trying to think
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of social business in a similar light by focussing on its potential contribution to well-being more generally and how one might measure this. This project will involve working with social enterprises in the West of Scotland (through collaboration with Jobs and Growth Glasgow), to explore: How social enterprises think about ‘wellbeing’. How do they define it? Can they articulate the causal pathway that takes those who engage with social enterprise though to improvements in health and wellbeing? How might it be measured, and to then attempt to do just that in a series of case studies. Teaching social entrepreneurs and new ‘social business & health’ researchers We educate current and future social entrepreneurs through: The only MSc programme in social enterprise in Scotland. The course is designed for part-time study and takes students through Certificate and Diploma stages to a full Masters degree. This programme is a collaboration between GCU and the Scottish Social Enterprise Academy, and we are now thinking of expanding these joint offerings to create further graduate and undergraduate courses. We also educate researchers of the future through: An internship programme, where young undergraduates have been able to come and contribute to our agenda. Five people in total have gone through that programme, from Scotland, England, France and Austria, who have been studying at the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aix-Marseille 2 as well as GCU. A PhD programme, on which four PhD students are currently employed, working on various aspects of the above research programme as well GCU’s wider interests in social innovation. We encourage multi-disciplinary approaches, drawing students with backgrounds in anthropology, economics and other social sciences.
“We need to think more widely about social impacts and thus how to measure them“ - Professor Cam Donaldson, Glasgow Caledonian University
Interview Professor Cam Donaldson Glasgow Caledonian University
The Yunus Centre for Social Business & Health has a specific focus on research. What is your view on the current status of research in the field of social business globally? A: There seems to be plenty of research around innovation in the sense of coming up with new ways of helping people which can be provided and delivered in the form of social businesses. This is great. Where there is more of a gap is in studies of the impacts of such social business innovations. I think this is because many people attracted to social business are action-orientated and want to be ‘doing good’ at the coalface if you like. But independent scrutiny of the impact of social business is important and, because it is independent, tells a more powerful story. What needs to be done in order to further develop and refine social impact measurement tools and methodologies? A: The answer here is in the question, at least in part. We need to think more widely about social impacts and thus how to measure them. For example our research centre is focus on social business and health. To stress, this is not about thinking of social businesses as alternative providers of health services, although that is all well and good. Rather, we take a wide perspective and think that all social businesses, acting as they do to alleviate some aspect of social vulnerability, can make a contribution to health well-being. We then need to find tools to help us measure such impacts, but they are there – these might be measures of self-assessed health, capabilities, sense of coherence (which is essentially a measure of ‘resilience’) etc. We also need to be able to apply such measures in longitudinal studies where we might take repeated measures on individual beneficiaries of social business activities over time. Finally, we need to be able to create ‘counterfactuals’ where we can use comparator groups to assess what might have happened to such people in the absence of social business and, thus, what its added value is.
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You are currently conducting studies which are investigating the health impact of microfinance programs. What are main challenges when conducting research in this field? A: For evaluations of microcredit, I think the challenges are the same as for social business more broadly. We’d like to try to follow microcredit bank customers over a long period of time, which has not been done before. Again, we’d like to compare their experiences to those not exposed to microcredit or for whom it is not available. We’d also like to compare such experiences on a broad range of measures; not just of income and income sources but also how meaningful people’s lives have become as well as their social networks and relationships, resilience, capabilities and health. How important are cross-country comparisons through collaborations with other universities in order to get even more significant results about the impact of social businesses? A: For our research, cross-country comparisons are excellent for learning about how different contextual factors can lead to the failure, success or improvement in how social businesses are applied and operate.
University Profiles Danone Endowed Chair of Social Business, Germany
Institution Danone Endowed Chair of Social Business University EBS Business School City Oestrich-Winkel Country Germany Focus Areas Teaching and Research Contact Prof. Andreas Heinecke Email andreas.heinecke@ebs.edu
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About the Danone Endowed Chair of Social Business at EBS The Danone Endowed Chair of Social Business aims to discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge in social business that is equally rigorous and relevant and thereby creates positive impact for students, academics, executives and society. We focus on hybrid (or pluralistic) organizations – as social businesses – operating at the boundaries between market and civil society. We study organizations irrespective of their legal form that develop innovative solutions to societies most pressing social needs. We are interested in social innovations that are innovative concepts, strategies and business models for civil society organizations, foundations and socially responsible businesses. Prof. Karin Kreutzer and Prof. Andreas Heinecke are holding the Chair of Social Business since May 2011. Magdalena Kloibhofer joined the team in August 2012 as a research assistant. Conferences EBS Business School teamed up with Danone Germany to stage the first conference on social business and aging: Age as an Asset – Social Business and the Aging Boomers. The two days conference brought together international researchers, policy makers, business leaders and practitioners to gain an overview about excellence, trends and strategies. A case study working out the market potential for Danone was presented by the students. The conference was well received and was the kick-off for new activities within aging and social business at EBS Business School. Outreach Under the leadership of EBS Business School, a task force from the Schwab Foundation community was formed and compiled helpful insights for social entrepreneurs and those contemplating to start a social business.
A first publication in 2010 was called the Social Investment Manual: http://www.schwabfound.org/pdf/schwabfound/ SocialInvestmentManual2011.pdf Based on the success, a new task force convened to address as the next logical step after social investment the issue of Corporate Governance of Social Enterprises, in particular Advisory Boards: http://www.schwabfound.org/pdf/schwabfound/ Governance_Social_Enterprises.pdf In a third step a practical guidebook on leadership and human resource management in social enterprises will be compiled. The manual will aim to address the most common leadership and HR challenges that social enterprises face at different stages in their lifecycle, and support entrepreneurs to deal with them with advice that is tailored to the realities of social mission driven organizations of various forms. It also aims to provide hands-on knowledge for SE that will typically not have attended formal leadership education. It will serve as a platform for sharing experiences on challenges as well as solutions, and will facilitate fruitful exchange within the community on this vital topic. Teaching Field Case Studies: In the spring term 2012 a cohort of master students developed new social business ideas for Danone in the context of the demographic transition. In the fall term 2012 students are working on an analysis of The Hub and prepare a market entry study for DialogMuseum in Frankfurt.
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University Profiles
Personal Mastery: Bachelor, MBA and Master experience Dialogue in the Dark in Frankfurt www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com. Based on this experience the personal mastery course pursues the following objectives: • Leadership in uncertain and critical situations • Leadership, followership and teamwork • Experiencing the significance of clear and precise communication • Bonding, empathy and solidarity • Working out common references & appreciation of team efforts • Experiencing one’s own limits and overcoming them by unleashing hidden potentials Students have to reflect the experiences and theoretical background in essays. They show clearly the significant impact in terms of inter- and intrapersonal learning. VIP Curriculum The objective of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and analytical capabilities central to personal growth, professional success and selffulfillment. During the course, students meet eight very successful people for half a day each and listen to their life stories in order to understand their personal development, career paths, values, aspirations, challenges, doubts and ideas about what it is to be human. The students learn through these encounters and will sharpen their observation, listening and questioning skills. They might identify role models for their own self-concept and career planning. The VIPs receive feedback and learn through being questioned and challenged. Lectures For Bachelor students it is mandatory to join the course “Business & Society”. For Master students we started in fall term 2012 “Understanding Social Business”. It is a series of lectures about the context of social business, impact measurement, finance and capacity building. We invited five social entrepreneurs and worked out solutions for their specific challenges.
