The Pearl Principle Business Model: The Entrepreneurial Development Management

The Current Situation:

In the Philippines, at least 50 million people consider themselves poor. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 2, 2006).

Seven in ten Filipinos (70%) say their personal circumstance worsened over the last year, while 83% are of the opinion that the national quality of life of most Filipinos and their families is worse now than it was a year ago. (Pulse Asia, March 2006)

On the other hand, the state of Philippine education is bleak. 9.2 million out of 57.6 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 years cannot read, write, subtract and add, or understand simple instructions. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 5, 2006)

Our Answer: Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurs are Generative Leaders who combine business savvy with social mission. They are P.E.A.R.L.S.: Passionate, Ethical, Action-oriented, Results-focused, Leaders of Society.

They lead, inspire, create a vision and engage people to generate something from within themselves, thereby, fundamentally changing communities. Social entrepreneurs are catalysts of change.

Social entrepreneurs, Bill Drayton says, “are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”

The CIE Six High Impact Programmes (S.H.I.P.)
In line with its vision to become a veritable institution who champions the upliftment of the quality of human life, CIE takes up as its social mission the challenge of confronting our country’s problem of illiteracy and poverty. CIE espouses the Pearl principle advocating the ideology of “initiating change from within and within one’s sphere of influence” in order to “transform a state of hopelessness into a state of optimism where opportunities are created as in the creation of a pearl.” CIE has chosen social engagement and the Pearl Principle as the anchor of its social entrepreneurship programmes.

CIE captains the SHIP in spearheading the creation of Social Enterprises to address problems in illiteracy and poverty. The SHIP is an acronym for Six High Impact Programmes of CIE putting into action tenets of the Pearl Principle. These are viable and sustainable development programmes that can be undertaken by NGOs, POs, cooperatives and like-minded individuals including CIE students who dare to engage in this mission as partners.

CIE, believing that everyone is an active learner who creates meaning not only through theory but more importantly through practice, has in fact required its own students to be advocates of the PEARL Principle. Graduating classes in high school and college engage in projects that actually help alleviate the life of a disadvantaged family. They teach families life-skills to earn, manage and sustain themselves to truly improve their quality of life.

CIE S.H.I.P. shall turn adversities into opportunities by creating Social Enterprises undertaken not as acts of charity but as processes of reciprocity so that it may ultimately create an intrinsic value to the community that CIE serves.

Entrepreneurial Development Management (EDM)
Traditional sources of funding are becoming scarce. Donor-fatigue syndrome is mounting because of global recession and economic crisis.

The EDM model dares to help eradicate poverty and illiteracy by creating social enterprises undertaken NOT as acts of charity, but processes of reciprocity, ultimately creating an intrinsic value to the community it serves. The EDM Business Model is self-generating because it has a mechanism for internal resource generation.

The main requirement is PASSION for social engagement to make a difference in the pursuit of nation building.

No license fee is required.

The Ship support package to launch your journey towards social entrepreneurship

• Affiliation and support from established reputable private schools.
• High Standard Curriculum
• Quality Assurance from GEQ
• Comprehensive Training Program
• Management Consulting Support from GEQ
• Standardised Operations Manual
• Assistance in site improvement
• Consulting support on Finance Management and Fund Generation
  

The Pearl Principle: Social Entrepreneurship

Combining the very best of the not-for-profit, philanthropic world with the very best of the for-profit, enterprising world...

The Current Situation
Billions of private funds have been poured, directly or indirectly into the public school system to improve the quality of education. Yet, the deterioration continues.

The state of Philippine education is bleak. Official statistics from the Department of Education reveals that 9.2 million out of 57.6 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 years cannot read, write, subtract and add, or understand simple instructions.

Our answer: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

They are Generative Leaders who combine savvy with social mission. They are P.E.A.R.L.S.: Passionate, Ethical, Action-oriented, Results-focused, Leaders of Society.

They lead, inspire, provide a vision and engage people to create something of themselves, thereby, fundamentally changing communities. Social entrepreneurs are catalysts of change.

