Swedish name: Business Development and Internationalisation D
This syllabus is valid: 2011-09-05 and until further notice
Syllabus for courses starting after 2011-09-05
Course code: 2FE146
Credit points: 30
Education level: Second cycle
Main Field of Study and progress level:
Business Administration: Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
Grading scale: Pass with distinction, Pass, Fail
Responsible department: Business Administration
The core course consists of four modules, which will be further described below: Module 1. Strategic Foresight and Innovation, 7.5 ECTS Module 2. Entrepreneurship and Business Growth 7.5 ECTS Module 3. Managing Networks and Internationalisation 7,5 ECTS Module 4. Business Development Analysis 7,5 ECTS The Master Degree of Business Development and Internationalisation is an advanced degree program directed to students aiming to become entrepreneurs as well as managers or project leaders focused on (international) business development. The aim is to prepare students with skills involved in launching and leading businesses but also to use those skills to develop and run businesses or business units with a direction toward innovation, international expansion and growth. During the four core modules of the program, students will be exposed to theory as well as practical hands-on work with real businesses. Module 1. Strategic Foresight and innovation, 7.5 ECTS The first module sets the stage for forthcoming courses offered in the Business Development and Internationalisation Entrepreneurship Masters Program. In this module, two interconnected themes, strategic foresight and innovation are going to be in focus. Entrepreneurs benefit from the dynamic and inspiring methods of strategic foresights and visionary management for developing new directions for innovation and business-growth. In this respect, the first theme - strategic foresight, aims at deepening students insights into futures trends in for example the organizing of business, emerging technologies, sustainable development, demographics, and lifestyles and how these trends can be analyzed. It provides well-grounded understanding of both the possibilities and limitations of futures studies as an academic discipline and assists in exploring futures research methods such as scenario building and environmental scanning and their application. The students will be supported to gain insightful, multiple and interdisciplinary understanding of the world and the intertwined nature of its events and processes, and acquire skills of developing and maintaining economically, socially, culturally and ecologically sustainable futures. In connection, the second theme innovation, provide essential tools of creating and maintaining processes of long-range innovation for development and implementation of entrepreneurial business opportunities. This includes knowledge about the characteristics and component of entrepreneurial creativity, motivation, willingness and passion to create new business opportunities and to grow the business. The students will develop the ability to analyze the challenges related to different types of innovations. Further capabilities and skills development are emphasized to deal with the knowledge-based challenges of the entrepreneurial firm; the determinants and processes of successful new product and service development, as well as innovation into business models, incorporating factors need to be considered in commercialization. Throughout the Module 1 the students are supported to develop their individual mental models and mindsets in order to find their own innovative approaches. Expected learning outcomes: On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: Link futures studies, as an academic discipline, to other scientific fields, particularly to entrepreneurship and innovation Design and evaluate future trends Apply foresight methods for developing directions for innovation and business development Critically understand, analyze and apply research and best practice based models, tools and techniques to the management of innovation and business development Able to propose interventions concerning challenges and complexities of innovation in real-life entrepreneurial companies Focus of instruction Connection to research is in-built within the study curricula. The researchers and teachers of USBE and UmU are utilized and especially encouraged to emphasize their own special knowledge, research results and know-how in their teaching. Beyond the interactive lectures and guest lecture(s), the tuition incorporates reading seminars, case classes and group work(s). The Module requires significant amount of independent study, meaning reading the assigned compulsory (and facultative) book chapters, articles, handouts, and writing case preparations and the learning diary. It is the responsibility of the students, and they are expected to be prepared for class and to participate in discussions. The main written assignment is the individual learning diary, written after each lecture and seminar during the module. Individual case preparations in written form will be required from the students and with consideration of the inputs from the students into class discussion those will be graded after case classes. Group work will be carried out in teams of 3-5 students and a written essay and oral presentation will be required. Examination modes The completion of the learning diary count 50% and the average of the sum of the other assignments comprise the other 50% of the final grade. Students who receive the grade fail on the above assignments will be given a re-exam (see also note 6 