Social Entrepreneurship for Local Change Glossary

This is a glossary for students of the integrated online course, Social Entrepreneurship for Local Change. The goal here is to help students of a diversity of backgrounds and disciplines understand language of Social Entrepreneurship. Unless otherwise stated, these definitions are taken from our own materials.

C

Commercial Activity

Activity aimed at creative value. A Social venture will derive a significant portion (more than 50%) from selling goods and services

Commercial Value Proposition

What makes a product or service produced attractive to customers

Competencies

Skill, knowledge or ability

D

Distribution

The various channels that a company uses to reach its customers

S

Social Enterprise

Social enterprises are businesses that trade in the market for a social purpose. It is broadly accepted that social enterprises have three common characteristics: Explicit social aims, commercial activity, and social ownership.

Social Ownership

Community accountability for a social enterprise

Social Purpose

Social purpose beyond proft making that is core to the activities rather than incidental

Social Values

principles that we use to determine our behaviour, and in the context of Social Entrepreneurship, inspire social entrepreneurs and enterprises