Social Innovation/Spring 2021

      Final Reflection Susan M. Scott BUS374:   Social Innovation Brother Ian Davis July 21, 2021   Introduction Social Innovation is an important topic in today’s world.   For decades, organizations and individual people have worked toward solutions to social problems such as poverty, health care, housing and the environment yet these problems not only still exist, they are increasing in severity.   Previous models of charitable donations, grants and volunteerism help alleviate symptoms of the problems, but do not address the root causes.   This is where true innovation comes in.   By using creativity and different approaches to social problems, social innovators are finding ways to create sustainable programs that address the cause of the problem rather than simply applying a temporary fix for symptoms.   These innovators and entrepreneurs have the best chance of finally reversing the upward trends of large social ...

  Source:  Thirdhour.org Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition of Mercy: 1.  Compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power also :  lenient or compassionate treatment (begged for  mercy) 2. a:  A blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion (May God have  mercy  on us). b:  A fortunate circumstance (it was a  mercy  they found her before she froze). 3:  Compassionate treatment of those in distress (works of  mercy  among the poor).   Connecting concepts and principles of social innovation to Gospel principles creates a more personal foundation for social work.   By recognizing that working toward solutions for social problems is in direct correlation to the teachings of the Bible, we have solid grounds for our work helping those who are struggling.   However, we must also recognize the importance of self-reliance both in ourselves an...

  Source:  BubblesAcademy.com Self-Reliance and Microcredit      We work hard all our lives.  We go to school so we can be educated, we specialize and get degrees and certifications so we can get a better job.  We contribute to retirement plans and savings accounts, and invest in stocks or other financial products to ensure we have enough money to provide for ourselves and our families.  Financial independence, apparently, is the goal.       But what about people whose life choices, circumstances or environment prevent them from these things?  A child born into poverty is likely to remain in poverty, because he lacks the resources to change his situation.  This child grows up watching his parents struggle to maintain shelter and food.  He has no concept of savings or retirement; in his world, people work to stay alive and then they die.       In the arena of social entrepreneurism, the con...

  Source:  Petagadget.com Investing in Social Solutions      Imagine you have a fantastic idea for a business that will both earn a profit and help solve a social problem.   Let’s say you’ve decided to solve the problem of school children in Urzburgistad not having pencils to do their schoolwork.   In your research, you’ve discovered that the women of Urzburgistad are extremely talented at knitting socks, but because there are no sheep in Urzburgistad, importing wool is prohibitively expensive so they usually only knit socks needed for their own families.   You come up with a brilliant idea:   You can provide startup funds to get the women the wool and knitting needles they require, and help them build a business exporting their beautiful handmade socks for sale in luxury boutiques.   By setting a high enough price point, a portion of the profits can be used to buy pencils for the schoolchildren.        Sounds great...