SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISE - 2023/4

Module Overview

This module provides students with the opportunity to explore the underpinning principles, foundations and current thinking in relation to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behaviour in a variety of contexts. Students will first consider the role business venture creation plays in the growth and stability of economy, organisations and society.  They will then explore the challenges in reaching an agreed definition of entrepreneurship, and the different pathways to entrepreneurialism.  This is followed by a deep dive into examining the concept of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise, key characteristics, social entrepreneurial traits, social innovation, sustainable development Goals (SDGs), and to what extent social enterprises are addressing intractable social problems through entrepreneurial solutions. Students will undertake an assessment of their own entrepreneurial tendencies and reflect on how these may be further developed to support their entrepreneurial thinking and personal effectiveness across a range of contexts including business and social venture creations, work and study.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

MURZACHEVA Ekaterina (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

• Introduction to entrepreneurship


• Entrepreneurial characteristics/traits


• Pathways to entrepreneurship and associated ecosystems: hybrid entrepreneurship, start-ups, digital entrepreneurialism
  Social enterprise deep dive:
  
  
  
  • Social entrepreneurial traits
  
  
  • Key characteristics of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise
  
  
  • Social enterprise formation
  
  
  • hybridity of social business model: Social mission with business objectives
  
  
  • Theory of change, Social Innovation and social value creation
  
  
  • Social Impact and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  
  
  • The Social Entrepreneurship ecosystem
  
  
  • Business Model tools: social business modelling and value mapping
  
  
  
  

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Individual report to assess the same learning outcomes. 

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and meeting of the modules’ learning outcomes in terms of the key skills of critical discussion, problem solving and decision-making.

The assessment strategy is summative and formative and aligns with the learning outcomes. More specifically, assessment 1 facilitates students’ learning in identifying a social or environment problem and develop an innovative solution to the problem. Assessment 2 (Group project) enables students to evaluate the social innovation potential and its implication on the social business model.  This project will use entrepreneurial tools such as the social business model canvas, demonstrating the impact of social innovation together with its viability. The small group format will enable students to develop innovative solutions to social problems based on dialogue and team work.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• An individual Assessment (30% weighting)


• A Group Poster (70% weighting)

Formative assessment and feedback

Prior to both assessments, class time will be spent discussing feedback and process. After each assessment (Individual and group work), and once marking is completed, students will receive feedback via Surrey Learn which explains what students did well and did less well overall. Marks will be returned to students within 3 weeks of submission.  

Students will receive feedback during the module such as verbal feedback from the lecturer on inputs to class discussions and debates.

In addition to class-based sessions, students will be encouraged to learn via independent study and directed learning and to prepare for both weekly classroom sessions and the assessments. Students will be expected to actively participate in class and draw upon their own experiences, reflections and reading/ preparation where appropriate. In order to gain high marks in the assessments, students will have to read widely which means going beyond lecture notes and recommended texts. A list of texts will be provided but the expectation is that this represents a starting point for reading and not an exhaustive list. Students will be encouraged to do their own additional research and preparation on module topics, such as those pertinent to their assessments to receive high marks. 
 

Module aims

• ¿ Define entrepreneurship and recognise key characteristics/traits of social and commercial entrepreneurs
• ¿ Critically assess and evaluate the choices and pathways in entrepreneurship and the benefits and challenges of each pathway
• ¿ Describe and evaluate the role of social enterprises in addressing social/environmental problems, applying a set of theoretical concepts/tools and models
• ¿ Develop digital and information literacy skills, with critical analysis, team work and problem-solving skills.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to develop students in depth understanding of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise both as a field of academic/scholarly practice and an area of real life application. The module is structured to develop students critical understanding of societal and environmental challenges, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to what extent social enterprises are developing innovative solutions and approaches to address acute social problems, through entrepreneurial practices. This module places a real innovation process at the centre of learning. Students will be immersed in developing their creativity and innovation, in findings solutions to social problems through the application of theoretical tools/models.  Students will work in a project-based environment that will primarily be used to support, guide and manage their innovation process. This would be supplemented with case studies and guest lectures.

The learning and teaching methods include:
 

• Lectures, seminars, class discussions and debates

• Cases and practical examples (to comprise part of the above contact teaching sessions) 

• Multimedia resources e.g. audio podcasts (used both in class and as part of guided study/class preparation)

• SurreyLearn VLE (used to support learning and teaching and communication with students)

• Support materials

• Reading and class preparation via directed learning and independent study

• Individual work

• Group discussions and debates 

 

In addition, the module teaching team are accessible throughout the semester to address and clarify questions. Office hours will be provided. Feedback given will be oral and written on an individual basis and summative. 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN2147

Other information

n/a

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.