BUSI2141: Entrepreneurship

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• To provide students with an understanding of entrepreneurs and the firms they create and manage.
• To develop knowledge of the nature and role of new and smaller firms as well as different types of entrepreneurs.
• To develop understanding of the characteristics, attributes, resources and contributions of different types of entrepreneurs.
• To develop knowledge and understanding of the various theoretical lenses used to explore the behaviour of entrepreneurs.
• To broaden and deepen understanding of the factors which encourage public policy-makers and practitioners to support entrepreneurship and the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.
• To develop student knowledge of 'hard' (i.e., finance and premises) and 'soft' (i.e., education and training) support to promote new firm formation and business development.
• To develop understanding of the nature of managerial and decision-making tasks facing the owners of new firms and SMEs as well as public policy-makers and practitioners.

• The roles of SMEs.
• Differences between SMEs and large enterprises.
• Economic theories of entrepreneurship: Kirzner and Schumpeter.
• Entrepreneurial business: Casson, Leibenstein and Marshall.
• Psychological approaches to entrepreneurship.
• Sociological approaches to entrepreneurship.
• Barriers to enterprise and the need for public policy intervention to assist SMEs and entrepreneurs.
• Supporting business start up and growth: hard and soft support measures.
• Cultural barriers to enterprise development: the role of graduate education.
• Theories and factors explaining regional variations in new firm formation.
• 'Hard' support: the role played by property-based Science Park incubators in encouraging the formation and development of technology-based firms.
• 'Hard' support: is there a market failure in the provision of finance to SMEs?
• 'Soft' support: the take-up and impact of formal training provision by SMEs.
• Entrepreneurs and networks.
• Business support for under-represented groups: female entrepreneurs.
• Factors encouraging business development.
• Special groups: the role and contribution of family firms.
• Special groups: the role and contribution of firms exporting their goods or services abroad.
• Special groups: the behaviour, resources and contributions of novice, portfolio and serial entrepreneurs.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• To accumulate knowledge and critical understanding of the key characteristics of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ventures.
• To be able to identify particular features of SMEs which differentiate them from large businesses.
• To be able to demonstrate detailed knowledge and critical understanding of theories pertaining to the role, nature and function of the entrepreneur and the development issues facing SMEs.
• To develop an appreciation of theories, models and frameworks to understand the new firm formation process as well as the behaviour required to ensure superior business performance.
• Acquisition of knowledge pertaining to the barriers to business formation and development.
• To demonstrate knowledge of the objectives of policy towards SMEs: Why intervene? How to intervene?

Subject-specific Skills:

• To further develop the ability to work independently and to conduct independent learning drawing upon recent research.
• To apply the various concepts to review initiatives to support the supply of entrepreneurs and the development of new and established privately owned ventures.
• To develop critical analytical abilities to investigate the contributions of different types of entrepreneurs and SMEs in various contexts.
• To further develop writing, presentational and analytical skills relating to the field of entrepreneurship.

Key Skills:

• Synthesis of data - by bringing together located relevant information and presenting it in a coherent way.
• Critical thinking - by considering issues from a range of perspectives and drawing upon appropriate theories, models and concepts to reach a balanced critical assessment.
• Reflection on learning - by standing back, reviewing a barrier, behaviour or method of intervention, capturing its essence and systematically reviewing potential policy support scenarios.
• Action planning / decision taking - by planning, setting and meeting own objectives and making decisions starting from a variety of possible intervention scenarios.
• Written communication - by constructing grammatically correct and well written formative assignment and essays.
• Information skills - by seeking, storing, synthesing, using and presenting information in ways appropriate to the specified task.
• Computer literacy - by typing up the formative assignment.

• Teaching is by lectures and seminars. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, preparation for and participation in seminar classes, and private study. Formative assessment is by means of a written assignment. Summative assessment is by means of a written examination.

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