SEDA/SEDA301/The Diverse Nature of Social Enterprise
Did you know that in some parts of the world, social enterprises are one of the fastest growing parts of the economy, even outperforming mainstream business?
You might be asking yourself - why does this matter? It's a great question! According to Professor Jo Barraket (one of the guru's in the social enterprise space within Australia), a thriving social enterprise sector has significant implications for local economic development (click HERE for her presentation on the topic). Social enterprises are active in supporting individuals who may fall through the gaps that exist in relation to the social support provided by existing welfare programs, they have an ability to recognise and deploy latent talent (including physical infrastructure and different forms of community capital),and they play an active role in shaping the development of niche markets as well as emerging industries (e.g. green and creative industries). Social enterprises often incorporate their beneficiaries within their business model (see examples of employment-oriented social enterprises provided in Lecture 5), thus supporting the development of more inclusive economies.
To better understand the different missions and activities of the social enterprise, including the different sectors and industries in which they work, a number of sector scoping studies have been undertaken. Lecture 6 will examine what the social enterprise sector looks like in different regions of the world.
Lecture 6 - Slides: Social Entrepreneurship in the Tasmanian, Australian and Global context
Readings:
Eversole, R.H. and Eastley, K., 2011. Tasmanian social enterprise study: Baseline study report. TSES. See link: http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/143795/Tasmanian_Social_Enterprise_Baseline_Study.pdf
Barraket, J., Mason, C. and Blain, B., 2016. Finding Australia’s social enterprise sector. Report for the Australian Centre for Social Impact Swinburne University, Social Traders, Melbourne. See link: http://cdn.socialtraders.com.au/app/uploads/2016/07/FASES-2016-full-report-final.pdf
In this unit, we love to shine a spotlight upon social enterprises that do a great job within their local communities. We have another inspiring video for you, this time with Emily Briffa who is the co-founder of social enterprise cafe, Hamlet. Hamlet operates as a not-for-profit social enterprise which offers migrants, underprivileged Tasmanians and the long-term unemployed a chance to gain hospitality skills by providing opportunities for work experience within the café. Described by Emily and Millie as a ‘café with a conscience’, Hamlet operates according to a profit-for-purpose approach; a model somewhat different to a normal business. This means that the café is managed with the goal of achieving financial sustainability, with profits reinvested into the business to support the placement and training of work experience volunteers. The café, therefore, strives to provide a nurturing and safe learning environment, as well as a quality dining experience which incorporates locally sourced produce, delicious menu options, as well as excellent customer service. The café is successfully achieving these goals and has expanded their offerings to include a catering service and out-of-hours rental of the café space for functions. Check out the following video to find out more about this amazing social enterprise. Visit hamlet for more information.
We would love to hear your thoughts on Hamlet? Is there a similar business in your area?
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