With serendipitous timing, considering his recent controversial post on Social Edge, the Stanford Social Innovation Review has just published Rodney Schwartz’s review of the latest book from Muhammad Yunus - Building Social Business. The original version is currently available on the SSIR website. Alternatively, we’ve reproduced the entire text here, with kind permission from SSIR. It certainly makes for interesting reading and, as always, any comments are more than welcome. Enjoy.  

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We recently posted optimistically regarding Nick Hurd’s approach to the Big Society Bank. This post has generated quite a lot of interest, so we have decided to follow up with another about The Big Society. It strikes me that the notion is not a bad one, and readers of this blog will know that we have often argued for local, community or individual initiatives to replace those previously funded by government. They are more sustainable and will, on average, do a better job of meeting customer needs.

The timing of the Big Society programme is unfortunate, as it is contemporaneous with the largest budget cuts in modern history. Whatever its merits, the Big Society programme may unfortunately just be seen as a fig leaf for these cuts. Yet just because we think it is an outline of a good concept, does not mean we should offer blanket support. Also, many organisations and politicians are now putting forward “Big Society” proposals - some we like, and some we do not.

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***ClearlySo gem***

For this week’s ‘ClearlySo Gem’ we head stateside to see a social business endeavouring to harness women’s love of shoes to change the world. Founded by Ateba Crocker, Shoe Revolt sells donated shoes to assist in the fight against human trafficking. Thanks to her astute and imaginative use of social media and the support of major celebrities such as SJP, Ateba has created a vibrant social enterprise that offers real hope to thousands of disenfranchised women worldwide. ClearlySo, took time to sit down and find out how it all began and where she plans to go from here. Read more

Social enterprise has never been more important. That at least is the view of civil society minister Nick Hurd as he attempts to persuade SBEs to stand at the forefront of the government’s Big Society. Even so, as a recent survey suggested, around half of the UK public doesn’t know what it is.

It’s something we’ve documented previously at ClearlySo as these interesting vox pops on our YouTube channel demonstrate.

One might consider it a little surprising to see such widespread confusion about what social enterprise is – especially as some of the biggest exercise an enormous influence on society already. Just think The Body Shop, Big Issue or Just Giving. Indeed, with a little prompting, most people can grasp the concept with relative ease. Read more

Earlier this month my ClearlySo colleagues and I headed to a free seminar on social media. The event, part of a series of similar events organised by Minibar, was aimed at small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to develop their social media strategies.

By the end of the evening, two conclusions seemed clear. First, social media offers immense potential, especially for small businesses; second, there is widespread disagreement about the best way to deploy it. Everyone has their own approach.

One compelling case study came from Jane Mason, of Virtuous Bread. Having started trading earlier this year, she is working hard to communicate her central message that bread can be used as an agent of positive social change. She spoke, with remarkable verbal dexterity, about the importance of something she calls ‘recipricosity’. Read more

***CearlySo gem***

As the sixth annual Rwandan film festival takes place in Kigali, a number of new social enterprises are helping film makers in the country find their own voice and, crucially, an outlet for their work. In doing so they are developing a new narrative for this war torn country, while gaining access to what could be one of the fastest growing film markets over the next ten years.

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Yesterday I attended a roundtable discussion hosted by the minister for civil society, Nick Hurd MP and Nat Wei, the UK Government’s Big Society adviser.  They did not tell us it was under ‘Chatham House Rules’ (or they did not trust us to keep them) so I feel free to post my impressions.

As ever, when I come to Whitehall, I arrived armed with a lengthy list of criticisms, cautions and more generalised caustic comments.  I left deflated, my blogging career put seriously in jeopardy by a minister who seems to say sensible, practical and thoughtful things.  I may live to regret these words, but I am seriously encouraged that the BS Bank (sorry, I could not resist) will be facilitative, non-disruptive and a decent use of the money coming from unclaimed assets. Read more

Yesterday’s Financial Times reported that Indian based SKS Microfinance was set to raise $350 million in an IPO, which would see the company sell a 21.6% stake in the company.  The plans of this firm, which is the largest in India, and backed by private equity investors, has renewed the debate about the morality of profiting from the poor, who make up the overwhelming majority of SKS’s clientele. Read more

Since the merger between these two organisations was announced I have wanted to blog about it but so many events have intervened. The merger will greatly help both organisations in their respective development and bring together three people of whom I am very fond and respect in the sector: Geoff Burnand, Malcolm Hayday and, in particular Caroline Mason. But this is not the most important thing about this “merger”. The key is that two social businesses have put their egos aside to work together. This is an all-too-rare example in our sector of putting goals and objectives ahead of personal agendas–I salute all three of them for it!
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