Description
In this brief file with regards to fundamentals of entrepreneurship.
1/6
MANAGEMENT 358
FUNDAMENTALS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP (#21851)
Fall 2012
August 28- December 14, 2012
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor: Professor Congcong Zheng, Dept of Management
Office and Phone: Student Service East (SSE) 3411; (619) 594 3833
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: Thursdays 11am-1:30pm or by appointment
Class Time and Room: Tuesdays 4-640pm in EBA345
“You have been told also that life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo
what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.”
- On Work, from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
Entrepreneurship: A Process Perspective. 2
nd
Edition (2008) by Robert A. Baron and Scott A.
Shane. Publisher: Thomson: South-Western (Note: There is significant difference between the
1
st
and 2
nd
edition of the book. We use the 2
nd
edition in class.)
Several copies of the book are on course reserve at the SDSU Library.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an overview of the entrepreneurial process and prepares students for an
entrepreneurial mindset. Content-wise, we will begin the class with discussions of the
entrepreneurial process. Then we systematically walk through the entrepreneurial process of
searching opportunities, assembling resources, launching new venture, running the business and
harvesting the rewards. This course engages students through a variety of learning activities.
Through a combination of lectures, case analyses, video and live presentations, discussion and
exercises, we will learn about the challenges and issues confronting people who are considering,
are in the process of, and/or have already started up their own businesses.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
1. Explain why entrepreneurship can be viewed as arising out of the intersection of
enterprising people and opportunities
2. Define entrepreneurial opportunities and explain why such opportunities exist
3. Explain why cognitive processes provide an important foundation for understanding
creativity and opportunity recognition
4. Explain why entrepreneurs need to gather several kinds of information before launching
their new ventures and describe the nature of that information
2/6
5. Explain the difference between human capital and social capital and indicate why the
founding team of new ventures should be high in both
6. Explain the basic principles of financial management, including balance sheets, income
statements, and cash flow statements
7. Define real customer need and explain why an entrepreneur should seek to develop a
product or service that meets a real need
8. Describe how entrepreneurs can prevent others from learning about their business ideas, and
list the barriers entrepreneurs can use to prevent competitors from imitating these ideas
GRADE DISTRIBUTION:
Class Participation 10% 20pts
Individual Pitch Video 5% 10pts
Video Project (G) 10% 20pts (5-mins video based on entrepreneur biography)
Feasibility Proj & Presentation (G) 20% 40pts
Mid-term Exam 25% 50pts
Final Exam 30% 60pts
Total 100% 200pts
Total Points: 200 points
Grades Conversion (Percentiles vs. Letter Grade)
94-100%=A 80-82%=B- 67-69%=D+
90-93%=A- 77-79%=C+ 63-66%=D
87-89%=B+ 73-76%=C 60-62%=D-
83-86%=B 70-72%=C- Below 60%=F
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Class participation is the key to learning. Students are expected to attend and contribute to the class
discussions. Please note that the quality of what you contribute (it can be a thoughtful question,
some astute analysis, and/or some other meaningful contribution) will count far more than the
quantity of your remarks. More “noise” does not equal higher score.
Participation grades will be given on the following basis:
A: Present, asking/answering questions, adding quality to the discussion, contribute to the
direction of the discussion
B: Present, asking/answering questions, actively engaged
C: Present, listening, but not sharing ideas
D: Minimal engagement (not paying attention to the class, reading or sleeping in class).
Unexcused or unnecessary absences
F: Regular no-shows. Failure to give valid reasons for multiple no-shows.
Please note that if you are in class but are not actively engaged nor share your ideas, your
participation for that class is C.
WRITTEN WORK:
All written work is to be typed double-spaced using letter sized papers (8.5x11 inches) with 1-inch
margins and at least 11-point Times New Roman text. Clearly state the authors’ names and group
number and name.
3/6
GROUPWORK AND INDIVIDUAL INSIGHT PAPERS:
Groups will be formed after the Idea Pitch week. During that week, each student is to pitch his/her
idea through a 1-min video. The class will vote for the top ideas and teams of 5 or so will be
formed around those ideas. The teams will then work on evaluating the feasibility of the ideas
throughout the semester and deliver a report and a live presentation at the end of the semester.
