Impact Assessment emerging as a new business; pegged at USD 500 billion
Updated: Mar 07, 2013 09:01:51pm
London, Mar 5 (KNN) Impact assessment sector which shows the effect of different businesses on environment and social issues, is expected to see an exponential growth in the global market.
In the next five to ten years, it is expected to be worth USD 500 billion, according to a statement by the Said Business School in the Oxford University.
The social impact assessment is important even for the Indian industry including the small enterprises which find it difficult to cope with the new and emerging environmental challenges.
TheOxford Impact Investing Programme is intended to benefit financial, social and environmental returns. It presents a new set of challenges to non-governmental organisations and foundations engaged in the social sector.
Co-director of the Impact Investing Programme, Gayle Peterson commented on the need for the social impact investment programme. “There has been a huge cultural shift in the social sector in recent years with foundations and other philanthropic organisations moving increasingly to an investment strategy rather than focusing solely on pure grant-giving. Foundations are looking for new ways of using their money to have greater impact, and significantly, they are seeking explicit measurable returns across a range of criteria including both social goods and financial returns in order to extend their work,” he said.
Clearly, the shift in strategy,according to Peterson would fundamentally change the nature of work of organisations engaged in social development.“It requires new skill sets and approaches from their staff, changes the decision-making process internally in evaluating which projects to support, and transforms their relationships with the social ventures they work with. All this means that there is a real need to build insight and skills, and to share best practice within the sector,” he added.
Oxford is uniquely placed to offer the programme with their world-leading expertise in social entrepreneurship at theSkoll Centre, highly-respected innovative approaches to developing leaders, financial expertise, and a group of academics undertaking path-breaking research with NGOs and social ventures in communities in the developing world.
The new programme is expected to help participants develop an advanced understanding of the sector so they can refine their impact investing strategy. Further, it will equip them with practical skills to design innovative transactions to maximise societal change. Topics will include how to manage a new set of financial instruments, how to structure high impact deals with multiple bottom-line results, how to address the rigours of due diligence and assess risk, and how best to support effective community-based projects.
Participants will learn how to exit projects, how to measure the social impact of the investment and communicate the returns. Hence, the programme will offer a powerful blend of leadership strategy and financial acumen.
International in perspective, the programme is expected to attract participants from around the globe.The first Oxford Impact Investing programme is scheduled to be held from 13-16 April 2013, immediately following theSkoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship – the leading international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world's most pressing social issues.
Commenting on the four-day programme, Academic Director of the programme, Alex Nicholls said, “This new programme is created with 21st century business challenges and the deep-seated systemic issues we call ‘wicked problems’ in mind.”
“Our goal is to help participants to understand the complex environment within which they are operating and to provide them with the practical tools for doing deals that will result in significant triple bottom-line social, environmental, and financial change,” he added.
In addition, participants will explore the many issues at play with the help of two new case studies developed within the school with support from the W K Kellogg Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world. Significantly, resource persons will include experienced professionals in the sector and senior staff from the Kellogg Foundation.
Of their involvement in the programmes, President and Chief Executive Officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Sterling Speirn said, “We are delighted to contribute to the launch of Saïd Business School’s Impact Investing Programme, which we believe shines a light on an opportunity area. We are hopeful that our experiences—which will be shared through programme cases, content, and knowledge—will demonstrate how social objectives, such as improving conditions for vulnerable children, can be achieved by blending strategic grant-making with financial investments in companies that can return on a double bottom line investment, by which we mean financial and social return.”
“Our diverse portfolio of more than 20 active investments in education, health and economic security initiatives provides a window into how this work can make a difference for communities committed to making real and lasting change,” Speirn added.
In the next five to ten years, it is expected to be worth USD 500 billion, according to a statement by the Said Business School in the Oxford University.
The social impact assessment is important even for the Indian industry including the small enterprises which find it difficult to cope with the new and emerging environmental challenges.
TheOxford Impact Investing Programme is intended to benefit financial, social and environmental returns. It presents a new set of challenges to non-governmental organisations and foundations engaged in the social sector.
Co-director of the Impact Investing Programme, Gayle Peterson commented on the need for the social impact investment programme. “There has been a huge cultural shift in the social sector in recent years with foundations and other philanthropic organisations moving increasingly to an investment strategy rather than focusing solely on pure grant-giving. Foundations are looking for new ways of using their money to have greater impact, and significantly, they are seeking explicit measurable returns across a range of criteria including both social goods and financial returns in order to extend their work,” he said.
Clearly, the shift in strategy,according to Peterson would fundamentally change the nature of work of organisations engaged in social development.“It requires new skill sets and approaches from their staff, changes the decision-making process internally in evaluating which projects to support, and transforms their relationships with the social ventures they work with. All this means that there is a real need to build insight and skills, and to share best practice within the sector,” he added.
Oxford is uniquely placed to offer the programme with their world-leading expertise in social entrepreneurship at theSkoll Centre, highly-respected innovative approaches to developing leaders, financial expertise, and a group of academics undertaking path-breaking research with NGOs and social ventures in communities in the developing world.
The new programme is expected to help participants develop an advanced understanding of the sector so they can refine their impact investing strategy. Further, it will equip them with practical skills to design innovative transactions to maximise societal change. Topics will include how to manage a new set of financial instruments, how to structure high impact deals with multiple bottom-line results, how to address the rigours of due diligence and assess risk, and how best to support effective community-based projects.
Participants will learn how to exit projects, how to measure the social impact of the investment and communicate the returns. Hence, the programme will offer a powerful blend of leadership strategy and financial acumen.
International in perspective, the programme is expected to attract participants from around the globe.The first Oxford Impact Investing programme is scheduled to be held from 13-16 April 2013, immediately following theSkoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship – the leading international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world's most pressing social issues.
Commenting on the four-day programme, Academic Director of the programme, Alex Nicholls said, “This new programme is created with 21st century business challenges and the deep-seated systemic issues we call ‘wicked problems’ in mind.”
“Our goal is to help participants to understand the complex environment within which they are operating and to provide them with the practical tools for doing deals that will result in significant triple bottom-line social, environmental, and financial change,” he added.
In addition, participants will explore the many issues at play with the help of two new case studies developed within the school with support from the W K Kellogg Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world. Significantly, resource persons will include experienced professionals in the sector and senior staff from the Kellogg Foundation.
Of their involvement in the programmes, President and Chief Executive Officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Sterling Speirn said, “We are delighted to contribute to the launch of Saïd Business School’s Impact Investing Programme, which we believe shines a light on an opportunity area. We are hopeful that our experiences—which will be shared through programme cases, content, and knowledge—will demonstrate how social objectives, such as improving conditions for vulnerable children, can be achieved by blending strategic grant-making with financial investments in companies that can return on a double bottom line investment, by which we mean financial and social return.”
“Our diverse portfolio of more than 20 active investments in education, health and economic security initiatives provides a window into how this work can make a difference for communities committed to making real and lasting change,” Speirn added.
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