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Research Currently we do have the following research foci: • Mission accomplished? Organizational identity drift • Cross-sector partnerships • Leadership in social enterprises • Aging and social business • Social Innovation Four students are writing as research assistants their doctoral thesis. Various Bachelor, Master and MBA theses were completed. Publications We frequently publish in the leading international scientific journals and give presentations at conferences. Some recent publications: • •
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Lurtz, K. & Kreutzer, K. (2012), Entrepreneurial Orientation in the Context of Social Venture Creation Kreutzer K. & Jacobs C. (2012), Balancing Control and Coaching in CSO Governance. A Paradox Perspective and Board Behavior, Voluntas, 22 (4), 613 - 638 Heinecke, A. & Mayer, J. (2012), Strategies for Scaling in Social Entrepreneurship, in: Social Entrepreneurship and Social Business, Volkmann C., Tokarski K.O., Ernst, K. (Editors), 191-209 Heinecke, A., (2012), Why Can You Not Do Good and Earn Well? Social Entrepreneurs Caught in a Moral Conflict, in Corporate Governance in the New Normal, SID Conference Paper
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University Profiles North South University, Bangladesh
University North South University City Dhaka Country Bangladesh Focus Areas Teaching, Research and Incubation Contact Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury Email hannan@northsouth.edu
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North South University at a glance: North South University (NSU), the first private university in Bangladesh, was established by the NSU Foundation with the initiative of a group of philanthropists, industrialists, bureaucrats and academics. In total NSU offers 22 different degrees under nine separate departments. Overall there are 14 bachelors and 8 masters’ degrees on offering. The mission of NSU is to excel in providing higher education in Bangladesh keeping in view the challenges of the twenty-first century. Its vision is to become a top university in the South Asian region. As a centre of excellence it aims to attract students from all countries of the region. This mission is achieved by imparting world class education and training, and by research and public service, so that individuals can achieve their intellectual, social, and personal potential. NSU is committed to developing human capital by sharpening creative thinking of individuals. NSU maintains academic collaboration with many foreign universities in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Norway, China, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, etc.. NSU has also started collaborations with world class research institutes, like World Bank, British Council, UK, NOMA, ICDDR,B, in its various academic programs. North South University and Social Business: Social business as a new age discipline was first regarded and recognized by North South University (NSU) in Bangladesh’s higher education sector. Social business - which is currently one of the most active research and seminar topic of NSU faculties and teachers - was first introduced at the International Conference on Knowledge Globalization 2010 Dhaka. NSU was the proud host of this esteemed Global Conference and the university was honored by the participation of Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the Key note speaker. During this conference Prof. Yunus introduced the premises of Social Business and this introduction of social business has initiated the social business activities in NSU. With the association of Yunus Centre, Grameen Creative Lab, South Asian Youth Society and
various NSU clubs, the University has organized many successful seminars, competitions, paper presentations on social business and in 2012, NSU jointly with Professional Society for Social Business (PSSB) has organized the Social Business Forum 2012 (which is the biggest social business program in Asia to date) to add another feather in its glorious collection of social business events. Apart from the many events, NSU academicians have published various academic papers, articles and presented different agendas of social business context in world renowned academic journals and conferences. Currently NSU faculties are working on two distinctive social business research projects funded by NSU Research and the Innovation Grant committee. North South University and Professional Society for Social Business (PSSB): Professional Society for Social Business (PSSB) as a social body is globally recognized and affiliated. The first pillar of this brilliant social initiation was built by NSU faculty members. Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury (Dean, NSU School of Business) inspired by Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ ideology and business perspectives, mentored other NSU faculty members to start PSSB under NSU’s premises. PSSB is envisioned to be an acclaimed association for scholars, experts, practitioners, academicians, consultants and the inquisitive minds who aspire to learn about social business. The core objective of the society is to create a platform for professionals, researchers and academicians in the area of social business in Bangladesh. Being the first of its kind, PSSB shall propagate the concept and spread the message of social business in order to develop better understanding of the area while accelerating economic development of Bangladesh through social business. The PSSB will also undertake projects for promoting economic activities including development of human resources, project evaluation, quality improvement and research work.
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University Profiles
Currently PSSB has extended its reach beyond NSU and is recognized as one of the strong global social business organizational bodies coming from Asia. Upon its inception in May 2012, it has already successfully hosted a global event – the Social Business Forum 2012 and organized a dialogue on Social Business with Nobel Laureate Professor Yunus including 35 university teachers, professionals and academicians at Yunus Centre. It now has more than 1,500 active members. Nobel Laureate Professor Yunus, Astronaut Ronald Garan and many other eminent persons of Bangladesh and abroad have aligned to lend credibility to this platform. Published Papers: Bashir, M M A; Khalil, Z T; Haider, ASM S; Chowdhury, A. H. and Mustafa, M S, “Social Business: Scopes and Challenges,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Knowledge Globalization, 178 – 180, 2010, Bangladesh. Hussain, Mehedi, Chowdhury, A. H., and Hussain, Bashir, “Sweets and Sours of Social Business: A Case Study on Grameen Danone Foods Ltd.,” Proceedings of the International Business Research Conference, Dubai, June, 28, 2011. Articles (by NSU faculty members): Haider, S. ASM and Chowdhury A. H. “Social Business: Bridging the Gap Between Growth and Inequality,” Social Business Forum 2012 Brochure, 34, 2012 Miah, M. K., Mohiuddin, K. G. B., and Chowdhury A. H. “Business Performance and HRM Practices in Social & Conventional Businesses: A Theoretical Framework for Comparison,” Social Business Forum 2012 Brochure, 3133, 2012 Chowdhury A. H. and Zarjina T. K., “Social Business: Scopes and Challenges,” Social Business Forum 2012 Brochure, 27-30, June, 2012 Chowdhury A. H. “Prelude to an Awe-Inspiring Journey,” Social Business Forum 2012 Brochure, 25-26, 2012
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Chowdhury A. H. “Social Business: Is the debate going to follow the footsteps of microcredit?” Reprinted at Grammen Dialogue, Newsletter Published by Grameen Trust, Bangladesh, 78-80, July, 2011 Chowdhury A. H. “Learning from Global Social Business Summit” The Daily Star, Special Issue: 20th Anniversary. 38-43, April 04, 2011 Chowdhury A. H. “Social Business: Is the debate going to follow the footsteps of microcredit?” The Financial Express, 4, March 12, 2011 Chowdhury A. H. “Dr. Yunus and the current debate: Perspective of an academic bystander” The Daily Star, March 16, 2011 Ongoing Projects (Funded by NSU Research Grant committee): • Perception of Business people towards Social Business • Leadership in Social business Articles (by NSU students in Social Business Forum 2012 Brochure, 2012): • Corporations in Social Business: A Win-Win Situation – Iftekhar Alam • Youth and Social Business: The Guidelines for the Younger Generation – Maruf Wali • Achieving MDGs through Social Business: An Effort to Reach Goals Pertaining to Education – Monica Islam
University Profiles Yunus Centre at AIT, Thailand
Institution Yunus Center at AIT University Asian Institute of Technology City Bangkok Country Thailand Focus Areas Teaching and Incubation Contact Dr. Faiz Shah Email fshah@ait.asia
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Vision Working within AIT’s development mandate to create a world free from poverty by harnessing the power of social business and effective technologies to improve the lives of the marginalized. Mission To establish an action-learning platform that fosters the development, implementation and valuation of sustainable social business models driven by research, technology and partnerships that effectively solves social problems, with a particular focus on gender equality. Approach An Action-Learning approach with ongoing dialogue at its core, towards becoming an effective, open platform with the professional capacity to process relevant information received from stakeholders and key constituencies within and outside AIT and the Grameen family, and converting it into practical ideas for social business promoted and implemented through diverse partnerships and the effective use of learning outreach. Programs SB Action & SB Challenge: Need-responsive, gender-mainstreamed social business projects, identified and implemented for their profit potential. International SB Collaborative Challenge, a unique test for aspirants able to build business alliances in solving social problems. SB Archives: Case-Bank and Action-Idea Archive, an open, multimedia repository of practical knowledge, action research findings and workshops. SB Learning Portfolio: A dynamic set of guided or independent learning opportunities rooted in best practice for academics or practitioners. SB Academy: Young Leaders’ Program and Yunus Fellowship, offering structured opportunities for experiential learning and decision-making skills. GCL@AIT: A regular cycle of creative events in partnership with The Grameen Creative Lab, bringing together academia and businesses to spark ideas.
