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RSM2709H – Global Practicum: Social Impact Investing in Spain

General Information

Instructors

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Applicable Emphases:
(m) = Main, (s) = Supplemental

  • Global Management (m)

Instructor Bio

Dr. Beatrix Dart is Professor of Strategy at the Rotman School of Management and was previously the Associate Dean, Executive Degree Programs. She joined the Rotman School of Management in 2000 following a successful career with McKinsey & Co. Her focus area is on strategic social impact for profit and non-profit organizations. She is the Academic Director for the OnBoard program, and led successful project courses such as for the Human Rights Watch Organization. She is also the Academic Director for Global and Experiential Learning at Rotman, Executive Director for Rotman’s Initiative for Women in Business, and is the Faculty Chair for the Impact and Nexus consulting teams.

In the public realm, she served on advisory committees for ministries, co-chaired Canada’s first women-only trade mission to Japan, and was on the advisory board for UN Women in Canada. Additionally, she serves as a corporate director at EllisDon, one of Canada’s largest construction companies, and on several non-profit boards.

Target Audience

This Global Practicum is focusing on Social Impact Investments in Europe, most notably Spain (Barcelona). Students interested in understanding how social impact investors decide on their investment strategies and how social enterprises can scale and be sustainable, as well as students who like to engage in hands-on project work will be the right target audience. This course is open to second year full-time and part-time MBA students. Participation number is limited to 25 spots for this course.

Prerequisite

While there is no mandatory prerequisite, it is strongly recommended that students have experience in the topic through:

  • MBA students who have demonstrated an interest in social impact by taking courses such as RSM2081 (Social Entrepreneurship), RSM 2706 (Social Impact Investing), RSM 2313 (Sustainable Finance) or related courses
  • MBA students who have undertaken project-related courses (such as OnBoard or CDL) or have previous consulting skills
  • MBA students who have first-hand experience with social enterprises

Course Dates and Format

FormatDateTime
In-Person (Rotman)Saturday, April 22, 2023
Sunday, April 23, 2023
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
In-Person Travel (Barcelona)May 7, 2023 – May 13, 2023n/a
All dates are tentative and subject to change.

Course Mission 

  • Understand the challenges of growing and sustaining a social enterprise in Spain
  • Understand the importance of balancing financial and impact considerations in social enterprise settings
  • Improved consulting skills (project planning, issues analysis, strategic recommendations formulation, client relationship management)

Course Scope

In this immersive Global Practicum, students will explore the social impact ecosystem in Spain. Through hands-on project work and input from experts, students will be introduced to social enterprises and social impact investors in a new cultural environment.

Potential topics could include:

  • Impact Measurement & decision making (area where investors’ perspective might actually differ from that of the social enterprises)
  • Social entrepreneurship: exploring social/impact investment readiness for the entrepreneur’s social enterprise
  • Accessing funding
  • What’s the best way to scale impact (vs. profit)?
  • Managing the tension between impact & process
  • SDG-related innovation consulting

Evaluation and Grade Breakdown

ComponentDue DateWeight
ParticipationBefore and During Travel20%
Project Presentation (team)During Travel80%
Note: This experiential course will use the Honours/Pass/Fail grading scale

Required Resources and Cost

A course pack will be provided. The cost is $2,500 CAD which includes hotels, ground transportation in Barcelona, welcome and farewell meals, and select cultural immersions. Students are responsible for purchasing flights to Barcelona and return to Toronto, and any tourist/transit visas if applicable. Rotman will provide a small bursary to cover meals on-site. Additional details will be released at a later time.

Enrolled students must pay the $2,500 fee in full by January 27th, 2023.

Deadline to drop (w/full refund): February 17th, 2023.  Refunds after this date may be considered on a case-by-case basis, but are not guaranteed.

Experiential Course Limit

There are limits to the number of RSM27XX range courses that students may take for credit toward their degree. Please refer to the Experiential/International Course Eligibility Specifics and Limits section on the RO website for all details.

Last Updated: 2023-03-08 @ 12:28 pm