GBUS/MBA 836: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in NA Corporations

Spring/Summer 2018

______

INSTRUCTOR DETAILS:

Name:Robert Anderson MBA, PhD, CPA-CMAOffice Location: none

Phone:Office Hours: via email or URCourses

Email:

CLASS DETAILS:

Class Dates: May 7 to Aug 22, 2018

Class Times: NA

Class Location: on-line through URCourses

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is not a business startup course. Rather, the course explores the concepts and practices of entrepreneurship and innovation and their relationship with creating, sustaining and growing ventures. It analyses the determinants of innovation and develops the skills managers need to analyze opportunities and stimulate more innovation, enterprise, and initiative in their organization. While these opportunities may be market-related, they might equally be focused on innovations directed to other internal or external stakeholders; such as employees, communities, the environment and so on.

Evidence shows that organizations, regardless of age, which increase their capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship in response to the changes in the environment in which they operate, build a foundation for long term competitiveness and sustainability.

This course will examine how organizations can create and sustain this capacity, and better manage the innovation process to ensure ongoing success. We look at the individual, project, and organizational levels.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES / OUTCOMES

Our objectives are to understand:

  • the nature and complexity of innovation and entrepreneurship in organizations
  • how organizations can increase their capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship
  • how innovative and entrepreneurial projects can be managed in organizations
  • how innovative and entrepreneurial individuals can and should operate within organizations

To achieve the course objectives, we will draw from: (1) the required text, (2) an innovation management simulation, (3) readings illustrating the breadth of issues involved in managing innovative and entrepreneurial activities within organizations and (4) case analysis and discussion.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

Class preparation and participation will be assessed on the basis of contribution to the discussion forums and preparation and submission of chapter/reading/discussion summaries. All students are expected toactively participate in the discussion forums; first, by posting an initial response to the discussion questions and then by commenting and building on the posts of others. Quality participation will involve expanding on the discussion as it unfolds, in particular by adding information, observations and questions from one’s own experience and sources beyond the assigned readings and case. The majority of learning in on-line format occurs during these discussions. But this will only happen if people have read and given thoughtful consideration to the assigned readings and cases.

In addition, as evidence of preparation and participation, students submit a weekly discussion summary. In the summary, students, provide their answers to the discussion question(s) based on course and case material from this course, their own ideas and experience and knowledge gain from other courses, and the forum discussion.The summary should address questions such as What do you think? and Why? How did the discussion influence your answers to the questions? The summary of these insights must be submitted through URCourses at the end of the week. Maximum length is 2 pages.

COURSE MATERIALS

  • Blue Ocean Shift, Kim and Mauborgne, HBR Press (available for purchase on-line, link on URCourses)
  • Back Bay Battery, A Strategic Innovation Simulation, Shih and Christensen, HBR Press (available for purchase on-line, link on URCourses)
  • Case Package, (available for purchase on-line, link on URCourses)
  • Selected readings, all available as full-text from UofR Library at no cost to registered students.

COURSE ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

For a description of the grading system, consult the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research link here:

Preparation and Participation

Chapter/Reading/Discussion Summaries20%

Forum Participation15%

Simulation (final run)

Strategy15%

Actual Results5%

Final Report on strategy and results15%

Final Exam (submitted in-line)30%

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

All assignments and the final exam are due on the date and time posted. Late submissions will not be accepted, unless there are particular extenuating circumstances. Any request for an extension in such extenuating circumstances must be made to the instructor prior to the deadline for the activity.

STUDENT RESOURCES

Accessibility Services

If there is any learner who, because of a disability or other consideration, may have a need for accommodation(s), please contact the Centre for Student Accessibility before or at the start of the course The Centre will advise how you proceed and the required communication with your instructor.

Counseling Services

If any learner is experiencing personal problems which may be affecting their studies, please consider consulting UofR Consulting Services. For more information check here

Writing Assistance

The Student Success Centre ( offers both on-line resources and in- person tutoring on writing skills.

FACULTY BIOGRAPHY(optional)

Dr. Robert Anderson is an internationally recognized scholar on entrepreneurship and sustainable development with a focus on Indigenous peoples around the world. He has argued that developmental aspirations of Indigenous people are shaped by four key factors: (i) a desire by Indigenous people to improve their socio-economic circumstances through participation in the global economy ‘on their own terms’, (ii) increasing recognition of the rights of Indigenous people to have at least some control over activities on their traditional lands, (iii) the shift to a new, flexible global economy in which local aspirations and objectives can play a more significant role and iv) the growing importance of entrepreneurship as a means for achieving these objectives that are well aligned with an emerging global trend of sustainability, and ‘blended value’ enterprises. In the last 20 years, he has held numerous SSHRC and other grants. These grants have facilitated international research networks to research Indigenous People and Sustainable Development in the Global Economy. These research networks include Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from the around the world: Circumpolar Arctic, Inuit, other Canada (e.g., First Nations University of Canada), United States, South America, Sami, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peoples Republic of China, New Zealand Maori, New Caledonia and Australia. The funding has also played a large part in the publication of more than 50 peer reviewed journal papers and 120 peer-reviewed conference papers along with four books, and 20 book chapters.

Course Schedule

Details to follow

1