Bill Drayton defines a social entrepreneur as someone who recognizes when a part of society is STUCK, and provides new ways to get it UNSTUCK. He finds what is not working and solves the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution and persuading entire societies to take quantum leaps.

Social entrepreneurs, Drayton adds, "are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."

However, social entrepreneurs are like other entrepreneurs. They look for "irritants" in the environment and convert these into opportunities. They do this mainly as a social mission, with the savvy of "combining the very best of the not-for-profit, philanthropic world with the very best of the for-profit, enterprising world" (Bill Strickland, "Genius at Work"). They pursue their goals with the same fervor and discipline as any true blue entrepreneur.

Our Solution: THINKING OUT-OF-THE-BOX

What if, the not-for-profit and the for-profit organizations work together to address this problem?

The NGOs, POs, cooperatives or individuals can get together to take up the challenge and set up an alternative parallel school system. This concept is called the Pearl Principle Formation School (PPFS) System. PPFS System is established in support of public school but planned, led, organized and coordinated for quality by the people, of the people, for the people. We can begin by establishing a program from Kindergarten until Grade 2.

The Pearl Principle Formation School System
The first 6 years in a child's life, the early childhood stage, is the most crucial because it is within this period that the foundation of one's PERSONHOOD is laid out. The PPFS System offers pre-school education with a strong bias on Reading and Comprehension, Writing, Mathematics and English as a Second Language.

The PPFS System uses a curriculum validated by a system-wide Quality Assurance, known as Global Examinations and Qualifications (GEQ). Designed by curriculum experts from leading private schools, less privileged students are assured of better quality education. It is administered using a curriculum that is consistent with quality standards, and supported by first-rate teacher training offered at a very affordable cost.

The Business Model
Traditional sources of funding are becoming scarce. Donor-fatigue syndrome is mounting because of global recession and economic crisis.

The ultimate goal is to have the parallel school system attain self-sufficiency while increasing its social impact. This is achieved by massively promoting Social Entrepreneurship to operate as many Pearl Principle Formation Schools as possible in urban as well as rural areas.

The main requirement is the passion for social engagement to make a difference in the development of our country. NO LICENSE FEE is required.

The Challenge
How many of us will dare find the gift within ourselves and actually turn it into something positive? How many of us can find and honor our strength and flexibility with the inner power to create and succeed rather than break apart?

Engage with us in this mission - for love of country. Together, let us build a better future for Filipinos through quality education.

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE
PPFS Requirement

* Passion for social engagement to make a difference in the development of our country.

* A minimum land area of 200 sq. m. situated in lower middle class communities with provisions for at least 2 classrooms at 45 sq. m. per classroom.

WHAT YOU GET
PPFS Support Package

* Affiliation and support froM established reputable private schools
* High Standard Curriculum
* Quality Assurance from GEQ
* Comprehensive Training Program
* Management consulting support from GEQ
* Standardized Operations Manual
* Assistance in site improvement
* Consulting support on Finance Management

The Pearl Principle is an ideology of positive change. It states that one has to initiate change from within and within one's sphere of influence. It is an advocacy of transforming a state of hopelessness into a state of optimism where opportunities are created as in the creation of a pearl.

Attend the PPFS ORIENTATION on August 12, 2006, 10:00 a.m., at the 10/F Cordova Condominium Valero corner Sedeño Streets, Salcedo Village, Makati City

Call: Manila Telefax (02) 8889999
Direct Line (02) 8923088

Cebu Telefax (032) 2332522
Direct Line (032) 4127633

The Pearl Principle: Social Entrepreneurs

There were seven (7) problems of the country brought up and discussed in the Pearl Principle National Conference last September 28-29, 2004. These were the issues on poverty, unemployment/underemployment, peace and order, the deteriorating standards in education, corruption, over-population and our national “identity crisis.”

The participants presented possible solutions followed by the usual debates. Most of the proposed solutions were “top-to-bottom” strategies. We are not saying we do not need change at the top. We are in total agreement that we do- but we must be able to do more from where we are standing right now.

The Pearl Principle believes in a “bottom-to-top” approach. This will ensure a solid footing for any long-term change to be sustained. This begins with change from within and within one’s sphere of influence.

