Glossary

To help avoid misunderstandings, we are providing you with a glossary to social innovation with some of the words you find in this book, as well as a few words you might encounter on your further travels.

Buzzword

This covers terms and words that are used to an extent where a hype is created around them.

Change agent

A person who is equipped to and capable of making change.

Change management

A structured approach to change in individuals, teams, organizations andsocieties.

Civil Sector

Relies on volunteer work and donations. Initiatives from the civil sector can come from both passion and as a result of dissatisfaction with either the doings of the public or private sector.

Copenhagen Consensus Centre

A research centre connected to Copenhagen Business School, founded by Bjørn Lomborg in 2002. Copenhagen Consensus Centre is conveying research to prioritize the world’s biggest challenges from an economist’s angle using cost benefit analysis as one of their main tools.

Corporate citizenship

Corporate citizenship is another term for CSR (See CSR).

Corporate philanthropy

Corporate philanthropy is a branch of CSR where organizations give back to society, charities and NGOs. It can also cover initiatives inside an organization that support less privileged people in that organization (See CSR).

Cross Cultural Organization

Working inside or with an organization that reaches out and touches upon different and possibly diverse cultures.

Cross Sectarian Project

Cooperation between two or more sectors; the public, the civil or the private.

Corporate Social Innovation

Corporate Social Innovation or CSI is a term for business models or product schemes created to serve needs in society.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Also known as CSR, corporate social responsibility is a concept where organizations and companies consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities some or all of the following: Customers, suppliers, employees, communities and other stakeholders, or the environment.

CSI

See corporate social innovation.

CSR

See corporate social responsibility.

Enforced Loyalty

Companies making sure that they will be the sole provider of services and products to a buyer through contracts.

Fourth Sector Business

Is the definition of a merger between the public, civil and private sector that enables them to work as one.

Globalization

A process that breaks down barriers and unifies the people of the globe.

Guanxi

The Chinese term for a loyal network.

Innovation

The generation, acceptance, and implementation of new ideas, processes, products or services (Thompson, 1965).

Innovative Capitalism

In this book, this term is used to describe innovations that allow the financial bottom line to stay in focus, in a world that has increased its attention towards social responsibility.

Millennium Goals, The

The Millennium Goals consist of eight goals developed by the UN to deal with the biggest contemporary crises that span the globe. The goals are to be achieved by 2015.

NGO

See non-governmental organization.

Non-Governmental Organization

A Non-Governmental Organization is an organization that is run without the influence of governments, in terms of organization and most commonly also financially.

Non-Profit Organization

Non-profit organizations or not for profit organizations work like NGOs but define themselves by not working for a profit. (See Non-governmental organization)

NPO

See non-profit organization.

People, planet, profit

See win-win-win.

Private Sector

Relies on supply and demand. The private sector ensures the economic growth of society.

Proactive

A state of mind where you act before a given situation evolves to a crisis or confrontation.

PSI

See public innovation.

Public Innovative

Public innovation or public sector innovation is a term for innovative initiatives within the public sector.

Public Sector

Relies on assets provided by tax and profit generated by government owned companies. The public sector is commonly responsible for creating and reinforcing laws, as well as creating and maintaining social services, infrastructure etc.

SE

See social entrepreneurship.

SI

See social innovation.

Social Entrepreneurship

A social entrepreneur is an individual that strives to find solutions to the needs of society. They measure their success in their impact on that need.

Social Innovation

New ideas that work to meet unmet needs and/or create new possibilities that better the lives of people. (Also READ THIS BOOK!)

Social Intrapreneurship

An intrapreneur is an entrepreneur working within an existing company to create positive change that serves the needs of society.

Social Purpose Venture

Social purpose ventures invest in social enterprises to create a turnover.

Socially Responsible Investing

Socially responsible investing is investments made to ensure both economic growth and improvements of society.

SPV

See social purpose venture.

SRI

See socially responsible investing.

Stakeholder

A person or group directly connected to or influenced by something.

Systemic thinking

Is viewing problems and issues as part of one whole using this as a basis for action.

Viral Marketing

A video, image or text that has been spread through word of mouth on the web.

Web 2.0

New trends within the web and web-design to promote creativity, information sharing and user collaboration.

Win-win-win

Also called people, planet, profit, covers solutions where you, your client and the community all benefit.