34542 - Business Venturing

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students are able to: - understand the new rules of strategy in platform-based industries; - develop awareness of what an entrepreneurial process is based the challenges faced by entrepreneurs who start new ventures in a digital domain.

Course contents

OVERVIEW
The emphasis in this course is on applying and synthesizing key concepts and techniques from the functional areas of managerial economics, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing and organization behaviour in the context o f new venture development. Important pedagogical objectives of the course are:

· “Experience the process”: identify and pursue a business opportunity in either an independent or corporate setting with a team of motivated peers.

· To acquire the knowledge and spirit for venturing

· To think creatively and to solve problems in highly unstructured situations;

· To examine the totality of a business proposal rather than concentrate on single aspects such as the marketing issues, or the financial feasibility;

STRUCTURE

The instructor will provide the primary materials for the course in due time. All the reading will be freely available from the web. In addition to these readings, there will be case studies supplied by the instructor.

Session 1 COURSE OVERVIEW

Session 2 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET (I)

Session 3 THE STARTUP GAME

Session 4 THE FOUNDING TEAM

Session 5 THE FOUNDER’S DILEMMA

Session 6 THE LEAN STARTUP (A)

Session 7 THE LEAN STARTUP (B)

Session 8 THE ART OF THE PITCH

Session 9 COLLECTIVE LEARNING CLASS: STARTUP.COM AND SUMMARY OF TAKEAWAYS FROM GUEST SPEAKERS

Session 10 PITCHING DAY

Readings/Bibliography

ATTENDING STUDENTS (i.e., students participating in teamwork assignments and class activities)

Required Readings:

- Slides, Reading package, Case study package.

(Slides, readings, and cases will be freely available online and will be distributed by the instructor via Virtuale).

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS (i.e., students not participating in teamwork assignments and class activities)

Required Readings

- Above material

- Textbook: "New Venture Creation", by Timmons & Spinelli, McGraw-Hill - any edition from the 8th on.

Teaching methods

The course attempts to reach its learning objectives by offering you a balanced menu of cases, discussions, guest lectures, and project work including regular feedback sessions. It will encompass the following elements:

- Lectures by instructor;

- Class discussions of the cases and actual venture plans that will be included in the course bulk pack;

- Guest lectures by expert practitioners which are designed to familiarize the students with the many dimensions of entrepreneurship and new venture development;

Assessment methods

The assessment will be different depending on attendance as follows:

ATTENDING STUDENTS (i.e., students participating in teamwork assignments and class activities)

A final written exam plus assessment of team-based assignments. The final output of the team effort will be a written case report. Team and individual performance will be measured along with the written report in determining the final grade of each student. The breakdown of your final score will look like this:

Component Weight (%)

Written Exam 40

Case Report 40

Final Presentation 20

+/- 10% variation on the relative weight of these components is possible.

Final mark determined by the weighted average of the scores in the three evaluation components as specified above

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS (i.e., students not participating in teamwork assignments and class activities)

A written exam based on all the material covered during the course (lecture slides, readings, case studies) plus the textbook: "New Venture Creation", by Timmons & Spinelli, McGraw-Hill - Any edition from the 8th on.

Component Weight (%)

Written Exam 100

Case Report -

Final Presentation -

Exam and group project structure:

The final exam is a written exam where students are expected to critically reflect on one or more theme(s) covered during the module. The typical structure consists of two or three open-ended questions prompting students to reflect critically on course topics.

The team report consists of the detailed development of the same venturing project, which will be the object of the final pitch presentation.

The final presentation consists of a pitch where the members of the team will have to illustrate their venture project in front of a jury of external experts selected from the entrepreneurial world.

The theoretical maximum number of points achievable in each of these components is 32. Each written component will be evaluated on the basis of its precision, accuracy, and demonstration of critical thinking. The oral component (final presentation), will be evaluated on the basis of its quality, clarity and persuasiveness.

Exam policy

Registration must be completed via Almaesami, and results will be published on the same platform

Students will have a maximum of two opportunities to take the written component for this course. The first attempt will be offered at the end of the module. If a student is not satisfied with the grade received in the first attempt, they may choose to retake the exam during one of the following sessions.

Please note: The second attempt is the final opportunity to improve the grade for this course. No further retakes will be permitted beyond these two chances.

Grading scale:

< 18: failed

18-23: sufficient

24-27: good

28-30: very good

30 e lode: outstanding

Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) or temporary/permanent disabilities should contact the appropriate University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) immediately and agree with the teacher the most effective strategies for attending the lectures and preparing for the exam.

 

Teaching tools

Tools, platforms, or resources used during the course:

- Learning platform: Virtuale (virtuale.unibo.it) contains the slides and other materials for simulations or case studies

- Presentation software: PowerPoint

- Communication tools: Email; Teams; Forum on Virtuale

- Other digital tools/software: videos

Because the course will make significant use of online simulations, it is expected that 20 to 30% of lectures will be delivered fully online

Office hours

See the website of Simone Ferriani