However, what kind of people can take on the Herculean task of solving such problems in their level within their spheres of influence--- without political power and/or unlimited resources? We will need people with “inexhaustible determination” to persist and endure the long and difficult journey of such transformation.

A Savvy with Social Mission

Our answer: We need SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS who are Generative Leaders possessing characteristics of P.E.A.R.L.S. (Passionate, Ethical, Action-oriented, Results-focused, Leaders of Society).

They can lead, inspire, provide a vision, as well as engage people to create something of themselves, thereby, fundamentally changing communities. Social entrepreneurs are catalysts of change. Pearl Principle advocates are social entrepreneurs.

Bill Drayton defines the job of a social entrepreneur as someone who recognizes when a part of society is STRUCK and can solves the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution and persuading entire societies to take quantum leaps.

He said, “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”

Social entrepreneurs, however, are just like other entrepreneurs. They also look for “irritants” in the environment and convert these into opportunities. They do this mainly as a social mission, with the savvy of “combining the very best of the not-for-profit, philanthropic world with the very best of the for-profit, enterprising world,” (Bill Strickland, “Genius at Work”). They pursue their goals with the same fervor and discipline as any true blue-blooded entrepreneur.

Pearl Schools

The Pearl Principle advocates, after a series of monthly meetings, have proposed to address one of the issues that cropped up in the conference. They decided to tackle the deteriorating standards in the public education system. Results of national achievement tests as well as international surveys were reviewed. The dismal performance of the Philippines in the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and its repeat test was a shocker, a reality check so hard to accept. In Science Grade 8, we placed 42nd among 45 countries; in Mathematics, we lodged one level higher at 41st. In Grade 4 Science and Math, we were consistently on the 23rd place out of the 25 participating countries. The equally discouraging results of the High School Readiness Test have left the Department of Education with no other choice but to put in place the controversial Bridging Programs.

The Pearl Principle Nation Movement shall initiate change by establishing the Pearl Schools. These schools will be strategically located nationwide where under-served middle class families live.

The Pearl Schools are conceptualized as a parallel school system to that of the Department of Education. The Pearl Schools will rise because of the people, for the people and shall be run by the people.

The Pearl Schools are assures of a customized curricula based on the situational analysis of the most current baseline skills of students and the immediate needs of the community to spur economic development in that particular area. These curricula will be designed by the sponsor education institution, CIE Global Colleges renowned as the School for Leaders and the only International Associate Partner of the University of Cambridge through its International Examinations Division. CIE, as sponsor agency will provide initial funding for the Pearl Schools.

CIE will share with the Pearl Schools applicable and relevant educational best practices from among private schools here and abroad. This will be an attempt to bridge the educational gap and learning opportunities between the public school system catering to the under-served middle class and exclusive private schools for the elite.

Social Return on Investment (SROI)

Each Pearl School will be given an Instructional Blueprint to follow. A system-wide Quality Assurance will be in place, led by the Pearl Principle advocates who are noted academics.

Let it be clear that the Pearl School System is to be established in support of all the efforts of the Department of Education to improve the quality of basic education. The Pearl Schools can help fast-track innovations because it does not have to contend with a bureaucracy. This is just like piloting new programs that would otherwise entail huge amounts of funding for research, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

As Social Entrepreneurs, the Pearl Principle advocates know very well that traditional forms of funding are becoming smaller. There is a widespread “donor-fatigue” syndrome growing worldwide especially because of global recession and economic crisis.

Business Plan Format:

A simple yet typical business plan includes the following:

Market need – significant of the problem/need this service wishes to address;
Product/Service – must have a unique value proposition;
Environment analysis – who are doing the same things?
Marketing plan – what is the target market? the strategies that will be used;
Financial requirements – sources and uses of capital; projected cash flow
Intellectual property strategy – what intellectual property exists and can it be protected?
Management team – who is involved and what is their experience?
Social Return on Investment (SROI) – describe social impact (preferably in qualitative and quantitative terms)

The Pearl Principle. Copyright Centre for International Education. All rights reserved.