MG4J2      Half Unit
Social Business Design: Strategies for Enhancing Sustainable Impact

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Availability

A growing number of companies worldwide have launched social business subsidiaries as part of their agenda to effect positive change. Consequently, many reputable consulting firms such as BCG and Bain have established specialist departments focused on social business consulting.

A social business is an organisation whose primary purpose is to address a social problem, such as homelessness, loneliness, access to education, malnutrition, or sustainability. Unlike a charity, a social business aims to achieve financial self-sustainability by reinvesting profits to further its social mission. The increasing popularity of social businesses and subsidiaries is evident, with more and more large and reputable corporations such as Unilever and Coca-Cola joining this movement. These organisations commit and combine significant resources with their ability to rapidly scale up initiatives in order to enhance people's lives globally.

This course equips students with specialist knowledge to lead or advise on social business projects or subsidiaries within multinational corporations, consulting firms, and startups. Given the dual objectives of social business - impact and profit - there are numerous theories, tools, and methodological approaches unique to this organisational form.

The first half of the course explores three strategies social businesses employ to design profitable solutions to social problems: problem-centric, human-centric, and opportunity-centric approaches. Students will have the opportunity to bring these theoretical streams to life via interactive class exercises and real-world experiments. 

The second half of the course delves into theories, strategies and consulting frameworks for scaling or expanding the impact of a social business in a manner that balances both mission and margin.

Students will bring these concepts to life via a consulting project.

30 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.

Students will also be expected to: (i) undertake a 2-hour team building exercise, (ii) attend a series of support surgeries (30- minute team meetings to obtain advice from faculty) and (iii) attend an extended presentation day at the end of the term where the student teams will exhibit their progress and get feedback from faculty. Very importantly, while every effort will be made to dedicate some class time to assist teams in progressing their projects, as with any group project, student teams are expected to work independently outside of class times on their projects.

In its Ethics Code, LSE upholds a commitment to intellectual freedom. This means we will protect the freedom of expression of our students and staff and the right to engage in healthy debate in the classroom.

Compulsory: Student groups will be expected to produce a presentation outlining the progress made on their consulting project, at the end of the AT for faculty review and feedback.

Optional: Additionally, a formative essay question will be provided for those wishing to practice essay writing.

• Hervieux, C.; Voltan, A. (2018). Framing Social Problems in Social Entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(2):79-293
• Margiono, Ari & Zolin, Roxanne & Chang, Artemis. (2017). A typology of social venture business model configurations. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. 24. 10.1108/IJEBR-09-2016-0316
• Grayson, McLaren, Spitzeck. Social Intrapreneurs-An Extra Force for Sustainability. http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/dinamic- content/media/social%20intrapreneurs%20occasional%20paper.pdf
• Simanis E. (2012) ‘Reality Check at the Bottom of the Pyramid’, Harvard Business Review [Electronic], Available: https://hbr.org/2012/06/reality-check-at-the- bottom-of-the-pyramid, [13 March 2015]
• Margolis, J. D.; Walsh, J.P. (2003). Misery Loves Companies: Rethinking Social Initiatives by Business. Administrative Science Quarterly.48 (2): 268–305.
• Mair,J.; Marti,I.(2004). Social entrepreneurship: What Are We Talking About? A Framework for Future Research. IESE Research Papers D/546, IESE Business School.

Project (70%)

Essay (30%, 1200 words)

The project assessment comprises an oral presentation and submission of PowerPoint slides with detailed appendices which provide evidence in support of your oral presentation.

For detailed assessment information, including all deadlines and timings, please see the relevant course Moodle page. Assessment timings will be available at the start of each term.