Framing curriculum development in social work education about social enterprises: a scoping literature review

Social enterprises are emerging globally as an organizational form that can support social service nonprofits to meet sustainability and financial resource goals, along with supporting vulnerable and marginalized social groups. This scoping literature review provides a broad content and thematic analysis of current literature on social enterprises with the intention of highlighting areas for curriculum development related to this subject matter. Based on a review of 641 academic journal abstracts, it is apparent that social enterprises are emerging as a dominant organizational entity for addressing persistent social, economic, and environmental challenges in many different countries. Key themes for curriculum development relate to content associated with the political-economic environment for which social enterprises have emerged, business and marketing strategies, internal organizational dynamics (such as leadership strategies), along with an assessment of the general possible impact that social enterprises can have on vulnerable social groups. Advancement of curriculum related to social enterprises-with emphasis on business development and leadership-is an important and necessary component to effectively prepare social work students for contemporary social work practice and leadership.