By Patricia Martinez, Expedition PR
Social enterprises and profit are not mutually exclusive anymore. An increasing number of for-profit organizations have been embracing this new paradigm and started incorporating the social enterprise mindset in their operations and strategic objectives. In November, UN’s Social Policy and Development Division (DESA) published a report on Innovation and Technology for Social Development[1].
One of its chapters, authored by Julius O Akinyemi (entrepreneur in residence, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Media Laboratory), John Dilyard (Associate Professor, Department of Management and Information Technology, St. Francis College), Dennis Anderson (Professor and Chairman, Department of Management and Information Technology, St. Francis College) and Katja Schroeder (President & Sustainability Consultant, Expedition PR), discusses how today’s generation of social enterprises drive social and economic value.
The authors argue that both not-for-profit and for-profit institutions “understand the social improvement and profits can be complementary”. But the path is not without challenge.
Social enterprises include financing, the right messaging and misleading measuring the social enterprise’s return.
Even with these challenges, there are opportunities on this change of paradigm that could benefit all the organizations involved, and how innovative technologies are contributing to the construction of a new model of social commitment.
Please click here to read the entire chapter.
[1] United Nations. “Innovation and Technology for Social Development. Lessons Learned”, by Mr. Amine Lamrabat, Expert in Innovation and Technology, UNDESA-DSPD. November 2013.