Social Enterprise A292 OCR GCSE BUSINESS STUDIES Written by SHilton

What is social enterprise? Social enterprises are businesses trading for social and environmental purposes. – (Learn that bit) Many commercial businesses would consider themselves to have social objectives, but social enterprises are distinctive because their social and/or environmental purpose is absolutely central to what they do. – their profits are reinvested to sustain and further their mission for positive change.

How do I know if I am a social enterprise? Does your company have social and/or environmental aims? Does your company have its own constitution and governing body? Are at least 50% of your company profits spent on socially beneficial purposes? Does your company earn at least 50% of its income from trading? Can your company demonstrate that social/environmental aims are being achieved? If your company ceased trading, remaining assets would be distributed for social/environmental purposes?

Where is this? Have you ever been there? Why is it a Social Enterprise?

Eden Project – social enterprise The Eden Project in Cornwall has been built in a disused clay mine, transforming it into a rich, global garden where people can learn about nature and get inspiration about the world around them. Eden is an educational charity and social enterprise and much of their energy goes into: –Running social and environmental projects in Cornwall and around the world –creating unforgettable learning experiences for students –putting on fantastic arts, theatre and music events –creating stunning gardens as well as doing valuable research into plants and conservation –making sure we run our operations in the greenest possible way.

What do you think of the Big Issue? Have you ever read it? Did you know it was a social enterprise?

Why is it a social enterprise and not a charity? The Big Issue is a business solution to a social problem, demonstrating that an organisation can succeed whilst being simultaneously driven by commercial aims and social objectives. It has helped thousands of individuals to regain control of their lives and has simultaneously altered public perceptions of homeless people.

Big Issue – social enterprise The Big Issue Foundation is a registered charity which exists to link vendors with the vital support which will help them address the issues which have led to their homelessness.Foundation The organisation currently supports over 2900 homeless and vulnerably housed people across the country. The magazine is read by over 670,000 people every week throughout the UK. The Big Issue exists to offer homeless and vulnerably housed people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income. They produce a weekly entertainment and current affairs magazine which vendors buy from them for £1 and sell to the public for £2, keeping £1 for themselves.magazine They believe in offering ‘a hand up, not a hand out’, but they also recognise that earning an income is the first step on the journey away from homelessness.

Divine Chocolate – a social enterprise

What do you think social enterprise is NOW? Write it on your show me board