Strategic Entrepreneurship

NBD406 Strategic Entrepreneurship

Spring 2024

Autumn 2024
  • Topics

    The topic of entrepreneurship revolves around the exploration and exploitation of opportunities. This exploration and exploitation can take place in the form of starting a new venture, but also occurs within the comforts of established firms. When we talk about the phenomenon of entrepreneurship we tend to focus on the more ambitious, growth-oriented form of entrepreneurship that delivers high value, also for society at large.

    In order to achieve their value-creating potential, the entrepreneur or entrepreneurial manager are faced with a range of complex challenges they have to address. These challenges vary from building a well functioning organization and mobilizing necessary resources to formulate and execute strategies that allow them to take advantage of the resources they have at their disposal.

    The aim of the course on Strategic Entrepreneurship is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to adequately address these challenges. This is done by offering a strong theoretical foundation on strategic entrepreneurship, combined with practical applications in real-life settings. This is achieved by adopting a student-centric pedagogical model where we emphasize the use of case studies. In addition, the students are encouraged to apply the theories and concepts covered in this course to their own experiences.

    Within the issues that surround strategic entrepreneurship, this course pays particular focus to:

    • The nature of strategic entrepreneurship
    • Scaling the business model
    • Scaling the organization
    • Governance and people
    • Financing
    • Strategic positioning
    • Internationalization
    • Ecosystems
    • Exit strategies
    • Ethics and impact

  • Learning outcome

    Knowledge - the candidate

    • has advanced knowledge on theories and methodologies within the areas of strategic entrepreneurship and how they interact.
    • has advanced knowledge and understanding, as well as the ability to critically reflect on, the processes of strategic entrepreneurship.
    • has advanced knowledge and understanding of how to apply the theories and methodologies of the course to real-life cases.

    Skills - the candidate

    • can analyze and deal critically with various sources of interdisciplinary information and use them in order to make decisions on processes of entrepreneurship.
    • is able to reflect on their own academic practice and adjust this practice under academic supervision.
    • can update themselves, critically reflect upon, and apply theories and methods in the field of strategic entrepreneurship.

    General competence - the candidate

    • is able to work both independently and in teams on practical and theoretical problems.
    • can contribute to the field of strategic entrepreneurship.
    • can take responsibility for their own learning.
    • is able to communicate and exchange views and experiences about their academic field, using various forms of communication, to specialist and non-specialists alike.

  • Teaching

    Lecture Hall Sessions (weekly)

    Each week we have two 90-minute sessions in the lecture hall. This session is a mixture of (short) lectures, combined with case discussions. Students will work in groups on an assignment applying theories, models, and frameworks on a startup business case. Active participation is expected, and we record attendance. During the online seminar I use different techniques to active participation.

    Case preparation group

    At the start of the course, students will be assigned to small working groups where they can prepare and discuss the case prior to the lecture. Groups decide themselves when and what time to meet.

    Group-based assignment

    The students will be working on a group-based assignment, this assignment forms the point of departure in the oral exam. Students can form their own groups.

  • Compulsory Activity

    1. Class attendance is mandatory and we strongly recommend that you have your camera on while in the virtual classroom. Students should attend every class, also those with invited speakers. While I may grant permission to miss class for personal reasons, you need to ask for permission in advance. A student missing more than two classes without prior approval will fail the course.
    2. The students must hand in their group-based course assignments.

    The grading scale for compulsory activities (work requirements) is approved - not approved.

    Course approval is only valid for the specific semester in which it was obtained

  • Assessment

    The course exam consists out of a group-based oral examination (in English), with an individual assessment.

    The oral exam takes a point of departure in the group-based assignment. The duration of the exam depends on the size of the groups but tends to last between 60 and 90 minutes, including grading.

  • Grading Scale

    A-F

  • Literature

    • Course Package from Harvard Business Publishing (cases and articles)
    • Articles available via Leganto

Overview

ECTS Credits
7.5
Teaching language
English
Semester

Offered Autumn 2023

Course responsible

Professor Bram Timmermans, Department of Strategy and Management