Curricula

Objectives

The course is geared towards individuals planning to develop and launch their own businesses. The course should help students identify a successful entrepreneur’s characteristics and coach them in some basic business skills, teaching them to write a business plan, launch a new venture, identify market opportunities, create a business plan, and build a competitive advantage.

Applied Business Skills (IBBUS)
Apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge to analyze business challenges and global trends in entrepreneurship to propose or put into action a business plan for a company start-up.

Content

The core parts of the course include Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, Sources of opportunity recognition, creativity and idea generation, Competitive analysis, Business Model Development, Feasibility Analysis, Writing and pitching a business plan.

Time and location

Session 1: Friday 14-October (In-person); Time: 18h45-19h45 (French time)
https://jamk.zoom.us/j/67315689595?pwd=aHFXVW1tZmRVTGpnNnhtUzdCWlhIUT09

Session 2: Friday 28-October (In-person); Time: 18h45-20h00 (French time)
https://jamk.zoom.us/j/64453984279

Session 3: Friday 04-November (asynchronous session)

Session 4: Friday 18-November (asynchronous session)

Session 5: Friday 25-November (In-person); Time: 18h45-19h45 (French time)
https://jamk.zoom.us/j/66819744828

Session 6: Friday 09-December (asynchronous session)

Learning materials and recommended literature

Recommended literature:

- Barringer, B.R. & Ireland, R.D (2019), "Successfully Launching New Ventures", Pearson, 6th edition.
- Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y (2011), "Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers", Pearson.
- Ries, E. (2011), “The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses”, New York: Crown Business.

Teaching methods

The course involves a Project-based learning (PBL): a student-centered learning practice designed to teach concepts using real-world problems and challenges. The sessions will be running either online or in-person.

Exam dates and retake possibilities

- During the last session, students are expected to have an oral presentation as well as a final Quizz.

Student workload

Materials for individual and group homeworks are available on Moodle.

Introductory Quizz (5%)

-Assignment 1:

Group homework: “Your ideal customer” (15%)

-Assignment 2:

Group homework: Build a concept test for your new venture (20%)

- Assignment 3:

Group homework: Sketch-up a business model canvas for your new venture (10%)

- Assignment 4:

Group homework: Build a competitive analysis grid for your new venture (20%)

- Assignment 5:

Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for your venture (10%)

- Assignment 6:

Prepare a video for your pitch (12 slides ppt, 10 mn) and post it on the platform no later than 09-December (10%)

- Final exam: [Quizz] (30mn) (10%)

Content scheduling

Chapter 1: Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship

 Summarize what entrepreneurship is and what entrepreneurs do
 Understand the costs and benefits of entrepreneurship
 Analyze entrepreneurial backgrounds and characteristics
 Recognize the various entrepreneurial options

Chapter 2: Entrepreneurs recognize opportunities

 Explain the difference between opportunities and ideas.
 Describe the three general approaches entrepreneurs use to identify opportunities.
 Discuss the personal characteristics of entrepreneurs that contribute to their ability to recognize business opportunities.
 Identify and describe techniques entrepreneurs use to generate ideas.

Chapter 3 : What a feasibility analysis is and why is important?

 Describe the purpose of a product/service feasibility analysis and the primary issues that should be considered in this area
 Describe the purpose of industry/market feasibility analysis and the primary issues to consider in this area
 Explain the importance of financial feasibility analysis and list the most critical issues to consider in this area

Chapter 4: Developing an effective business model

 Describe business models and discuss their importance
 Prepare a Business Model Canvas
 Explain the components of the Business Model Canvas that entrepreneurs can use to develop a business model for their firm

Chapter 5: Building a competitive advantage

 Your competitive advantage
 Identifying competitors
 Competitor analysis

Chapter 6: Writing a business plan

 Identify primary business plan contents
 Summarize the various purposes for a business plan and the audiences for one
 Differentiate the components of a business plan
 Recognize and demonstrate proper development and formatting of a business plan

Chapter 7: The lean startup methodology

 Recognize the fundamental principles of lean startup
 Describe how the lean cycle works
 Design an experiment

Further information for students

The final grade is composed of:

-Assignements posted on Moodle platorm (weighted between 5% and 20% of the final grade)

-Oral presentation (last session): 10%

-Final Quizz (last session): 10%

Evaluation scale

0-5

Evaluation criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

Applied Business Skills- You show some ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Applied Business Skills- You show basic ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Evaluation criteria, good (3-4)

Applied Business Skills- You clearly show ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Applied Business Skills- You clearly show ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Evaluation criteria, excellent (5)

Applied Business Skills- You show excellent ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Evaluation criteria, pass/failed

N/A

Prerequisites

None

Further information

Detailed and up-to-date information is available in the course workspace.

