ENTR 3100-01 Principles of Entrepreneurship College of Business & Public Administration Division of Management, Marketing, and Public Administration Course Syllabus Instructor: Rob Sinclair Class Time: Wednesday 1:30-2:45 Email: rsinclair@govst.edu Location: D34104 Electronic Office: Prof.Sinclair (Skype) Credit Hours: 3 Office Hours: Wednesday 4:30 6:00, Thursday 11:30 3:00, and online (Skype) Required Materials Robert Sinclair, 2013, Principles of Entrepreneurship: Understanding the Entrepreneurial Process, Kendall Hunt, ISBN 1465216212 Donald Kuratko, 2008, Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process, and Practice, 8th Edition, South-Western College Pub, ISBN 0324590911 Skype Account, with this is a free service (see orientation for details) Course Description Prerequisite: Emphasizes what it takes to start a business by examining the differing forms of entrepreneurship and all aspects of the entrepreneurial process. None Rationale Principles of Entrepreneurship examines the entrepreneurial process providing basic understanding of the entrepreneurial process including personal preparation to become an entrepreneur, the location or creation of entrepreneurial opportunities, and importance of a business plan is an entrepreneur s best friend. Culminating in the application of knowledge acquired to the theoretical creation of a business from a personal, professional, and emotional perspective. Intended Audience: The class is indented for all students who are interested in or curious about entrepreneurship. Expected Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students are expected to be able to... apply entrepreneurial concepts, practices and theories to everyday life explain the role an entrepreneur plays in location, creation, and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities identify the varying paths leading to entrepreneurship explain the different modes of creating an entrepreneurial business identify and analyze the emotional risks in creating and running an entrepreneurial venture
create a conceptual and ethical foundation from which to determine if or when entrepreneurship is appropriate Instructional Modality Orientation This course is a hybrid class. This means the class consists of a combination of traditional classroom and online learning. Because of this format, class does NOT meet in person 100% of the time. In most cases, class will formally meet approximately 2 hours a week, as scheduled, with the remainder of the work completed online or outside of the classroom. This means you are responsible for monitoring elearning system on a regular basis (daily is best) to ensure that all outside work is completed PRIOR to the next class time. Lectures consist of online videos which require students read the associated chapter prior to watching the video presentation and to answer questions for discussion at the next formal class session. Because class day and time may be adjusted if necessary, it is your responsibility to check your e-mail prior to coming to the GSU Campus. Showing up to a class or missing a class that has been scheduled is not an excuse for missing a formal class. ELearning system: There is an on-line orientation for this course. Please complete the orientation prior to beginning the course. It will give you a better understanding of the structure of the course, and provide you with useful information. The orientation is located at www.govst.edu/dxl/classes. Skype, is a free program that allows you to make free phone calls, video calls and send instant messages through your computer. This is a requirement for the class. You must download the free version of Skype to your computer and set up a free Skype account as follows: GSU.Yourfirst.Lastname Once you have created your Skype account, type Prof.Sinclair in the Skype search bar and select "Find this person". A window will appear with all the persons located that might be Professor Sinclair (you cannot miss me), simply select "Add Contact" and you are all set. Note: You may have multiple accounts, so if you choose to use Skype for your own personal use you can create additional Skype accounts any way you choose without interfering with the class. Methods and Course Structure This course, in alignment with the College of Business & Public Administration s mission and vision statements, blends theory and practical application of the concepts learned. Entrepreneurs need to possess a diverse amount of business knowledge. In order to obtain this knowledge, students are required to participate actively with quality contributions to all discussions and activities (either online or in the classroom). This course is a hybrid course and requires students to participate in a number of different
electronic modes. This includes, but is not limited to the use of elearning system, Skype, and YouTube. Some General Notes on Classroom Policies Students are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner during communications, just as they would be expected to do in the leadership of an entrepreneurial venture. Disruptive or disrespectful communications will not be tolerated. Note, students may be subject to disciplinary action for any behavior that is disruptive to the learning experience of others. Academic Honesty Academic honesty pertains to all methods of fulfilling academic requirements at Governors State University. The following procedures are appropriate ways to use the ideas and work of others when fulfilling academic requirements: 1. When someone else s work or scholarship is used to fulfill academic requirements, the source should be given credit. It should not be stated or implied that this work is a person s own work. a. When using material from a publication, (e.g., book, journal, article, film, etc.), that material should be enclosed in quotation marks, or otherwise set off, and the source of the material acknowledged. b. When paraphrasing published material, (e.g., using it almost word-for-word), the source should also be acknowledged unless the information is common knowledge in the field. c. Unpublished data or ideas of another person should be utilized only with the consent of that person. d. Material should be prepared jointly with one or more other individuals only with the permission of the instructor. The contributions of all individuals to this material should be clearly acknowledged when it is submitted. e. Having someone else prepare material that is to be submitted should only be done with the instructor s permission to do so. 2. The same piece of work should not be submitted for credit in more than one course without the permission of all instructors involved. 