module specification

This module invites students to consider the opportunities and challenges that social enterprise and entrepreneurship offer to communities and community development leaders and practitioners. Students will be required to participate in the planning, initiation and development of a real-world live project, culminating in the presentation of a project proposal. Lectures and workshops will introduce students to theories of project management, including financial planning, and teamworking and enable them to apply this in practice. Throughout the module there is a strong emphasis on reflective practice. Students will be required to critically review their proposal both in terms of internal consistency and external opportunities and challenges (reflection in action). They will also reflect on their contribution to effective teamworking in the development of the project and skills acquired on this module (reflection post-action).

The aims of this module are to:

• Critically understand the role of social enterprise, its strengths and limitations, in relation to community work.
• Identify key benefits and challenges of partnership and collaborative working
• Work with others to research and develop a viable proposal for a social enterprise, demonstrating potential social impact and financial sustainability
• Identify ways in which success / failure can be measured in the context of community action and ethical concerns
• Enhance their employability, particularly within the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors.
• Reflect critically on issues of diversity, equality and social justice in relation to development and social enterprise.

None

• Community Capacity Building (LO1, LO3)
• Different legal forms of social enterprise and impact on stakeholders (eg: Yunus’ Types 1 and 2) (LO1, LO3)
• Social Enterprise - established and newer forms (Community business, Community enterprise, Community Interest Company (CIC),  Co-operatives, Employee-owned business, Housing Association, Development trust) (LO1, LO3)
• Political, legal, social and ethical context of the social enterprise – conflicting demands (LO1, LO3, LO5)
• Sustainable models of development for social enterprises (LO1, LO3, LO4)
• Funding models for social enterprises (LO4)
• LEAP- Learning Evaluation and Planning (LO1)
• Assessing Community Strengths, The politics of Aid, Differences between Emergency relief and Development (LO1, LO3, LKO5)
• Sources of funding (LO4)
• Community Development challenges - HIV and AIDS/Gender/Employment (LO1, LO3, LO5)
• Theories of Change, Group theory (LO3)
• Presenting a case for development, Planning and Prioritising, Budgeting, Evaluation and Risk management (LO1, LO2)

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. Students will reflect on the performance of their group, and their performance within the group.

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

1.     work with others to develop and present a plan for a viable social enterprise that draws on basic business techniques as well as their knowledge and experience of community work;

2.     reflect on their contribution to, and learning from the group work, demonstrating an understanding of theories of team working;

3.     demonstrate a critical understanding of social enterprise and entrepreneurship and the opportunities and challenges it presents for community practitioners;

4.     identify resources from a variety of sources and appropriately reference and present the material.

5. Reflect critically on issues of diversity, equality and social justice in relation to development and social enterprise.

The assessment is in three parts:

      i.         a written proposal (2,000 words), setting out an idea for a social enterprise, and assessing its strengths and limitations in the current environment (30% of marks); (LO 1 and 4);

     ii.         a Dragon’s Den-style group presentation, where each group pitches its idea for a social enterprise (30% of marks); and (LO 1); and

    iii.         a written reflection (2,000) on their experience of working in a team and how this might contribute to their future practice as community leaders (40% of marks). (LO 2, 3,4,5)

This module has opportunities for formative assessment, and draft work is considered and commented on. Comments on draft work are provided a week before the final hand in date, so that students have opportunities to amend their work

The link to the reading list can be found here:

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/E5C8D62B-5F3B-C435-FE7F-687F77F43FC5.html?lang=en-US