business for good!

a meeting of the social enterprise minds

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‘Business for Good: connecting social enterprise practice and theory’ is a snapshot of ideas around social enterprise from academic experts and on-the-ground practitioners that help the model thrive, or thwart its progress. (Click here for link).

In a Memorial-community partnership designed to foster collaboration, Business for Good project partners Memorial University and thegreenrock.ca ~ Live Sustainably NL Inc brought together expertise in business, philosophy, community and social enterprise from within the University and outside in the private/non-profit sector.  The project centrepiece was a panel conversation between ten social innovators: five practitioners and five theorists (and some both!).

Somewhat different from the typical style of a University report, Business for Good captures synthesized ideas around Mission Drift, Social Value, Place, Community Space, People. Collaboration, and Social Return on Investment – all topics that arose in the panel conversation.

The conversationalists included included Dr. Tom Cooper, Faculty of Business (Project Lead); Kyla Bruff, PhD Candidate from Philosophy; Nicole Helwig from the Centre for Social Enterprise; Dr. Sean McGrath of Philosophy; and Dr. Natalie Slawinski from the Business Faculty.  The community panelists were Vick Allen from First Light Catering (formerly Four Fires Catering), Emily Bland from SucSeed, Chelsey MacNeil from Choices for Youth, Rob McLennan from Stella’s Circle, and Mike Wadden from Ever Green Environmental.  (click here for link to recording of panel conversation)

The project was led by Dr. Tom Cooper, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Business Administration,with Kim Todd CEO of thegreenrock.ca.  It was funded in part through Memorial’s Office of Public Engagement Accelerator Grant.

Background

Business for Good was developed in response to the evolving vision of business, community development and well-being in Newfoundland and Labrador.  The practice of communities using commerce to earn revenue to affect positive social change is not new. As just one not-often-realized example, the HUB has been serving the public and creating supports for the Physically Disabled Community through its print shop for almost 50 years.  The model isn’t new either – around the 1950s the government’s Newfoundland Co-operatives Act gave rise to initiatives like the Gander Co-op.

But over the past couple of years there is a new type of interest in social enterprise and social entrepreneurship in the province and across the country.  The University established the Centre for Social Enterprise, and in May of 2018 the province released a Social Enterprise Action plan, and in 2019 Memorial is launching an MBA in Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.

 

The Business for Good report was published on the first day of Innovation Week NL, April 29, 2019 on www.guidetothegood.ca (social enterprise of thegreenrock.ca ~ Live Sustainably NL Inc.).   Through Innovation Week pages of the report representing various topics will be shared on social media.   There are limited quantities of the printed report available – contact kim@guidetothegood.ca if interested.

this article is republished from a previous version of Guide to the Good.