SCOPE at La Salle University

It was my friend Zarah who first got me in touch with this energetic group of La Salle business students. Over a cup of coffee they explained their "social enterprise" ideas to me.

Social Entrepreneurship is the in-thing right now, just like strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Creating Shared Value (CSV). Business Schools are quick to emphasize the "social" component of their future graduates' future businesses... neglecting the fact that, in order to be social, the business needs to be sustainable.

I see this kind of mindset a lot: within the development work. I also see that "business ideas" driven by social problems rather than market demand hardly ever work.

When the La Salle students invited me to be a resource speaker at their 4th Business Management Students' Convention, carrying the theme "Social Business: Create, Transform, Influence", I immediately agreed. Identifying Sustainable Business Models became the core message of my presentation. I enjoy talking to young people with open minds and the ability (and willingness) to recognize logic when it presents itself to them.

And "logical" examples I have plenty of in my SCOPE tool box. All of them based on a sustainable business model which starts by identifying a market demand.

Instead of talking about "social enterprises" I challenged the students to explain to me the difference between a "conventional" enterprise (providing jobs, income, training, products, services, innovation etc.) and a "social" enterprise. At first, blank stares. Later, nodding heads. My message was sinking in, and the participants ended up asking interesting questions.

Zarah, my former colleague and mentor in 2006/2007 and Head of Global Responsibility of Starbucks Philippines today, underlined my sustainable business-model-framework by sharing the company's impact on society by providing jobs as well as a market to coffee farmers by being a profitable business.

It was great to share the floor again with Zarah. We had the same influence which shaped our minds back then. I'm sure it showed in our streamlined presentations and messages today.