The concept of "Social Enterpreunership" was recently discussed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Local
Economic and Employment Development Programme (LEED). In an undated paper titled
The Social Enterprise Sector: A Conceptual Framework, social enterprises can be defined as "organisations with an explicit aim to benefit the community, initiated by a group of citizens and in which the material interest of capital investors is subject to limits. They place a high value on their independence and on economic risk-taking related to on-going socio-economic activity". From a cross-country perspective, it is possible to identify
a set of key economic and social elements that help define social enterprises across national
differences: First, Unlike
traditional non-profit organisations, social enterprises
are directly engaged
in the production and/or sale of goods and services (rather than predominantly
advisory or grant-giving functions), Second, social
enterprises are voluntarily created and managed by groups of citizens. As a
result, while they may receive grants and
donations from public authorities or private companies,
social enterprises enjoy a high degree of autonomy and shareholders have the right to participate (‘voice’) and
to leave the organisation (‘exit’). Third, the
financial viability of social enterprises depends on the efforts of their
members, who
are responsible for ensuring
adequate financial resources, unlike most public institutions. Social enterprises therefore involve a significant level of economic risk; Fourth, activities
carried out by social enterprises require a minimum number of paid workers,
even if they may combine voluntary
and paid workers. Fifth, social
enterprises are the result of an initiative by citizens involving people
belonging to
a community or to a group that
shares a certain need or aim. They must maintain this dimension in one form or another. Sixth, decision
making rights are shared by stakeholders, generally through the principle of
‘one member, one vote’. Although
capital owners in social enterprises play an important role, decision-making power is not
based on capital ownership. Seventh, social
enterprises are participatory in nature, insofar as those affected by the
activities
(the users of social enterprises’
services) are represented and participate in the management of activities. In many cases one of the objectives is to strengthen democracy at local level through economic
activity. Eight, social
enterprises include organisations that totally prohibit the distribution of
profits and o
rganisations such as
co-operatives, which may distribute their profit only to a limited degree. Social enterprises
therefore avoid profit maximising behaviour, as they involve a limited distribution of profit. Ninth, social
enterprises pursue an explicit aim to benefit the community or a specific group
of
people. By doing so, they directly
and indirectly promote a sense of social responsibility at local level.
Every year, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), through the office of the deputy vice chancellor (academic and internationalisation) organizes its academic conference. Themed "Propelling Academic Excellence through World Class Practices", the 2013 Academic Conference invited four internationally renowned speakers to speak at the2-day conference held on 30 - 31 January 2013. Dr Andreas Bender from the Unilever Centre for Molecular Science Informatics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom spoke on a topic titled "Strategising to Strengthen Research Culture: Towards Developing World Class Higher Education. Emeritus Professor Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi from Universiti Teknologi MARA delivered a topic on "Academic Integrity and Ethics". Professor Dr Chesley John Skinner from the Department of Near Eastern Language & Civilization shares his personal international experiences of teaching and researching in various institutions globally since he left Canada in the early 1970's. Currently, Professor Skinner is a visiting professor at UiTM. Apt with his own personal experiences, he spoke on a topic titled "Teaching at Home and Abroad: Some Observations from Along the Way". Certainly interesting stuffs. The final speaker, Dr Mahender Singh from the Institute of Supply Chain Innovation and MIT Global SCALE Network, Massachusetts Institute of Technology spoke on a topic related to "Global Networking: Sharing of Experiences". In the afternoon, the Conference presented academic awards to deserving lecturers and researchers.