below). Attendance on all seminars and presentations is compulsory in order to pass the module. Module 2. Entrepreneurship and Business Growth, 7.5 ECTS A key challenge for start-ups and existing organisations is to maintain the entrepreneurial spirit, consolidate business activities and create growth. Obviously, this is a main concern of small as well as large companies, whereby it is a huge market for business consultancy. To prepare students for this demand, this course focuses on management for and under business growth. Main themes concern (i) the theory of entrepreneurship and its connections to business growth, (ii) the characteristics and components of entrepreneurial motivation, risk taking and the willingness to grow businesses, (iii) entrepreneurial strategy-making, (iv) growing pains, downsizing and size management and (v) venture capital and financing challenges. The course literature will cover these themes and connect them to businesses. During the course, students work with cases related to the above themes and develop consultant solutions to solve the issues and problems outlined in the cases. In order to prepare students for future consultant work and for contemporary organizations, much of the work in this course will be executed in teams. Expected learning outcomes On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: apply theoretical knowledge to identify and evaluate challenges for and under entrepreneurial business growth analyse driving forces for entrepreneurial growth use strategies to accomplish entrepreneurial growth evaluate signals of acute organizational growth problems and make decisions on how to overcome them identify and make decisions about downsizing and size management make decisions about financial matters when growing a business transfer dense theoretical material of entrepreneurship growth to applicable implications for businesses Focus of instruction A mix of lectures and seminars will be used and the teaching is characterized by a strong emphasis on student activity, both verbally and in written tasks. Presentation skills and team work is focused upon. A core idea in the program, is action based learning (or learning by experience) and how to use literature and theoretical ideas to create practical value for companies. Therefore, the module includes assignments that require team work aiming at developing consultant solutions for a set of key problems that exists for many entrepreneurs and companies. These hands-on assignments run throughout the module. The assignments will include both practical analyses of growth possibilities and growth restrictions on the separate themes during the course. The student is expected to actively participate both individually and work in small groups during the different seminars and tasks, and in the written and oral presentations. Examination modes The knowledge obtained during the course will be examined through practical hands-on team presentations and reports of the themes covered in the course. An individual exam covering the main themes provided in this course will be at the end of this course. Students must attend all seminars and presentations in order to pass the module. See also below. Module 3. Managing Networks and Internationalisation Companies must be able to adjust to dynamic and complex business environments and also have a proactive capacity to capture and exploit business opportunities. This module highlights how companies can develop business capabilities to manage such business settings. Organizations must be apt at managing their inter-organizational relationships, both on the home market and on the international arena. Key themes in this course are therefore to build, maintain and support business cooperation constellations in terms of joint ventures, alliances and networks, understanding and meeting competition from existing incumbents and new entrants as well as balancing cooperative and competitive relationships in different business settings. Furthermore, the participants will practice to analyze and plan for localization and creating a strategy for internationalization processes, the linkages to public and private policies and institutions will be introduced as an important resource base. Practical business experiences are covered in this course and the students will work with and analyze a real organizations network relationships and internationalisation. Expected learning outcomes On successful completion of this course module, students should be able to: identify strategic aspects of networking and internationalisation processes interpret the dynamic structures and processes for strategic business development apply models and theories via experiments, simulations and real cases explain the relationships between entrepreneurship, networking, internationalisation and business development develop measures and recommendations in order to support business development activities in the field Focus of instruction Each of the two main perspectives in the course, internationalisation and networking, starts with a case seminar (start-up case) with the purpose to uncover earlier experiences and conceptions among the students and chisel out strategic themes as the platform for knowledge seeking activities. From lectures, seminars and the literature base the ambition is to encourage the development of a conceptual understanding of the field. The integration of models and perspectives will be accomplished by different learning settings like experiments and simulations. The course will analysis from a real case (company/ organization/network or an industry) in order to develop suggestions