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University Profiles
Our future projects: MobileDiagnosis in Remote Burmese Rural Areas along the Thai-Burma Border MobileDiagnosis has developed a method to send images for diagnoses via mobile phone. It allows to directly capture high quality images from the eye piece of an optical microscope or other optical devices with a camera-integrated mobile-phone (with no additional adaptors or devices) and to send them as MMS via mobile phone network to distant diagnostic centers for prompt diagnosis or second opinion. The mobile-phone with integrated camera functions as image transmission unit. It offers a possibility to connect basic health care facilities in remote areas with more specialized health care facilities in the field of medical image diagnostics. In previous projects, MobileDiagnosis has worked with health care workers in order to train them in the use of their product. However, in the project that YCA envisions with Burmese communities, the goal is not to train health workers, but to train local poor people for them to have a livelihood. The Yunus Center at AIT wants to develop a project with MobileDiagnosis that targets the Burmese citizens living in remote areas on the Burma side along the Thai-Burma border with no access to health care facilities. “Most of Myanmar’s population live in rural areas, while health services are concentrated in larger towns and cities. This means the health needs of most of the population of more than 50 million are unmet, especially in areas where conflict between the government and various rebel groups or inter-communal violence still occurs. […] Violence has warped malaria control along the country’s border with Thailand, and frustrated attempts to keep mothers and their newborns alive in eastern Myanmar, where the maternal mortality ratio is more than triple the national average of 240 per 100,000 live births. […] MSF has estimated that only one-third of the estimated 120,000 people living with HIV in Myanmar, who should receive antiretroviral treatment in terms of WHO standards, are being treated, and said the shortage of medicine extends to other serious illnesses, including tuberculosis (TB).”
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The idea is to work with both the MTC, the SMRU and MobileDiagnosis in order to give these communities access to diagnoses of, among others, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. The Yunus Center at AIT would locate, together with the MTC and SMRU, remote Burmese villages with total lack to health services. Groups of people would be selected with a gender component, the poorest or more vulnerable from the communities, to help them create a social business with Bellina´s method to diagnose illnesses, send the image to the Mae Tao Clinic and the SMRU and get the results and the adequate treatment. People from the village would approach those in possession of the mobile phone and pay them to be diagnosed. Months after they start their business, research will be conducted (by students of the master’s program at AIT, Gender and Development Studies, for example) to assess the economic, social and gender impact on the community. Goals This project will meet social business aims by addressing at the same time poverty and social problems associated with it (in this case, the lack of health services) through the creation of a social business with Livia Bellina´s technological method. It aims to provide a group of people with a livelihood and to have an impact on the community’s well being by offering them health services that they lack and by promoting gender equality. It meets the philosophy of the Yunus Center at AIT by using new technologies to try to reduce poverty and solve the social problems stemming from it through a social business initiative from a gender approach.
Past Experiences of MobileDiagnosis: results Among the projects realized so far with MobileDiagnosis, the ones below can be mentioned: a. A study conducted from September to November 2009 through the monitoring and training of 25 students in their second year of a laboratory technician course at St. Mary’s Hospital in Lacor, Uganda. b. A study and training conducted in Afghanistan at the General and Pediatric Hospitals of Herat, involving 10 fully-trained laboratory technicians. c. In Bangladesh, the first phase of the study took place from April to July 2010 and involved 16 trained laboratory technicians. In a second phase of the study (February to May 2011), 10 female health workers with no previous laboratory experience, were trained in the district of Dinajpur in collaboration with Saint Vincent—PIME Missionary Hospital. In 2010 Livia went as volunteer to Bangladesh, upon Professor Muhammad Yunus’ invitation, teaching and applying MobileDiagnosis, linking centers in rural areas of Bangladesh and the headquarters in Dhaka. In Bangladesh she lived in rural centers (Tangail and Comilla). For several weeks, she taught and worked with students all day long, from early morning to sunset. In Grameen Foundation’s health centers, she organized a “school “ of lowcost telepathology and basic telemedicine, based only on the local minimal equipment and available cell phones. 16 lab technicians of 16 different rural health centers where involved. She taught the use of the microscope; theory and practice of laboratory techniques and basic parasitology, urine analysis, hematology and stool sample examination, as well as capturing and sending images from microscopically fields, and differential diagnosis. Until now the method has improved the local health workers´ skills. The methodology applied obtained 100% of improvement of all local health workers´ skills and achieved a complete reduction of false (wrong) negative test for malaria or for other parasites. It has also given evidence of successful diagnosis (and therapy) of 100% in all of the cases.
Self-Sanitizing Waterless Urinal to Address Sanitation Facilities Needed in Indonesia to Address Children’s High Mortality Rates “Poor knowledge of basic healthcare and lack of sanitation are contributing to the high number of deaths among children under the age of five in Indonesia. Among poorer households child deaths are more than three times higher than in richer ones. 151,000 Indonesian children died in 2010 before they reached the age of five. Causes included pneumonia, preterm births, injuries, measles and diarrhea. Poor nutrition, lack of clean water and lack of basic sanitation are important contributors to child mortality in Indonesia.” The spread of disease can be directly linked to lack of wastewater sanitization as improperly treated or nontreated waste makes its way into drinking water sources. If liquid waste (e.g. urine) can be treated at the front end in a self-contained unit, the remainder is expected to be disease-free and fit for use in applications such as fertilizers. In areas with limited water supplies, it is important that precious sources of water not be used in mobilizing human liquid wastes and thereby act as transport for such disease-bearing liquids.
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University Profiles
Dr. G. Louis Hornyak, Ph.D., Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology (Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand), has designed a device, a selfsanitizing waterless urinal. The front end of the urinal is made of conventional low cost ceramic material. The ceramic is coated with a nanoscale phase zinc oxide (ZnO). The coating procedure is a simple lowenergy chemical dipping process. ZnO is an inexpensive material and readily available anywhere. These nanoscale fingerlike projections render the surface “superhydrophobic”– in simpler words, super water repellant. Any aqueous-based liquid will roll off this surface even at extremely low angles less than 5° up from the horizontal. Hence, any droplets or streams of urine will roll off immediately into the treatment tank below. With regard to sanitation, the ZnO has photo catalytic properties. In other words, in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) or blue light, the ZnO is capable of killing bacteria as well as oxidizing organic compounds (e.g. drugs etc.) found in the urine. The sanitized waste can be collected in a holding tank and sold to agricultural interests. The materials are then minimally rewatered and subsequently encapsulated and dried for use in fertilizers. Encapsulation allows for efficient use of fertilizers with lowered concentrations in agricultural runoffs. The Yunus Centrea at AIT (YCA) will locate poor communities together with the NGO Plan International where sanitation problems are causing high mortality rates among children and create a social business with them through self-sanitizing waterless urinals. Goal The goal is twofold: 1) to reduce mortality among children in rural Indonesian communities and 2) to convert the urine into fertilizer that can be used for food production. Sanitation and related health issues are major problems in developing nations. This product offers a low-tech solution to liquid wastes generated in urinals. With the use of conventional materials that only require a special coating and adaptation to solar photo catalytic mechanisms, urine can be safely sanitized and collected for agricultural purposes.
