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Environmetal Impacts - the Planet bit
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Conversation 1
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Mar 20 2008, 12:18 PM EDT by
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Thread started: Mar 20 2008, 12:18 PM EDT
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Despite the welcome emphasis on People, Planet and Profit, this gets lost when it comes to these Strategic Priorities: not only does environment / planet not appear anywhere (even in the sub-heads) in these priorities - and it could apear in several places; but it is also restricted in the main heading for this one as something just the private sector needs help with measuring; we need a stronger emphasis on environment / sustainability with a clear rationale - partly about over-riding priorities like climate change and resource depletion; partly the sector's unique contribution to environmental business sector and strong profile; this is part of the ethics and values for many; it could and should become part of the values and practice of all. Some headline targets may help here, drawn from national, regional and local sources; some info on the policy dirvers for this; and the benefits. Otherwise the larger bubble illustrating planet will pop and look like froth.....
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inspiring young entrepreneurs
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Converation 4
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Mar 7 2008, 8:14 AM EST by
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Thread started: Mar 3 2008, 4:39 AM EST
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How about specific mention of work with young people/ within schools and out of schools – I would have thought that you would be well positioned to lead the field here too!
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Last Reply:
RE: inspiring young entrepreneurs
By: ,
Mar 7 2008, 8:14 AM EST
For obvious reasons this would be a very valuable extension of the Social Enterprise initiative and there are bound to be opportunities for SEs to link up with schools, especially in terms of Business Enterprise activities.
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Co-operative thinking - balance
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Conversation 3
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Mar 7 2008, 8:04 AM EST by
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Thread started: Mar 3 2008, 4:37 AM EST
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I’ve got it that Co-operative thinking is seen a s the key to success but it is one core principle rather than the only principle so I think more could be done to have a balance in the text – e.g. we wait until page 12 for business viability to get a mention. You may feel that ‘everyone can contribute’ is a great feelgood line to draw people in & needs much emphasis but I think it can put people off too who may read it as too ‘soft centred’.
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Last Reply:
RE: Co-operative thinking - balance
By: ,
Mar 7 2008, 8:04 AM EST
Definitely a point worth making. Hopefully people won't be afraid to stress the importance of the f-word in terms of creating well-run, financially-viable businesses.
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Training & Support
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Conversation 2
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Mar 3 2008, 5:15 AM EST by
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Thread started: Feb 24 2008, 10:47 AM EST
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As you say, social enterprises will need a range of training and support options on a variety of subjects and from a variety of different sources.
As a training provider my own emphasis would be on personal and interpersonal skills, helping people to identify and develop their strengths and talents and leverage these to the best of their ability. If people can focus on their talents and work well with others who have complementary skills there's a much greater chance that an enterprise will be successful.
Also, it's important that where formal training takes place, people don't just “go on a course”. Generally, the real learning experience takes place after the formal experience and if peer, mentor and trainer support can be provided until learning has taken root then so much the better.
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Last Reply:
RE: Training & Support
By: ,
Mar 3 2008, 5:15 AM EST
I agree with Ian's point about not just "going on a course". Training needs should be identified as part of the business planning process and the most effective means of meeting those needs identified. Sometimes this is a course, sometimes not - It could also be participating in a conference, work-shadowing, taking on a new responsibility, undergoing some coaching or mentoring. Whatever the activity is, it should have a clearly identified purpose and its usefulness should be evaluated afterwards. Has the training need been met? How can the learning be put into practice? Does the individual need to do some follow-up training or other activity to build on the training? Can the learning be shared with colleagues? Was the course itself worth doing?
Answers to these questions can then feed into future training and development plans. It's a glorious, circular process! (Sorry, that's the former IIP assessor in me.)
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'Getting practical'
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Overview
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Mar 3 2008, 4:49 AM EST by
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Thread started: Mar 3 2008, 4:49 AM EST
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Many of the examples of activities/ indicators on p.14 seem to reflect activity thats already within the remit of key parters. I there an opprtunity here to spell out roles and (perhaps sometimes challenging) targets for wider partners?
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Regional & national perspectives
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Overview
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Mar 3 2008, 4:43 AM EST by
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Thread started: Mar 3 2008, 4:43 AM EST
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• I’m not sure about the SEEDA reference (p4.). This, I think, has been taken from the 2005 enabling framework. The situation now is a bit more complex – including a lot more emphasis on ‘mainstreaming the third sector’. The question is whether you leave what you’ve got - with its broad optimistic take – or attempt a more defined analysis of the current situation. • I think it would be good to see a robust two way conversation with the regional agenda which could both expand on B & H’s strengths – e.g. good practice in private sector engagement (firmly on the national and regional to do list) , suggest markets for expansion – e.g. renewables, and emphasise place making e.g. B&H at the core of coastal regeneration • Obviously from my perspective it would be nice to see mention of the se2partnership/ Social Enterprise South East! • A more structured look at business opportunities may also be useful in terms of fit with regional strategy. I think we (se2partnership) will be trying to encourage a sector focus: Culture, Housing, Rural, environmental, Health/social care, regeneration. • Should procurement be in there more explicitly?
