MM3103-Applied Entrepreneurship

Module Provider: Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour
Number of credits: 80 [40 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Prof Norbert Morawetz
Email: n.morawetz@henley.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module is for students who want to develop a venture idea into a real, operating business. Students develop their own business idea in real time, learning as they experience the realities of entrepreneurship and business start-up. This will involve setting up and running a business, developing a product or service, acquiring users and customers, raising finance, as well as managing and growing the startup team. 

Aims:

Students will learn entrepreneurial skills together with underpinning theory, knowledge and understanding. This will enable them to be effective in both developing their venture and reflecting on their personal and business performance.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Intended learning outcomes:

To apply key techniques in venture creation, such as:

• Conducting market research, customer validation


• New product/service development including developing a minimal viable product/service


• Developing key communication and marketing material including a pitch deck, sales material, online presence


• Acquiring resources necessary to run the business including for example securing incubator space, raising finance from friends and family, applying for grants, pitching for angel finance, applying to accelerator programmes, incentivizing founding members with equity


• Building and managing a team


• Registering a company, allocating shares, opening a business bank account


• Financial reporting including cash flow projections and management accounts


• Developing and executing on business launch and go-to-market strategies


• Appraise strategic and business concepts in entrepreneurship 

Assessable learning outcomes:

To apply key techniques in business innovation and venture creation, such as:

• Project planning


• Financial reporting


• Product development


• Building partnerships


• Customer development


• Resource acquisition


• To formulate a coherent and well-justified case to investors to back a new venture


• To understand and use concepts in entrepreneurship to describe, discuss and appraise the experience and performance of the business start-up 

Additional outcomes:

In addition to fulfilling the academic requirement for your degree programme, in this module we aim to equip you with: 

• Entrepreneurial skills including networking, team building and presentation skills 


• The ability to direct your own learning through a process of continuous professional development 

Outline content:

Module entry

Module entry is by selection of the convener only. To enter the module, students have to submit a short presentation deck/proposal that outlines the plan for their venture. 

Content

The content of the project is determined by the student’s business venture. 

Supervisory team

A lead academic supervisor from the university will be assigned to each student. By the end of the second term, students need to have identified and proposed an external assessor from industry to join the advisory board of their project, and who will be present for the final presentation.

Sprint meetings

The student cohort will meet fortnightly with the supervisor and peers to discuss and report on the progress of their business project for a ‘sprint’ meeting. The student has to prepare a sprint report that details progress and achievement during the past 2-week sprint period, and sets out milestones to be achieved for the next sprint period. Students must also document their entrepreneurial learning and business progress in a portfolio. Evidence might include documents such as a pitch decks, financial reports, marketing material, design wireframes, etc. The sprint reports and entrepreneurial folio are assessed by the lead supervisor. 

 Board-room presentations

Once a term students have to prepare and deliver a 30min+ assessed presentation of their business and progress to the Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship advisory panel, which will jointly recommend milestones for the following term.

Public pitch

Students are expected to deliver at least one public pitch/presentation of their business venture at HBS.

CPD

Every student needs to complete at least 20h worth of continuous professional development per term, related to entrepreneurship or their industry sector. This can include industry events, special lectures, HCfE events, networking events, online courses, etc.

Other requirements where applicable

Where applicable (e.g. when engaging in trading activity), the student must take out adequate business insurance for their venture.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

This module is highly self-directed. Key learning comes from the student’s experience of running their own business, and reflecting on their practice.

Summative assessment- Examinations:

No exam

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Term 1 

20% Portfolio – Built up throughout term, completed Week 15 (Week 11 of Autumn Term)

10% Presentation – Week 15 (Week 11 of Autumn Term)

Term 2 

20% Portfolio – Built up throughout term, completed Week 30 (Week 11 of Spring Term)

15% Presentation – Week 30 (Week 11 of Spring Term)

Term 3

15% Final presentation – Week 38 (Week 5 of Summer Term)

20% Final report – Week 38 (Week 5 of Summer Term)

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

The Module Convener will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day[1] (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days


• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A weighted average mark of 50%.

Reassessment arrangements:

By resubmission of the entrepreneurial project (with the dissertation now carrying 100% weight). Students only have the right to be reassessed once.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 6 July 2023