SYLLABUS

 
 
 

SYLLABUS: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND LEADERSHIP UNDERGRADUATE COURSE 200/300 LEVEL

by Herb Rubenstein
CEO, Herb Rubenstein Consulting

Scope and Objectives

This course introduces the student to the concept of entrepreneurship and the skills, concepts and information that entrepreneurs use to lead both for-profit organizations as well as nonprofit organizations. More specifically students will learn the tools and techniques that entrepreneurs use to examine the quality of an idea, to analyze the resources necessary to take an idea to concept to market testing to full blown economic implementation. The course also examines key organizational attributes necessary for an entrepreneurial organizations to succeed including Marketing, Human Resource policies, economic analysis, banking and financial policies, accounting, strategic planning and gathering and allocating scarce economic and human capital resources. Finally, the course is designed to help the student build the skills for starting or growing an entrepreneurial organization, lead teams to achieve breakthrough results and make and implement the right decisions given the rugged landscape that the organization faces on its growth trajectory. To this end it provides an introduction through readings, lectures and exercises to all of the concepts and methods needed to do so. After completing this course the student should have the skills needed to develop and write a good first draft of a business plan and actually assist in leading an entrepreneurial organization.

Professor and Office Hours

Herbert R. Rubenstein, J.D., M.P.A., D.S.S. Right after class on Mondays. Class is held once per week for 3 hours.

Textbook

O’Malia, Thomas, J. The Entrepreneurial Journey, Calabasas, CA: Brandywine Publishing Company, 2000.

Reference Book: Rubenstein, Herbert R. and Grundy, Tony, Breakthrough, Inc. – High Growth Strategies for Entrepreneurial Organizations, London: Prentice Hall/Financial Times – available in pdf format at www.growth-strategies.com

Grading and Class Format

This class will meet once weekly on Monday afternoon. The first part of the class period will generally be in lecture format and the second part of the class period will be a discussion of the previous week assignments and possibly a guest speaker from the business/entrepreneurial community addressing the topic of that week.

50% weekly exercises; 20% mid semester examination; 30% final examination

The weekly exercises are described in brief below. The mid semester and final examinations will be objective and short answer in nature and will cover the readings and the lectures (including guest speakers).

Class Schedule and Topics

Week 1 – What does it take to be an entrepreneur?

  • Thinking outside the box
  • What is entrepreneurship?
  • Entrepreneurship mindset
  • The business model
  • Entrepreneurism – A subset of leadership
    Read Chapter 1 including case study on pages 24-28. Exercise: Interview an entrepreneur or business/non-profit leader (instructions on page 23); keyed report due week 2

Week 2 – Entrepreneurs: Myths and Characteristics Plus-Discussion of entrepreneurship and leadership in the not-for-profit and government sectors.

  • What an entrepreneur is not: myths of entrepreneurship
  • Entrepreneurial characteristics
  • Entrepreneurs vs. managers
  • Entrepreneurs as leaders and change agents
  • Non-Profit Entrepreneurship (Readings from Breakthrough, Inc. and the Peter Drucker Foundation website, pfdf.org)

Read Chapter 2 including all material at end of chapter (case study and summary)

Exercise: complete the Entrepreneurial Profile assessment on page 47 (save for comparison with end of semester profile)

Week 3 – Finding Your Idea, Your Business or Entrepreneurial Concept

  • Customer vs. product driven
  • Four stages of an entrepreneurial organization
  • Role of the idea and recognizing opportunity
  • Protecting your idea while you share it

Read Chapter 3

Exercise: Answer questions 1-5, page 81. Keyed answers due Week 4.

Week 4 – Life Cycles and Entry Stages

  • Life cycles and entrepreneurial lifecycles
  • Personal skill sets
  • Entry strategies: customer, product, and money

Read Chapter 4

Exercise: Answer questions 1-6, page 108. Keyed answers due Week 5.

Week 5 – Getting past the idea to the concept

  • From idea to concept
  • Vital area and niche

Read Chapter 5

Exercise: Answer questions 1-5, page 123. Keyed answers due Week 6.

Week 6 – Feasibility of the concept

  • Feasibility funnel
  • Industry knowledge
  • Concept filter
  • Market risk filter
  • Sales/Distribution filter
  • Benefit filter

Read Chapter 6

Exercise: Complete exercises on pages 149 and 152, and questions 1-6 page 158. Keyed responses and answers due Week 7.

Week 7–Mid-semester examination–Read Chapter 7

Week 8 – Entrepreneurial Marketing

  • Celebrating entrepreneurial advantages
  • Entrepreneurial marketing
  • Guerrilla marketing tactics
  • Writing the entrepreneurial marketing
    plan
  • Marketing as an expression of Leadership (AOL internal Motto “Lead the Need for Speed”)

Examinations returned; review Chapter 7

Exercise: Complete exercises on page 187; questions 1-5 on page 188 and 1-4 on page 190.

Keyed answers and responses due Week 9.

Week 9 – How do I sell/enroll buyers and lead the organization to revenue success?

  • The classic 5 step distribution channel
  • Changing channels
  • How will you sell?
  • How do you approach sales?

Read Chapter 8

Exercise: Complete exercise on page 209 and questions 1-6 on page 215. Keyed answers and responses due Week 10.

Week 10 – Refining Your Benefit, the Vital Area of Your Offerings

  • Features versus benefits
  • Stages of benefit development
  • Tools for benefit development

Read Chapter 9

Exercise: Complete exercise page 228 and answer questions 1-5 on page 233. Keyed answers and responses due Week 11.

Week 11 – The Money Tool Kit

  • The blind tour approach
  • Types of financial needs – the classic approach
  • The entrepreneurial approach
  • Types of money – an example
  • Entrepreneurial tactics for money needs
  • Money follows Leadership

Read Chapter 10

Exercise: Answer questions 1-4, page 257 and 1-5, page 260. Keyed answers due Week 12

Week 12- How and Where do I Find Money?

  • The rules of money
  • Knowing the money source rules
  • Friendly money
  • Assistance money
  • Professional money
  • Public money

Read Chapter 11

Exercise: Answer questions 1-8 page 286 and questions 1-3 on page 290. Keyed answers due Week 13.

Week 13 – The Business Plan – Writing a Business Plan for a Company or Non-Profit

  • When to write the business plan
  • For whom to write the business plan
  • What a business plan is not-Distinction between a plan and a strategy
  • What a business plan needs to accomplish
  • The role of writing in being an entrepreneurial leader

Read Chapter 12

Exercise: Answer questions 1-7 page 304 and questions 1-6, page 309. Keyed answers due Week 14

Additional Readings:

It is expected that the student will familiarize him or herself with the following magazines that entrepreneurs regularly read. Exam questions may be pulled from content covered by Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Business 2.0, Strategy and Business, Inc., Selling Power, Business Finance, Entrepreneur, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Barrons, Harvard Business Review and similar publications announced throughout the semester.

We will keep a running list of websites of interest including the website for the Peter F. Drucker Foundation, pfdf.org, which is devoted to non-profits, and is a great resource for entrepreneurial ideas. Students are invited to compile lists of websites that have interesting information helpful to entrepreneurs and to send them to me electronically at herb@herbrubenstein.com.

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© 2007 Herb Rubenstein Consulting