Hammack School of Business

BUS 370  

INTRODUCTION TO  

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION  Rome, Italy    

Summer 2024  

Mon. – Thur. 10:30am-12:30pm Room ####  

Dr. Leroy (DC) Carson, Jr.

404.509-6756

lcarson@oglethorpe.edu 

DrLeroyCarsonJr@outlook.com 

www.DrLeroyCarsonJr.com 

“The best way to predict the future is to create it”

Abraham Lincoln  

COURSE GOAL

To learn the basics of entrepreneurial endeavor and understand the essentials of innovation  through business creation. The focus will be on the key fundamentals of idealization, business  planning, market evaluation, legal implications, capital development and execution of an idea  allowing students to become more familiar with the real-world implications of launching a  business.  

COURSE OBJECTIVES (STUDENTS WILL)  

1. Understand the mindset that is needed to launch a business in the current era.  2. Learn and understand what is involved in initiating an entrepreneurial venture.  3. Learn what is involved in the entrepreneurial planning process and some of the legal  implications.  

4. Learn about the growth strategies needed for entrepreneurial ventures.

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5. Learn about entrepreneurial ecosystems  

6. Learn some of the considerations for launching an international business  

REQUIRED TEXT

This course requires an online homework platform called MindTap. Follow the instructions  below to get started. 

Business Management: Launching & Growing Entrepreneurial Ventures  By: Justin G. Longeneckert: J. William Petty; Leslie E. Palich

PUBLISHER: Cengage COPYRIGHT: 2019

NSTRUCTIONSREGISTER FOR YOUR MINDTAP COURSE

1. Use the course registration link https://student.cengage.com/course link/MTPN1CR38KM7 

2. Follow the instructions on screen to create your Cengage account and register for this  MindTap course. 

Need help? Visit the Cengage Start Strong Website (https://startstrong.cengage.com) for step by-step instructions. 

MINDTAP TIPS & TRAINING TOOLS

Learn more about navigating your MindTap course: (https://help.cengage.com/mindtap/mt student/introduction.html) 

TECHNICAL SUPPORT & TROUBLESHOOTING

Our US-based support team delivers answers and advice via 24/7 online chat, Twitter, live  phone support (1-800-354-9706) and through support.cengage.com, which includes helpful  articles, and tutorials.

If you are having trouble loading MindTap, run the MindTap browser 

check (https://ng.cengage.com/static/browsercheck/index.html) to make sure your browser  is compatible or refer to the MindTap System 

Requirements (https://help.cengage.com/mindtap/MindTap-System-Requirements.pdf).  If MindTap isn’t loading, be sure to visit Techcheck (https://techcheck.cengage.com) to see if  there is an outage.

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POEM  

Invictus  

By William Ernest Henley - 1849-1903

https://poets.org/poem/invictus?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhLqmipfU9QIVmh tBh24egNoEAAYASAAEgKfEPD_BwE 

EVERY STUDENT MUST BE ABLE TO RECITE TO GRADUATE OUT OF THIS CLASS   

COURSE DELIVERABLES

1. Essay #1 (DUE via Canvas on Thursday, July 4, 2024) (10% of your grade): Write an  800- 1,000 word paper where you will develop your individual thoughts on a single  chapter from the text (Business Management: Launching & Growing Entrepreneurial  Ventures). For Essay #1, select a single chapter from chapters one, two, and three. ● Chapter 1 - The Entrepreneurial Life 

● Chapter 2 - Integrity, Ethics, and Social Entrepreneurship  

● Chapter 3 - Starting a Small Business 

Your essay paper must include the following: 

Heading (Your Name/Course Name/My Name/Date/Topic) 

Opening summary (1/2 page) 

Three critical findings accompanied by your individual thoughts on each identified  discovery.  

Closing summary (1/2 page) 

This document must be submitted in Canvas (doc, docx, or pdf). The submission in  Canvas will automatically be checked through Turn-it-in.  

Document name: first initial_last name_ Essay1_07_04_2024  

2. Essay #2 (DUE via Canvas on Thursday, July 18, 2024) (10% of your grade): Write a  1,000-1,250 word paper where you will develop and synthesize your individual thoughts  on two chapters from the text (Business Management: Launching & Growing  Entrepreneurial Ventures). For Essay #2, select two chapters from chapters five, six,  seven, eight, nine, and ten. 

