Wofie 2012 Theme

The relevance of the theme to you

What is ‘Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ and how is the theme relevant for you as a student at Aalborg University and a possible participant in Wofie 2012?

The theme is relevant to all students at Aalborg University, because it presents a thematical framework for developing social enterprises and provides you with the same opportunity to use and test your specific academic skills up against other knowledge pools, much as you will meet in a real life product or business development setting. 

This gives you a unique chance to increase your competencies within interdisciplinary teamwork, your communication and innovation skills and increase your knowledge on social innovation and entrepreneurship as a possible second carrier option.

Definition of the theme
 

The theme ‘Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ is a broad theme and through a simple search on Google, you will find many different definitions of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. But do not worry. Following definitions will be used during Wofie 2012, but we will also provide you with lots of examples of social enterprises and inspirational lectures which will guide you through the terminology.

During Wofie 2012 you will be working on developing a social enterprise and Wofie has chosen to focus on the definition of social enterprises according to the definition of The European Commision*.

“A social enterprise is an operator in the social economy, whose main objective is to have a social impact rather than make a profit for their owners or shareholders. It operates by providing goods and services for the market in an entrepreneurial and innovative fashion and profits are used primarily to achieve social objectives. It is managed in an open and responsible manner and, in particular, involves employees, consumers and stakeholders.

The term 'social enterprise' covers the following types of business

• Businesses which place the common good at the center of their commercial activities, often in the form of a high level of social innovation.
• Businesses whose profits are mainly reinvested with a view to achieving their social objective.
• Businesses whose method of organization or ownership system reflects their mission, using democratic or participatory principles or focusing on social justice.
• Businesses providing social services and/or goods and services to vulnerable persons
• Businesses with a method of production of goods or services with a social objective

Proposals must include the dimension of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This is an evaluation criterion of the Wofie 2012 jury. Proposals which do not include this dimension cannot win the Wofie price.

Other definitions in relation to social innovation and social entrepreneurship and many more can be found through The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs** and are:

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR: Any person, in any sector, who runs a social enterprise.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The art of simultaneously pursuing both a financial and a social return on investment (the double bottom line).

DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE: The simultaneous pursuit of financial and social returns on investment – the ultimate benchmark for a social enterprise or a social sector business. See triple bottom line.

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE: The simultaneous pursuit of returns on investment in three areas – financial, social and environmental. See double bottom line

Examples of social enterprises

Here are a few examples of some Danish social enterprises:

• Baisikeli - selling recycled bicycles to African markets at discount prises
• BetterNow - Page for organizing collections
• The Specialists - employs IT savvy persons suffering from autism
• Social Capital (Den sociale kapitalfond) - a socio economic venture capital fund
• Roskilde Festival - a music festival that donates some of its profits to social beneficiary purposes
• Merkur Andelskasse - a bank founded on the ideology of cooperatives
• Skywatch - a hi-tech company developing advanced unmanned, remote controlled helicopters used for e.g. amunition disposal missions in ex-war zones.

Here is a list of examples of social enterprises in Europe:

In Italy, a medical center provides high-level specialized assistance, including cultural mediation, particularly in areas poorly served by public services, with a particular emphasis on people in fragile socio-economic situations (such as immigrants).

In Romania, a company with 5 members of staff and 5 volunteers has been working since 1996 to provide cultural services in the Romanian language to blind people by adapting media (especially audio books and adapted films) for an estimated 90000 people.

In France, a business launched an innovative concept of water-free car washing services in 2004 using biodegradable products and employing unqualified or marginalized staff in order to reintegrate them in the labor market.

In Hungary, a foundation set up a restaurant employing disabled staff (40 employees) and provided training and childcare to ensure the transition to stable employment.

In the Netherlands, a company teaches reading using innovative digital tools and a method based on play. This method is particularly suitable for hyperactive or autistic children but can also be used for illiterate people and immigrants.

In Poland, a social cooperative comprising two associations employs long-term unemployed and disabled staff and provides a variety of services: catering and food services, small construction and handicraft jobs and employability training for disadvantaged people.

*Source: COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT,
THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS, COM(2011) 682 final. “Social Business Initiative. Creating a favourable climate for social enterprises, key stakeholders in the social economy and innovation.”

**Source: The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs