Entrepreneurship

Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.

5 credits

30.0 h

Teacher(s)

Hermans Julie (compensates Janssen Frank); Janssen Frank;

Language

English

Prerequisites

Ideally in terms of competiencies

Main themes

The importance of entrepreneurial ventures in Europe has been recognized since the 1980s. Moreover, recent changes in the European economy have created new opportunities for entrepreneurial initiatives. Entrepreneurs are today seen as the drivers of the market economy and their activities provide wealth, jobs and diversity of choice for consumers. However, most business school programs are still oriented towards existing and/or large traditional firms. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the specificities of entrepreneurial ventures and to help them understand how these firms are created and managed.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

Having regard to the LO of the programme X, this activity contributes to the development and acquisition of the following LO:

1. Corporate citizenship 1.1. 'Demonstrate independent reasoning, look critically ' 1.3. Decide and act responsibly ' 2. Knowledge and reasoning 2.1. Master the core knowledge of each area of management. 2.3. Articulate the acquired knowledge from different areas 2.4. Activate and apply the acquired knowledge ' 3. A scientific and systematif approach 3.1. Conduct a clear, structured, analytical reasoning ' 3.2. Collect, select and analyze relevant information ' 3.3.Consider problems using a systemic and holistic approach ' 3.4. Perceptively synthesize 'demonstrating a certain conceptual distance ' 3.5.Produce, through analysis and diagnosis, implementable solutions' 4. Innovation and entrepreneurship 4.1. Identify new opportunities, propose creative and useful ideas ' 4.3. ' collaborate and actively drive forward collective ac- tions for change' 5. Work effectively in an international and multicultural environment 5.1.Understand the inner workings of an organization ' 5.2.Position ... the functioning of an organization, in its ...socio-economic dimensions' 5.3.Understand and establish their own role and scope for action ' 6. Teamwork and leadership 6.1. Work in a team... 6.2. Exercise enlightened leadership skills' 7. Project management 7.1.Analyse a project within its environment and define the expected outcomes' 7.2. Organize, manage and control the process, ' 7.3.Make decisions and take responsibility for them in an uncertain world ' 8. Communication and interpersonal skills 8.1. Express a clear and structured message' 8.2. Interact and discuss effectively ' 8.3. Persuade and negotiate ' 9. Personal and professional development 9.1. Independent self-starter ' 9.2. Self-awareness and self-control ' 9.3. Self-motivation' 9.4. Quick study, lifelong learner '

At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

- At the end of this course, the student is able to understand the importance of entrepreneurship for the European economy today. - At the end of this course, the student is able to understand the specificities of entrepreneurial ventures (economic, human, financial, legal, organisational, etc.). - At the end of this course, the student has developed entrepreneurial skills (extra or intra-preneurial). - At the end of this course, the student is able to manage a group project and to communicate and defend his/her point of view in front of an audience. - At the end of this course, the student is able to communicate to an audience.- At the end of this course, the student is able to work in teams.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

In this course, students will learn to deal with new business opportunities. By developing a real-life project, they will be able to identify the involved stakeholders, as well as determine their own role as entrepreneurs. As such, the course provides students with the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial competences such as initiative taking and resilience (the ability to bounce back from failure and to learn from it).
Entrepreneurship is about the detection and exploitation of new business opportunities, i.e. to turn ideas into action in the form of a new venture or even inside established organizations. As such, entrepreneurship is now recognized as a driver of economic growth worldwide. Furthermore, globalization trends have created new international opportunities to be seized by entrepreneurs.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the specificities of the entrepreneurial process and to help them understand how entrepreneurial projects are created and managed, especially in an international setting. It is organized around four main topics:
- Basics of Entrepreneurship;
- Entrepreneurial methods (Lean StartUp, Effectuation)
- Ecosystems for entrepreneurship;
- Business Planning.

Teaching methods

This course is based on an active project-based learning approach. It involves getting students (in teams) to develop a real-life project, which is nurtured by the learning of new concepts and methods from peers, the teacher, experts and guest speakers. This active pedagogy requires a constant and active presence in class.

Evaluation methods

First session Examination (June)
This course will be assessed through an entrepreneurial project undertaken by teams of students (max 4 students per group). Those projects can either elaborate on a totally new business opportunity or explore a new opportunity for an existing start-up. Students will be asked to imagine an opportunity, to develop a plan of action to exploit it, and to test key hypotheses.
The students are expected to deliver three outputs:

Continued evaluation: course participation, especially during the quizzes and the (mandatory) mid-course presentation of the projects

Individually
Grade weighting: 40%

Oral presentation of the project in front of the jury, which includes entrepreneurs

To be done in group
Grade weighting: 20%

A final paper describing their entrepreneurship project, as well as a critical report about the new entrepreneurial concepts and methods that have been applied in their project.

To be done in group
Grade weighting: 40%
Second session examination (August)
Preliminary remarks: to be able to access the second session and validate the course credits, the students must have participated in the continued evaluation of the teaching unit, including the development of an entrepreneurship project.
In August, the students are expected to deliver two outputs:

A final paper about the further development of the project, as well as a critical report about the additional concepts and methods applied in the project since the first session.

To be sent one week before the oral exam
To be done individually
Grade weighting: 50%

Oral presentation of the project in front of the jury – synthesis of the individual papers where appropriate

To be done in group (where appropriate - if only one student of the group has a second session, this student presents individually)
Grade weighting: 50%

Online resources

Informations on Moodle

Faculty or entity

CLSM

Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme

Sigle

Credits

Prerequisites

Aims

Master [120] : Business Engineering

INGE2M

Master [120] : Business Engineering

INGM2M

Master [120] in Management

GEST2M

Master [120] in Management

GESM2M