Social Impact: Entrepreneurs and Social Innovation
Duration
- One Semester or equivalent
Contact hours
- 36 hours
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning.
Aims and objectives
This unit explores the rising importance of social innovation and social enterprise to developing solutions to persistent social and environmental challenges. On a global scale, both social innovation and social enterprise have become prominent in inspiring individuals, organisations and communities to act on social change. There are many components to the social innovation ‘ecosystem’, and students will explore, discuss and critique the different aspects of the ecosystem in this unit. Students will engage in both the practice and theoretical foundations of social innovation and enterprise, participating in engaging on-line and class-based learning activities.
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of trends and drivers re-shaping the dynamics of the social economy.
2. Critically analyse key issues in the social economy framed by knowledge of multi-stakeholder influences on the creation of social impact.
3. Apply problem solving methodologies to select appropriate governance, management and value sets in social enterprises.
4. Critically evaluate concepts such as social entrepreneurship, social enterprise, social investment, social innovation and collaborative governance.
5. Communicate proficiently in a professional context with a wide variety of audiences and work with diverse groups.
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
Block Mode:
This unit will be delivered in block or intensive mode. Block mode may consist of blended, intensive and immersive teaching, which can include full day teaching and weekend teaching requirements – as specified in the Unit Outline.
Student workload:
For all teaching and learning structures (both face to face and online), students are expected to spend an average of 150 hours per unit in total over the duration of the study period
This includes all:
• Scheduled teaching and learning events and activities (contact hours timetabled in a face-to-face teaching space) and scheduled online learning events (contact hours scheduled in an online teaching space), and
To be successful, students should:
• Read all prescribed materials and/or view videos in preparation for each class
• Attend and engage in all scheduled classes (face to face or online)
• Start assessment tasks well ahead of the due date, and submit assessments promptly
• Read / listen to all feedback carefully, and consider it for future assessment
• Engage with fellow students and teaching staff (don’t hesitate to ask questions)
This unit will be delivered in block or intensive mode. Block mode may consist of blended, intensive and immersive teaching, which can include full day teaching and weekend teaching requirements – as specified in the Unit Outline.
Student workload:
For all teaching and learning structures (both face to face and online), students are expected to spend an average of 150 hours per unit in total over the duration of the study period
This includes all:
• Scheduled teaching and learning events and activities (contact hours timetabled in a face-to-face teaching space) and scheduled online learning events (contact hours scheduled in an online teaching space), and
• Non-scheduled learning events and activities (including directed online learning activities, assessments, independent study, student group meetings, and research)
• Read all prescribed materials and/or view videos in preparation for each class
• Attend and engage in all scheduled classes (face to face or online)
• Start assessment tasks well ahead of the due date, and submit assessments promptly
• Read / listen to all feedback carefully, and consider it for future assessment
• Engage with fellow students and teaching staff (don’t hesitate to ask questions)
Assessment
Assignment 1 (Individual) 40-50%
Assignment 2 (Group) 30-50%
Assignment 3 (Individual) 10-20%
General skills outcomes
• Teamwork skills
• Problem solving skills
• Analysis skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
• Ability to work independently
• Problem solving skills
• Analysis skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
• Ability to work independently
Content
• The ecosystem view of social innovation.
• Assessing different approaches to social innovation.
• Social entrepreneurship and social enterprise in a global context.
• Policy and supporting impact through social enterprise in Australia.
• The impact of social finance & investment on developing social entrepreneurship.
• Strategic approaches to social innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Organisational factors in developing a social enterprise.
• Business needs for social enterprise.
• Collaboration and collective impact.
• Measuring, evaluating and engaging with social impact.
• Critiquing social innovation and entrepreneurship for social change.
• Assessing different approaches to social innovation.
• Social entrepreneurship and social enterprise in a global context.
• Policy and supporting impact through social enterprise in Australia.
• The impact of social finance & investment on developing social entrepreneurship.
• Strategic approaches to social innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Organisational factors in developing a social enterprise.
• Business needs for social enterprise.
• Collaboration and collective impact.
• Measuring, evaluating and engaging with social impact.
• Critiquing social innovation and entrepreneurship for social change.
Study resources
- Reading materials.
Reading materials
Students are advised to check the unit outline in the relevant teaching period for appropriate textbooks and further reading.