Here’s your Daily Brief for October 15th:

A New Look At African Competitiveness (via Brainstorm Magazine) – Dr. Malik Fal of Endeavor South Africa proposes that Africa’s infrastructure, health, and education challenges are not the real issues behind Africa’s economic development. He argues that “competitiveness is more about creating ‘unique’ value that productivity.”

Says Fal: “Africa’s mistake has been competing on basic factors like natural resources and cheap labour, which promotes poverty instead of prosperity.” … Fal states that economies prosper if the focus is on a pragmatic, strategic approach to create more value on the assets inherent in industries and firms.

I’ve stated in the past that I believe Africa’s unique situation — the demands imparted by an environment of poverty — can be a major driver of innovation. What Fal speaks of in terms of creating an added value, I think this can be achieved by firms focusing on social value. The world is getting fed up with the poverty that exists in the 21st century, and I think a simple “Made in Africa” label on a product that employs African labor and supports poverty alleviation in a way that is mutually beneficial, is an added value in and of itself.

Social Entrepreneurship Gains Ground at Business Schools (via WSJ.com) – Social Entrepreneurship has made recent strides in the mainstream media, most recently with this article in the WSJ. It takes a look at the growing number of MBAs seeking to integrate social value into business. Because of growing interest in social enterprise by students, MBA programs are beginning to look at how to restructure their curriculums to assist this movement. What’s interesting is the debate over what is behind this movement:

Some administrators say it’s a generational progression of business-school students who have grown up more socially aware. Others say a lack of traditional jobs has spurred an interest in entrepreneurial ventures—and the focus on societal impact is partly a matter of trying to escape the stigma of the “greedy M.B.A.”

Another point made is that a social enterprise may be more attractive for investors, particularly during this economic climate:

“Financing is tough for start-ups,” says Mr. Fairbrothers. “For investors to take a risk with you, it helps to have tangible social good coming from it, not just the promise of a fat IPO that will make everyone rich.”

B Lab’s first annual report: Much progress made, much work left to do (via Anne Field) – An update on B-Corps: More than 200 companies in 54 industries are certified as B-Corps!