Social Entrepreneurship Syllabus 20110618 - Students - UC Davis

Topics in Social Entrepreneurship Course Syllabus
( v. 061811)
Graduate School of Management
University of California, Davis
Bay Area Working Professional Program
Fall 2011
Instructor: Cleveland Justis Phone: 415-937-1875
Email: ctjustis@gmail.com or ctjustis@ucdavis.edu Office Hours: By appointment
Course Description:
Social entrepreneurship is a rapidly developing and changing business field in which business and
nonprofit leaders design, grow, and lead mission-driven enterprises. As the traditional lines blur
between business, government, and nonprofit enterprises, it is critical that business students
understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape. Through guest speakers, case
discussion, lecture, and student presentations this course will explore this emerging field. Students
will be expected to develop a business plan for a social enterprise. Creating this business plan will
require substantial effort and this plan is an essential part of the learning experience for students.
Because the field of social entrepreneurship is interdisciplinary and in its infancy, the course will be
introductory in nature and will draw heavily from cases, speaker experience, and student inquiry.
The course will be structured around three elements that will be interwoven throughout:
1. The field of social entrepreneurship.
2. The players and business structures used by social entrepreneurs.
3. The mechanics, tensions, and realities of starting and/or managing a social enterprise.
When looking at a social venture or discussing a social entrepreneur we’ll examine the following
elements:
Sustainability – How are social entrepreneurs funding their enterprises? How is the enterprise sustaining itself
financially?
Impact and Performance – What is the impact of the enterprise? Which tools are available to measure the
impact and effectiveness of social enterprises?
Innovation-Social entrepreneurs are innovators who create change. How do they create and spread this
innovation and change?
Leadership--What are the characteristics of social entrepreneurs’ leadership?
About the Instructor
Cleveland Justis has served in organizational leadership positions for much of the past 20 years.
Currently he is the director of the Institute at the Golden Gate, an environmental leadership institute
which is a part of the National Park’s $150 million public-private partnership to restore historic Fort
Baker. Prior to this position, Cleve was the Executive Director of the Headlands Institute in
Sausalito, California. Cleve has extensive teaching, fundraising and leadership experience and has
worked and consulted widely throughout the private sector, entrepreneurial nonprofits and
governmental organizations.
Cleve studied biology and environmental sciences at Swarthmore College and the University of
California, Berkeley. He received his MBA in strategic management and finance at the UC Davis

Graduate School of Management. While in business school, Cleve served as President of the student
body and received numerous awards including the Dean's Achievement Award and the James
Sullivan Award for outstanding service to the community. Cleve currently serves on several
nonprofit boards of directors (including Net Impact) and advisory councils. Cleve actively teaches,
consults, and speaks on entrepreneurship, fundraising, marketing, and business.
Course Objectives:
At the end of the course, students can expect to:
• Have gained an understanding of the field of social entrepreneurship and understand many
of the opportunities, challenges, and issues facing social entrepreneurs
• Have met leading social entrepreneurs who are using business skills to address complex
social problems.
• Develop a business plan for a social venture
Prerequisites:
There are no formal prerequisites for this class. This course will draw heavily upon the core classes,
and will give students an opportunity to integrate the content from these core classes.
Grading and Class Participation:
There are five items that will comprise your grade. All assignments need to be turned in on-time.
Details on the assignments will be distributed separately:
1. Social enterprise summary. Due on the first class. (5% of grade).
2. Conceptual proposal of business plan. Due on the second class (5% of grade).
3. Case presentations and business plan progress reports. Each student team will be responsible
for one group case presentation and a weekly update of progress on business plan
development (15% of grade for case presentation and 15% for progress reports).
4. Business plan and class presentation. Presentations will take place and written plan is due on
the last class (35% of grade).
• Working in groups of two to three people, develop a “business plan” for a new social
enterprise of your design.
5. Class participation (25% of grade).
Attendance, Class Preparation and Class Participation:
This class will rely heavily on the interaction between the students, the instructor, and the guest
speakers. As such, it is critical that you come to all classes well-prepared and ready to contribute.
Assignments are due at each class (including the first one) and you must be fully prepared for each
class in order to be able to participate in class discussion. In addition to the assignments, please
spend time prior to each class session completing web research on the speaker for that evening. It is
expected that you will attend all class sessions. Because of the condensed nature of this program,
missing even one class session may adversely affect your class participation grade.

