ESR Center Social Venture Consulting Projects
Every year the Economic Self-Reliance Center sponsors several Social Venture Consulting projects for master of business and master of public administration students to help with economic development efforts throughout the world. The center partners with organizations that provide the opportunity for students to work with clients by training, mentoring, researching and implementing. More.
Tipping Bucket Wins 2009 Social Venture Competition
The 2009 Social Venture Competition wrapped up on April 9 and 10 and the winners were announced: The Tipping Bucket took first place, Sain Terre second, and StartUp Third. The Tipping Bucket, a Facebook application that allows users to make $1 donations to social venture projects, was awarded $10,000 to put their idea into action. More.
SMI Prepares for Longitudinal Study
The ESR Center's Single Mom Initiative (in partnership with the Single Mom Foundation of Salt Lake City) received a grant to continue interviews of single mothers in Utah. The research hopes to affect public policy and discover the most effective ways to help single mothers achieve economic self-reliance. More.
BYU's First Social Innovation Summit
In November, The Economic Self-Reliance Center sponsored Brigham Young University's first Social Innovation Summit in conjunction with the annual ESR Conference. The summit showcased many ongoing projects to introduce students to social innovation and provide points of engagement for them to get involved in socially innovative initiatives. More.
Social Venture Competition 2009
Students around campus are choosing their teams and crafting their social plan submissions. The deadline for the Social Venture Competition is drawing closer, with entries due on 14 January 2009. So far students have had the opportunity to participate a variety of workshops to help them prepare their business plans. More.
Single Mom Initiative Report Available
This year the Single Mom Initiative began the second phase of its research effort: face to face interviews. Five student research assistants began conducting face-to-face interviews with English- and Spanish-speaking single mothers from across Utah. The focus of the interviews is to understand single moms’ attitudes and experiences interacting with institutions, including educational institutions, churches, employers, and social service providers. An executive summary and full report detailing these and other research findings is now available at the ESR website. More.
Microfranchise Toolkit
Jason Fairbourne, Director of BYU’s Microfranchise Development Intitiative, along with thirteen other authors have recently published a book that is a must for anyone interested in the concept of microfranchising.
The book is called “The Microfranchise Toolkit, How to Systemize and Replicate a Microfranchise.” This toolkit will appeal universally from microfranchisors who want to start new business in developing countries to micro business owners.
Topics include things as basic as customer service, as significant as funding and as vital as writing an effective franchise agreement.
The book is available for purchase online from the ESR Center Shop for $17.50. If you have further questions about the book please contact the ESR Center, 801-422-9009.
If you have already read the Microfranchise Toolkit, please click here to take the questionnaire.
Single Mothers and Self-Reliance
Julie Humberstone, the director of the BYU Single Mom Initiative, has published an article about single mothers and self-reliance with the Marriott School Magazine. The Single Mom Initiative is a research focus of the Economic Self-Reliance Center and is concluding a Utah statewide survey of single moms. The research focuses on four emphases of finances, education, child care, and emotional health.
The Single Mom Initiative has been a focus of research at the BYU Economic Self-Reliance Center since 2005 and plans to continue this research to help single moms around the nation become economically self-reliant. Please see the full article.
Creating Wealth at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Jason Fairbourne, Stephen W. Gibson, and W. Gibb Dyer recently published
a groundbreaking book called “MicroFranchising: Creating Wealth at the Bottom
of the Pyramid.” The book explores the new development tool of microfranchising
that establishes small startup franchises in developing countries to help alleviate
poverty. The Economic Self-Reliance Center is pleased to showcase this book and
continue further research into microfranchising.
The book is available for purchase
online from the ESR Center Shop
and if you have further questions about the book please contact the ESR Center, 801-422-9009.
Microenterprise Education
Stephen W. Gibson just recently published an article about microenterprise education in the Philippines with the Marriott School Magazine. Dr. Gibson has established an entrepreneur training center in the Philippines, called the Academy for Creating Enterprise, which is a practitioner partner with the Economic Self-Reliance Center.
Dr. Gibson tells how microcredit helps small businesses owners expand and become more profitable, and the importance of supplementing microloans with microbusiness education. He concludes his article by relating some success stories and giving his top 12 tips for success in the microbusiness field. Please see the website for the full article.
Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus with the Grameen Bank recently won the Nobel Peace Prize for his founding work with microcredit. Dr. Yunus started giving small loans to the poor during the 1970's and now the effects of microcredit have spread throughout the world.
The Economic Self-Reliance Center has had many personal contacts with Dr. Yunus and would like to express congratulations to him. In 1998, Muhammad earned an honorary doctorate from Brigham Young University and last year he appeared in our documentary about microcredit Small Fortunes. For more information about this great man and his work with helping those in poverty access credit please read more here.
ESR Review
Issue 10.2 of the ESR Review is now available online and in print. This issue of the ESR Review is about understanding and utilizing social capital and its role in development. Scholars and practitioners have joined in their expertise to understand how to better promote economic self-reliance.
A featured article highlights an interview with Brian Uzzi, consultant and Distinguished Chair in Leadership at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University. His award-winning and frequently cited research deals uses social network analysis and complexity theory to understand human achievement.Preview articles from this issue of the ESR Review and find out more about the ESR Review, including subscription details at www.ESRReview.com.
Small Fortunes
New bonus features are now available with the revised microcredit documentary, Small Fortunes: Microcredit and the Future of Poverty. The bonus features include exclusive interview footage with the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus discussing the challenges and future of Microcredit. The revised DVD also includes extensive interviews with other microfinance leaders including:
• Maria Otero — President and CEO Accion International
• Sam Daley-Harris — Founder and President RESULTS Educational Fund and Microcredit Summit Campaign
• John Hatch — Founder FINCA International
• Alex Counts — President Grameen Foundation USA
Small Fortunes is available for purchase at the ESR Center. Please visit the website www.small-fortunes.com
