Focus Groups

The Focus Groups are an essential part of the Global Social Business Summit. They are topic-oriented breakout sessions and depending on the content they are run in different formats: training session, workshop, expert-led presentation or case study presentation. The purpose of the Focus Groups is to work on challenges and identify opportunities as well as concrete recommendations related to the topic of the session. Focus Groups are divided into two different levels:

Start-up level does not require prior knowledge about social business or a specific topic. Depending on the format you can either learn more about a specific topic or develop new social business ideas on a given topic.

Pilot level builds on concepts or outputs from past summit(s). Participants signing up should either have an expertise on the topic or should have studied the results of last year’s follow-up report.

 

1. Introduction to Social Business Funds

Start-up funding is still a major challenge for many entrepreneurs. A growing number of social business funds is emerging, but still there is a great need for further fund sources in many places around the globe. This focus group presents an overview of existing social business funds and a brief outline of the fund structures. It will further explain the mechanics of setting up a local social business incubator fund. Participants will also learn about the implementation of incubation services and pipeline management.

Moderator: Saskia Bruysten (CEO Yunus Social Business)

Format: Training Session

Level: Start-up

 

2. Alternative ways of financing social businesses

Beyond Social Business Funds, how can social businesses get the funding they need for growth? Can a social stock market or social bonds be developed? Is crowd funding the future? Can governments, development agencies and large corporations encourage third-party investment through credit guarantees or purchasing guarantees? This focus group will do a review on last year´s key findings and participants are held to brainstorm and discuss on innovative ways of funding.

Moderator: Jean-Luc Perron (Managing Director Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation), Emmanuel Marchant (General Manager danone.communities), Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee (Director General & CEO Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs)  

Format: Workshop

Level: Pilot

 

3. Microfinance as social business: examples from Bangladesh, Cambodia and Palestine

Astonished of how much can be achieved with a small amount of money, Prof. Yunus developed the concept at the core of Grameen Bank: banking without collateral for the poorest of the poor. The Nobel Peace Prize in Peace 2006 was awarded jointly to Prof. Yunus and Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development from below. This Focus Group enables the participants to understand how Grameen microcredit works and how it was replicated in many countries all over the world. It then demonstrates in practical examples how microfinance institutions develop their business model as a social business.

Moderator: Jürgen Hammer, (Chief Investment Officer Grameen Crédit Agricole), Muhammad Shahjahan (Acting Managing Director Grameen Bank), Prof. Latifee (MD Grameen Trust)

Format: Case Studies

Level: Start-up

 

4. Starting up: the creation of a social business

This Focus Group is a training session on how to start a social business. It will give firsthand insights of a social business incubation centre, where social businesses are being started from scratch and from an experienced social business consultant from the Yunus Centre, advising companies and entrepreneurs on setting up social businesses.

Moderator: Amir Khashru (CFO & Social Business Coordinator Yunus Centre), Christina Hunn (Director Incubation Centre Grameen Caldas)

Format: Training Session

Level: Start-up

 

5. Changing communities by starting a social business movement through local initiatives

This Focus Group is a workshop on how to start a social business movement on a local scale. Fionn Dobbin will talk about the essentials of starting a movement and share firsthand experience on how his social business grew out of a movement. Participants will then create own ideas of how they can change their communities through local initiatives targeted to raise awareness and address social issues.

Moderator: Fionn Dobbin (Creative Industries Program Director Stockholm School of Economics in Riga)

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up

 

6. Scaling up: how to grow and scale social businesses

Once a social business concept has been identified and successfully piloted, one of the major challenges is to achieve scale. This Focus Group will present examples of successfully scaled social businesses and lessons learned on the way. It will also allow for participants to exchange their experience and explore potential steps to scale specific business models proposed by participants of the session

Moderator: Ellynita Lamin (Executive Director Social Enterprise Alliance Malaysia), Ashraful Hassan (Managing Director Grameen Fabrics and Fashions)

Format: Training Session

Level: Pilot

 

7. Behaviour influence approaches: how to overcome non-financial purchase barriers at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP)?