3. Hypothetical data should be submitted only with the permission of the instructor to do so and should be clearly labeled as such. 4. One should refuse to make work available to another person who intends to submit part or all of that work as if he/she had written it. 5. Students may neither give, request, nor utilize assistance during an examination without the instructor s permission. These ethical guidelines are in no way intended to discourage people from studying together or from engaging in group projects. Services for Student Disabilities: GSU is committed to providing all students equal access to all university programs and facilities. Students, who have a documented physical, psychological, or learning
disability and need academic accommodations, must register with Access Services for Students with Disabilities (ASSD). Please contact the Coordinator of ASSD in Room B1201 in person; by e-mail, assd@govst.edu; or by calling (708) 235-3968. If you are already registered, please do not hesitate to contact me privately regarding your academic accommodations. Course Content and Evaluation Assignments Assignments will take varying forms each designed to enhance the assigned material from the book. The completion of assignments will typically require reading assigned content from the book and/or watching a video and an interactive discussion. Before the class discussion, a weekly deliverable (a survey, short 1-2 page paper, business idea, etc) worth 10 points will be assigned. These assignments are due prior to the discussion session, with few if any exceptions. (Expected, minimum of 10 assignments for a total of 100 Points or more) Interactive Discussion Discussions are designed to clarify specific topics related to understanding the entrepreneur, the entrepreneurial process, and the entrepreneurial spirit. It is not intended to cover all material in the book and may even contain material not explicitly covered in the book. You are responsible for knowing all material including that only presented in the interactive discussion. Attendance cannot be made up and is worth 10 points per discussion. (Expected, minimum of 10 interactive discussions for a total of 100 Points or more) Exams Learning in this course will be evaluated based on your understanding of the material assigned, even if it is not directly covered in class, in addition to any materials presented in the online discussions. Evaluation will be accomplished through 3 examinations. Each exam is based solely on the content assigned prior to that exam. Therefore, each exam is designed to evaluate your understanding of the material assigned and any additional material presented in the online discussions. No single comprehensive exam will be given. Each exam will consist of 20 to 25 questions weighted for an approximate total of 100 points. All exams will be administered electronically on ELearning system. You will be allowed to take the exam only once during the time allotted. Questions will be randomly selected from a test bank provided by the book publisher, in addition to questions I create. Responses will also be randomized for each question further insuring that every exam for every student is unique. While use of the textbook is permissible, ONLY 30 minutes are allowed for completion. This is not enough time to look up more than 1 or 2 of the answers. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that you answer all of the questions you know first. Then, answer the balance of the questions only using the book when you have completed all questions first. (Expected, minimum of 3 exams for a total of 300 Points.)
Grading Scale: A = 92% 100%; B = 84% 91%; C = 74% 83%; D = 65% 73%; F = Below 65%
Every effort to keep to the schedule of activities noted here will be taken, however, if changes are made you will be informed as soon as is practical. Additional details of assignments and class activities will be provided as class unfolds. While changes are unlikely, every effort will be made to notify you a one week in advance were possible. Week Topic Activities Deliverables 1 Class Introduction 2 What Exactly is Entrepreneurship Read Preface (Sinclair) Setup Skype Account Read Chapter 1 (Sinclair) Assignment 1 3 The Need for Entrepreneurship Read Chapter 2 (Sinclair) Assignment 2 4 The Equifinal Nature of Entrepreneurship Read Chapter 3 (Sinclair) Assignment 3 The Differing Forms of 5 Read Chapter 4 (Sinclair) Assignment 4 Entrepreneurship 6 Exam 1 7 Entrepreneurial Mindset Read Chapter 5 (Sinclair) 8 9 Innovation: The Creative Pursuit of Ideas Pathways to Entrepreneurial Ventures Read Chapter 5 (Kuratko) Online Lecture: Video 5 Read Chapter 6 (Kuratko) Online Lecture: Video 6 10 Exam 2 11 12 13 Legal Challenges for Entrepreneurial Ventures Sources of Capital for Entrepreneurial Ventures Assessment of Entrepreneurial Opportunities Read Chapter 7 (Kuratko) Online Lecture: Video 7 Read Chapter 8 (Kuratko) Online Lecture: Video 8 Read Chapter 9 (Kuratko) Online Lecture: Video 9 Assignment 5 Assignment 6 Assignment 7 Assignment 8 Assignment 9 14 No Class: Thanksgiving 15 Exam 3