8/18/2019 Midterm Exam Potential Questions 2016

1/1

Midterm Exam Potential Questions

Spring 2016

The exam will consist of two definitional questions and one opinion question. Below are

examples of the types of questions that might be asked on the midterm exam.

Definitional Questions

1. What is social entrepreneurship? Please give an example of a social enterprise.

2. Can a non-profit organization be a social enterprise? If so, how? If not, why not?

3. What is a commercial enterprise and what is a social enterprise? How can you distinguish

between the two?

4. How do social entrepreneurs fund themselves? Name at least three potential funding

sources for social entrepreneurs.

5. What is the difference between a social entrepreneur, a social service provider, and an

activist? Give an example of each.

6. Social and commercial enterprises have two potential funding approaches: they can be

leveraged or self-funding. What does it mean for an enterprise to be “leveraged”? What

does it mean for an enterprise to be “self-funding”?

7. Imagine a commercial firm with a CSR branch (for example, CIBC or Tim Hortons).

Would you categorize these organizations as social enterprises? Why or why not?

Opinion questions

1. If you were Jane Chen and faced GE as an incumbent in India, would you have founded

Embrace? What do you see as the main strategic advantages and disadvantages relative

to GE?

2. Suppose you are interested in improving literacy rates in Canada. How would an activist,

a social service provider, and a social entrepreneur approach this social problem? Whichof these actors do you think is best suited to address the problem?

3. Nelson Mandela worked as an activist against apartheid in South Africa. Could a

modern-day Canadian address racial disparities in education through social

entrepreneurship? If so, how?

4. Suppose you have a friend who wants to start a social enterprise. What are the first three

questions you would ask your friend? Why are these questions important?

5. Can a social enterprise be both leveraged and  self-financing? If so, how would this work?

6. Is it possible for a social enterprise to prioritize social and financial goals equally? If so,

why? If not, why not?

7. In his TED talk, Dan Pallotta says that those who fund social ventures should not ask the

question: “How much of my donation goes to overhead?” Why does he make this claim,and do you agree with him?