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Purification of Textile and Leather Industry Factory Water Effluent and Recycling in Bangladesh The availability of clean water of good quality is currently not widespread in Bangladesh. The textile industry introduces vast amounts of organic dye wastes and releases them into the public waterways on a daily basis. Purification of textile industry effluents is a necessary step to ensure high water quality in Bangladesh’s public waterways. The textile industry is one of the most important in Bangladesh and therefore cannot be compromised by the implementation of costly water purification policies and procedures– steps the industry is unwilling to do. The use of nanotechnology to clean factory effluent is a low-technology inexpensive process with facilitative scale-up potential. Once the water is purified to an acceptable level for factory use, it can be recycled. Goals Social businesses will be created around a method that uses nanotechnology to clean factory effluent in poor communities in Bangladesh where textile industries are to be found. Two goals will be achieved: the whole community will benefit as clean water will be available and a group of people will have their own livelihoods through the social business initiative created around this method. The primary targeted communities consist of all fuel-poor sectors in Bangladesh that require safe transportation and electricity.
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University Profiles HEC, Paris
Institution Social Business/Enterprise and Poverty Chair University HEC Paris City Paris Country France Focus Areas Teaching and Research Contact FrĂŠdĂŠric Dalsace, Ph.D. Email dalsace@hec.fr
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The HEC Paris Social Business/Enterprise and Poverty Chair, created in December 2008, seeks to promote social business in three ways: Teaching: Training a new generation of managers who are aware of societal challenges and who aspire to be part of the solution, regardless of their professional activity. Research: Developing quality research on strategic innovation in societal fields on the theme of social business, and the ways in which business can fight poverty. Action Research: Contributing to an inclusive economy in France, in other developed countries and developing countries. This initiative brings together HEC academics, large firms, government members and non-profit organizations with the objective of alleviating poverty through business. This Chair is co-presided by Prof. Muhammad Yunus and Martin Hirsch. It receives financial support from Danone, Schneider Electric, Renault, the French government (DGCS) and private donors. The chair is led by Frederic Dalsace, Chair Holder, and Benedicte Faivre-Tavignot, Executive Director of the Chair. Teaching activities Social Business Certificate The successful launch of the 4th Social Business Certificate, one of the pillars of the Chair, took place in April 2012 with two renowned guest speakers: one of the two presidents of the Chair, Martin Hirsch, President of France’s Civil Service Agency, and Emmanuel Faber, COO of Danone, along with the Chair’s professors. The Certificate is a 120-hour program proposed to students in their final year of studies at HEC Paris (Masters degrees and MBA). It has grown significantly since its creation in 2009 from 34 students up to 80 students from 21 different countries three years later; among them three lecturers from North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Hands-on Experience Week From May 21-25, 2012, French-speaking students gained insight into the work and activities of organizations (whether NGOs or social enterprises) that aim to alleviate and reduce poverty in France; and developed a better understanding of the poverty- and (un)employment-related issues addressed in class. The Social Business Lab The Social Business Lab is a social business contest among groups of students who have to conceive a social business. In 2012, five possible themes were offered: Education, Energy, Health, Mobility and Nutrition. All groups presented their business models to one of the 5 juries depending on the theme. The juries were composed by representatives from the Chair’s partners, HEC Paris and Chair’s teachers. On June 14, the 5 best groups (won by theme) presented to a Grand Jury with Martin Hirsch and Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO Schneider Electric, along with Chair’s teachers and special guests. Interdisciplinary events during the Social Business Certificate Two events took place in May 2012, a conference on International Development by Jean-Michel Severino, President of I&P (Investissement & Partenaires), former CEO of France’s International Development Agency – AFD and former Vice President for Asia at the World Bank. Mid of May, 2012, a special day took place (Bop4Top) mixing students from the Social Business and the Luxury Strategy Certificates. Conferences and case studies with special guests all day. Elective An elective is proposed twice a year to HEC Students (M1) on social business (20 hours / 50 students) Executive program Creation of an «inclusive business track» in the HEC Executive MBA: 50 participants spend one week in Berkeley and one week in Hyderabad.
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University Profiles
Research Writing of business cases The chair has embarked on an extensive case writing program including: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Grameen Danone Food Limited Veolia Water in Tanger Schneider Electric: the In-Diya Challenge in India Sarvajal: access to water in India Coopa Roca in Brazil Veja in Brazil and Europe A tale of two boycotts in India BOP 4 TOP: Nhorla in China and Europe BOP 4 TOP: Shangai Trio in China and Europe Ateliers du Bocage in France La Petite Reine in France Abbe Pierre Foundation Le Relais Danone Corporate Strategy : combining business and societal objectives
Research Projects Consumption patterns of poor consumers in France (with Opinionway), Business and Transformational Impacts of Social Business in a MNE (Danone), Solving the “Last Mile Delivery” issue (with Azao) Articles Frédéric Dalsace & David Menascé (2010-2011): “Structurer le débat Entreprises et Pauvreté: Légitimité, Intérêt, Modalités, Efficacité”, Revue Française de Gestion n° 208-209, p15-44 Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot et Laurence LehmanOrtega (2010-2011): “Le social business, laboratoire d’apprentissage des stratégies de rupture”, Revue Française de Gestion n° 208-209
Frédéric Dalsace, Charles-Edouard Vincent, Jacques Berger & François Dalens (2012): “The poverty penalty in France: how the market makes low income populations poorer”. Revue FACTS (Field Actions Science Reports - Institut Véolia Environnement) Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot et Laurence LehmanOrtega (2010-2011): “Leveraging BOP Markets for strategic renewal: a longitudinal study of Danone”, Working Paper Booklet Frédéric Dalsace, David Menascé et Pierre Victoria (2011): L’Entreprise contre la Pauvreté, Institut Jean-Jaurès Doctoral dissertations Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot: “From reverse innovation to reverse renewal. What are the processes through which social businesses and Base of the Pyramid business models can be a lever for innovation and strategic renewal”; Lyon 3 David Menascé: BOP challenges, EHESS
Frédéric Dalsace & David Menascé (2011): “Getting Involved: BoP vs Social Business”, Journal of Social Business, 1,1, p117-125
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Julien Kleszczowski: Social Impact evaluation; CRG / Ecole Polytechnique
Conferences and Meetings The HEC team participates regularly in conferences and meetings and sits on boards of associations, foundations and juries. These are important activities to connect the HEC Paris Social Business/Enterprise and Poverty Chair to the community and to promote social business and the contributions of the Chair. With contributions to events like the 30th anniversary of Ashoka or the conference Digital For Change with Pr. Yunus and the founders of Kiva, Mozilla, Wikipedia, HEC also takes an active role in shaping conferences and events. Action-research / co creation with companies The chair is an active partner of the « Action Tank Enterprise and Poverty », which aims at experimenting social business in France. Follow up on existing experiments • Nutrition: Danone / Red Cross project (“projet Malin”) • Health: Essilor (“Optique Solidaire”) • Mobile telecommunications: Emmaus / SFR (“Téléphonie Solidaire”) New projects under way • Social housing: Bouygues, Habitat & Humanisme • Mobility: Renault ‘s Mobiliz program Projects under discussion • Banking services: Banque Postale • Access to water: Lyonnaise des Eaux-Suez You can find more information on the HEC ‘Social Business/Enterprise and Poverty’ Chair on www.hec.edu/ social-business-chair
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University Profiles The Muhammad Yunus International Centre for Microfinance and Social Business, Turkey
Institution The Muhammad Yunus International Centre for Microfinance and Social Business University Okan University City Istanbul Country Turkey Focus Areas Teaching, Research and Incubation Contact Assistant Prof. Dr. Ezgi Y覺ld覺r覺m Saatci Email ezgi.saatci@okan.edu.tr
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About
Research
The Muhammad Yunus International Centre for Microfinance and Social Business at Okan University has been officially launched on December 15, 2011 as the first centre of its kind in Turkey.
