The Certificate consists of two distinct components. Students complete an in class “theoretical” module that explores Inclusive & Social Business themes and studies business involvement in the fight against poverty. This complements all students' main fields of study. The second module is "in the field" , with students taking part in a business, social integration structure, or social entrepreneurship project involved in fighting poverty.
Theory
This part is divided into “courses” and “tracks”. Each course/track involves lectures, readings, cases, conferences, both at HEC and in situ of some social organizations.
Courses :
- Multinationals & Low-income communities
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Finance & Social Innovation
- Two tracks :
- « Access to .. » sessions designed to analyze actual inclusive business models developed in key “access” areas such as energy, mobility, food, or health
- « Methods & Tools » sessions such as social impact assessment and behavioral economics
Practice
- The Immersion week:
The objective is for participants to immerse themselves in the field of poverty alleviation by spending 3 to 4 days with social entrepreneurs and social organizations. The idea is both to spend time co-working in the field and to meet managers who are helping alleviate poverty. Such an immersion is meaningful and full of learning potential. It consistently makes an impact on participants’ lives.
- The Fieldwork:
The Fieldwork is an integral part of the Certificate. Participants are expected to work on a “field project” throughout the six-week-program. In addition, five days are earmarked so that participants have time in the field. They can either design a social business model to tackle a specific social issue, or they can choose to do an Individual Project—individually or in small groups—as some participants may already have a social business project they would like to develop.
Here are some of the 2019 partners for the Certificate’s field part: ANDES, ARES, le Carillon, Clair & Net, Communauté Emmaüs de Longjumeau, Emmaüs Défi, Extramuros, La Mie de Pain REvivre, Rebond Insertion, etc...
