If you’ve ever had a bar of Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate, no doubt you’ll have noticed that all Tony’s bars are divided into uneven chunks. It’s Tony’s palatable way of reminding their choco friends that the profits in the chocolate industry are unfairly divided. Tony’s Chocolonely is arguably the most famous Dutch social enterprise. It seems only fitting that our students explored the power of social enterprises and social impact – and of Tony’s Chocolonely – while enjoying a cheeky, uneven chunk of Tony’s. Food for the mind and food for the soul – is there a better combination to start a lecture?

This session, Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets, is part of the Entrepreneurship and New Business Development educational week. At MaastrichtMBA, an educational week includes five teaching days filled with inspiring sessions and lectures that focus on the educational week’s specific theme. This week features a discovery tour about entrepreneurship and sessions devoted to different aspects of leadership.

The session, hosted by Assistant Professor of Organisation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship Abel Diaz, kicks off with an in-depth discussion on entrepreneurship within the informal economy, drawing connections between social entrepreneurship in both formal and informal settings.

A case study in sustainable impact

Then, Abel introduces the case of Tony’s Chocolonely, a trailblazer in the chocolate industry, which exemplifies how a social enterprise can redefine industry standards and create a positive social impact. The company’s vision of a 100% slavery-free chocolate sector has not only raised awareness about slavery in the cocoa industry but has also prompted significant changes in the supply chain. By creating a transparent and traceable value chain, Tony’s Chocolonely has demonstrated the potential for social enterprises to influence industry-wide practices and inspire consumers to make ethical choices.

This case study serves as the cornerstone for exploring concepts such as effectual thinking and sustainability elements within business models, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the entrepreneurial journey and the challenges social enterprises face. “This session is instrumental in helping students understand the nuances of social enterprises and their potential to create sustainable impact. We discuss the complexities of social enterprises’ business models,” Abel explains. “Understanding this also helps students understand what’s behind the strategy of social enterprises and how to implement sustainable business strategies. This, in turn, helps them understand within their own work how they can really support the important work that social enterprises do.”

Insights from the field

During this session, Abel invites Pedro Eikelenboom of Euclid Network to provide students with insights from the field. Euclid Network catalyses positive change by connecting, enhancing and celebrating social entrepreneurs, social innovators and their support organisations who help them pave the way for a socially inclusive and green economy and society. Pedro provides valuable insights into the role of social enterprises in the broader business ecosystem, emphasising the importance of supportive ecosystems and social enterprise monitoring in Europe. His discussion highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by social enterprises and the potential for collaboration with mainstream businesses to achieve greater social impact.

“Social enterprises are real companies with unique business models that address social and environmental issues,” Pedro stresses. He encourages students to consider how mainstream businesses can integrate social enterprises into their procurement processes, thereby fostering a more sustainable and socially responsible business environment.

“My goal for this lecture is for students to really understand social enterprises,” Pedro says. “If they know what they are and how they have similar, but also different, challenges to other companies, they can start to come up with ideas of how to collaborate with these organisations sustainably. For example, in procurement, if they know how social enterprises operate, they can start to think of ways to buy services and items from social enterprises. Or, they can start working with social enterprises to reach their sustainability goals. Every small step is a step in the right direction.”

The importance of creating a positive impact

In addition to working with social enterprises, Amy Collinson, Executive MBA student, emphasises the motivational aspect of working for a company that addresses social and environmental issues: “It would feel better and more motivating to work on solving an issue, whether it’s social or environmental. This session has further connected me to the idea of sustainability and the importance of creating a positive impact. It has broadened my horizon,” as her MBA journey often has, Amy says. “I’m in a very niche industry and a small, closed bubble. Starting this MBA trajectory has helped me to get outside of that bubble and meet new people from all different industries. I’m originally from New Zealand and have lived in Europe for ten years, in a few different countries. But I realised how small my bubble was from being in this programme. I have a lot of connections inside of my industry, but stepping outside of that has been really cool and valuable. It has given me so many new ideas and perspectives.”

This article displays the student insights and experiences of our On-Campus MBA Entrepreneurship & New Business Models module. Our On-Campus track has an on campus learning format and is part of the executive modular part-time MaastrichtMBA programme. The programme has a Triple Crown accreditation and is aimed for professionals with at least 5 years of working experience.