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The courses fulfilled through this program are ENT 4353 - Social Entrepreneurship and Economic Development and ENT 4380 - Social Entrepreneurship: Microfinance and Economic Development in Africa. These courses count as electives for the ENT major and minor, MGT major, INB major, and also for Arts and Sciences.
Entrepreneurship is the key to the African dream of economic and social advancement. It is a gateway for opportunities for those traditionally excluded from the economic and political mainstream. It is the combination of ideas, resources, and daring individuals that results in sustainable economic development. These entrepreneurial individuals are particularly adept at recognizing opportunities, exploring innovative approaches, mobilizing resources, managing risks, and building viable enterprises.
This course is designed to provide students with the chance to examine and use entrepreneurial skills to formulate innovative responses to economic and social problems in Africa. Participants will develop an understanding of the challenges and barriers to success encountered by individuals/firms that are undercapitalized, lack market leverage, do not have in-depth knowledge of business support functions such as accounting, law, finance, marketing or advertising, do not have powerful friends in high places, and lack economies of scale and scope.
This program focuses on understanding how microcredit (microfinancing) is emerging as a vehicle for helping overcome the many barriers to economic development in Africa by stimulating entrepreneurial activity. Further, students in the program will be provided a hands-on opportunity to develop societal leadership skills by tackling complex social issues from an entrepreneurial perspective. The ability of firms to create both positive social and financial vaue - often called the double bottom line - has become an important component of business planning.
The program explores "why" and "how" microfinance operations have grown to provide financial services to poor and low-income people on a sustainable basis. The advice and best practices of successful practitioners and institutions around the world are brought together. Students will be introduced to microfinance as an important effort in the war against poverty. This will also serve as an excellent forum for students to learn about current challenges and debates in the world of microfinance.
The format of the program consists of two major components pursued sequentially. The first component, requires 10 hours of preparatory classroom instruction at Baylor. These ten hours will occur in a seminar to be held Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16. This component of the class will be comprised of faculty and student-led discussions concerning assigned articles and readings, as well as presentations by guest speakers who are directly involved in microfinance in Africa.
The second component, a 16 day trip to Africa, will commence after Spring semester final exams conclude in May. During this section of the program, students and sponsors will travel to Africa to experience first-hand the approach and effects of microfinancing.
Scholarship Information:
Scholarship information is available at:
http://www.baylor.edu/study_abroad/index.php?id=48457
and
http://www.baylor.edu/study_abroad/index.php?id=48458
For entrepreneurship majors only, there is additional scholarship information at:
http://www.baylor.edu/business/management/index.php?id=26504
Contact Colene_Coldwell@baylor.edu for more information. |