Objectives

The course is geared towards individuals planning to develop and launch their own businesses. The course should help students identify a successful entrepreneur’s characteristics and coach them in some basic business skills, teaching them to write a business plan, launch a new venture, identify market opportunities, create a business plan, and build a competitive advantage.

Applied Business Skills (IBBUS)
Apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge to analyze business challenges and global trends in entrepreneurship to propose or put into action a business plan for a company start-up.

Content

The core parts of the course include Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, Sources of opportunity recognition, creativity and idea generation, Competitive analysis, Business Model Development, Feasibility Analysis, Writing and pitching a business plan.

Learning materials and recommended literature

Recommended literature:

- Barringer, B.R. & Ireland, R.D (2019), "Successfully Launching New Ventures", Pearson, 6th edition.
- Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y (2011), "Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers", Pearson.
- Ries, E. (2011), “The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses”, New York: Crown Business.

Teaching methods

- Synchronous and asynchronous teaching

- Two in-person sessions
-Four asynchronous sessions: course slides, group homeworks for a new venture creation, a final exam (Quiz), oral presentation.

Practical training and working life connections

The course aims to provide basic skills and knowledge for starting up a company

Exam dates and retake possibilities

Detailed and up-to-date information is available in the course workspace.

Alternative completion methods

Detailed and up-to-date information is available in the course workspace.

No alternative completion methods other than available through the NEOLMS course workspace.

Student workload

-Thursday 28-April: Assignment 1 deadline (Group homework): “Your ideal customer”, to be submitted no later than 28-April, on the class platform

-Thursday 12-Mai : Assignment 2 deadline (Group homework): Build a concept test for your new venture. The results of your concept test (Interviews with 15 people) are to be submitted no later than 12-Mai on the class platform

-Thursday 19-Mai: Assignment 3 deadline (Group homework) to be submitted no later than 19-Mai on the class platform: Sketch-up a business model canvas for your new venture

-Thursday 26-Mai: Assignment 4 deadline (Group homework): Analyse your competitive advantage and build a competitive analysis grid for your new venture. To be submitted no later than 26-Mai on the class platform.

-Thursday 02-Juin: Assignment 5 deadline (Group homework): Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for your venture to be submitted (no later than 02-June) on the class platform

-Thursday 02-Juin: Assignment 6 deadline (Group homework): Prepare a video for your pitch (12 slides ppt, 10 mn) and post it on the platform no later than 02-June

Content scheduling

Session 1: Thursday 21-April (in person) 1,5 hours:

- Course practicalities: timings, objectives, format, evaluation
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Session 2 : Thursday 28-April (in-person):

- Recognizing opportunities and generating ideas

 Explain the difference between ideas and opportunities
 Identify and describe the Roots of Opportunity
 Discuss the personal characteristics of entrepreneurs that contribute to their ability to recognize business opportunities
 Evaluate a business idea

Session 3 : Thursday 12-May (asynchronous):

- What a feasibility analysis is and why is important?

 Describe the purpose of a product/service feasibility analysis and the primary issues that should be considered in this area
 Describe the purpose of industry/market feasibility analysis and the primary issues to consider in this area
 Explain the importance of financial feasibility analysis and list the most critical issues to consider in this area

Session 4: Thursday 19-May (asynchronous session):

Developing an effective business model

 Describe business models and discuss their importance
 Prepare a Business Model Canvas
 Explain the components of the Business Model Canvas that entrepreneurs can use to develop a business model for their firm


Session 5: Thursday 26-Mai (asynchronous session):

- Building a competitive advantage

 Your competitive advantage
 Identifying competitors
 Competitor analysis


Session 6: Thursday 02-June (asynchronous session) :

Pitching a business idea

 The lean startup methodology
 Pitching a business idea

Assignment 5 deadline (Group homework):

- Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for your venture to be submitted (no later than 02-June) on the class platform (10%)

Assignment 6 deadline (Group homework):

- Prepare a video for your pitch (12 slides ppt, 10 mn) and post it on the platform no later than 02-June (10%)


Final exam: [Quizz] (30mn) (10%) on 02-June (time to be communicated later)

Further information for students

-All assignments posted on the platform are weighted between 5% and 20% of the final grade

-Oral presentation (last session): 10%

-Final Exam (Quizz): 10%

Evaluation scale

0-5

Evaluation criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

Applied Business Skills- You show some ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Applied Business Skills- You show basic ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Evaluation criteria, good (3-4)

Applied Business Skills- You clearly show ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Applied Business Skills- You clearly show ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Evaluation criteria, excellent (5)

Applied Business Skills- You show excellent ability to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to analyze business challenges and global trends, to propose or put into action practical business solutions based on the findings

Evaluation criteria, pass/failed

N/A

Prerequisites

None

Further information

Detailed and up-to-date information is available in the course workspace.