Your team is also required to produce a video project: a 5-min presentation based on an
entrepreneurial biography, such as Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. You will summarize
the key events in the entrepreneur’s life, identify where he/her ideas come from, discuss his/her
management styles, and draw key lessons from the book. I will give the class a list of available
titles and any additional choice of biographies must be approved by the professor.
The feasibility project and the video project are group work. Individually, each student is to submit
two insight papers detailing your own learning, one on each project. The paper is 3-page, double-
spaced. I will determine your project grades on the quality of both the team deliverable and your
individual paper. Team member in the same group could receive different scores.
In this class, you are not only learning from me but also learning from your classmates. I deem
attendance during the presentation weeks critical to your learning. If you are not here during those
weeks, your participation grade is automatically reduced.
CLASS POLICIES
Attendance: Unless pre-arranged with the instructor, students are expected to attend and participate
in all classes. The presentation days are especially important and your participation grade will be
automatically deducted if you are not present. Otherwise, each student will be allowed up to 2
unexcused absences for the semester.
Class preparation: Reading assignments and cases for class discussions should be prepared in
advance of class meetings. Lecture Notes are uploaded to the Blackboard before class.
Name card: Every student is expected to bring a name card with him/her to every class.
Conduct: Attentiveness in class pays off in grades. Reading irrelevant materials during class (e.g.,
newspapers), sleeping in class, or distracting behavior during class will not be permitted. Lateness
to class disrupts the activities and is never appreciated by either your fellow students or me.
Laptops are not permitted in class except during the presentation days and review days.
Lateness of submission: Reports and presentations submitted after the due date will result in grade
drop of 5% for each day late. All submissions must be done on Blackboard through the
“Assignments” section. No email submission to the professor is accepted.
Class grade: Assignment grades and exam grades are uploaded in Blackboard in due time. The
grade for the entire class is to be provided on the Webportal after grading of the Final Examination.
The breakdown of the class grade is to be provided on the Blackboard in one week after it appears
on Webportal.
4/6
CLASS SCHEDULE
A detailed class outline is showed here, indicating the topic and assignments for each class date.
Wk Dates Topic Readings Key Outcomes
1 Aug 28 Course Overview and Introducing
Yourself
None ? Get to know the class, your classmates and the teacher
? Evaluate whether this course is right for you
2 Sept 4 Chapter 1: Entrepreneurship: A field,
an activity and a way of life
Chapter 1 ? Describe the process perspective of entrepreneurship, and
list the major phases of this process
? Explain why entrepreneurship can be viewed as arising out
of the intersection of enterprising people and opportunities
Chapter 2: Entrepreneurial
Opportunities: Their Origins, Forms
and Suitability for New Ventures
Chapter 2 ? Define an entrepreneurial opportunity and explain why
such opportunities exist
? Identify the origins of opportunities
3 Sept 11
Idea Pitch and Group Formation ? Each student is to submit a 1-min video pitch on BB by the
end of Sunday Sept 9
Chapter 2: Entrepreneurial
Opportunities: Their Origins, Forms
and Suitability for New Ventures
Chapter 2 ? List the different forms that entrepreneurial opportunities
can take and explain why some forms are better for new
firms than other
4 Sept 18 Chapter 3: Cognitive Foundations
of Entrepreneurship: Creativity and
Opportunity Recognition
Chapter 3 ? Explain why cognitive processes provide an important
foundation for understanding creativity and opportunity
recognition
? Explain why we tend to use heuristics and other "mental
shortcuts", and how these shortcuts can affect
entrepreneurs
5 Sept 25 Chapter 4: What Entrepreneurs
Need to Know Before They Start
Chapter 4 ? Explain why entrepreneurs need to gather several kinds of
information before launching their new ventures and
describe the nature of that information
? Define feasibility analysis and explain why entrepreneurs
should conduct one before launching a new venture
? Feasibility proj. proposal due on Sunday Sept 30
6 Oct 2 Chapter 5: Assembling the Team Chapter 5 ? Explain the difference between human capital and social
capital and indicate why the founding team of new
ventures should be high in both
5/6
Wk Dates Topic Readings Key Outcomes
? Explain why it is often better for entrepreneurs to work with
co-founders with different experience, training, and skills
than they do, rather than co-founders who are similar to
themselves in those respects
7 Oct 9 Mid-term
? Midterm
8 Oct 16 Video Presentation - Spotlights on
Entrepreneurs
? Each team is to read the biography of an entrepreneur and
produce a 5-min video on his/her biography. Each
individual is to submit a 3-page insight paper on that
biography. Both the video and the individual paper are
due by the end of Sunday Oct 14 on BB.