The first book of the center was published based on the lecture given by Prof. Yunus on December 2012 named “Social Business as the Solution for Social Problems in Turkey and Global Success Stories” (“Türkiye’de Sosyal Problemlerin Çözümünde Sosyal İsletmecilik ve Dünyadaki Örnekler Prof. Muhammad Yunus”) both in Turkish and English.
Okan University Yunus Center sets up an example in Turkey as a pioneer and envisions itself as an independent and open platform that brings an end to social problems like poverty by creating, promoting, and maintaining microfinance and social business through training and projects for the good of both national and international welfare. Through the combination of academic research, worldclass teaching and hands-on practical experience, the Centre started to be a force in the social business movement. The Muhammad Yunus International Centre for Social Business and Microfinance at Okan University works with the purpose to: • Broadly establish the concept of social business in Turkey and the region through research, teaching and practical activities • Contribute to solving some of Turkey’s and the region’s most pressing social needs by inspiring and initiating social business activities and further developing microfinance • Be a hub in the region for international excellence and exchange attracting international lecturers and corporations to Turkey Center activities were performed according to the three years strategic plan developed during the Social Business Lab in Istanbul on June 11 and 12, 2012 together with Yunus Social Business and The Grameen Creative Lab in respect to the three pillars of activities namely research, teaching and practice.
Three publications were made in the selected publications namely: • Corporate Social Responsibility versus Social Business” Journal of Economics, Business and Managemet JOEBM 2013 Vol.1(1): 62-65 ISSN: 23013567 • Basarılı Bir Sosyal İsletme Modeli: Grameen Danone Yogurt” Marmara Öneri Dergisi 26 (68), 65-71 • Early Application of Social Business in Turkey: The Case of Diyarbakır/Sur Microcredit Programme” Social Business at Anadolu University Social Business 2013 Conference Eskisehir May 30-31 Proceedings pp 85-90 Teaching The Center has given two lectures namely Social Business and Microfinance I and Social Business and Microfinance II. 40 students enrolled in these courses and successfully conducted their projects. The closing lecture was held by Prof. Muhammad Yunus in December focusing on “Social Business as the Solution for Social Problems in Turkey and Global Success Stories.” In addition to the undergraduate courses, two-hour lectures were given to high school students and 600 students aged 15-17 who received their “Social Business Certificate” from the Center.
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University Profiles
In alliance with KOSGEB (Turkey Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization), the course Practical Entrepreneurship was given to 700 students in spring 2013 as a part of the mandatory course for all departments of the university.
The center is conducting a project for Bergama (a small city, near the Aegean Sea placed on the list of Worlds Heritage Sites) with the Bergama Municipality targeting to link this Aegean city with a nearby Greek Island economically through export based social businesses.
The Center has also started a “Social Business Certificate Program” that already graduated 12 women who are in the process of forming their own social businesses for 65 low-income women in the Tuzla area of Istanbul Turkey.
The center has applied to Turkey Development Agency with two projects targeting economically disadvantaged women and the other young university students.
This program gives detailed information about “social business idea”, “social business market analyses” “social business production planning” “social business financial planning” “social business organizational planning” “development credit conditions”... etc. This program comprises of 36 hours and covers the following topics: Social Business Entrepreneurship Motivation Theories Social Business Plan e-business Case studies of Social Business Labour and Social Security Law Business Law Intellectual and Industrial Property Fashion Design History of art and design Industrial Design Orientation of women Practice The center has not only engaged in classical academic activities, but also ventured into the field of practice. The center has organized field trips to low-income neighborhoods of Istanbul to examine particular social problems that need to be addressed.
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The center has also applied to Ministry of Youth and Sports for the incubation center. The center gave a declaration at the International Women’s Day organization. The title of the speech was “The face of Turkish business life has to change: objectives and road map for the participation of women in to the economic workforce.” The center is in contact with organizations both locally and internationally, such as McDonalds, to turn CSR activities into social businesses. The center supports the launch of the “Social Business Certificate Program” graduates’ social businesses in the areas of food, handcrafted ornaments and textile. The center also starts a new social business with one of the biggest shirt exporter. The center has signed protocols with several municipalities and pioneered NGO’s such as Ashoka, Sogla, Tusev, Habitat… The center represents Okan University at the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in Turkey for thematic entrepreneurship The center also represents Okan University and Yunus Center at the University Council of Tuzla.
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University Profiles Design for Social Business (D4SB), Italy /
Spain
Institution Design for Social Business (D4SB) University Istituto Europeo di Design City Milan / Barcelona Country Italy / Spain Focus Areas Teaching Contact Massimo Randone Email MasterD4SB@ied.edu
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Master in Design for Social Business, Istituto Europeo di Design, Italy The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) is one of the leading design schools in Europe with campuses in several locations in Italy, Spain, and also in Brazil. Together with The Grameen Creative Lab, the IED established the Master in Design for Social Business, the first program of its kind globally. This unique master program was established and started in 2010 in Milan, Italy. An exclusive number of 6 students were able to participate in this 10 months program. The program combined design thinking methodologies with social business expertise. Students had the opportunity to experience and analyze social businesses on the ground during two field trips to Colombia and India. They analyzed existing social businesses in Colombia (Bienestar Project) and also investigated the sanitation situation in schools in India (as a premise for a new possible social business activity). The second edition of the Master in Design for Social Business is scheduled to continue in 2014 in Italy. In addition to this program, IED organized two Design for Social Business Conferences, 2010 in Milan and 2011 in Barcelona.
