Description
This course focuses on new venture initiation and preparation of a business plan to generate financing and begin operations. It examines the critical factors involved in conception, initiation and development of new business ventures. Topics covered include identification of characteristics of prospective entrepreneurs, innovations, market potential analysis for new products or services, acquiring seed capital, obtaining venture capital for growth or purchase of an existing business and organization and operation of the new business. Each student is required to develop a business plan which is presented for evaluation. Students wishing to start, develop, acquire, sell or merge a business are encouraged to do so. The course is offered three times a year with an enrollment of 35 students each quarter.
Description
This course focuses on the application of management and entrepreneurial concepts in small business in their growth stage. There is an emphasis on conditions that prevail in smaller business organizations in their urban settings. The course is comprised of: 1) a text (Creativity and Strategy in Mid-Sized Firms, Kuhn); 2) a consulting assignment with a small business; 3) speakers; and 4) a summary paper. The course is offered twice a year with average attendance of 24 students.
Description
This course provides a foundation for managing technology in a competitive environment with global implications. Managing technology, whether in R&D or the finance department, requires the manager to understand, utilize, and support technology. Technology is discussed as a critical component, along with people and skills, in adding value to products and services. Other topics discussed include intrapreneurship, a technology foundation, deployment of technology, and the industry evolution process. Selected emerging technologies and their future evolutions are studied.
Description
This course is designed to show how employees can exert more leverage contributing their venture ideas to the organization and thereby contribute to their corporation's success and their own professional development. Text (Entrepreneurship, Creativity & Organization, Kao), development of a venture plan and group case analyses are utilized. The class is offered twice a year with an average class size of 34 students.
Description
This course provides a conceptual overview of the dynamics of family business and explores ways that family business owners can deal with numerous difficulties. The class utilizes a text (Keeping the Family Business Health, Ward) and additional readings. The course is offered once a year with an average class size of 20.
Description
Global Entrepreneurship is designed to bridge the gap between the international business discipline and entrepreneurship concentration. Students develop an understanding of factors pertaining to successful trading in global markets. The texts used are: Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade, Nelson, and Going International, Copeland and Griggs. Lectures, projects and guest speakers are also utilized in class. Offered once a year to 24 students.
Description
The focus of this course is on the study of behaviors and strategies that have made entrepreneurs successful. It is designed as a case course utilizing lecture, speakers, development of a venture plan and a text (Entrepreneurship, A Contemporary Approach, Kuratko and Hodgetts). The course is offered once a year to approximately 50 students.
Description
This course is an overview of entrepreneurship policy utilizing the case method for diagnosis and planning. It is designed for, but not limited to, students who may own or operate a small business. Course format includes: case analysis, readings in Entrepreneurial Strategies: Text and Cases, by Finley and a group project counseling a small business. The course is offered six times a year with an average class size of 30.
Description
This course is an overview of laws relevant to establishing and running a small business, including: product liability, insurance, purchasing contracts, labor law, EEOC and OSHA. The class is offered once a year to approximately 24 students.
Description
This course covers the principles and activities involved in starting and managing a new franchise; from the perspective of the franchiser and franchisee. Lecture, term paper and texts (Franchising, Justis and Judd, and The Franchise Advantage, Boroian and Boroian) make up the coursework. The course is offered once a year to 40 students.
Description
This course blends financial theory and current industry trends and practices to instruct students on the methods of financing business ventures. The course concentrates on businesses capable of high growth. Course format includes: case analysis, writing a financial plan (group project) and readings. Offered twice a year with 30 students.
Description
This course emphasizes integrated, cross-functional use of entrepreneurship to solve the complex, ill-defined, unstructured business problems. The focus is on the pragmatics of "making things happen". Common sense, interpersonal skills and leadership are stressed in understanding how issues are resolved in the subtleties of real-world business.
Description
This course is primarily concerned with practices currently being followed to value a closely held business. Emphasis is placed on the many problems peculiar to non-publicly traded interest such as the appropriate discounts for lack of marketability, minority interest, restrictive agreements, and key man. Some attention is given to valuation problems associated with intangible assets such as goodwill, going concern value and covenants not to compete. Other topics, selected by the class participants, have included ESOPS; estate freezes; transfer pricing; valuing options, debt or publicly traded stock. Relevant tax cases and journal articles are used to assess the position of the IRS and the courts where issues of fair market value are contested. Since there are more than two hundred references to the elusive notion of fair market value in the Internal Revenue Code, and many more in the Regulations, there are many such disputes.
Description
This course explores the nature and role of creativity in entrepreneurial organizations. Theories and modes of creative thinking and the linkage between creative and entrepreneurial thinking are presented. Cases, experiential exercises, and other methodologies are used in which students will investigate the creative process in a variety of organizational settings. The role of the founder or key managers in nurturing and sustaining a creative enterprise is discussed. The course is designed to open students to the creativity within themselves and their organizations, and to the tools with which creativity can be managed to promote innovation and enhance organizational effectiveness as well as individual member satisfaction.
The objectives of the course are for the student to develop the following skills that enhance the creative process:
(1) To become familiar, through self-assessment and assessment by inventories, of the student's own creative abilities, and strengths and weaknesses associated with these abilities.
(2) To understand the idea generation process, and develop divergent thinking, lateral thinking, and other problem-solving skills necessary to creating new ideas.
(3) To diagnose and solve organizational problems, with an opportunity to focus on a specific problem or issue to be resolved in the student's current organization.
(4) To learn about and experientially "test" creativity skills used in multiple disciplines, such as psychology, music, theatre, and science. Guest speakers representing various disciplines will regularly visit the course.
(5) To understand the role and structure of the group process in creativity. Student will work in groups on many simulations, exercises, and cases that enlighten them on the methods and techniques that maximize creativity within the small group setting.
Description
The business plan is a document that describes the business venture, the product or service, the customers, the competition, the operations, the marketing, the manpower plan, the break-even analysis, the financing and details that are required to create and organize a venture. Regardless of the type of enterprise, start-up, buy-out, franchise, partnership or joint venture, a business plan is required to help establish the goals and priorities of the undertaking and attract capital required to run the business. As such, it incorporates and integrates all of the functional areas of business and puts into practice many of the concepts and theories acquired in other classes.
A comprehensive business plan uncovers many unanticipated factors that may have otherwise been ignored, and reality tests those assumptions previously thought to be easily accomplished. It also illustrates current status, expected needs and projected results of new business. Every aspect of the undertaking needs to be described, the project, operations, marketing, critical risks, management, manpower, timetable, financing, milestones as well as the competitive advantage upon which the enterprise is based. Documentation of all of these facets of the proposed venture is necessary to give a clear picture of what the venture is, where is it projected to go, and how the entrepreneur plans to get there. (offered twice a year with 30 students)
Description
The course is designed to assist students in the understanding of environment within which urban entrepreneurs operate. The course explores the nature and role entrepreneurs play in these communities. Cases, experimental exercises, and live case methodologies are used in which students will investigate the fundamental building blocks of entrepreneurship. The course will also allow students to work with businesses in the urban communities either in the start - up or expansion modes. Students will work in small groups with a real business located in the urban environment. The course emphasizes cross - functional disciplines to solve business problems. The focus is on the process of entrepreneurship, common sense approach to business problems, interpersonal skills and presentation skills.
Description
This course is an overview of entrepreneurship and self-employment in the creative professions. With the creative enterprise as a focus, students will analyze problems and concerns related to entrepreneurship and their careers. The course objectives include:
