The aim of this short course is to provide an executive overview of the social and economic contribution of cooperatives and social enterprises. The course provides an opportunity to develop knowledge about the rationale, purposes and practices of co-operatives and social enterprises, equipping participants to have informed discussions with policy makers, financial institutions, business support advisers, charity trustees, company directors and work colleagues.
How will you benefit
After successfully completing this course participants will be able to
Compare and contrast third sector and social economy concepts, terms and organisations
Compare and contrast private and social enterprise perspectives on economic development
Critically assess models of governance and their application in social enterprise contexts
Critically assess the contribution of social enterprise to social and economic democracy
compare and contrast multi stakeholder models of social enterprise
Course content
Day one
Civil Society, the third sector and the social economy
Civil society and a third system. Organisations of the third sector. A short history of Trusts, Charities, co-operatives and mutual societies. The modern third sector and social economy. Implications for social enterprise theory and practice.
Discussions will include critically assessing the nature of civil society and analysing the market and membership orientation of social economy organisations
New public management and private enterprise to social enterprise development
The policy of defining social enterprise. The origins of the language of social enterprise. US and EU approaches to social enterprise. Social enterprise as a spectrum of options. Theories of cross-sector social entrepreneurship. Typologies of social enterprise. The implications of definition debates
Discussions will include shifting the paradigm, a social enterprise critique of private and Public enterprise and analysing corporations and cooperative alternatives
Day Two
The governance challenge in social enterprise
Models of governance in companies and charities. Remodelling governance from a social enterprise perspective. Deconstructing theories of governance.
Discussions will include linking governance theory to strategic management, an inquiry and action planning model
The application of democratic theory to social enterprise
Democracy and the social economy. Democracy in charities and non profit organisations. democracy in cooperatives. The democratic firm - the work of David Ellerman
Discussions will include the assessment of social enterprise and comparing contrasting and choosing rules for social enterprise.
The Delivery team
Dr Rory Ridley Duff Senior lecturer Sheffield Business School
Cliff Southcombe Social Enterprise Europe Ltd
Bob Cannell Suma Wholefoods
