37394 - FIRM LABORATORY

Contenuti

The purpose of this course is to explore the dynamics of Corporate Venturing, the process by which firms invest in, develop, launch and sustain new businesses. Building on the concepts covered in the previous section of this module, Business Venturing, we will examine Entrepreneurship from a corporate perspective sometimes referred to as Intrapreneurship. Various channels for innovation and renewal within corporate settings will be explored. Through examples of best practice and benchmarking companies and industries, studies will focus on the requirements for creating and managing new ventures and significant new business opportunities within organizations. In addition, we will examine how to integrate new businesses into existing corporate structures or change them should it be required. The course will facilitate eventual integration into corporate venture environments should it be desired or reversely provide a deeper understanding of their function should for those who want to partner with them from within an organisation or as an entrepreneurial entity.

Topics will include:

• nature and importance of corporate venturing for business renewal and growth
• identifying and evaluating growth opportunities
• corporate venture capital (CVC): alternative approaches
• planning and managing the corporate venturing process and its impact on the organisation
• concepts of open innovation
• collaborative technology acquisition through alliances and joint ventures
  

Testi/Bibliografia

• Reading package provided by the instructor
• Case study package

Metodi didattici

The class will be interactive and class preparation and participation is essential. Participation will be required in discussions, guest lectures, and project work. The following elements will be included:

• Lectures by instructor
• Guest lectures by industry and academic experts to introduce various aspects of corporate venturing across industry sectors
• Case discussions and student case presentations
• Analysis of academic research and its relevance to real world examples
• Multi-media presentations including, movie, video and interview footage
• Industry Interview
• A progressive group project that will culminate in teams of 3-4 students presenting corporate venture strategy plans

Extensive individual and group work outside of class is an integral part of this course . Management and coordination of team efforts and communication will be crucial. This is considered a measurable success factor in the evaluation of course work.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

• In addition to the the transfer of knowledge with regard to the specific subjects of corporate venturing, participation in the the course provides the opportunity for strengthening crucial skills that are essential for successful managers. These skills include, but are not limited to, team work, communication and presentation skills. Therefore, each day a group or individual assignment must be handed in. These will take the shape of case write-ups, case presentations and critical analysis of articles as well as the write up of an interview with an industry expert.

Assignments will only be accepted on the day they are due. All written assignments are to be typed with a maximum length of three to four pages (12 point font and 1” margins) plus references and figures. A short guide on how to write a case analysis will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.

The class will form teams of three to four students. Each team will make one oral presentation of a case (10 minutes followed by up to 15 minutes of questions) and a written report of 750 words (three pages) for the case they present. They will also be responsible for a second write-up for a case they will not be required to present. The reports will be due at the beginning of the class on the day of the discussions and presentations.

In addition each student will have two projects to complete on their own. One is to review an academic article (to be provided) on an aspect of corporate venturing and the second is to interview and write about a discussion with someone involved in any aspect of Corporate Venturing. This person can be a participant, a recipient or a service provider. Each of these should be 2-3 pages in length and are to be handed in prior to the last day of the class.

In addition there will be a progressive group project whereby each group will identify a company, research its current venturing strategies and prepare a proposal to management either explaining and praising the current venturing strategies or suggesting a new process with explanations of what is missing from current practices.

Written case analysis, case presentations and interview write ups should include;

• Clear concise background and identification of key problems/strategic issues
• Use of appropriate analytical tools techniques, including charts and tables where appropriate
• For cases: realistic, workable, well-supported recommendations for action
• For industry interviews and article reviews: clear descriptions of the background being presented and lessons learned
• Aesthetic, clear and professional presentation

Requirement for Non Attendants

The requirement for students not participating in the projects and presentations during the period of the course will be a paper that should prove knowledge and understanding of the Corporate Venturing process as well as analysis and opinion. It should not mearly state definitions – but use the companies stories to define Corporate Venturing as per their story. Work should be ORIGINAL and all sources should be cited where necessary.

To aid in this process I would like to point out a very useful web resource – http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University is an excellent guide for many types of writing – including research papers. In your case, special attention could be paid to the following sections:

• General Writing http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/ and English as a second language-http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/678/01/

• Research and Citation resources http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/ including several style guides which would be very helpful in how to refer to and reference documents, graphs, figures and statistics. As well as how to do annotated bibliographies http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

• In addition to when it is important to give credit and how http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/

• Developing a strong thesis statement and organizing your argument - https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/01/

Corporate Venture Plan Analysis

This will require the selection and research of a multinational corporation. The paper will include an outline of the companies past and present corporate venturing practices. These should be tied back to examples and models which were presented in the articles provided for further reading which are available on the web.

In addition to secondary source materials, the analysis must include firsthand knowledge of how the chosen company approaches corporate venturing. These insights are to be gained through actually contacting at least one individual who works for or with the corporation and interviewing them. Who the contact person is and how they were contacted should be included in the write-up.

The analysis should be concluded with a summary of whether the author feels this particular corporation is making the most of corporate venturing opportunities – and if so, why. And if not –recommendations of how they could improve their opportunities.

Sources of information should be well and properly documented and included in the report.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

The class will be interactive and class preparation and participation is essential. Participation will be required in discussions, guest lectures, and project work. The following elements will be included:

• Lectures by instructor
• Guest lectures by industry and academic experts to introduce various aspects of corporate venturing across industry sectors
• Case discussions and student case presentations
• Analysis of academic research and its relevance to real world examples
• Multi-media presentations including, movie, video and interview footage
• Industry Interview
• A progressive group project that will culminate in teams of 3-4 students presenting corporate venture strategy plans

Extensive individual and group work outside of class is an integral part of this course . Management and coordination of team efforts and communication will be crucial. This is considered a measurable success factor in the evaluation of course work.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Caren Helene Weinberg