Courses
Please note that not every course listed is offered each year and students should consult STU Self Service for current course offerings.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
BUSI-1003. Introduction to Social Enterprise
This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to social enterprise through historical and contemporary perspectives. It delves into the origins, principles, and practices of social enterprises. The course highlights the interconnectedness between social, economic, and environmental factors, and examines the impact of social enterprises on local communities and broader society. By critically examining case studies and engaging with relevant readings, students develop an understanding of the diverse strategies employed by social enterprises to address societal challenges and promote sustainable development.
BUSI-1013. Contemporary Case Studies in Social Enterprise
This course explores a range of social enterprises and their approaches to tackling various contemporary social issues, such as inequality, healthcare, equitable trade, and environmental sustainability. Students explore the underlying nature of these problems, the specific hurdles faced by affected communities, the strategies employed by social enterprises to tackle these challenges, and the degree of success they have achieved. Students develop an understanding of the diverse array of social enterprise initiatives and the social concerns they aim to address.
BUSI-2013. Introduction to Business
The course introduces a range of business topics with an emphasis on business practices in the Canadian context. Topics include entrepreneurship, financial process, marketing, socially responsible business, management, human resources, and the role of business in the Canadian economy. In addition, broader issues, such as business ethics and relations between employees and employers will be discussed.
BUSI-2023. Introduction to Financial Accounting
The course introduces concepts and techniques used in financial accounting. Topics covered include the preparation of financial statements, recording of accounting events, and the rules and protocol of financial accounting.
BUSI-2033. Building the Social Enterprise
This course provides students with the practical skills for designing a social enterprise of their own in the contemporary political economic context. Students address the challenges of articulating a coherent vision and mission of the social enterprise. This will include designing a strategy, which addresses financial viability, funding, organizational structure, marketing, democratic governance, and conflicts between social mission and business logic.
BUSI-2043. Marketing for Social Enterprise
The success of any social enterprise or nonprofit organization hinges on the pivotal role of marketing. Marketing serves to establish and manage relationships among people and to pool resources for tackling societal and environmental challenges. This course delivers conceptual and practical knowledge of marketing, spanning the domains of visionary thinking, strategic planning, tactical execution, and tool utilization. It explores a range of key topics, including gaining insights into customer behavior, devising innovative products and services, establishing impactful brands, mastering sales techniques, navigating distribution channels, and employing various communication strategies.
BUSI-3013. Personal Financial Planning
The course introduces techniques of personal financial planning, which will be of value for both personal and professional use. Topics include planning strategies, managing credit and debt, time value of money, personal income tax, risk management and insurance, investment basics, retirement planning, and the development personal financial plans.
BUSI-3023. Nonprofit Management (ENVS 3033)
The course introduces students to the specific issues that arise in managing nonprofit organizations. Topics covered include strategic planning, accountability, board governance, financial planning, fund raising, and human resources.
BUSI-3033. Labour Relations & Collective Bargaining
The course examines collective bargaining in its historical and institutional context. Topics include the history of the labour movement, the attainment of bargaining rights, the collective bargaining process, the grievance and arbitration process, and the legal environment.
BUSI-3043. Finance and Fundraising For Social Enterprise
Social enterprises must raise the financial resources necessary for the fulfillment of their mission. They have to know how to effectively communicate the relevance and urgency of their needs to donors/investors and demonstrate their capacity to deliver their promises. In this course, students learn about the best practices for social enterprise fundraising. Students learn how to design cases for support, assess different information management systems, identify prospective donors, nurture relationships with existing donors/investors, deploy tools for fundraising, and access different kinds of funding. By the end of the course, students will be well prepared to partake in existing fundraising initiatives and/or undertake projects of their own in the social enterprise world.
BUSI-3053. Social Enterprise Work-Study Placement
The Social Enterprise Work-Study Placement offers students an opportunity to bridge classroom learning with real-world experience in the field of social enterprise. This hands-on experiential learning placement provides students with the chance to apply the knowledge gained in their studies to practical scenarios within existing social enterprises. Students collaborate with social enterprises that are addressing complex societal issues, thereby gaining insight into the operational challenges and opportunities that arise in mission-driven cases. Students participate in various aspects of social enterprise operations, such as strategy development, impact measurement, marketing, and financial planning.