Can entrepreneurship help to reduce poverty?
Building on the foundation from week 1, this session will give you a deeper dive into the relationship between poverty and entrepreneurship. Professor Michael Morris will have a discussion with Rock André, founder and CEO of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership in Haiti. Rock will use his own experience as an entrepreneur in Haiti to help us explore how social entrepreneurship can increase wealth and resilience in communities worldwide.
Meet Our Guest: Rock André
Presented by Michael Morris
Founder and CEO, CEDEL HAITI
Rock André is founder and CEO of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership in Haiti (CEDEL HAITI), a social enterprise that promotes the development of the entrepreneurial spirit in Haiti.
The idea to create CEDEL HAITI came from the observation made by Rock and some of his friends and colleagues of the various kinds of difficulties faced by Haitian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). They were also attracted by the many challenges facing aspiring entrepreneurs to get started in entrepreneurship. CEDEL HAITI was thus created to be the instrument which allows entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to realize their dreams.
Rock holds a bachelor’s degree in planning and economics from the Center for Planning Techniques and Applied Economics and a master’s in Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University.
What Trauma Taught Me About Resilience
Presented by Michael Morris
In this powerful video from TEDxCharlotte, Charles Hunt shares what trauma taught him about resilience: that it is one of the most important traits to have, is critical to happiness and success, and can be learned.
Adept at leveraging transparency to inspire and get results, this former College Recruiting, Talent Management, Diversity, and Supply Chain leader left the corporate world to fulfill his vision of building unbreakable spirits and cultivating resiliency for those who, like him, have The Audacity to Succeed. Hunt helps students and young professionals build resilience, believe in bigger and greater for themselves, and create the educational, financial, and professional plans to get there.
The Liability of Poorness: Why the Playing Field is Not Level for Poverty Entrepreneurs
Presented by Michael Morris
Entrepreneurship is increasingly emphasized as a pathway out of poverty. However, the complex, multi‐faceted nature of the poverty experience has important implications for the ability to launch and sustain viable businesses.
All entrepreneurs must overcome the liabilities of newness and smallness, as reflected in a lack of legitimacy with stakeholders, inadequate resources and capabilities, an unclear identity, misunderstood roles and unclear role definitions, few established routines and procedures, and little bargaining power. However, poverty entrepreneurs face an additional barrier, which we term the liability of poorness.
This brief paper explores four underlying dimensions of the liability of poorness: literacy shortcomings, a scarcity mindset, significant non‐business distractions, and the lack of financial slack or a safety net. It is argued that, as the liability of poorness becomes greater, the vulnerability and fragility of the poverty entrepreneur’s venture are apt to increase. Under such circumstances, significant external shocks and unexpected occurrences, such as the economic shutdown resulting from the COVID‐19 pandemic, typically have a more devastating impact on the ventures of the poor. We’ll examine what policies are needed to level the playing field.
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Presented by Michael Morris
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Featured Speakers:
- Rock André, Founder and CEO, CEDEL HAITI
- Michael Morris, Professor of the Practice, McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business