9 Oct 23 Guest Speaker
Midterm Project Meeting
? Read the guest bio on BB and prepare questions for the
guests
? Meeting in class with professor regarding feasibility proj.
10 Oct 30 Chapter 6: Financial Resources Chapter 6 ? Explain the basic principles of financial management,
including balance sheets, income statements, and cash
flow statements.
Chapter 6: Financial Resources
Chapter 6
? Explain why it is difficult for entrepreneurs to raise money
from external investors and identify specific solutions to
this problem
? Understand the cost of capital and how it differs across the
sources of financing for entrepreneurs
11 Nov 6
Chapter 6
Chapter 9: Marketing in New
Venture
Chapter 6
Chapter 9
? List the different sources of capital for new ventures and
describe the equity finance process from start to finish
? Define real customer need and explain why an
entrepreneur should seek to develop a product or service
that meets a real need
? Describe a typical adoption pattern for new products and
explain the meaning of "crossing the chasm"
12 Nov 13 Chapter 10: Strategy: Planning for
Competitive Advantage
Chapter 10 ? Define competitive advantage and explain why new
ventures must have one to be successful
Describe how entrepreneurs can prevent others from
learning about their business ideas, and the barriers
entrepreneurs can use to prevent competitors from
imitating these ideas
6/6
Wk Dates Topic Readings Key Outcomes
13 Nov 20 Chapter 11: Preparing for and
Attaining Growth: Strategies for
Building Lasting Success
Chapter 11
? List and describe some of the major challenges of growth
? Explain why rapid growth is not for all entrepreneurs
? Define managerial capacity and explain why it can
sometimes limit growth
? Distinguish the internal vs. external strategies of growth
14 Nov 27
Project Workshop
? Students work on the projects in class and discuss with
professor any remaining issues
15 Dec 4 Project Presentations
? Live presentations. Group papers and individual insight
papers are due end of Tuesday December 4
16 Dec 11
Final Time: Tuesday, December
11 1-230pm ? Final Tuesday, December 11 1-230pm
doc_715851293.pdf
In this brief file with regards to fundamentals of entrepreneurship.
1/6
MANAGEMENT 358
FUNDAMENTALS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP (#21851)
Fall 2012
August 28- December 14, 2012
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor: Professor Congcong Zheng, Dept of Management
Office and Phone: Student Service East (SSE) 3411; (619) 594 3833
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: Thursdays 11am-1:30pm or by appointment
Class Time and Room: Tuesdays 4-640pm in EBA345
“You have been told also that life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo
what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.”
- On Work, from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
Entrepreneurship: A Process Perspective. 2
nd
Edition (2008) by Robert A. Baron and Scott A.
Shane. Publisher: Thomson: South-Western (Note: There is significant difference between the
1
st
and 2
nd
edition of the book. We use the 2
nd
edition in class.)
Several copies of the book are on course reserve at the SDSU Library.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an overview of the entrepreneurial process and prepares students for an
entrepreneurial mindset. Content-wise, we will begin the class with discussions of the
entrepreneurial process. Then we systematically walk through the entrepreneurial process of
searching opportunities, assembling resources, launching new venture, running the business and
harvesting the rewards. This course engages students through a variety of learning activities.
Through a combination of lectures, case analyses, video and live presentations, discussion and
exercises, we will learn about the challenges and issues confronting people who are considering,
are in the process of, and/or have already started up their own businesses.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
1. Explain why entrepreneurship can be viewed as arising out of the intersection of
enterprising people and opportunities
2. Define entrepreneurial opportunities and explain why such opportunities exist
3. Explain why cognitive processes provide an important foundation for understanding
creativity and opportunity recognition
4. Explain why entrepreneurs need to gather several kinds of information before launching
their new ventures and describe the nature of that information
2/6
5. Explain the difference between human capital and social capital and indicate why the
founding team of new ventures should be high in both
6. Explain the basic principles of financial management, including balance sheets, income
statements, and cash flow statements
7. Define real customer need and explain why an entrepreneur should seek to develop a
product or service that meets a real need
8. Describe how entrepreneurs can prevent others from learning about their business ideas, and
list the barriers entrepreneurs can use to prevent competitors from imitating these ideas
GRADE DISTRIBUTION:
Class Participation 10% 20pts
Individual Pitch Video 5% 10pts
Video Project (G) 10% 20pts (5-mins video based on entrepreneur biography)
Feasibility Proj & Presentation (G) 20% 40pts
Mid-term Exam 25% 50pts
Final Exam 30% 60pts
Total 100% 200pts
Total Points: 200 points
Grades Conversion (Percentiles vs. Letter Grade)
94-100%=A 80-82%=B- 67-69%=D+
90-93%=A- 77-79%=C+ 63-66%=D
87-89%=B+ 73-76%=C 60-62%=D-
83-86%=B 70-72%=C- Below 60%=F
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Class participation is the key to learning. Students are expected to attend and contribute to the class
discussions. Please note that the quality of what you contribute (it can be a thoughtful question,
some astute analysis, and/or some other meaningful contribution) will count far more than the
quantity of your remarks. More “noise” does not equal higher score.
