A new tool to assess the practices of social businesses

Investisseurs & Partenaires partnered with the working group led by CERISE to define what is a social business and to develop an analytical framework to asssess the practices of social businesses.

The group has conducted a in-depth study on 9 social enterprises operating in diferent sectors and geographic areas, among which feature two companies supported by I&P: Nutrizaza and PhiléoL.

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CERISE and its partners have developped a free tool, the "Social Business Scorecard" to manage the social performance of social businesses. The scorecard is structured around 7 key dimensions in terms of social entrepreneurship:

1. The Purpose: a social business has a clear social mission, shared by all stakeholders
2. Public: a social business targets a public that is vulnerable, poor and/or excluded  (clients, suppliers and/or employees)
3. Products and Services: a social business offers and adapted product mix that meets basic needs and reduce inequalities
4. HR Policies: a social business has policies and practices that ensure employees and service providers are treated responsibly
5. Ethical Principles: a social business adheres to ethical principles regarding the environment, the community and integrity
6. Profits: a social business has a defined and transparent policy on profits and how they are used to further the social mission
7. Partnerships (optional): when a social business benefits from a partner relationship, the technical support provided is fundamental to the business model

Since May 2012, CERISE had led a working group composed of its members (CIDR, GRET, IRAM) and partners (AIDR, Entrepreneurs du Monde, French Agency of Development - AFD  - and the DFI PROPARCO, the foundation Grameen Credit Agricole and Investisseurs & Partenaires)

The detailed study of the company Nutrizaza, supported by I&P since 2012, is available on the website.

Nutrizaza is a social business aiming at the development of a network of baby restaurants alongside with the commercial selling of "Koba Aina", an enhanced baby flour complementary with breast-feeding. The company seeks for the largest distribition of a good quality aliment for infants, and especially among the poorest while stricking to an enterprise-based approach as a financially sustainable business. Nutrizaza has also undertaken a campaogn against malnutrition through information campaigns and a watch over the babies' weight.

► Download the Study (in French)

Presentation of the company

About CERISE

CERISEis a knowledge exchange newtork for microfinance practitionners. Founded in 1998, CERISE is richly diverse, bringing together a variety of practitioners, researchers, donors and investors from the North and the South. Their work if focused on four themes: (1) Impact and Social Performance; (2) Agricultural and rural finance; (3) Governance and social viability; (4) Intervention Methods. In each of these areas, CERISE gathers the experience of its members and in some cases develop opetional tools so as to create alliances and synergies throughout the microfinance sector.

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