Dear Walter:
I have just begun a program in entrepreneurship for one of our affiliate
schools in Central America. I will get a copy of our curriculum and
forward it to you, as it may give you some ideas.
In the meantime, here is the topical outline of the opening course, in
which I have tried to briefly cover topics that will be covered in some
depth later in their program.
1. The Entrepreneur and the business venture (personal aspects of
entrepreneurship -- "going to bed young and waking up old" and the
"unscratchable itch")
2. Starting the venture (business forms and intial financing -- from
franchise to inheritance to bootstrap startups)
3. Thinking Success (understanding and evaluating business models)
4. Market Space and Competition (strategy)
5. Day-to-day Management (management control -- key success variables
and control of critical resources, especially cash)
6. Whos in Charge? (firm governance -- especially in family-owned
businesses, management of executive succession)
7. Money (creation and preservation of wealth, trade credit, working
capital management)
8. Big money (venture capital cycle, leveraging of capital)
9. Risk (casualty, political, employment -- a look at the legal and
insurance environments, including the global property and casualty
insurance business and use of financial guarantees in internatinal
transactions)
10. Leadership and ethics (stakeholder analysis and personal ethical
issues -- to lead is to create an example for others to follow)
I hope that this is of some use.
Jim Biteman
Tulane University
>
>
> Dear Innovation and Entrepreneurship Colleagues
>
>
>
> I've been approached by the University of Toronto Continuing Education
> department to design a new certificate program for them on
> Entrepreneurship
> and Innovation, for the next Fall 2007 and Winter 2008 calendar
>
> By Monday I have to suggest the names of 10 course titles. (working
> titles
> only; not carved in stone, can be changed later)
>
>
>
> This Certificate Program should have a heavy business focus and they want
> hands-on tools that can be taught in each half course, which will be a
> total
> of 16 hours (taught over two Saturdays).
>
>
>
> The target audience is the manager in a large corporation who wants to be
> an
> intra-preneur and the sole entrepreneur/ or startup (therefore we need to
> separate the theory/tools to distinguish how apps in the corporate world
> vary from the startup ( ie. Bob Copper's Stage/Gate process is appropriate
> for a large corporation who has to manage a portfolio of product designs
> projects but not for the startup who needs an easy but robust method to
> spot, design and select opportunities ie. The Opportunity Clinic.
>
>
>
> They would be interested in the Certificate to get ahead at work, but
> would
> not or could not afford to take Uof T's Rotman MBA or Exec MBA across the
> street (literally) but want exposure to similar materials, concepts, tools
> and ideas at a reasonable cost ( each half course with cost about $295)
>
>
>
> So far they want me to teach my 4 courses
>
> 1) Strategic Thinking and Problem solving 1 (including critical and
> creative cognitive thinking skills ala Edward de Bono's CoRT Thinking
> Skills)
>
> 2) Strategic Thinking and Problem solving 2 (including
> Characteristics of entrepreneurs and the Gregoric Learning Style
> Instrument)
>
> 3) The Opportunity Clinic (including the How Opportunity Savvy are
> you? Instrument)
>
> 4) The Idea Lab-generating Ideas on demand
>
>
>
> I'm also proposing something like
>
>
>
> 5) Fostering Individual and Team Creativity and in-house innovation
>
> 6) Building your good idea (including understanding disruptive
> innovation capacity (Clayton Christensen's ideas) and
> understanding/designing your viable business model)
>
> 7) Evaluating your good idea ( i.e Andrew Maxwell's process from
> Canadian Innovation Center (CIC), Waterloo)
>
> 8) Selling your Good idea
>
> 9) Launching your Good Idea
>
> 10) Managing your Good Idea ( don't like this title)
>
>
>
>
>
> Etc along those lines (the idea /innovation life cycle)
>
>
>
> What other titles or better snappy titles would you suggest ?
>
>
>
> As a text book, I would suggest Edward de Bono's Serious Creativity and
> Rita McGrath's Entrepreneurial Mindset
>
>
>
>
>
> Do you know of anyone teaching /offering a similar program? In Canada ?
> The
> USA? EU?
>
>
>
> In the long term, if this is successful, there is an opportunity to
> propose
> an online version, (webinar) distance education component
>
>
>
> Suggestions and comments welcomed
>
>
>
>
>
> Walter Derzko
>
> | The Smart Economy|
http://smarteconomy.typepad.com
>
> Toronto, Ontario Canada
>
> Tel 1-416-533-9667
>
> Skype ID = scenarioman1
>
> University email:
walter.derzko@utoronto.ca or
>
> Home & Business email:
wderzko@pathcom.com
>
>
>
>
>
>