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Social Entrepreneurship Introduction

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Social Entrepreneurship Introduction

A coastal Australian town wants to reduce food waste and make fresh food easier to access. Use the case study and tasks to decide how a social enterprise could help. Answer in your own words where asked; sample answers are provided for checking.

Case file: Second Harvest

Each week, local farms and shops discard edible produce because it is surplus or not quite the usual shape. Some households in the town struggle to afford fresh food. Second Harvest is a proposed social enterprise: it would collect surplus produce, sell affordable produce boxes and donate some boxes through community organisations. It would earn income from box sales and local business partnerships. Any surplus after costs would be reinvested in collection equipment and more low-cost boxes. The team would track kilograms of food rescued, boxes sold at a reduced price and customer feedback. The idea still has challenges: transport costs money, and produce supply changes with the seasons.

1.Which statement best describes a social enterprise such as Second Harvest?

It earns income through trading while pursuing a social or environmental purpose.
It is any charity that never earns income.
It focuses only on maximising returns to owners.
It is a government department that sets prices.

2.Identify one social problem and one environmental problem Second Harvest aims to address.

3.In the triple bottom line, the three areas are people, planet and profit. Give one example from the case for each area.

4.Match each item to its correct category for Second Harvest. Use each category once: Input, Activity, Output, Impact. Items: (a) a refrigerated van, (b) collecting surplus produce, (c) 120 affordable boxes sold, (d) more households able to access fresh food.

(a) Refrigerated van
(b) Collecting surplus produce
(c) 120 affordable boxes sold
(d) More households able to access fresh food

Activity
Impact
Output
Input

5.The team has $600 left after paying this month's operating costs. Which choice best fits its stated purpose?

Reinvest the surplus in collection equipment or more low-cost boxes.
Divide all the surplus among investors, regardless of the mission.
Discard surplus produce to keep demand high.
Stop recording results because the business has made money.

6.True or false? Selling produce means Second Harvest cannot also create social impact. Explain your answer.

7.Name one measure that would show whether the enterprise is reducing food waste, and one measure that would show whether it is helping people.

8.The supply of produce changes by season and transport is costly. Suggest one practical response to each challenge.

9.A local shop offers funding but asks Second Harvest to stop donating boxes. What is the main risk, and what should the team consider before deciding?

10.Design a different social enterprise for your community. State the problem it addresses, what it sells or provides, how it earns enough income to continue, and one way it would measure impact.