MG/IR/BS 301 - Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership for the 21st Century

The course aims to provide students with opportunities to engage with concepts surrounding global corporate citizenship, ethical leadership and social entrepreneurship. We will also explore the concept of “new” business as defined by Jan Jonkers. Through various course related trips and group activities, the course also provides opportunities for students to develop on a personal as well as professional level, allowing the participants to learn about themselves through an active participatory process. In the first part of this course, students will be introduced to notions of citizenship and ethical leadership with a focus on social responsibility. Each week the course will address a separate theme from a variety of perspectives (political, legal, academic, and popular).We will use a practical real-world example to analyze how the topic is being addressed. In the second half of the course, students will explore new transformative business concepts as well as the required leadership changes to operate in a world based on relations and interlinked systems.

The lectures and literature for the course will provide a basis for understanding the complexity of globalization, citizenship, and social responsibility as well as developing a critical understanding of their application in a range of discourses. Topics addressed will include corporate citizenship and governance, labor practices, and sustainable development. Course-related trips will include a visit to Adidas/Reebok headquarters and a debate with students from Wittenborg University. Course activities include an Artificial Intelligence robot building workshop. In the final weeks, students will create and present a consultancy report on a new product or emerging industry that embodies the spirit of new business and social entrepreneurship.