Participation grades will be given on the following basis:
A: Present, asking/answering questions, adding quality to the discussion, contribute to the
direction of the discussion
B: Present, asking/answering questions, actively engaged
C: Present, listening, but not sharing ideas
D: Minimal engagement (not paying attention to the class, reading or sleeping in class).
Unexcused or unnecessary absences
F: Regular no-shows. Failure to give valid reasons for multiple no-shows.
Please note that if you are in class but are not actively engaged nor share your ideas, your
participation for that class is C.
WRITTEN WORK:
All written work is to be typed double-spaced using letter sized papers (8.5x11 inches) with 1-inch
margins and at least 11-point Times New Roman text. Clearly state the authors’ names and group
number and name.
3/6
GROUPWORK AND INDIVIDUAL INSIGHT PAPERS:
Groups will be formed after the Idea Pitch week. During that week, each student is to pitch his/her
idea through a 1-min video. The class will vote for the top ideas and teams of 5 or so will be
formed around those ideas. The teams will then work on evaluating the feasibility of the ideas
throughout the semester and deliver a report and a live presentation at the end of the semester.
Your team is also required to produce a video project: a 5-min presentation based on an
entrepreneurial biography, such as Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. You will summarize
the key events in the entrepreneur’s life, identify where he/her ideas come from, discuss his/her
management styles, and draw key lessons from the book. I will give the class a list of available
titles and any additional choice of biographies must be approved by the professor.
The feasibility project and the video project are group work. Individually, each student is to submit
two insight papers detailing your own learning, one on each project. The paper is 3-page, double-
spaced. I will determine your project grades on the quality of both the team deliverable and your
individual paper. Team member in the same group could receive different scores.
In this class, you are not only learning from me but also learning from your classmates. I deem
attendance during the presentation weeks critical to your learning. If you are not here during those
weeks, your participation grade is automatically reduced.
CLASS POLICIES
Attendance: Unless pre-arranged with the instructor, students are expected to attend and participate
in all classes. The presentation days are especially important and your participation grade will be
automatically deducted if you are not present. Otherwise, each student will be allowed up to 2
unexcused absences for the semester.
Class preparation: Reading assignments and cases for class discussions should be prepared in
advance of class meetings. Lecture Notes are uploaded to the Blackboard before class.
Name card: Every student is expected to bring a name card with him/her to every class.
Conduct: Attentiveness in class pays off in grades. Reading irrelevant materials during class (e.g.,
newspapers), sleeping in class, or distracting behavior during class will not be permitted. Lateness
to class disrupts the activities and is never appreciated by either your fellow students or me.
Laptops are not permitted in class except during the presentation days and review days.
Lateness of submission: Reports and presentations submitted after the due date will result in grade
drop of 5% for each day late. All submissions must be done on Blackboard through the
“Assignments” section. No email submission to the professor is accepted.
Class grade: Assignment grades and exam grades are uploaded in Blackboard in due time. The
grade for the entire class is to be provided on the Webportal after grading of the Final Examination.
The breakdown of the class grade is to be provided on the Blackboard in one week after it appears
on Webportal.
4/6
CLASS SCHEDULE
A detailed class outline is showed here, indicating the topic and assignments for each class date.
