Syllabus for SOE-570

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Social Entrepreneurship focuses on the emerging field of social entrepreneurship, an application of for-profit entrepreneurship skills to ventures that focus on nonprofit mission and social value. It offers practical information for individuals in the field as well as innovative methods of conceptualizing the search for new and better ways to support and invest in social value. This course presents a framework for understanding this sector of the economy, proven business skill-sets adapted for the nonprofit environment, application tools for the field, and advice for avoiding common pitfalls. It also spotlights specific implementation activities designed to monitor performance and provide various constituencies—including donor-investors—with measurable results, accountability indicators, and overall return on investment.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. CO1 Analyze the attributes of the social entrepreneur.
2. CO2 Discuss the development of a strategic service vision.
3. CO3 Explain elements in developing an entrepreneurial competitive strategy.
4. CO4 Apply cooperative strategies to networks, partnerships, and alliances.
5. CO5 Discuss the significance of managing the human-resources asset in social entrepreneurial organizations.
6. CO6 Analyze the importance of leadership structures, governance, and organizational structure for entrepreneurial success..
7. CO7 Discuss the means for marketing a social enterprise and building an investor team.
8. CO8 Evaluate key steps for cultivating and continuing community connections for marketing and collaboration.
9. CO9 Discuss methods for developing performance information systems, assessment criteria, and accountability yardsticks for different constituencies.
10. CO10 Apply the concepts of evaluation, compliance, and measurement of social enterprises.
11. CO11 Analyze organizational change relative to leadership and management styles

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbooks

1. Dees, J. G., Emerson, J., & Economy, P. (2001). Enterprising nonprofits: A toolkit for social entrepreneurs. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0471397359

2. Bornstein, D. (2007). How to change the World: Social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0195334760

Note: Though these are only assigned textbooks, it is recommended that students may wish to develop a library of social entrepreneurship, thus it is encouraged that they would purchase books that have the articles within them. These articles are mentioned within each module.

Module Commentary

Each module in this course includes commentary material. This material serves to supplement, clarify, summarize, or illustrate text material. Read these commentaries in addition to the text material and before you work on the assignments in the module.

COURSE STRUCTURE

Social Entrepreneurship is a three-credit graduate course, consisting of five (5) modules.  Modules include topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1:  Defining Social Entrepreneurship

2. Module 2:  Creating a Vision and Mission through Strategic Planning

3. Module 3:  Building Leadership through Collaboration and Partnerships

4. Module 4:  Marketing and Finance for Social Entrepreneurs

5. Module 5:  Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete reflection exercises, written assignments, module topical section paper and write a final paper. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

This course requires you to participate in five (5) graded discussion forums. Discussion forums are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules. There are also one ungraded but required introduction forum in Module 1.

You should follow the Guidelines for Discussion Forums below.

1. Main Postings: They should be well thought out with some indication of integration of the readings, your theoretical and analytic skills, your critical reflection on the reading both positive and if necessary negative. Ideal postings are good strong two or three paragraphs of three or four sentences each. One sentence main postings are not acceptable.
2. Responses: It is expected that your responses demonstrate some level of engagement with the original posting in the sense that you ask a question, critique (positive or negative) the posting, add your own insight. An ideal posting will extend and expand the discussion. The responses should never be longer than the original posting. Stating "that was a good posting" and nothing more is not sufficient for academic credit.
3. Collegiality and Cordial: It is expected that we all recognize each other's strengths and weaknesses and in light of this refrain from negative criticism to hurt the other. Good questioning is helpful, criticizing because you simply have a different opinion is not sufficient.
4. Readings: The postings should note readings and reference that you understand and have engaged the book(s). You are also open to bring in other academic sources (no opinion websites, here) into the discussion if they are pertinent.
5. No ranting: Students will refrain from simply touting their own opinions on things without thinking things through. Opinions are fine, but expect to be challenged. If postings resort to simple rhetoric, it will be challenged.
6. Timing: It is expected that you engage the main posting in the early part of the week, and respond to a minimum of two others by the end of the week. The actual timing is in the Module Calendar.
7. Professor Interaction: The professor is postured on the web like a "dolphin". They will swim below the surface, allowing the discussion in the cohort to have its own life and organic interaction, and then will surface from time to time to question, prod, and challenge. The professor will often take an "antithesis" position even if they do not personally hold that opinion, challenging you with other ways of looking at things. At other times, they may add additional academic information.  You are expected to browse the site consistently, respond from the prodding of the professor, other postings, and learn from each other.

Written Assignments

Modules 1 through 5 contain three types of assignments:

1. Reflection Exercises: In this type of assignment you reflect on a question in a 1- to 2-page paper.
2. Written Assignments: Written Assignments ask you to discuss or analyze key course concepts.
3. Module Topical Section for the final paper: This assignment give you the opportunity to address the different elements of social enterprise that will be part of your final paper.

Final Paper

The final paper is a culmination of all the work for the five modules in the course. It is essentially a business plan for a social enterprise created by the student as a non-profit start-up or as an enterprise within a current nonprofit organization. The student prepares a module topical section for each module of the course that encompasses that element of the business plan. For the final paper all the modules are integrated and weaved together into a cohesive whole.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Online discussions (5)—20 percent
2. Reflection exercises (4)—12 percent
3. Written assignments (5)—20 percent
4. Module topical section for final paper (5)—25 percent
5. Final paper—23 percent

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Students must maintain a B average to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.
   
2. Take time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.
3. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.
   
4. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.
   
2. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or the College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else’s work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of the intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.