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Stakeholders not Shareholders?
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Overview
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Mar 3 2008, 4:42 AM EST by
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Thread started: Mar 3 2008, 4:42 AM EST
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On p. 6 you say stakeholders, not shareholders. Do you really mean that? I’m thinking of business models increasingly coming in – under a CIC for example, or community share issues for wind farms, or Ethical Property Company right there in B&H all where shareholders are part of the mix.
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JaneZacharzewski |
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Co-operative thinking and partnership
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What is Social Enterprise?
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Feb 25 2008, 6:41 AM EST by
ianmacKnight |
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Thread started: Feb 5 2008, 7:37 AM EST
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Interesting to read about co-operative thinking and partnerships which have been developed around social enterprises such as Nourish. From my experience of the Equal programme, I would flag that new partnerships can take time and require a lot of support. There are also questions about relative size (and power), shared goals and values and ways of working. Providing in-kind support to support a shared goal seems like a good starting point to me.
Researchers at the Uni of Sussex carried out research on partnership for Equal, alongside empowerment, innovation and equalities. Reports etc are on the Equal site if anyone's interested. www.equalbrightonandhove.org\research
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Last Reply:
RE: Co-operative thinking and partnership
By: ianmacKnight,
Feb 25 2008, 6:41 AM EST
Good points. When I worked for American Express a few years back I organised several team building days with Care Co-ops and they were hugely successful and appreciated in terms of the outputs we delivered on the one hand and the fun and sense of achievement we experienced on the other. There was definitely an upturn in positive feeling amongst those who took part and the departments involved (staffed by 700 or so people) felt very strongly that this was an important and worthwhile commitment for them and Amex to make. As part of a wider package of values-driven initiatives in these departments there was a tangible and measurable increase in employee satisfaction.
As rewarding as these types of experience are, they often limit their focus to providing muscle-power to boost social sector projects. Personally, I'd like to see much more of a mutual exchange whereby people bring best practice methods and initiatives into the mix so that the best of each sector is tapped to create real synergy and improvement for all concerned.
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Funding for Social Enterprises
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Conversation 2
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Feb 14 2008, 7:33 AM EST by
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Thread started: Feb 14 2008, 7:33 AM EST
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Access to finance is vital for all start up's none more so than Social Enterprises. Often the only source of funds for such ventures is through organisations that support the third sector.
A recent innovation has been the creation of Community Banking Partnerships. Still largely unproven, they do appear to cover all the bases for the third sector and the financially excluded. The following is an extract from an article on the Financial Services Authority website regarding how they view CPB's:
Another recent development aimed at improving access to financial services for those who are excluded is the Community Banking Partnership. This is a new venture, based on similar operations in the US, that brings together credit unions, the community finance sector, banks, building socieites and money advice agencies to provide a range of services to the financially excluded through a "one stop shop" format. The intention is to provide a range of services covering money advice and support, help with bills and debt repayments, savings facilities, affordable loans and access to basic banking services. We have been advising the Community Banking Partnership on the regulatory implications of how they are planning to set themselves up and to operate. And we are currently considering how we might build on this initial engagement to further support the work they doing.
Is anyone aware of an existing or proposed CPB for the Brighton & Hove area?
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making it happen
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Overview
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Feb 12 2008, 10:45 AM EST by
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Thread started: Feb 5 2008, 2:42 PM EST
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This is a really useful framework for thinking about how B&H can develop its already impressive work in social enterprise. But the big question that reading the document left me with was the practical 'how will this strategy become reality?' question.
Obviously, the aim here is to breathe life into the whole social enterprise ecosystem and not just issue a top-down plan - and there are lots of stakeholders involved with different interests. .Nevertheless, as the steering group / the council, I wondered what practical actions you will be taking to help achieve these goals.
The other nagging question I was left with was about metrics and performance measurement. How will you measure progress against your strategic priorities?
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Last Reply:
RE: making it happen
By: ,
Feb 12 2008, 10:45 AM EST
I think that it's important to get local people excited about the possibilities that social enterprises can offer. There is also a need for a place where new social enterprises can be 'birthed' and nurtured so that it is not so frightening for people who have not considered this as an option for them.
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Business case for participation
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Overview
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Feb 5 2008, 7:46 AM EST by
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Thread started: Feb 5 2008, 7:46 AM EST
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It strikes me on a first read that a stronger case could be made for participation by the public sector. As well as being employers, the public sector also has a leadership role and a delivery role. Central Government expects the Local Authority and its partners to deliver on national targets and priorities, including the employment rate and inclusion of disadvantaged groups. Work-placements in social enterprises can contribute to this, as set out in other parts of the document.
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