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Hassan H

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Is Social Business the future of capitalism ?

Social business, as the term is commonly used, was first defined by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus and is described in his books Creating a world without poverty—Social Business and the future of capitalism and Building Social Business—The new kind of capitalism that serves humanity's most pressing needs.

In Yunus' definition, a social business is a non-loss, non-dividend company designed to address a social objective within the highly regulated marketplace of today. It is distinct from a non-profit because the business should seek to generate a modest profit but this will be used to expand the company’s reach, improve the product or service or in other ways to subsidise the social mission.

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Topics: Social Innovation capitalism collaboative innovation environmental awareness environmental problem muhammad yunus philanthropy social business social change sustainability
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    Raphael Musanyera

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    May 7 2012: i think it is Hassan. if you look through history, the world has tried both socialist and capitalist models, each one having essentially desirable characteristics. I think we are just looking for common ground between the two. in essence, the social business model is the best of both worlds. i suppose Hegel was right "thesis + antithesis = synthesis." it seems clear to me however, that capitalism and the drive for profit will stand the test of time, in a contest that will often see capitalism embracing elements of socialism.... ala "social business?" unlikely in the way we would want it, but in a way closer to the social business ideal.

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