Social entrepreneurs often face challenges in convincing BoP customers and key stakeholders about the benefits of their products. This Focus Group enables participants to understand behaviour influence as a science, and to become familiar with useful tools that help utilize its principles for positive behavioural change. A key element is to transfer results from research into practical tools for the grassroots practitioner. In particular, this Focus Group will teach how an understanding of the basic principles of behaviour can be used to improve communications at the BoP and among key stakeholders. 

Moderator: Faiz Shah (Director Yunus Center AIT), Christopher Eldrige (Expert-in-residence on Behavioural Influence at AIT) 

Format: Training Session

Level: Pilot

 

8. Transforming not-for-profit models into social businesses

Not-for-profit organizations face the challenge to invest a majority of their human resources in  raising funds. This focus group takes a closer look on business modeling and discusses the challenges and requirements of a transformation process. Participants will also discuss partial transformations or SB as an additional pillar for a not-for-profit.

Moderators: Nurfarini Daing (CEO myHarapan), Veronica Colondam (CEO YCAB Foundation), Abser Kamal (MD Grameen Shakti)

Format: Training Session

Level: Start-up

 

9. Impact measurement and assessment of social businesses

Social business entrepreneurs play a unique role in creating change in the world. They are different from any other entrepreneur by their long-term focus on creating wide-scale changes at the systemic level. This type of change is often difficult to measure. We will present an overview of existing ways to measure the impact of social businesses and enable an exchange to identify best-in-class approaches.

Moderator:  Sophie Eisenmann (CFO Yunus Social Business), Dr. Ingo Ballschmieter (Advisor to the Executive Board Bertelsmann Foundation), Brune Poirson (Head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Veolia Water India), Dr. Shariha Khalid (Executive Director Scope Group)  

Format: Expert-led Presentation & Discussion

Level: Pilot

 

10. Nutrients for All: social business models for nutrition related issues

Worldwide almost one in eight people suffer from chronic undernourishment and at the same time health-related problems caused by obesity increase. This Focus Group will discuss and develop ideas for the complex issues related to nutrition: What is hidden hunger and how can it be tackled? Why are so many low-income households affected by obesity? Have we unlearned how to process and prepare healthy food? What about new trends like city farming?  

Moderator: Dr. Kerstin Humberg (Engagement Manager McKinsey & Company)

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up

 

11. Access to Water: social business models to provide drinking water in underserved communities

Water is a human right but still 780 million people lack access to clean water. Grameen Veolia Water will present their social business model and lessons learned followed by a short question lab for more detailed insights. Group discussion and idea development will lead to a clear description of the crucial points needed to create a water social business.

Moderator: Eric Lesueur (Projects Director Veolia Water), Patrick Rousseau (Chairman & Managing Director Veolia Water India)

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up

 

12. Post-crisis rebuilding: social business models to help citizens organize and advance their communities

Societies in post-crisis suffer from a severe lack of trust. Common interest, regardless how logical it might seem to an outsider, is hard to identify in divided communities. This Focus Group takes a look at ways how activities of common interest can be developed, leading to more cohesive communities and provides firsthand experience from a social entrepreneur in community building. The participants will develop new ideas for social business opportunities and job creation.

Modearator: Zoran Puljic (Founder Mozaik Foundation)

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up

 

13. Women empowerment through social business

In Asia, women play an important role in bringing change to many areas of life.  In order for change to happen empowerment needs to take place. This focus group discusses the challenges and sharing of ideas on how to make this change a reality in the Asian community, where many other factors influence the empowerment of women such as culture, education and economy. General Electric will also share their insights on how skills in their women empowerment programs are relevant and transferable to women operating in the social business ecosystem.

Moderator: Sugunah Verumandy (Human Resources Director GE Malaysia & Brunei), Jeya Sheila C. S. Koilpitchai (Capacity and Capability Manager myHarapan)

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up

 

14. Social business solutions for waste management

The consumption-driven lifestyle has led the world to an enormous waste problem. Recycling solutions became popular but are not fighting the root problem. New zero waste approaches are promising to fight the issue sustainably. Participants will brainstorm social business ideas and develop social business models to tackle the waste problem.

