Time Schedule:
Susan Schreter
ENTRE 579
Seattle Campus
Topics vary. Offered only when faculty members are available and there is sufficient student interest.
Class description
Objective
The purpose of this course is to consider and evaluate the impact of entrepreneurship as a productive catalyst for social enhancement/value on a domestic and international level in education, the environment, micro-finance, healthcare and welfare, and other popular areas of social enterprise. The work of three relatively recent Nobel Prize for Peace winners will also be evaluated and discussed. Course emphasis will be consistently placed on the strength of the entrepreneurial organization and business model implementation plans. Students will be challenged to analyze socially-motivated business models and develop their own standards for measuring organization outcomes and sustainability bringing new meaning to the close relationship between visionary "cause" and visionary "effect." Special attention during discussions will be placed on the founder's leadership, prevailing public sentiment, availability of startup capital and other factors that may influence new organization vitality. By course end, students should have a sophisticated, yet practical view of what it takes to succeed as a social entrepreneur on a local or international scale.
The course is designed not only for future "social entrepreneurs." It should contribute to every student's skills in project feasibility analysis, designing draft operating and financing plans and measuring outcomes of innovative business development opportunities. These skills will be useful to students pursuing careers in venture capital, social enterprise, for-profit and not-for-profit consulting as well as "intrapreneuring" within larger corporate or government settings.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
Requirements:
October 8th – Selection of project choice; selection of fellow student "reviewer"/partner. It is not recommended to select a fellow student as a partner if both are working on the second stage social enterprise.
October 22nd – Development of 8 to 10 page PowerPoint slide deck outlining the goals, startup/expansion operating tactics, service model, financing model and outcome measurement tools for measuring social improvement outcomes. More details of best slide deck attributes will be provided in class. Slide decks have become a fundamental tool for introducing ideas within the business world. The process of developing a slide deck will help students fine tune operating objectives, set priorities and improve communication skills – written and verbal. . 45 minutes of class time will be provided for student partners to listen to their partner student's presentation and explanation of business model. The slide deck will be due to the instructor on this date as well and students can seek out guidance from the instructor on how to improve the presentation/business model. The final due date for the revised slide deck is December 10th.
November 19th – Critique of partner slide deck/business model. Student partners will submit a 5 to 7 point description of areas for their fellow student partner's business model and slide deck improvement. Only one comment can address the presentation style. Students will not comment on the social goals of the organization but the feasibility of the implementation plan. 2 to 3 pages of commentary is due to the instructor for grading and the student partner for consideration. The value of this assignment is to help students learn how to give and receive constructive business criticism. December 3rd/December 10th. Micro presentations to class. More details will be outlined in class, which in part will be based on student project selection. Depending on project selection and class enrollment, we may partner up on projects.
December 10th – Final submission of slide deck and 8 to 10 page written business plan. Grading emphasis will be placed on the strength of the business model and implementation plan, assessment of startup requirements, funding plan, assessment of operating risks for a startup organization, and selected assessment criteria for measuring social improvement outcomes. Guidelines will be provided in class.
Unless otherwise specified, written assignments should be typed in a professional manner using 12 point font; one inch margins. Assignments that are submitted to the instructor's email, will receive a personal email acknowledgement of receipt. Please identify yourself in the email heading as the instructor's email address also supports a nationwide newspaper column and Yahoo! Small Business communications. While the instructor is open minded to listening to extreme circumstance requests for assignment extensions prior to deadline, it is rare that extensions will be granted.
The instructor will consistently ask during grading: (i) How much original thinking went into the work? (ii) Did the student integrate course reading and lectures into the work? (iii) Is the student really making an effort to advance his or her own knowledge base in the work? and (iv) Did the student achieve the minimum criteria set out for the assignment? Students who fulfill these goals will do very well.
Class Grading Weight:
Class Participation/Attendance/Presentation 25% Slide Deck 15% Business Model Critique 15% Business Plan 30% In My View 15%