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University Profiles Social Business Cell, Bangladesh
Institution Social Business Cell, FBE Research Centre University Daffodil International University City Dhaka Country Bangladesh Focus Areas Teaching, Research and Student Forum Contact Masud Ibn Rahman, Head, Social Business Cell Email mir@daffodilvarsity.edu.bd
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About the Social Business Cell, DIU Daffodil International University (DIU) is one of the universities that has come forward to explore the social business idea among the academic community in Bangladesh. The Social Business Cell started in 2010 under the Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE). Initially there were three members in the Cell under FBE Research Centre and now a total number of 21 faculty members are associated with the Cell. Beside social business research, DIU Social Business Cell has been engaged in various activities since 2011. In academia, the Cell has been working in collaboration with Yunus Centre (YC) and is engaged in the countrywide social business campaign. Since then, the Cell organized a number of talks, workshops, seminars and festivals. Later on, as a united platform, the Social Business Cell was recognized as a formal body of the FBE Research Centre of DIU. The Cell is headed by Mr. Masud Ibn Rahman, Assistant Professor of Statistics, who also is as an Academic Advisor of YC and has been working intensely with YC in various capacities. Being instructed by Prof. Muhammad Yunus, the Cell was motivated to work with young minds along with social business campaigns in many universities throughout the country. Nevertheless, a team of DIU, comprising of students and teachers, frequently shoulder some responsibilities of the Gala event of YC Social Business Day since 2012. The Cell played a significant role for the “Networking of YC with Bangladeshi Universities”. Many academic scholars, vice-chancellors, distinguished professors and a bunch of young researchers are already associated under this umbrella. The purpose of the Cell is to promote social business concept in the society and thus to help solving social problems. This is a unique centre of DIU for extensive research and development. The university is on the way to establish a Social Business Research Centre. It also has a plan to establish a social business institute in future. Research Initiative of Social Business Cell: Presently the Cell is conducting a research project titled ‘An Empirical Study on the Perception of Social Business in Bangladesh’ funded by DIU. In the face of a growing expansion of social business concept across the country,
it is necessary to sense the general perception of people through different perspectives. In this connection, the DIU Social Business Cell has taken a research project under the leadership of Mr. Rahman. A group of students and young researchers has been working under this project. Based on an empirical investigation, this study will analyze, through some statistical analyses, the level of understanding of Bangladeshi people about the aspects of social business and its widespread activities. The data collection and analysis is done and the report is in its final stage. The policy makers will be able to identify the impact of the social business campaign and the degree of this effort on the basis of its recommendation. In DIU, more and more faculty members are getting involved spontaneously in social business research. Under the supervision of the Cell, a group of young researchers is engaged in a series of research work, some of which are cited below: • Masud Ibn Rahman, Assistant Professor, Research Topic: An Empirical Study on the Perception of Social Business in Bangladesh. • Rumana Parveen, Assistant Professor, Research Topic: Definition of Social Business: Confusions or One Universal Concept around the World. • Mr. Shakhawat Hossain, Assistant Professor, Research Topic: Accountability in Social Business: The Necessity to Vanguard on time. • Mr. Md. Masum Iqbal, Assistant Professor, Research Topic: Social Business Marketing: Scopes and Challenges. • Md. Nazmul Hassan, Lecturer, Research Topic: Social Business Model: applicability in Developing Countries-The Bangladesh Experience. • Mr. Reza Shahbaz Hadi, Lecturer, Research Topic: Reducing Environmental Pollution through Social Business.
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University Profiles
Short Course on Social Business: Daffodil International University (DIU) is going to offer a short course on social business from July 2013. A MOU between DIU and YC will be signed in June 2013 regarding the collaboration. Graduate Curricula Development: The Faculty of Business and Economics of DIU has designed an elective course on social business for the MBA program. The course titled ‘Introduction to Social Business’ is set for offering from Spring 2014 and later on this will be offered as a core course at graduate level. At the undergraduate level, courses on social business will be offered later. The Cell has been working with YC for developing a social business MBA program. Social Business Students Forum: Social Business Students Forum (SBSF) is a Global community of students for exchanging views and ideas of social business that is recognized and supervised by YC. The Head Office of SBSF is located in DIU, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It shoulders the “poverty free world campaign through social business” being inspired by the philosophy of Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. This student group is also associated with the social business campaign of YC in educational institutions in Bangladesh. With a mission to help eradicate poverty by exploring and promoting the social business concept among the young community of the world, SBSF unionize students under one umbrella. The SBSF fosters international communication and networking of students, and promotes social business ideas and youth entrepreneurship. This group is always vibrant on www.facebook.com/SBSFourum, and www.twitter.com/socialbusinessf. Presently SBSF is coordinating other social business forums for different universities in Bangladesh.
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On-Campus Social Business by DIU Students: A group of students is engaged in an on-campus social business in DIU. This team works under the guidance of the Social Business Cell, DIU. Those students, majority of whom are from the Department of BBA, started a social business venture from the summer 2012 semester. Many students already have engaged themselves with inspiration and enthusiasm with this project. The name of the social business is ‘Garnet Enterprise’ and their concept is very simple. The target of this business is to solve the ‘scarcity of books’ problem of the students; as the students cannot afford high-priced books all the time, this company will lend them books with a nominal membership fees for a particular semester. The success of this project is yet to assess. Given its success, the students will expand this business model to some other educational institutions too. This can be a unique model in the country’s education sector. Social Business Youth Convention (SBYC): Daffodil International University and Social Business Students Forum (SBSF) are going to organize the Social Business Youth Convention-2013 on June 29, 2013 in Dhaka Bangladesh with the theme - “Bridging the Young Minds to Overcome Poverty”. The purpose of the Youth Convention is to explore the power of social business, the Poverty Free World Campaign through social business and the involvement of the young generation in the process. It is also aimed at identifying the problems and prospects of the young generation to become social business entrepreneur. The convention will be graced with the presence of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. He will address the young minds, social business leaders, top executives from international and local organizations, academicians, researchers, professionals, students and aspiring young entrepreneurs from all over the world in the program. It would enhance the collaboration and association of SBSF with other young groups of Bangladesh and abroad. Following are the links related to the event: http://sbyc.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd/ https://www. facebook.com/events/646656908693960/
University Profiles Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), USA
Yunus Program – Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) The Yunus Program is an initiative by the MTSU. The program has been created to inspire students, faculty members, administrators, and alumni, as well as leaders in the mid-south region of the U.S., to study the life and philosophy of Prof. Yunus and to join him and his global partners in efforts to eradicate economic poverty and reduce social problems in the world. Among others, the program components comprise: • Developing a “Yunus Collection” (e.g. books, monographs, and audio-visual materials) • Internships at the Grameen Bank in Dhaka • Lectures and courses on micro-credit finance and on social business as well as on related areas • Implementing the Yunus Commemoration Agreement of Friendship and Exchange between the University of Chittagong and MTSU • Establishing, as a long-term goal, a mid-south institute for social business, at MTSU or elsewhere in the region, an incubator for social business development, in collaboration with area colleges and universities, private enterprises, government agencies, and the like • Working closely with the Yunus Centre; in Bangladesh and with its collaborators throughout the world, especially academic institutions in the U.S., West Europe, and Japan For more detailed information on the initiative, please visit: Yunus Program website www.mtsu.edu/yunus/
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Oregon University System (OUS) & University System of Georgia (USG), USA
Oregon Social Business Challenge – Oregon University System (OUS)
Georgia Social Business and Microcredit Forum by University System of Georgia (USG)
The Oregon Social Business Challenge brings together leaders from across the state to discuss ways that higher education can better meet the economic, social and environmental challenges facing Oregon. It was initiated in 2012 by OUS, a system of seven public universities and one branch campus in the State of Oregon. The challenge features a statewide competition between university student teams that have been working to develop ways to address these issues. The students’ application of the ideas is judged and awarded at the end of the day-long event. In addition, the event is featured by keynote speeches. For the first time the challenge was held on 01-Oct2012 where sixteen student teams took part in the competition to present their ideas. In addition, keynote speeches were held by Governor John Kitzhaber, Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Prof. Yunus. For more detailed information on the initiative, please visit secure.ous.edu/socialbusiness/
The Georgia Social Business and Microcredit Forum is a one-day conference by the USG, an organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The conference took place on 17 October 2011 and was organized to bring together economic development interests from all regions of the state to hear Prof. Yunus’ social business concept of combining business know-how with the desire to improve quality of life. In addition college student teams from across Georgia developed business solutions to pressing local and state issues. Their application of these ideas was judged and awarded at the end of the conference. For more detailed information on the initiative, please visit the conference website www.usg.edu/social_ business_microcredit
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University Profiles Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
