Impactful Social Entrepreneurship

Are you interested in working for non-governmental institutions and in social entrepreneurship? Does an international internship in Bangladesh appeal to you and is writing and speaking English no problem for you? This research minor will give not only study abroad experience, but also working abroad experience. On top of this, you spend time at a developmental organization, designing transformations to Social Enterprises. You will be presented with the opportunity to hone your research skills, which will support you in doing your graduation projects. 

Admission

Your propedeuse has to be completed. Your knowledge of the English language has to be on level B2+. This minor is not suitable for part-time students. 

The Examination Board determines which minors do not have a higher professional education level and/or have an unacceptable overlap with the compulsory curriculum of your own study programme. Check at the page Not allowed minor courses under your institute which minors are not allowed. This page will be updated from 29 February 2024 for the 2024-2025 minor offer. 

Content

The research minor Impactful Social Entrepreneurship offers you a transformative experience in Bangladesh. Collaborating with a partner university, you will engage in immersive studies focused on social entrepreneurship. Beyond classrooms, you will embark on an internship with a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), delving into hands-on work that addresses real-world challenges. The core of the program involves conducting impactful research to enhance the effectiveness of the partnered NGO, fostering sustainable solutions. NGOs traditionally rely on private donations and government funding, whereas Social Enterprises (SE) focus on generating income from commercial activities. Currently many NGOs are undergoing a transition into Social Enterprises as traditional funding declines. Your task will be to support an NGO in exploring SE Business models. Through the unique blend of academic rigor, practical experience and cultural immersion, you will cultivate a profound understanding of social entrepreneurship, leaving a lasting positive impact on both your personal growth and the communities you serve. 

 Learning objectives

• Defining Business Opportunities
  You will be able to proficiently define and identify business opportunities, recognizing potential areas for growth, innovation, and market development. 

• Recommending Possible Strategies
  You will be able to recommend viable NGO strategies by critically analyzing organizational challenges and opportunities. You will be able to consider factors like market dynamics, sector trends, and internal capabilities, generating innovative options aligned with organizational goals. 

• Communication skills
  Your communication skills will help stakeholders to understand and contribute to decision-making. 

• Optimizing Business Practice
  You will be able to identify areas for improvement, set clear goals, create a detailed optimization plan, implement changes, and continuously evaluate processes for ongoing optimization. 

• Managing Stakeholders in a Culturally Diverse Surrounding
  You will be able to identify stakeholder types, evaluate roles, determine communication strategies, seek win-win solutions, and develop change management plans in culturally diverse contexts. 

• Managing Oneself in a Complex Surrounding
  You will be able to develop essential skills for personal and professional effectiveness, emphasizing organization, self-regulation, dependability, stress management, and adaptability.  

 Courses

 North South University 

• Economy of Bangladesh (3EC):
  An introduction and analysis of the macroeconomic performance of the Bangladesh economy, as well as issues such as poverty, inequality and unemployment. 

• Beginners Bengali language (3EC):
  This course aims to equip you with fundamental knowledge of Bengali phonetic sounds, daily life vocabulary, essential dialogues, and audio-visual representations. It seeks to provide the vocabulary necessary for basic conversations and introduce elementary grammatical concepts for constructing simple sentences and questions. The emphasis is on developing listening and speaking skills, through the use of audio-visual aids and role-play. 

• Research Methodology in Social Sciences (3EC):
  This research methodology course explores the pivotal role of research in disciplines like economics, emphasizing the essential principles and specific requirements for conducting both quantitative and qualitative research. It covers the art of crafting research proposals, preparing final reports, and presenting findings effectively. 

• Advanced Methods in Social Science Research (3EC):
  This course lays the philosophical and methodological foundations of development research. You will learn both qualitative and quantitative methods of development research. 

Hogeschool Utrecht

• Personal development (3EC):
  You will reflect on the basis of peer and self-evaluation, with the support of supervisors, on items as personal and professional effectiveness, self-organization, self-regulation, dependability, stress management and adaptability. 

NGO

• Internship and Research (15 EC):
  Via NSU we have contacts with over 20 NGOs active in different disciplines, like education, healthcare, childcare, small business support, sustainability, village development and climate impact. You will do an internship at an organization of your choice and write an advisory research report. 

Assessment

Literature 

• Weerawardena, J. & Sullivan Mort, G. (2006). Investigating social entrepreneurship: A multidimensional model, Journal of World Business, Vol. 41, Issue 1, pp. 21-35, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2005.09.001. 
• Kucher, J.H. & Raible, S.E. (2022). Social entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach to Social Innovation. Edward Elgar Publishing. 
• James, B. (ed.) (1955). Bengali for Foreigners, Dhaka University Press Limited. 
• English to Bengali Dictionary. Banglapedia Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (online version). 
• Nurul Islam, A.M. (2008). An Introduction to Research Methods. A Handbook for Business and HealthResearch. Second edition Mullick and Brothers.  
• Kothari, C.R. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques, 2nd revised edition John Wiley and Sons Ltd.  
• Chatfield, C. & Collins, A.J. (1989). Introduction to Multivariate Analysis, London: Chapman & Hall. 
• A bound Xerox-copy of articles written by eminent economist of Bangladesh on various development issues of the country, and selected by faculty member, is available at NSU copier center for you to procure. 
• Ahmed, S. (2015). Growth with Equity: Contemporary Development Challenges of Bangladesh. BIBM, 2015. 

Schedule

The minor takes place in block C and D. 

With the exception of the first teaching period of the academic year (starting September), the lesson and test schedules are always posted on Mijn Rooster four weeks before the start of each teaching period. The schedule for the first teaching period of the academic year can be found on the site three weeks before the start. The most up-to-date schedule is always visible on Mijn Rooster. 

At HU, full-time education may be scheduled between 08:30 and 19:00.

Additional costs

Your return flight Amsterdam-Dhaka will cost appr. 2.800 €. The cost of living is about 350 € per month. Your stay at an apartment at NSU campus is free. Your stay at an NGO location could include rent, appr.  50-80 € per month.