{"id":10249,"date":"2013-02-04T11:03:50","date_gmt":"2013-02-04T11:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress72\/?p=23139"},"modified":"2026-01-20T10:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:33:11","slug":"making-a-difference-through-social-entrepreneurship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2013\/02\/04\/making-a-difference-through-social-entrepreneurship\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a difference through social entrepreneurship"},"content":{"rendered":"

EUR students have launched \u2018The Social Enterprise Challenge\u2019 for the third time. Combining business concepts and social welfare, the challenge aims to invite ideas from students for profitable business models that, at the same time, promote positive social change.<\/p>\n

Anyone interested in social entrepreneurship can join this year\u2019s Case Challenge, which kicks off on April 12th. In four sessions, students select a social issue \u2013 which may range from poverty and hunger to education and unemployment, and the like \u2013 develop a business plan to tackle the problem, and learn how to successfully pitch their ideas. At the heart of the project is thus the desire to create profit as well as positive social impact. <\/p>\n

People, planet and profit <\/b><\/p>\n

Indeed, current RSM student Tooba Arshad and ex- RSM student Tobias Goedbloed, initially launched the Social Enterprise Challenge in 2011 to counter the general understanding that all a business must do is to create profit. \u201cWe want to help create future leaders who are not just profit-oriented, but who also engage in socially responsible business practices by considering their triple bottom line \u2013 people, planet and profit,\u201d Arshad explains. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Past case challenges<\/b><\/p>\n

Accordingly, the first case challenge, launched in 2011, focused on creating a sustainable business model for an ambulance service in Pakistan, whereas last year\u2019s project aimed at developing a sustainable sanitation solution for a village in India. <\/p>\n

Benefits of participating<\/b><\/p>\n

Appreciating the project\u2019s cornerstone of teaching students to do business which creates profit and value for society, Robin Bouwman, a 20-year old International Business Administration (IBA) student, joined the Case Challenge two years ago. \u201cLooking back on these two years, I can say that I gained a lot of experience in terms of teamwork, applying theory to real-life situations and getting an entirely fresh view on conducting business\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

From theory to practice<\/b><\/p>\n

IBA student Mae-Ann Snijders, who participated in the Case Challenge last year, agrees. \u201cIt was a great way to apply everything I had learned theoretically to actual real-life situations. It made me realize that although things look nicely on paper, it\u2019s a whole other story in practice. Creating a sustainable business plan was exciting because of the potential it had to positively affect lives.\u201d <\/p>\n

How to register<\/b><\/p>\n

Interested in registering for this year\u2019s Case Challenge? Send an email to socialenterprisechallenge@gmail.com and visit its Facebook page<\/a> for more information. NL<\/p>\n\n\t

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