The Muhammad Yunus Innovation Challenge – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) The Muhammad Yunus Innovation Challenge was established by the MIT in 2007. The challenge is part of the program of the International Development Initiative (IDI). It was initiated and is supported by MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel. Each year the challenge highlights a pressing need of the world’s poor and enables MIT students to develop solutions through a variety of mechanisms. Among others, the mechanisms comprise public service fellowships, the IDEAS Global Challenge (an annual invention and entrepreneurship competition), lectures and courses as well as internships and grants. The topics of previous Yunus Innovation Challenges were: 2012: “WASTE: Put it to Use” 2011: “Improved Agricultural Processes for Better Livelihoods” 2010: “Promoting Clean Hands for Health and Prosperity” 2009: “Affordable Small-scale Energy Storage Solutions” 2008: “Improving Indoor Air Quality to Break the Cycle of Poverty” 2007: “Increasing Adherence to Tuberculosis Drugs in Rural Developing Country Contexts“
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The topic for the upcoming challenge in 2013 will be “Education Innovations” For more detailed information on the initiative, please visit: International Development Initiative (IDI): www.web. mit.edu/idi/index.htm IDEAS Global Challenge: www.mit.edu/~ideas/challenge. htm
National University of Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia
Lecture series – National University of Malaysia (UKM) Since 2011 the UKM hosts several initiatives to foster social business. The activities taken to bring social business forward comprise lecture series, workshops and talks with Prof. Yunus. In July 2011, Prof. Yunus was honored Laureate-inResidence. He will spend a month over the span of a year to, among others, help develop iconic research projects for UKM. The lecture of Prof. Yunus on “Social Business: A way to solve society’s most pressing problems” was attended by more than 2,000 students. In June 2012, Prof. Dato Dr. Rahmah Mohamed (Deputy VC at UKM) held a speech on the Social Business Day 2012. Malaysia itself is special to Prof. Yunus because it was the first country outside Bangladesh to adopt his microfinance scheme, and he is on the board of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, a Grameen replication project. The National University of Malaysia (UKM) is planning to expand its social business initiatives in the near future. For more detailed information on the initiative, please visit UKM news page: www.ukm.my/news/
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Other Social Business Activities
Other Social Business Activities The Grameen Creative Lab, Germany
Institution The Grameen Creative Lab City Wiesbaden Country Germany Focus Areas Social Business Contact Fritz Francke-Weltmann Email fritz.francke-weltmann@grameencl.com
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About The Grameen Creative Lab Prof. Yunus and Hans Reitz founded The Grameen Creative Lab (GCL), based in Wiesbaden, Germany in January 2009. The GCL was created to serve society’s most pressing needs by accelerating and spreading the social business movement in Europe and worldwide. As GCL is a social business itself, all fees charged for its activities are used to cover its operating expenses, any profits are reinvested into the company to expand its outreach and add momentum to the social business movement. In order to be successful GCL attempts to maximize its impact by following a three step approach: Firstly, creating awareness about social business in setting up conferences and education events about social business, network and connect with all levels of governments, corporations and civil society and publish as well as speak about social business. The Social Business Tour 2010 is an example for such a measure to interact with a large community and to create sustainable impact. The tour was initiated to introduce the social business concept into Central and Eastern Europe. The tour took place in six countries and six cities providing information about social business through a series of events and an idea contest with the potential to solve a clearly specified problem through social business. Once awareness is created, GCL focuses on the incubation and experimentation of social business ideas, which is done through collaborations with universities to integrate social business into research, teaching and practice. GCL’s university network currently consists of 20 universities worldwide and is the leading platform to connect and foster maximum exchange and collaboration within the field of social business. GCL provides numerous services such as speeches at conferences, lecture series, social business labs, idea contests or consultancy on implementing social business centers or institutes. Eventually GCL’s activities lead to the creation of social businesses. GCL initiates and supports the creation of social businesses, both as joint ventures between international corporations and Grameen companies, but also many small social business start ups.
Academia Activities The university activities play a major role for The Grameen Creative Lab, since universities are the ideal partner and multiplicator to further spread and develop the idea of social business. Vision To bring social business into universities and create a culture within academia, with the goal to serve society’s most pressing needs through social business. Mission Our mission is to connect with leading universities worldwide and encourage research as well as teaching and practical implementation of social business. In order to accelerate the social business movement within academia, we support universities with our services and expertise in a variety of areas in order to help them to implement their individual social business initiatives. Approach GCL connects with universities within the pillars of Seeding, Networking, and Consulting & Joint Initiatives. Within the pillar of Seeding are all activities that can be seen as a first starting point to engage with social business and help to raise awareness about the topic of social business. Workshops and conference at universities are a great way to start initial activities at universities. The GCL team has experience in offering speeches and lectures, and also offers a variety of workshop formats for a broader audience or specifically tailored for existing social business entrepreneurs.
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Other Social Business Activities
If a university is interested in implementing social business activities within their institutions, GCL provides consulting services, to explore all options to engage in social business. To match the social business activities to the core competencies of the university, consulting activities can include many activities within the topics of research, teaching and practice. If desired, we help universities to establish a multi-year strategic plan to build a social business initiative that can include Social Business Centers, Social Business Institutes or Social Business Incubators within universities. Â In addition to the consulting activities, we of course work closely with the universities, which will lead to joint initiatives in some cases. With GCL@University we have established a very unique joint initiative with currently two leading examples, the GCL@Kyushu in Japan and the GCL@NUS with the National University of Singapore. Both, the university and GCL jointly decide about the scale of the social business activities and their fields of operations. In addition to the GCL@ University initiatives, we have e.g. teamed up with the Istituto Europeo di Design to develop the first Master in Design for Social Business, which has been taught in Milan in 2010. Â The networking aspect plays an important role, which will help to foster exchange and collaboration with universities and between universities that are engaged in social business activities. We are in the process of establishing a platform for universities. The Academia Meeting on Social Business is taking place annually one day prior to the Global Social Business Summit. During this one day meeting, Professors and faculty members from universities all around the world come together to share the latest ideas and activities, but also to develop and identify new ideas and projects for collaboration. In 2013, the Academia Meeting will further evolve into the first GSBS Research Conference on Social Business, which will take place in Malaysia in November.Â
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Other Social Business Activities Yunus Centre, Bangladesh
Institution Yunus Centre City Dhaka Country Bangladesh Focus Areas Social Business Contact Lamiya Morshed Email lamiya@grameen.com
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University activities of the Yunus Centre The Yunus Centre is a global hub for promoting the concept of social business among academia, researchers, practitioners, corporations and governments worldwide. It is a one-stop resource centre for all social business activities related to Grameen both globally and in Bangladesh, spreading the global social business movement through various events, social media, publications, and websites. Yunus Centre also helps forge lasting, productive relationships among all social business institutions around the world. At the Yunus Centre, we are convinced that young minds are always creative and possess immense potential to bring positive change to our society. This is why we formed an academic team to promote the concept of social business among university students. To bring social business to universities in Bangladesh, the Yunus Centre held its first academia seminar with creative workshops on social business on October 27, 2011 at the University of Dhaka which is the oldest, biggest and most renowned public university in Bangladesh. The seminar was organized by the university’s department of marketing in association with the Yunus Centre. Sole aim of the seminar was to engage next generation leaders with the idea of social business, “the most groundbreaking thought of our time”, to plant a seed for positive social change through business. Introducing the concept and answering the questions of students about social business, the seminar inspired young leaders to take their own initiatives. More than 300 enthusiastic business students from different backgrounds attended the seminar, making it a landmark success. The opening speech of Lamiya Morshed, Executive Director of the Yunus Centre, was followed by the key note presentation ‘Ins and Outs of Social Business’ and a rigorous question answer session. A brain storming session was the starting point for the second part of the seminar in which participants were divided into five different groups to find social business solutions for the most pressing issues of our present world. The social business ideas students came up with were
presented at the end of the session and included women empowerment, health and sanitation, unemployment and education and transportation. Keeping the format the Yunus Centre’s academia team conducted a series of seminars with workshops in 15 other prominent universities across the nation over the last year. The following universities took part: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
University of Chittagong University of Khulna University of Rajshahi Jagannath University Daffodil International University Eastern University East Delta University Dhaka International University South East University North South University Prime University Bangladesh University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh Stamford University BRAC University United International University
The feedback coming from participants of this intensive campaign is very positive from across the country. Many universities have already formed their own social business clubs and students both local and international are doing their internships on social business with support of the Yunus Centre.
