BUAD 301: Technology Entrepreneurship. Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial
Studies. Marshall School of Business, Bridge Hall One. University of Southern ...
BUAD 301 – Allen – Spring 2010 – Tues/Thur: 4:00
Spring 2010
BUAD 301: Technology Entrepreneurship Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies Marshall School of Business, Bridge Hall One University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 90089‐0801 Phone: 213‐740‐0641 Fax: 213‐740‐2976 www.marshall.usc.edu/entrepreneur/ www.usc.edu/techalliance www.n2tec.org www.theventureedge.com Instructor: Kathleen Allen Ph.D. Ph 213‐740‐0659; E‐mail:
[email protected] Course Sections: 14640D Tues/Thurs: 4:00 ‐5:50 p.m. Office hours: Tuesdays 1:00‐4:00 and Thursdays 2:00‐4:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. and by appointment at other times and days. So that we are not interrupted during our visit and schedule enough time, I recommend that you make an appointment. Please e‐mail me with your appointment request so that I have my calendar in front of me and have a record of your request. E‐mail works for short questions; I respond to e‐mail daily. Phone conferences are also encouraged, and I will do video SKYPE. Reasons to take the course Understand the nature of technology entrepreneurship and whether it’s for you Work on a technology concept that you choose Acquire the ability to identify or create an opportunity Use the time to reflect on and plot your journey Course description and Approach This course focuses on technology entrepreneurs and their new ventures. It helps the student who is majoring in science, engineering, or other non‐business disciplines to understand key aspects of entrepreneurship and the formation of new technology companies so that you can decide if a technology business path is right for you. Major class topics include learning to identify and evaluate innovation opportunities, assessing an industry, intellectual property strategies, the founding team, business models, and funding a new venture. This course is designed in a workshop format and will consist of a combination of mini‐lecture, discussion, in‐ class assignments, class pitches, guest speakers, and field research. Come to class prepared to work on your opportunity; you may bring your laptop and any materials you need to work on assignments and benefit from in‐class coaching. Assignments directly related to your Opportunity Paper will be handed out in template form and also posted on Blackboard so that you can create digital versions for your own records and for deliverables. The assignments are designed to help you develop a working journal of your course experience and make it easier for you to complete the Opportunity Paper and a brief reflection paper at the end of the semester. Page 1 of 5
BUAD 301 – Allen Spring 2010 – Tues/Thur: 4:00
The class has four major modules around which all the activities are geared. 1. Technology Ventures: Introduction to entrepreneurship and tech commercialization 2. Opportunity: Opportunity identification and creation, the Scavenger Hunt for technology, and intellectual property 3. Industry and Customer: Industry analysis, quick look assessment, first customer, and adoption patterns 4. Money and Your Career: Business models, feasibility overview, introduction to money and investors, thinking about your entrepreneurial career Each module includes a pitch to the class for feedback and coaching. By the time you do your opportunity pitch to the investor panel at the end of the semester, you will be very confident and comfortable with your business concept. Course prerequisites There are no prerequisites for this course. It does qualify you for the Feasibility Course (BAEP 452). Required Materials (Required) Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers, K. Allen (2010). Pearson/Prentice‐Hall. This book should be available in the USC bookstore, also on Amazon.com, or the publisher’s web site by going to www.mypearsonstore.com and typing in ISBN 0132357275. http://www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0132357275
If you prefer the ebook, online version of the text, go to www.coursesmart.com and type in ISBN 0132357275. Students have said that it is an excellent reference and readable. It covers the fundamentals of the course so that we can focus on additional important material and use class time for discussion and analysis. Attendance and Preparation Requirements: Attendance at all class sessions is critical to the participation component of the course and to learning in general as we will discuss material not found in the textbook; in addition, we will undertake a number of in‐ class exercises and strategy‐building sessions that require your regular attendance. Entrepreneurship is inherently collaborative—a social process. Entrepreneurs find opportunities, adapt, change, and improve themselves by listening and learning from others. Please come to class prepared to participate in the day’s activities. Coming prepared entails having read the chapter(s) or assigned readings for that day and having analyzed the case studies under consideration for that day’s class. Please plan to arrive on time so as not to disturb the class, a guest speaker, or interrupt the professor. Grade Breakdown and Expectations To achieve an A in this class, you will need to go well beyond the minimum requirements as stated in the syllabus in terms of the quality of your work and your involvement in and contribution to the class. Your final grade is based on an evaluation of the following activities:
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BUAD 301 – Allen Spring 2010 – Tues/Thur: 4:00
Individual Assignments
Percentage
Points
Participation, attendance, in‐class exercises, Pitch exercises Team Assessment – peer evaluation
10
200
5
100
Personal Journal and Reflection Paper
10
200
Team Assignments
0
0
Scavenger Hunt
5
100
Business concept template
5
100
Industry/Value chain template
10
200
Field work template
5
100
5
100
Quick look assessment template Business model template
5
100
Opportunity Paper
30
600
Pitch to investment panel
10
200
Total 100 2000 Note: If you do not inform me of missing or incorrect grades within two weeks of the grades being posted, the grades will be assumed correct. Do NOT wait until the end of the semester to check your grades or appeal a grade on any assignment. Policy on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a physical, psychological, or learning disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible (by the second week of the semester). DSP is located in STU 301 and is open from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. The telephone number for DSP is (213) 740‐0776. Guidelines for all Course Assignments (Please read carefully!) The following guidelines apply to ALL assignments without exception. All assignments must be typed in 11 or 12 pt font, organized for easy reading, and submitted in a single Word doc to the Assignment Page in BB. I grade papers by entering comments into “tracking” in the document, so the Word format is essential. Do not exceed the page limit requirement. Additional pages will not be read for grading purposes. Please read the following “on time” requirements for assignments. They are designed to help me return your papers quickly and to avoid losing papers. All assignments must be posted to the Blackboard assignment (NOT the Digital Drop Box) page by the date and time due as posted in the Course Plan. No exceptions. If you will not be in class on the due date, your assignment must still arrive by the time and date it is due. You are certainly encouraged to submit files before the deadline. Please keep copies of all your files and emails until the end of the semester.
