Ideas with Impact
UNB Faculty of Management

A new business course at UNB’s faculty of management is teaching students how to use their business and entrepreneurial skills to solve social problems and support community groups. Students in the new Community Leadership course conduct research to examine community issues, draft a vision statement for a social venture and prepare business plans and financial models. Students also work with community stakeholders through the course, which is now required by all students in their third year of the BBA.

Dr. David Foord, professor of entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation developed the course and has been teaching it for two years. “The goal of the course is to teach students how to create value beyond a profit focus alone through community projects,” he says. “The students solve issues for community stakeholders through engagement with community organizations. Work activities emphasize community enhancement, development, and sustainability.

Since the course was first introduced, students have completed projects to address a variety of social. As an example, this year BBA students Shelby Dunfield and Michelle Armour created a website called EndFo that provides support to people with endometriosis. Their website consolidates information about pain management options, endo-diet recipes and helpful exercises, all made accessible through plain language.

Community Leadership was launched in 2022 as part of the faculty’s vison to become an experiential business school, providing experiential learning to all students in each year of the BBA program.

Foord says, “The projects in the course act as both team activities for the students as well as cases through which students reflect on theories of social innovation and change.  This semester we are increasing the number of projects with external partners, as well as including new instructional materials on managing relationships with clients and developing and managing statements of work.  As with the website developed by Shelby and Michelle, students develop real ventures in the course.”

PHOTO: Dr. David Foord developed a new experiential course on community leadership which is now required in the third year of the BBA program.

Learn more about UNB’s faculty of managment.

Media contact: Liz Lemon-Mitchell.