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The story of MIC
Our case study shows how MIC became the first accredited Social Enterprise hotel and student accommodation provider in the UK. Click here to download Powerpoint Presentation.
Can I be a social entrepreneur and be green?
The fine line between being entrepreneurial for your own good or for the good of the planet…
Fighting for people and planet has become a business cliché. When anti-capitalist fervour reigned, you knew which side you were on. Now business poses as a confusing ally. Harvard Business School even has an MBA Oath – a version of the Hippocratic oath – MBAs can swear to "create sustainable economic, social and environmental prosperity worldwide". (Meanwhile the annual Greenwash awards given by a consortium of NGOs are a celebratory way to out the most audacious pretenders.)
Robert Ashton's How to be a Social Entrepreneur: Make Money and Change the World (Capstone, £14.99) distinguishes a social entrepreneur – "someone who works in an entrepreneurial manner, but for public or social benefit rather than simply to make money" (sse.org.uk) – from a social enterprise (business trading for social and environmental purposes, socialenterprise.org.uk). London hotel and conference centre the MIC Centre is a social enterprise – it's been awarded the first Social Enterprise Mark. The badge helps to clarify criteria. But remember, there are many ways to work the term "Not for Profit".
Social entrepreneurs often reinvest much of the profit they make back into the cause. This might sound elastic, but should absolutely be encouraged.
Click here to view online.
Social Enterprise Day
Open Day 18th November 2010
Open Day 11.00-19.00
Come and see us during our open day on Thursday the 18th November and find out more about our facilities and services and also the work of our charity. Our friendly staff will be available for show rounds.
It’s time to meet your local social enterprise
MIC Hotel and Conference Centre is opening its doors to mark Social Enterprise Day, which takes place on Thursday 18 November 2010.
MIC is inviting the people of Camden to visit its premises to find out more about what it does and why it’s different to other businesses in the area.
MIC Hotel and Conference Centre is one of 62,000 social enterprises in the UK, which are set apart from normal businesses because they have a social or environmental aim. All of our profits are put back into the business or given directly to the community, rather than going to owners or shareholders.
Visitors will have the opportunity to meet our staff, view the facilities and see and hear first-hand how MIC Hotel and Conference Centre benefits the community. There will be opportunities to meet the Chairman of MIC, Dr. Stuart Burgess, as well as finding out more about our charitable trust.
Keen to raise awareness of social enterprise in Camden
Explaining why MIC has chosen to open its doors, Commercial Director, James Barr said:
“It’s really important that people who live and work nearby know that we’re here, and that we’re different. We’re proof that a business can work in the interests of a community and contribute to the economy. We reinvest our profits, provide local jobs, trade fairly and provide fair-trade food and sustainable services.
“We’re one of many social enterprises in the country opening its doors as part of a national campaign called ‘It’s time to meet your local social enterprise’. Not everybody knows what a social enterprise is, but we want to help change that. When people see first-hand the positive impact of a social enterprise, it can be really motivating and inspiring.
“There should be more social enterprises doing business in Camden. It would improve our community in so many ways. My door is always open to anybody who wants to find out more.”
Community benefits of social enterprises
Social Enterprises put any surplus profits back into the business or give them directly to the community.
- Social Enterprises have a social or environmental aim at their core.
- Social Enterprises often provide employment for people, including those who find it hard to get a job because of a disability, long term health condition or criminal record.
- Social Enterprises can offer a more flexible approach to work. For example, they strive to be more accommodating of single parents and new mothers.
- Social Enterprises often invite their staff to become co-owners of the business, which means that employees have a real say in how the organisation is run.
MIC is the First Social Enterprise Hotel in UK, click here for press release
Making Sense of Food
New developments at MIC
The MIC Hotel and Conference Centre is committed to offering the highest standards of ethical hospitality so that all guests can eat, meet and sleep confident that the sustainable use of natural resources is at the heart of the social enterprise that is MIC. This ethical commitment draws on the spiritual basis fundamental to the Methodist Church and the inspiration for Hilda Porter, the founder of MIC.
A key element of ethical hospitality is the food served to guests. These days restaurants and hotels are thinking more about sustainable and ethical sourcing. At MIC the use of fair trade, local and organic ingredients to provide menus that make the most of local and seasonal food, has been the guiding principle.
To take this further MIC have started an exciting development project, working with acknowledged sustainable restaurant pioneer Barny Haughton and organic food expert Christopher Stopes to further develop the food sourcing and menus to meet the highest possible ethical standards, consistent with the spiritual purpose that lies behind the vision of MIC.
Working closely with the excellent and committed MIC kitchen and front of house staff we are reviewing current suppliers and working on seasonal menus that build on what the best suppliers can provide and that make the most of what they produce, whether they are 20 or 2000 miles away. Examples of key priorities include the highest animal welfare and making the best of cheaper cuts of meat; the greatest respect for the seasons and making the most of what is locally available. Key to all this is building our relationships with the suppliers so that the MIC’s guests know who the farmers are and what they are producing whether it is the beef, the carrots or the spices.
Workshops and demonstrations, farm visits and hands-on experience for MIC staff will help bring the reality of ethical and sustainable food to life. MIC wants to be able to strengthen links with producers and make these links visible to guests. We want to provide ethical hospitality that demonstrates MIC’s faith commitment through our food, spiritually based on values and ethics. The food development project will help us deliver this vital promise and enable MIC to offer something that is distinctive and special – a real benchmark for ethical hospitality. We will keep you updated on our progress in future editions of the newsletter.