● Chapter 5 - The Family Business  

● Chapter 6 - The Business Plan: Visualizing the Dream 

● Chapter 7 - The Marketing Plan 

● Chapter 8 - The Organizational Plan: Teams, Legal Structures, Alliances, and Directors ● Chapter 9 - The Location Plan 

● Chapter 10 - Understanding a Firm's Financial Statements                 P a g e | 4 of 8

Your essay paper must include the following:

• Opening summary (1/2 page) 

• Heading (Your Name/Course Name/My Name/Date/Topic) 

• Five key findings from the two chapters and how the findings/chapters are connected.  Your individual thoughts will accompany the findings on each identified finding.  • Closing summary (1/2 page) 

This document must be submitted in Canvas (doc, docx, or pdf). The submission in  Canvas will automatically be checked through Turn-it-in.  

Document name: first initial_last name_ ESSAY2_07_18_2024  

3. POEM  

Invictus  

By William Ernest Henley - 1849-1903

https://poets.org/poem/invictus?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhLqmipfU9QIVmh tBh24egNoEAAYASAAEgKfEPD_BwE 

EVERY STUDENT MUST BE ABLE TO RECITE TO GRADUATE OUT OF THIS CLASS 

4. INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS (BUSINESS CANVAS MODEL) (As scheduled) (10% of  your grade): 

The Business Model Canvas was developed by Alex Osterwalder during his PhD research.  It helps the user visualize their business and form the appropriate strategy. Each student  will be responsible to turning in one focusing on a unique business idea and potential  market of entry. All submissions are via Canvas.  

Save each in two formats and submit them both. (1st) version saved in PowerPoint. (2nd)  version saved in PDF. Save Your First initial _ Full Last Name_ Business Model Canvas  DATE  

Example: “L_Carson_Business Model Canvas_10-29-2023” 

5. TEAM ASSIGNMENTS (Last week of the program) (15% of your grade): Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Project (15%) An entrepreneurship ecosystem is a  dynamic network of resources, institutions, and policies that nurture the growth of startups  within a region. It encompasses elements such as access to capital, supportive  institutions, talent pool, infrastructure, regulatory environment, and market access. The  strength of this ecosystem is crucial for a local startup community and economy as it  fosters job creation, drives

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innovation, attracts investment and talent, generates wealth,  and diversifies the economy away from traditional sectors. A robust entrepreneurship  ecosystem not only supports the growth of individual startups but also contributes to the  overall economic vitality and resilience of the region. 

Three groups will be established on the first day of class. Each student will be assigned to  a group. The group will be responsible for developing an analysis of a single specific component of the local (Rome, Italy) entrepreneurship ecosystem. Group presentations  will be done the last week of class based on the published schedule. Each presentation will  contain the following three elements:  

I. OVERVIEW OF THE LOCAL (ROME, ITALY) ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM COMPONENT THE  GROUP WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR, TO INCLUDE:  

a. An explanation of what the component is and how it works. 

b. Explain why it is important. 

c. List the top five players in Rome. 

d. Provide detailed information about the customers they serve and what  services they provide. 

II. DOES THIS COMPONENT OF THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM WORK WELL IN ROME, ITALY? 

a. If so, why?  

b. If not, why?  

III. WHAT COULD BE DONE TO STRENGTHEN IT IN ROME, ITALY? 

The presentations will happen in the last week of class. We will have presentations across  multiple days. Slides are used to identify the main points to the audience and are not meant to  be reading notes for the presenter. When presenting, do not read from your slides. The team’s  grade will be based on the presentation’s relevance to that specific entrepreneurial ecosystem  component they were assigned, the quality of their analysis and adherence to these  instructions. All participating team members will receive the same grade. 

EXAMS/QUIZZES (QUIZZES - 20% OF YOUR GRADE &FINAL EXAM IS 15% OF  YOUR GRADE) 

There will be quizzes (4-6) throughout the course derived from the text, handouts, and any other  materials presented in class. The quizzes can include various combinations of multiple-choice,  essay, and true or false questions. The final exam, given during the last week, will be cumulative.  Make-up quizzes/exams will not be given unless a

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a justifiable reason is given in advance – before  the quiz/exam starts. 

ENGAGEMENT (20% OF YOUR GRADE) 

Students are expected to actively engage in all aspects of the course to maximize student  learning, especially in the current learning environment. Engagement credit will be awarded for all  of the following: 

• Attendance at class sessions/lectures (in-person). 

• Participating in class sessions by initiating discussions and participating in ongoing  discussions. 

• Written Reflections in class

BUS 370 Schedule Overview

This schedule may flex as needed and is subject to change by the instructor.