module specification

This module aims to examine current thinking regarding development issues in the voluntary and community sectors. Specific emphasis will be given to capacity building, social enterprise and social entrepreneurship. Specific community development projects will be explored within the context of community action. Questions will be asked about how community development reflects and / or challenges changes in the external environment; including legislation and funding mechanisms. Case studies from community-based initiatives in the UK and globally will be used to illustrate current debates. Students will be required to participate in the planning, initiation and development of a real world live project. Work will be reviewed against the National Occupational Standards for Community Development Work.

The module aims to

• Critically examine conflicting discourses with regard to social and community enterprises
• compare models of entrepreneurial activity focusing on those relevant to community development and the voluntary sector
• consider the ways in which community development projects can adapt to changes in the external environment , including changing funding models and increasing requirements for non grant related independent sources of income
• discuss the differences / similarities between the values of CD as expressed in the UK and those by the International Association for Community Development (IACD).                      
• identify ways in which success/failure can be measured in the context of community action and ethical concerns
• enable students to situate themselves with the competing ideas and practices which are prevalent within community development and the voluntary sector

• Community Capacity Building
• Different legal forms of social enterprise and impact on stakeholders (eg: Yunus’ Types 1 and 2)
• Social Enterprise - established and newer forms (Community business, Community enterprise, Community Interest Company (CIC),  Co-operatives, Employee-owned business, Housing Association, Development trust)
• Political, legal, social and ethical context of the social enterprise – conflicting demands
• Sustainable models of development for social enterprises
• Funding models for social enterprises
• LEAP- Learning Evaluation and Planning
• Assessing Community Strengths, The politics of Aid, Differences between Emergency relief and Development
• Sources of funding
• Community Development challenges - HIV and AIDS/Gender/Employment
• Theories of Change, Group theory
• Presenting a case for development, Planning and Prioritising, Budgeting, Evaluation and Risk management

The module will draw on student’s own interests to enable them to build on their resources to develop their own project after leaving university. Use will be made of representative speakers who are engaged in running live projects. Links will be made with the University’s “Accelerator” programme for building enterprise projects as well as other national and local organisations which are engaged with budding social entrepreneurial organisations.

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

• analyse and compare competing ideas and practices concerning support of projects and individuals.
• select, from the diverse range of social enterprise models, ways in which community development can be progressed
• identify ways in which community development and practices reflect changes in the external environment and specifically in relation to social enterprises.
• discuss and evaluate approaches to community development.
• identify resources from a variety of sources including those that exist within public or private sector establishments and to appropriately reference and present the material.
• evaluate a proposal and build on this to develop future plans.

1. The written proposal will assess the awareness and understanding of the different perspectives on development issues and particularly those in relation to social enterprise. It will require students to have actively researched ways of raising money in a business like way.

2. Presentation to a “Dragon’s Den” panel. Students will be encouraged to discuss and test out their ideas

3. The final essay will require students to review their feedback from the “Dragon’s Den” and plans for raising money and to discuss these in terms of efficiency, social value and ethical concerns.

• Atkinson, A.B.  (2005) New sources of development finance. Oxford : Oxford University
• Elkington, J. and Hartigan,P.(2008) The power of unreasonable people: how social entrepreneurs create markets that change the world. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press
• Hudson, Mike (2009) Managing without profit: leadership, management and governance of third sector organisations. London: Directory of Social Change
• Kerlin, J. A., Ed. (2009). Social enterprise: a global comparison. Medford, Mass; Hanover, Tufts University Press; Univeristy Press of New England
• Nicholls, A. (2006) Social Entrepreneurship: new Modles of Sustainable Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Pearce, J. (2003). Social enterprise in anytown. London, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Websites
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (2011) Income sources. Available from: http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/advice-support/funding-finance/income-sources
• Community Development Foundation (2011) What’s Happening in your Region.Available from: http://www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/London  
• Social Enterprise London – a range of free guides on creating social enteprises (e.g. Social Enterprise Starting Point Guide) available for download at  http://www.sel.org.uk/publications/
• Social Enterprise UK offer free training and support to social enterprises http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/pages/seke.html
• The Social Economy Student network http://socialeconomy.info/
• Locality (network for community-led organisations) http://locality.org.uk/
Journals
• Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
• Nonprofit Management and Leadership
• International Journal of Community Research and Engagement