Social business spreading wings far and wide

To many, the social business movement seems to be a concept that is limited to events and gatherings attended by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and his millions of followers.

But what is not too well known is that the new business model is increasingly being embraced by universities from countries with disparate histories and realities.

For example, universities from Poland, which is a former socialist country, to the US, which leads capitalism, to Australia, an affluent country, to developing India have joined the movement.

They were also joined by Taiwan in Asia and Brazil in South America. However, their goals are the same: to help mainstream social business into the learning programmes within their universities to shape the minds of people while they are young.

Proponents of social business say it gives the students one more option, and provides them the opportunity to explore an alternative way to pursue their life, away from traditional pursuits of running after jobs after they graduate.

From an academic point of view, the theory is very important for Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank.

If students and young people accept the theory, they would not be running after jobs after graduation from universities and colleges, he told a group of researchers gathered at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin on Tuesday via a video message from the US.  Rather they will create jobs for others, he added.

Yunus is not attending the conference in person because of a sudden illness.

“We have to instil the idea into the young population that life is not all about working for multinational companies.”

The idea of social business gives them a different perspective to life; they can employ their energies to solve social problems in a sustainable way.

Subsequently, 23 universities from countries such as Poland, Japan, Taiwan, Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, China, and the US have set up Yunus Social Business Centres on their campuses.

They are offering courses and programmes as well as short courses on social business based on Yunus's principle.

Researchers from these universities made presentations at the two-day academia conference at the ESMT, which is housed on the building of the former headquarters of the government of East Germany.

The academia conference was a prelude to the Global Social Business Summit, which kicked off at the famous Berlin Tempelhof Airport on Wednesday evening.

Grameen Creative Lab in Germany and the Yunus Centre in Bangladesh are organising the GSBS in partnership with German tourism agency visitBerlin, the YY Foundation of Germany and Yunus Social Business. Nearly 1,000 participants from around 70 countries are expected to attend the four-day event.

Participants will hear from 50 international guest speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds -- from corporate, philanthropic and social business leaders to scientists and visionaries -- on the new developments and how the idea is taking root around the world.

The organisers of the academic conference, which was held for the third time, received 55 high-profile academic papers, but 35 of them were selected for presentation, said Lamiya Morshed, executive director of Dhaka-based Yunus Centre while briefing a group of Bangladeshi journalists. 

The papers deal with social business in areas from education and health to how students look at the new business theory innovated by Yunus. “Social businesses can be affected by climate change. So, these businesses should be designed in a way that they remain profitable in the face of climatic challenge,” said Chowdhury Saleh Ahmed, a Bangladeshi researcher, during a presentation. Sadek Khan, a Bangladeshi senior journalist and columnist, who is attending the event, said it is an altogether different matter whether social business becomes sustainable or not.

But if the academia can be made a part of the social business movement it will have a lasting impact, he added.

Social business started in Bangladesh through Grameen Bank and its more than 50 associated but independent companies.

But now social businesses are being taken up in Bangladesh as well as the rest of the world separately, said Lamiya Morshed.

“Companies, NGOs, foundations and individuals are doing it. We have do not have any involvement in any of these projects. We have not financed them.”

This proves that this idea has an appeal and relevance to diverse contexts, she said.

“We have not told them to initiate it. They have done it on their own. From that point of view, it is a nice picture.”

She said universities around the world are increasingly getting interested about social business. Young people are interested about the subject. Alongside the practice of social business, there is a growing involvement of academic institutions.

“This is happening at universities and business schools, but also at schools and colleges. They are taking place in the form of social business competitions in schools and colleges in places as varied as China or the USA.”

fazlur.rahman@thedailystar.net