Required Readings:
1. Course reader. Collection of readings and cases that are listed under individual class sessions.
2. Bornstein, David. How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas
(Oxford University Press, 2004).
3. Welch, Wilford. The Tactics of Hope: How Social Entrepreneurs are Changing the World. (Earth
Aware, 2008, ISBN 160109014-5).
4. Collins, Jim. Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph, (Harper Collins, 2005, ISBN
097732640).
Recommended Reading:
1. Raising the Bar : Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The Story of Clif Bar, Inc., By Gary
Erickson.
2. La Piana, David. Play to Win: The Nonprofit Guide to Competitive Strategy. Jossey-Bass,
2005.
Business Plan Resources (not required but very helpful):
• The Business Plan, HBS Class note # 9-389-020
• Some Thoughts on Business Plans, Sahlman.
• How to Write a Great Business Plan, Sahlman.

Detailed Class Schedule:
September 30, 2011: Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
Reading:
• “The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship”, J. Gregory Dees
• “Social Capitalists” in Fast Company Magazine, by Cheryl Dahle. The article can be
accessed at:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/102/open_social-capitalists-intro.html
• “Social entrepreneurship: What Are We Talking About? A Framework for Future
Research”, Mair and Marti.
• “The New Landscape for Nonprofits”, Ryan.
• “Capitalizing on Convergence”, James E. Austin, Roberto Gutierrez, Enrique
Ogliastri, & Ezequiel Reficco
• “The Citizen Sector: Becoming as Entrepreneurial and Competitive as Business”,
Drayton
• Bornstein, Chapters 1-3, 5-8
Case:
• Newman’s Own
Assignment due:
• 2 page write-up of a social enterprise.
October 14, 2011:
Social Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise, and Corporations
Reading due:
• “Current Issues in Social Entrepreneurship Funding and Finance,” Justis.
• “A Roadmap for Natural Capitalism”, Lovins et al
• “The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy,” Porter and Kramer.
• “Social Enterprise 2.0: Moving toward a sustainable model”, Jim Schorr.
• Bornstein, Chapters 10-12
• Welch, Chapters 1-4
Cases:
• Google.org
• Nature Conservancy
Assignment due: Conceptual proposal of business plan
October 28, 2011: Nonprofits, Governments, and Social Entrepreneurship
(Class meets only 2-5 pm this day.)
Assignment due: Progress report on business plan development.
Reading:
• “Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition”, By Roger L. Martin & Sally
Osberg
• “Sources of Financing for New Nonprofit Ventures,” Dees & Dolby

• Bornstein, Chapters 16-17
• Welch, Chapters 5-7
November 11, 2011: Competition and Measuring and Managing Performance
For-profit Social Venture Models/Marketing
Assignment due: Progress report on business plan development.
Reading:
• “Creating Social Change: 10 Innovative Technologies”, John Voelcker.
• “Focusing the Social Marketing Concept”, Rangan et al.
• “Should Nonprofits Seek Profits”, Foster and Bradach
• Bornstein, Chapters 13-15, 18-19
Case:
• Patagonia
• Kaiser
December 2, 2011:
Leadership and the Tensions and Challenges of Social Entrepreneurship
Other Important Issues: Partnerships/Change
Assignment due: Progress report on business plan development—focus on pro-forma
financials.
Reading:
• Good to Great and the Social Sectors (read entire monograph)
• Bornstein, Chapters 20-21
• Welch, Chapters 8-10
Case:
• New Schools Venture Fund (A)
December 9, 2011: Final presentations and conclusion (in-lieu of a final exam)
(Class meets only 6-9 pm this day, in lieu of a final exam.)
Assignment due:
• Student presentations of business plans
• Written copy of completed business plan