General provisions

The Course Description is established by the board of the Department of Business Studies by mandate of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The course plan is valid from 060901. The Course Description was last revised 2006-05-04.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for the course, participants must be enrolled in one of the programs offered by Uppsala University and by the start of the course have completed at least two semesters of full time studies (equivalent to 40 credits). Because the course is designed to attract participants from different faculties and disciplines, there are no specific prerequisites apart from these general requirements.

Aims

The objective of this course is to prepare students for a future career as entrepreneurs and founders of new businesses. The course will provide an understanding of the business aspects of starting and running a growing firm (as opposed to general management or the management of technology and innovation), emphasizing those issues that are particularly salient and important during the start-up and early development phases.

One of the explicit aims of the course is to bring together participants from different scientific and educational disciplines to share their expertise and knowledge about different sides of business. In addition to providing a unique and stimulating educational environment, the course offers the opportunity to build broader contacts and personal networks that can prove to be of critical value in future business ventures.

The course allows students to prepare for a future that involves owning and running their own companies, develop the managerial skills that are of particular importance in the start-up and rapidly growing firm, or to assess new entrepreneurial firms from an investor's perspective. Students may have number of additional reasons for gaining a first-hand understanding of entrepreneurship as a central component in the working of the economic system.

Content

While entrepreneurship can be as theoretical as any field of research, the entrepreneurship course has a distinctly practical orientation. Conceptual models and overviews of different aspects of creating and managing new firms offer an introduction to the various individual topics. Individual topics may include financing the start-up firm, selling and marketing new products and services, negotiation, managing growth, devising a strategy for the expanding firm, and foreign market entry and penetration.

Instruction

The course is taught in English. Teaching involves a mix of case discussions, expert panels, and both traditional and guest lectures. In the case discussions, course participants are asked to analyse a range of different business problems and offer their practical recommendations and solutions. Expert panels are used to allow students to discuss and elaborate upon issues that are of particular interest to the course participants. While traditional lectures supply the tools and conceptual models that can be of use in the early stages of developing the business, guest lectures bring in practicing entrepreneurs and firm owners to share their stories, expertise, and views on particular issues involved in running and growing the start-up firm.

To accommodate the different scientific and educational programs represented by the course participants, the course is offered in the evenings. Typical sessions run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., although some sessions may be either shorter or longer.

Assessment

To pass the course students have to take active part in the seminars and successfully complete a written take-home assignment. While grades for classroom participation take into account both the amount and quality of contributions to the various class discussions, the final exam is graded with respect to the depth and quality of the account or analysis. A three-level grading system will be applied: Fail, Pass, and Pass with Distinction. For pass with distinction on the course, pass with distinction is required on the seminars and on the take-home assignment.

Attendance is compulsory at the first lecture and at all of the seminars. Should the course participants for unforeseen reasons miss out on a number of sessions, extra assignments of rather significant magnitude will be required.

Moreover, all potentially remaining tasks must be completed and handed in at least within four weeks after the end of the course, otherwise this part of the examination has to be redone the following semester, provided there is space in the course.

Attention Swedish students: Only completed courses can be recognised in your degree.