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BUAD 301 – Allen Spring 2010 – Tues/Thur: 4:00
1.
The assignment must be submitted in a single Word document file labeled as follows: yourlastname_301_assignment name. Teams should always use the same last name on each assignment so as to not cause confusion.
2.
You should put your name and your teammates’ names (if it is a team assignment) at the top of the page of the actual assignment document in alphabetical order.
Assignments that do not follow these rules will be returned and considered late when resubmitted correctly if it is past the time it is due. These requirements are necessary to maintain order and to find files quickly. Assignments will be accepted after the deadline with the following penalties: Assignments turned in after the required time on the due date and within 24 hours of the date due will lose 10% of the total points possible. Papers turned in 24 hours after the due‐date will lose 20% of the total points. No papers will be accepted 48 hours after the date due. Evaluation of classroom participation Students are expected to attend all classes. The attendance, participation, and in‐class exercises portion of the grade is 200 points and is evaluated in a number of ways. Obviously, participation is correlated with attendance. It is impossible to earn a participation grade if you are not in class. Missing more than two classes during the semester will affect the participation grade. In general, students fall into four participation categories that essentially correlate with grades of A, B, C, They are: Outstanding Contribution: Your contributions reflect considerable preparation; they are substantive and supported by the readings. You are also able to relate your own experience to the topic. The class, in general, listens when you speak because they learn something. If you were not a member of class, the discussions would suffer. Excellent Contribution. You come prepared with substantiated comments. You demonstrate good insight and clear thinking. The class notices when you’re not part of the discussion. Average Contribution. Your preparation is satisfactory and achieves the minimum requirements. You rarely offer interesting insights into the discussion, but sometimes you present a compelling idea or take the discussion in a new direction. Alternatively your comments are often off‐point and do not provide any constructive direction to the discussion. No Contribution. You say little or nothing in class. If you were not in the class, the discussion would not suffer. In the rare case where a student is unable to participate for language or other reasons, the professor should be consulted. You will have an opportunity to evaluate your own participation at the end of the semester. Miscellaneous (legal stuff we have to include) Confidentiality Policy Throughout the Entrepreneur Program's classes and events, students will be exposed to proprietary information from other students, guest lecturers, and faculty. It is the policy of the Entrepreneur Program that all such information is to be treated as confidential. By enrolling in and taking part in the Entrepreneur Program's classes and activities, students agree not to disclose this information to any third parties without specific written permission from students, guest lecturers, or faculty, as applicable. Students further agree not to utilize any such proprietary information for their own personal commercial advantage or for the commercial advantage of any third party.
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BUAD 301 – Allen Spring 2010 – Tues/Thur: 4:00
In addition, students agree that any legal or consulting advice provided without direct fee and in an academic setting will not be relied upon without the enlisted opinion of an outside attorney or consultant without affiliation to the Program. Any breach of this policy may subject a student to academic integrity proceedings as described in the University of Southern California University Governance Policies and procedures as outlined in S C A M P U S , and to any remedies that may be available at law. The Entrepreneur program, the Marshall School of Business, and the University of Southern California disclaim any responsibility for the protection of intellectual property of students, guest lecturers or faculty who are involved in Entrepreneur Program classes or events. Receipt of this policy and registration in our classes is evidence that you understand this policy and will abide by it. Academic integrity Please be familiar with the Grading Policy and Academic Standards section of the USC C a t a l o g u e and the information on University Governance in the S C A M P U S , particularly Appendix A: Academic Dishonesty Sanction Guidelines. The use of unauthorized material, communication with fellow students during an in‐class examination, attempting to benefit from the work of another student, and similar behavior defeats the intent of an examination or other class work is unacceptable to the University. It is often difficult to distinguish between a culpable act and inadvertent behavior resulting from the nervous tensions accompanying examinations. Where a clear violation has occurred, however, the instructor may disqualify the student's work as unacceptable and assign a failing mark on the paper. Please be advised that your papers will be randomly submitted to “TurnItIn” through the Blackboard system, which will generate an originality report on your paper. Bottom line: Your original thought in addition to carefully cited sources will insure that you don’t run into academic integrity issues that may affect your grade or your status at USC. Any material cited verbatim from its source should be in quotes and contain a reference to a full citation for that source. Paraphrased work should also contain a reference to the source citation. IMPORTANT!!!! RECEIPT OF THIS SYLLABUS AND REGISTRATION IN THIS CLASS WILL SERVE AS EVIDENCE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS COURSE.
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