XLRI: Entrepreneurship for a sustainable society

Chennai, Sept 13 (The Hindu): Management is mostly about finance, marketing, advertising and information technology. What about understanding and appreciating the role and need for social entrepreneurship in building a sustainable society?

XLRI School of Business & Human Resources, Jamshedpur, offers a two-term course called Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship, as part of a host of electives. The objective of the course is to acquire the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques needed to become an entrepreneur in the social sector and develop sustainable business model for building a social enterprise that can make a difference, says Prof. Madhukar Shukla, OB & Strategic Management, XLRI, Jamshedpur.

The students do field-visits, study different social sectors, have interactive sessions with social entrepreneurs, and finally develop their own social venture plans. As part of internship, Charu Priyadarshee is interning with Desi Crew, a rural BPO company; K. Priya and B.R. Venkatesh are with Rang De, an NGO working in microfinance sector.

“Working with Rang De has helped us understand the ground level realities of handling a micro-finance enterprise — starting with the way they operate, the communities they interact with and the modus operandi of raising funds,” says Ms. Priya.

The communities that we believe are underprivileged have a lot of zeal to get out of their existing state. And the sincerity with which they adhere to group norms (of the SHGs which borrow money) in itself is a testimony to the fact, says Mr. Venkatesh. “The need of the hour is low cost, quality English education for the weaker sections as the potential is tremendous, and opportunities minimal,” he says.

“Our inclination towards working with micro-finance sector primarily stems from the firm belief that access to affordable capital is probably the biggest challenge that a great majority of the society faces today,” says Ms. Priya.

Working with the rural BPO company, Ms. Charu says the rural India offered plenty of opportunities for management students to have a hands-on experience in tackling development-related issues faced by the majority.