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Other Social Business Activities
Observing Social Business Day 2012 from an academic point of view: On June 28, 2012 the third annual Social Business Day has been celebrated in Bangladesh under the topic of “Transforming Societies through Social Business”. More than 700 local and 120 international participants from around the globe have attend the event. Celebrations with parallel programs took also place in Germany, USA, Japan, UK, France and Italy. Special guest of the event in Dhaka was NASA astronaut Ron Garan, who conduct a special session on “Planet and Life in Space: An Orbital Perspective”. Overall, the Social Business Day 2012 brought together social business pioneers from corporations, civil society, academia and governments from many countries of the world. Through an intensive program of talks, panel sessions and workshops, it provided an occasion to share results and make connections. The different panel sessions highlighted issues, among others social business and academia, moderated by M.d. Nazmul Hossain, bringing professors and supporters from around the world on stage to discuss the different approaches, challenges and success stories from their universities. Social Business Forum 2012: On June 29, 2012 the Social Business Forum 2012, organized by the Professional Society for Social Business (PSSB) and North South University in collaboration with Yunus Centre and The Grameen Creative Lab (GCL) took place under the topic ‘Social Business Practices: Evaluating Impacts.’ Scholars, researchers, corporate leaders, government bodies, youth and social business practitioners from all over the world joined the event to share information and ideas regarding social issues and business models designed to address those issues. Highlights of the day were the keynote speech by Professor Muhammad Yunus as well as several panel discussion on hot topics in social business as well as a youth social business idea competition which concluded the Social Business Forum 2012.
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Social Business Center at Sun Yat-sen University China: Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, a 112-year old Chinese educational institute, has set up a Yunus Centre for Microcredit and Social Business to promote poverty focused social businesses. The new centre at the university was established through a partnership between Sun Yat-sen University and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and will be managed in collaboration with the Yunus Centre. It was announced at the inauguration of the International Forum of Microcredit and Social Business, organized by the business school of the university and The Time Weekly media group. Around 2,000 faculty and staff members attended the inauguration ceremony. The centre will set up sustainable microfinance programs for the poor in China, and introduce social business initially only in the communities in Guang Dong province. Later social business activities will be expanded to other provinces. Academic courses will be offered through the business school of the university. A team from Yunus Centre and Grameen Trust is working with the faculty and management of the university along with The Time Weekly media group to set up these programs based on experiences in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Professor Yunus was chief guest at the forum. During his tour of China, the founder of Grameen Bank addressed business forums in Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei attended by government representatives, business leaders and students. Each event attracted around 3,000 participants.
Academia Overview
About Social Business
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About Social Business
With the idea of social business, Prof. Muhammad Yunus has introduced a new dimension for capitalism: a business model that does not strive to maximize profits but rather to serve humanity’s most pressing needs. Thus, the first motive of a social business is not profit, and second, it does not pay its investors dividends. Instead, it aims at solving social problems with products and services at affordable prices, or giving the poor and marginalized people ownership in a business and therefore allows them to share in its profits. A social business pays back only its original investment and reinvests its profits in innovations or further growth that advance its social goals. Although the social business is pioneering in its aims, it is traditional in its management. Its workforce is professional and paid according to market wages.
Social business follows seven principles, which serve as its defining elements.
This type of business may or may not earn profit, but like any other business it must not incur losses in order to be able to sustain itself. In every sense the social business is sustainable: in its direct environmental impact, its impact down the value chain, and critically, in its financial independence.
The seven principles of social business:
This is a key difference between social business and charity. Once its initial investment is repaid, the social business aims to be financially self-sustaining, giving it the independence and security to focus its efforts on the long-term improvement of the lives of the disadvantaged.
2. Financial and economic sustainability.
Thus the social business is a new type of company and “social business entrepreneurs” are a new type of entrepreneurs who are not interested in profitmaximisation. They are totally committed to making a difference in the world. They want to give a better chance in life to other people and they want to achieve this objective through creating and supporting sustainable social businesses.
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1. Business objective will be to overcome poverty, or one or more problems (such as education, health, technology access and environment) which threaten people and society; not profit maximization.
3. Investors get back their investment amount only. No dividend is given beyond investment money. 4. When investment amount is paid back, company profit stays with the company for expansion and improvement. 5. Environmentally conscious. 6. Workforce gets market wage with better working conditions. 7. …do it with joy.
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Acknowledgement
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We would like to thank all our partners and friends who made this first Academia Report on Social Business possible with their valuable contributions: We would to specifically thank: • Prof. Cam Donaldson, Yunus Chair in Social Business & Health, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland • Dr. Andrea Grove, Faculty Director, California Institute for Social Business, California State University Channel Islands, United States • Prof. Masaharu Okada, Executive Director Yunus & Shiiki Social Business Research Center, Kyushu University, Japan • Frédéric Dalscace, Associate Professor, Social Business/Enterprise and Poverty Chair, HEC Paris, France • Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot, Executive Director, Social Business/Enterprise and Poverty Chair, HEC Paris, France • Prof. Wong Poh Kam, Director of the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, National University of Singapore • Prof. Andreas Heinecke, Danone Endowed Chair of Social Business, EBS University • Enrico Testi, Director of International Relations, Yunus Social Business Centre, University of Florence, Italy • Dr. Faiz Shah, Director of Yunus Center at AIT, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand • Prof. Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Dean, School of Business Director, North South University Dhaka, Bangladesh • Md. Nazmul Hossain, Assistant Professor, Dhaka University, Bangladesh • Ezgi Yildirim Saatci, Assistant Professor, The Muhammad Yunus International Centre for Microfinance and Social Business, Okan University, Turkey • Masud Ibn Rahman, Head, Social Business Cell, Daffodil International University, Bangladesh
Of course, we would like to extend a special thanks to all the faculty members who are working closely together with the above mentioned Professors and contribute significantly to the overall success to all the great social business initiatives. Furthermore, we would like to thank Prof. Muhammad Yunus for his inexhaustible dedication and commitment, which was indispensable for the establishment of the many social business initiatives all around the world. Social Business in Academia – Do it with joy!
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