A Discussion in Social Enterprise (Healthcare) (QAA 3,5,6,7)

Group Size ? 1.) Small group (teams of 4-6)
2.) Individual Task
3.) Large Group
4.) Any
Small group (teams of 4-6)

Learning Environment ? 1.) Lecture Theatre
2.) Presentation Space
3.) Carousel Tables (small working group)
4.) Any
5.) Outside
6.) Special
Carousel Tables (small working group)

QAA Enterprise Theme(s) ? 1.) Creativity and Innovation
2.) Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation
3.) Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement
4.) Implementation of ideas through leadership and management
5.) Reflection and Action
6.) Interpersonal Skills
7.) Communication and Strategy
3Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement 5Reflection and Action 6Interpersonal Skills 7Communication and Strategy

Objective:

To understand and be able to define Social Enterprise
To explore the business models used within Social Enterprise
To understand the cross-sector theories of Social Enterprise
Identity popular companies with the health sector and discuss their business models.

Overview:

This session starts with a short introduction and then allows groups of students to discuss and decide where in the cross sector diagram popular health service companies should be placed, based on publically available data. It's a great way to introduce social enterprise and the business models used to create social good through an interactive session and group working.

Activity:

Introduction: Social enterprises use a wide variety of legal forms and these forms normally depend on the business model being employed by the enterprise. As these enterprises change and the mix of their business interests change we can see that a full spectrum of companies exist for most industry sectors. This session uses the UK health sector and popular organizations to understand how these alternate between being more mission focused (social) to more market focused (surplus generating). In this task we shall look at the UK Health Sector and key players within the industry:

AstraZeneca
Boots
British Red Cross
BUPA
Cancer Research UK
GSK
NHS
Nuffield Health
St. John Ambulance

Sheets are provided with details of these companies (See resources below).

The session is split into six parts:

Provide a definition of Social Enterprise
Present the Cross Sector Model
Set the Criteria for Discussion and Selection
Split the class into groups of 4-6 people
Teams then discuss and place
Class Discussion and Reflection

Criteria for Group Discussion and Selection

For each company we shall use only a limited set of information (to bring out key points during the session), and therefore we shall limit selection using

Company Structure

Strategic Intention
Governance

Financial

Total Turnover
Turnover dedicated to social impact

Social Impact

Interventions

PR & Policy

The group place the name of the company on the Cross Sector Venn diagram depending on their business models being employed:

Public Sector
Corporate Social Responsibility
Private Sector
More Than Profit
Third Sector
Non Profit
Multi-Stakeholder

The majority of the enterprises used in the session have multiple business models and as such overlap on the Venn diagram which generates discussion and debate within the group. This realisation that the social enterprise sector has to develop a highly profitable income stream and also a mission focused social business is at first controversial, especially in the Health sector, yet when applied to other sectors is easier to accept.

Skill Development:

This task requires listening and communication skills and also helps builds trust and connections across the pairings.

Resources:

Prezi Presentation https://prezi.com/s2tpjmnayxh6/social-enterprise-cross-sector-theory/

Handout & Slides https://www.dropbox.com/s/qnclusq03oqvqli/Social%20Enterprise%20Cross%20Sector%20Theory.pptx?dl=0

Social Enterprise Definition: See DTI (2002) A Strategy for Social Enterprise, London: HM Treasury, p7.

Cross Sector Theory: Hybridisation (Nyssens, 2006:318) Leadbeater's Model (1997)

Social Enterprise Websites:

Harvard Business School: http://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/about/history.html Brief history of social enterprise at a leading US university
Social Enterprise Alliance: http://www.se-alliance.org/ The lead organisation advocating for social enterprise in the USA
The Social Enterprise Coalition: http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/ The lead organisation advocating for social enterprise in the UK
EMES European Research Network: http://www.emes.net Leading European network of researchers examining Third Sector and Social Enterprise
Co-operatives UK: http://www.cooperatives-uk.coop/ One of the founders of Social Enterprise Coalition in the UK.
Social Enterprise Magazine: http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/ Popular sectoral magazine.
The Social Enterprise Institute: http://www.sml.hw.ac.uk/socialenterprise/ Scottish institute researching social enterprise at Herriot-Watt University
Office of the Third Sector: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/social_enterprise/
CIC regulator: www.cicregulator.gov.uk
Companies House: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house (Please note that company information and annual returns can be downloaded for FREE)

Health Sector Websites (Data used in Handouts)

About the Author
This guide was produced by Dr. David Bozward (Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Worcester Business School, University of Worcester).