Wk Dates Topic Readings Key Outcomes
1 Aug 28 Course Overview and Introducing
Yourself
None ? Get to know the class, your classmates and the teacher
? Evaluate whether this course is right for you
2 Sept 4 Chapter 1: Entrepreneurship: A field,
an activity and a way of life
Chapter 1 ? Describe the process perspective of entrepreneurship, and
list the major phases of this process
? Explain why entrepreneurship can be viewed as arising out
of the intersection of enterprising people and opportunities
Chapter 2: Entrepreneurial
Opportunities: Their Origins, Forms
and Suitability for New Ventures
Chapter 2 ? Define an entrepreneurial opportunity and explain why
such opportunities exist
? Identify the origins of opportunities
3 Sept 11
Idea Pitch and Group Formation ? Each student is to submit a 1-min video pitch on BB by the
end of Sunday Sept 9
Chapter 2: Entrepreneurial
Opportunities: Their Origins, Forms
and Suitability for New Ventures
Chapter 2 ? List the different forms that entrepreneurial opportunities
can take and explain why some forms are better for new
firms than other
4 Sept 18 Chapter 3: Cognitive Foundations
of Entrepreneurship: Creativity and
Opportunity Recognition
Chapter 3 ? Explain why cognitive processes provide an important
foundation for understanding creativity and opportunity
recognition
? Explain why we tend to use heuristics and other "mental
shortcuts", and how these shortcuts can affect
entrepreneurs
5 Sept 25 Chapter 4: What Entrepreneurs
Need to Know Before They Start
Chapter 4 ? Explain why entrepreneurs need to gather several kinds of
information before launching their new ventures and
describe the nature of that information
? Define feasibility analysis and explain why entrepreneurs
should conduct one before launching a new venture
? Feasibility proj. proposal due on Sunday Sept 30
6 Oct 2 Chapter 5: Assembling the Team Chapter 5 ? Explain the difference between human capital and social
capital and indicate why the founding team of new
ventures should be high in both
5/6
Wk Dates Topic Readings Key Outcomes
? Explain why it is often better for entrepreneurs to work with
co-founders with different experience, training, and skills
than they do, rather than co-founders who are similar to
themselves in those respects
7 Oct 9 Mid-term
? Midterm
8 Oct 16 Video Presentation - Spotlights on
Entrepreneurs
? Each team is to read the biography of an entrepreneur and
produce a 5-min video on his/her biography. Each
individual is to submit a 3-page insight paper on that
biography. Both the video and the individual paper are
due by the end of Sunday Oct 14 on BB.
9 Oct 23 Guest Speaker
Midterm Project Meeting
? Read the guest bio on BB and prepare questions for the
guests
? Meeting in class with professor regarding feasibility proj.
10 Oct 30 Chapter 6: Financial Resources Chapter 6 ? Explain the basic principles of financial management,
including balance sheets, income statements, and cash
flow statements.
Chapter 6: Financial Resources
Chapter 6
? Explain why it is difficult for entrepreneurs to raise money
from external investors and identify specific solutions to
this problem
? Understand the cost of capital and how it differs across the
sources of financing for entrepreneurs
11 Nov 6
Chapter 6
Chapter 9: Marketing in New
Venture
Chapter 6
Chapter 9
? List the different sources of capital for new ventures and
describe the equity finance process from start to finish
? Define real customer need and explain why an
entrepreneur should seek to develop a product or service
that meets a real need
? Describe a typical adoption pattern for new products and
explain the meaning of "crossing the chasm"
12 Nov 13 Chapter 10: Strategy: Planning for
Competitive Advantage
Chapter 10 ? Define competitive advantage and explain why new
ventures must have one to be successful
Describe how entrepreneurs can prevent others from
learning about their business ideas, and the barriers
entrepreneurs can use to prevent competitors from
imitating these ideas
6/6
Wk Dates Topic Readings Key Outcomes
13 Nov 20 Chapter 11: Preparing for and
Attaining Growth: Strategies for
Building Lasting Success
Chapter 11
? List and describe some of the major challenges of growth
? Explain why rapid growth is not for all entrepreneurs
? Define managerial capacity and explain why it can
sometimes limit growth
? Distinguish the internal vs. external strategies of growth
14 Nov 27
Project Workshop
? Students work on the projects in class and discuss with
professor any remaining issues
15 Dec 4 Project Presentations
? Live presentations. Group papers and individual insight
papers are due end of Tuesday December 4
16 Dec 11
Final Time: Tuesday, December
11 1-230pm ? Final Tuesday, December 11 1-230pm
doc_715851293.pdf