Social Entrepreneurship Project – EADA Business School

– How do you engage students in finding business solutions to social challenges? Share your thoughts in the comments section below – 

EADA Business School in Spain places a focus on social impact in its strategy to embed sustainability and responsible leadership into its curricula and programmes. One of its student programmes is the Social Entrepreneurship Project, which gives MBA students the opportunity to identify a social need and then, in small groups, create a business-oriented solution to the problem. I recently had the chance to speak with Giorgia Miotto from EADA about this project.

1.     Briefly describe the Social Entrepreneurship Project. 

Social entrepreneurship (SE) is one of the most modern forms of enterprise, proposing innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. Social entrepreneurs do not leave unmet societal needs to be resolved only by the government or business sectors; instead, they find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps. In most cases, for these solutions to be indelible they must also be profitable. This is why we created the Social Entrepreneurship Project at EADA. Its purpose is to provide MBA students with first-hand experience in developing and implementing a social entrepreneurship concept. Over the course of 3 months, the MBA student must identify a social need or problem and implement a business-oriented solution that is financially viable and has the potential to be replicated.

2.     How did the project come about?

The project was created when we identified the need to offer an activity within the MBA programme in which students could experience the different phases of a teamwork project, from formulating a concept to executing it. The social component creates an inspirational environment that raises participants’ motivation.

3.     What are some examples of projects that have been undertaken?

There have been quite a few successful projects, including:

• Fair Trade Reusable Bags: A social business idea to import reusable bags for sale in Barcelona, which will encourage green behaviour and fair trade.
• Braval: Promotes sports activities as a viable and healthy alternative for youth in “El Raval” district, thereby engaging them in Barcelona’s civil society.
• The EcoMind Shapers: Educates the community about the environmental, social, and health benefits of using organic products for babies and children.
• Green Moving: Aims to provide a transportation alternative in Barcelona by setting up an Electric Motorbike rental network.
• Foto X Futuro: Initiated in Barcelona in 2010 with the 1st Annual Social Awareness Photography Contest project, this project aims to address the social problems communities face everyday. The 2010-2011 Contest objective was to generate awareness regarding the impacts of poverty.
• Moragas Foundation: Assists non-profit organisations by using business knowledge to analyse basic aspects of their operations, resulting in an increase in their efficiency, productivity, and profitabiliy.

4.     What advice would you have for other schools thinking of putting something similar into place?

We would recommend organising everything carefully before starting a programme, since this kind of project is especially subject to unforeseen events. Despite the risks, we consider it to be a worthwhile endeavour since it allows students to really go beyond their boundaries.

5.     What are the next steps for the programme?

The Social Entrepreneurship Project is now a key feature of our programme and we plan to run it every year, hopefully expanding it and making it more impactful.

– How do you engage students in finding business solutions to social challenges? Share your thoughts in the comments section below –