Moderator: Rogerio Oliviera (Country Director Yunus Social Business Brazil)

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up

 

15. Communicating social business: how to best use social media for the promotion of social businesses?

Nowadays, social media has become essential for companies and their marketing strategies. At the same time it is a great opportunity for social business to create awareness with a low budget. Winning social media marketing requires commitment, strategy, deep industry insight, genuine engagement and clever social content. This focus group reviews successful social media campaigns, identifies innovative ways of social media marketing and develops new approaches for social media usage.

Moderator: Pete Teo (Singer, Songwriter & Film producer), Christian Vanizette (Founder Makesense)

Format: Training Session

Level: Start-up

 

16. The new role of academia: combining social business teaching with incubation services for local social value creation

Universities deliver not only invaluable knowledge but have also a tremendous influence on their students´ mindsets. But can universities even do more for the social business movement? This focus group takes a look at how universities can combine social business teaching with incubation services that help to create social value. Can we establish an international network of SB universities on local, regional and international level to connect incubation services?

Moderator: Martin Löffler (Director California Institute for Social Business Channel Islands)

Format: Workshop

Level: Pilot

 

17. Reaching and keeping talent: how to recruit and train people for social businesses?

Social businesses require talented people to deliver social goals. A key challenge is how to attract, recruit and train the right staff at the right time. This Focus Group explores how to build a successful team to keep a social business moving forward, supporting those most in need.

Moderator: Alex Finlayson (Social Business Consultant British Council)

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up

 

18. Introduction to the Design Thinking method for solving social issues

Having created learning experiences for participants of all cultures, ages, disciplines and industries, Genovasi has found that engaging in projects provides a much richer learning experience than listening to a "teacher" does. As such, their bias is to provide limited scaffolding to allow participants to do, and then to facilitate a reflection that invites the participants themselves to extract the meaningful learning opportunities from the experience. This Focus Group will give participants a full cycle through the Design Thinking process – trying out a number of new designerly behaviors in a short session. The Focus Group will offer an opportunity to touch on the fundamental values of Genovasi – human centered design, a bias towards action and rapid prototyping. 

Please note that lunch break will start 30 min later for participants of this Focus Group to allow a smooth run through of the Design Thinking process.  

Moderator: Carol Wong (CEO Genovasi)

Format: Training Session

Level: Start-up

 

19. Case studies on social businesses delivering healthcare services to underprivileged communities

This Focus Group presents and discusses different case studies of social business models to deliver healthcare services to underprivileged communities. The main challenges to be tackled lie in reaching remote areas and how to balance the disparity in financial accessibility of medical products and services. Participants are encouraged to share their own experiences, learn from each other, identify challenges and discuss solutions.

Moderator: Aarti Wig (Country Director Yunus Social Business India), Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala (CEO Wockhardt Foundation), Imamus Sultan (MD Grameen Kalyan), Lutfi Fadil Lokman (Founder Hospitals Beyond Boundaries)

Format: Case Studies & Discussion

Level: Pilot

 

20. Experience Dialogue in Silence by DiD Hong Kong Limited

Utilizing the unique and professional knowledge of Deaf, the refreshing and challenging “Dialogue in Silence Workshop” aims at unveiling your potential to master a confident, clear and prominent technique of expression, excite the unlimited imagination and develop more discerning observation. The workshop incorporates a series of tasks that emphasize teamwork and cooperation, which allow participants to experience and deal with the mental pressure when facing difficult challenges, learn to give up conservative attitude, overcome life’s hurdles and realize the importance of getting along with others and communication, which is crucial in the development of an intimate relationship.

The Focus Group will be conducted 2 hours in silence with activities led by deaf trainers and 1 hour debriefing hosted for crystallizing the insights and learning.

With the aid of industrial grade headphones, and led by professional deaf trainers, participants will learn how to listen with their eyes, express their ideas with body language and work with colleagues in a challenging environment of Silence.

Throughout the program, Deaf trainers observe and share on how the participants interact and communicate, allowing participants to have a reflection on their everyday behaviours, and inspire participants with the right attitude to accomplish difficult task.

After Silence experience, a facilitator will leverage the experiences during the workshop, to create linkage to deliver insight that participants’ are able to apply to their daily work and life.

Please note that lunch break will start 30 min later for participants of this Focus Group to allow a smooth run through of the activity in silence.

Moderator: DiD Hong Kong Limited

Format: Workshop

Level: Start-up