IIES DEFINITIONS

You will find definitions for the following words below:
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Social Innovation
- Social Impact
- Service Learning
- Base of the Pyramid (BOP)
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

- Social Entrepreneurship: the concepts of social entrepreneurship, and its corollary “social entrepreneur”, appeared in France during the 1990s. Although bringing together these two traditionally opposed terms has attracted attention, it is nevertheless important to note that the trends they describe actually preceded the terms themselves by a long way.
The term “Social Entrepreneurship” is used with varying meanings by different players.
For some, including the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and AVISE, it refers to initiatives which are based (at least in part) on commercial activities, anchored in the market, taking into account human fragility or social links.
For others, including ESSEC, the concept refers, in a larger sense, to private initiatives, the primary purpose of which is social, adapting an innovative approach, inventing new responses to social problems, new ways of finding resources and looking, in particular, to maximise their Social Impact.
Lastly, some, including Ashoka, an international association whose mission is to support social entrepreneurs throughout the world, use Social Entrepreneurship to describe the approach of certain “exceptional” social entrepreneurs capable of revolutionising our approach to a social problem, through inducing systemic social change on a national or even international scale.
Although these definitions represent various interpretations, they nevertheless have several essential points in common. These include tackling social needs in an entrepreneurial fashion, a desire not to get bogged down in the issue of the status of organisations created, emphasising their spirit and resources, as well as the view that initiative and innovation are major factors for social change.

- Social Innovation : Social Innovation increasingly appears in theory and practices with regard to private actions and collective choices, for example issues of development, whether local, social or sustainable. There is, nevertheless, no universal definition of Social Innovation shared by all players. Boundaries between types of innovation are blurred and different kinds of ‘transversal’ innovations often combine.
Social Innovation belongs to the wider area of innovation, an area largely structured by technological innovation. In this sense, it is both the result and the process which transforms one or several idea(s) into concrete realisations, with wide-reaching scope: new practices, actions, strategies, organisations, services and also new institutions. It can be distinguished from invention through the way it is implemented: an improvement through structural and radical change. Although innovations observed often combine different modalities and purposes, Social Innovation sets itself apart from technological, economic or commercial innovation in two respects:
. its objectives and intentions: its priority is to respond to social issues or needs which have not been met - issues and needs which society has often contributed to creating.
. its methods: its priorities are the result of new arrangements, ways of relating to others, modes of participation, ways of life, etc. from new organisations, collaborations or cooperation between players, organisations or communities within society. It draws upon groups which either exist already or are being formed in the context of the innovation process – communities which are close in material terms (“value chains”, production process, consumption system, etc.) but which also have common values, dialogue or local areas. Social Innovation comes from “civil society”, whose role and place in society it reinforces.

- Social Impact : The Social Impact of an organisation or initiative refers to all the sustainable social changes it brings about: its direct and indirect effect on the environment or on society in general. This may include changes in behaviour, lasting reinforcement of expertise and knowledge, influence on the practices of a certain sector, or on local and national legislation and politics. Like Alain Lipietz in his 2000 report, we generally consider there to be 3 main types of Social Impact:
. Ecological impact (impact on the general or specific state of our ecosystem)
. Social Impact (impact on individuals in need)
. Societal Impact (impact on social cohesion within a territory or country, close social links, social capital, collective heritage, etc.)
Note that there is no legal or legislative definition of an organisation’s Social Impact or social utility. Nevertheless, fiscal records from the end of the 1990s include social utility as a criterion to justify tax exemptions for associations in certain trade sectors. This takes into account their response to unresolved needs and a pricing policy which considers the situation of individuals.
To evaluate the Social Impact of an organisation or action, this must be distinguished from its “achievements” (what it produces directly) and its “results” (the effects of its achievements on its beneficiaries and stakeholders, which can be measured by the organisation itself and evaluated in the light of its objectives).
ESSEC’s Social Entrepreneurship Chair, in partnership with the firm Ernst and Young and the international association Ashoka, are working on an easy access method to help organisations to quantify the economic value of their Social Impact, in line with Anglo-American practices for measuring “Social Return on Investment”.

- Service Learning : Service Learning is a learning strategy which associates common interest initiatives with reflection and teaching to enrich academic training, encouraging responsible citizenship and consolidating social links. There has been considerable development in this movement, particularly in the United States. It seems appropriate to put this approach into practice in France, in order to value students’ volunteer activities and recognise skills fostered in the context of charity work.