for strategies and actions programs for network and international development processes. Module 4. Business Development Analysis, 7.5 ECTS Managers and entrepreneurs must be able to analyse and plan, and most importantly, to act. In the final core module students therefore take on the role of an entrepreneur or entrepreneurial manager and develop a real-life business idea or business unit/function in an established organization based on what they have learned in previous modules. Students will work in-depth with business development by taking part in the commercialization of a business idea, for example, taking the idea to a market and make it ready for investments; in specific challenges in a growing venture; or in aspects of a business internationalisation or network activities, for example entrance into a new export market. Theoretically, we focus on entrepreneurial decision making and the underlying processes of causation and effectuation in enterprise development. We also discuss the contested role of planning in business development. Other topics in this module are introduced to support the practical business development assignment; strategic business development based on relevant market and competitor analysis, business model and financial analysis; information gathering from network contacts and experts as well as methodological approaches to market and competitor analysis; and building an appropriate sales approach. Expected learning outcomes On successful completion of this course module, students should be able to: select appropriate theoretical tools to analyze evaluate the commercial potential for business concepts plan and develop a specific business or a business area use networks and experts to search for and evaluate relevant information for strategic decision-making pitch ideas and present plans before a panel of selected experts Focus of instruction In this module, the main pedagogical form is work with a real-life case. For example, the case could entail students working in teams with existing companies or organisations or start-ups to develop a business or a business area. The groups will work relatively independently but in dialogue with the commissioner. Students will receive regular supervision from faculty as well as be coached by experts in a series of workshops, seminars and some lectures. Note: depending on the type of real-life case selected, some smaller introductory/preparatory activities may be required during one or several of the earlier modules. In that case, time will be set aside within these modules for these activities. Examination The examination is based on four parts: 1) the final business development plan; 2) the oral presentation and sales pitch of this plan; 3) participation in workshops and seminars; 4) an individual reflection paper relating the theoretical concepts to the practical experiences.
Se respectively module.
University: Courses in Business Administration (75 ECTS) At Basic level (A-level) and Intermediate level (B-level) a minimum of 60 ECTS in Management, Marketing, Accounting and Finance courses. At the C-level (Bachelor), a minimum 15 ECTS. Language: Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English B (IELTS (Academic) with a minimum overall score of 6.5 and no individual score below 5.5. TOEFL PBT (Paper-based Test) with a minimum score of 575 and a minimum TWE score of 4.5). TOEFL iBT (Internet-based Test) with a minimum score of 90 and a minimum score of 20 on the Writing Section).
Se respectively module.
See also above under respectively module. The following grading system is used: Pass with distinction (Väl godkänd, Vg, 75% or more), Pass (Godkänd, G, 50% or more) and Fail (Underkänd U, less than 50%). To receive the grade Pass with distinction in the course, the student must have achieved at least 75% of the total of points in the separate modules or the equivalent. Students who fail will be offered an examination opportunity within 2-3 weeks. Beyond that, additional opportunities to complete the written examination normally arise every academic year one-week prior to the start of the autumn term. When a student has failed an examination on two occasions, he or she has a right to have another grading teacher. A written request for an alternative examiner should be handed to the director of studies no later than two weeks before the next examination opportunity. Rules and regulations concerning the production of academic texts and correct referencing will be applicable to all written assignments. See, http://www.usbe.umu.se/varastudenter/uppsats/Policy-deceive.html All lectures and seminars material including the assigned compulsory reading during the module might be used as basis for re-examination. Lectures are normally not obligatory. However attendance is expected because the lectures are designed to facilitate students towards achieving course specific learning objectives. In addition lectures often provide insightful explanations of, and can supplement and provide contrast to, the course litterateur and other relevant course materials. Student who has passed an examination can not redo the examination to get a higher grading. Grades on the course are awarded when students have passed all examinations and compulsory course elements.
This is the core course in the Masters program in Business Development and Internationalisation. It is also a course at the D-level in an MSc-degree at Umeå University. The course can also be included in study programs in Business Administration and Economics at Umeå School of Business.
The literature list is not available through the web. Please contact the faculty.