MMM075-Entrepreneurship Project

Module Provider: Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour
Number of credits: 40 [20 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2019/0

Email: keith.heron@henley.reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module will enable you to develop your entrepreneurial capacity and your understanding of the start-up process through an immersive, team-based learning experience, culminating in a consultancy to help entrepreneurial small businesses and start-ups. 

Through various, increasingly more complex, team-based consultancy sessions with entrepreneurs and business coaches you will be able to apply and further refine your understanding of the taught material.

In addition to the academic content of this module, you will need to draw on your knowledge from across the whole programme in a creative manner, as suitable to your particular consultancy tasks.

Team building and team working skills are of paramount importance to entrepreneurial success; hence 40% of the module assessment is team-based.

Creative thinking, and entrepreneurial and leadership initiative will be valuable and rewarded.

The entire consultancy may need to be structured within the University’s Entrepreneurship Project Placement Agreement. Students will be under the University’s Placement Non-Disclosure Agreements which will provide project hosts with confidence that their proprietary and confidential information will not be disclosed beyond the scope of the Entrepreneurship Project.

Aims:

The development of knowledge of key tools for the assessment of and consultancy for profit and non-profit making enterprises.

The development and awareness of soft skills, such as teambuilding and teamwork, communication with expert and non-expert audiences, both verbally and in writing, a focus on social capital building, effective elicitation of information and the successful presentation of innovative suggestions.

The skills developed will be applicable for any student who wishes to make a professional impact upon their return to a family or small business, or target a career step within a consultancy firm, or even to start up their own new business.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of this module you will be able to: 

• understand the challenges that start-up and early stage entrepreneurs face 

• understand and demonstrate competence in acting as a consultant in the mode of Process Consultation 

• evidence critical self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and time management

• evidence sensitivity to diversity in people and different situations and build and maintain empathy with your hosts and fellow team members

• evidence effective team working

• evidence familiarity with and effectiveness in the use of consultancy tools

• generate and organise large amounts of primary data into meaningful clusters (coding) for the production of the case study

• demonstrate how proposals are supported through using authoritative evidence from existing knowledge (secondary research) of similar situations (i.e., there must be some support for the claims that are being made by the student)

• produce original thinking for the project host

• demonstrate convening and contributing to effective management meetings to communicate information and receive and clarify information received

• demonstrate effectiveness in setting personal targets and adherence to a strict project timeline

• evidence how to manage client confidentiality

Additional outcomes:

Producing work of a stipulated content, based on self-directed research and large amounts of data within set periods of time, will help you hone your ability to work in a highly systematic and collaborative manner under intense pressure.

With full participation and use of Schein's Process Consultation-Humble Inquiry philosophy, you will improve your research inquiry methods, observation and, listening skills, personal interaction skills, classifying and analysis skills, and report-writing skills.

Outline content:

1) Survival and growth challenges of start-ups and early-stage small firms (this may use content from other modules);

2) Founder and small firm owner motivations;

3) Nature and philosophy of Process Consultation;

4) Personal competencies for effective consultation: your personal styles and team working;

5) Communication skills for direct and indirect discussions

6) Consultancy business tools for sense making and analysis;

7) Tools for assisting entrepreneurs in the development of their businesses;

8) Practice consultancy opportunities with guest entrepreneurs, and/or entrepreneurs in business incubators/enterprise centres;

9) Study visit (to Poland or another partner institution) to work with entrepreneurs and business coaches in a 4-5 day programme (Optional module but highly recommended)- at the end of spring term; 

10) Capstone consultancy project (including information gathering visits to project hosts, identification of key themes, self-directed secondary research, communication of the project in various formats to expert (university) and non-expert (the project host) audiences; 

11) Communication skills workshops (verbal and written) in support of assessment Tasks and consultancy visits

Global context:

This module has a global context in that cross-cultural biases are highlighted in the practical elements, with regards to the team building processes as well as the consultancy of the entrepreneurs. 

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The core theoretical content of the module will be taught in lessons and workshops, conducted by the module convenor and external experts.

In addition, you will be required to read a range of relevant journal articles and books.

The practical, immersive element is taught in the form of supervised and independent consultancy sessions with entrepreneurs, most of which require some travelling to their premises. These sessions will be supported through team and individual meetings with the module convenor for feedback and guidance.

In addition, you will have to perform self-directed primary and secondary research and creative thinking to develop pertinent and innovative suggestions for your capstone consultancy project.

With regards to the team building and teamwork aspect of the module, a gradually increasing level of initiative and self-reflection will be required of you.

Whilst the module convenor will provide support to you in finding your suitable team role, the more experienced students are encouraged to pro-actively hone and develop their leadership skills which include encouraging less confident team members to be more participative.

There are only one or two classes in autumn term to introduce you to the challenge of self-awareness and your role in team-based master’s learning.

In Spring term there will be classes on what is expected to achieve the learning goals of Henley at Level 7 learning, and how to create high performing teams. This will be beneficial for all modules where this is a team-based assessment. 

During Spring term you will work in informal teams to experience diverse perspectives and team dynamics, where you will start to develop an understanding of the consultancy skills required for the project, plus your own personal skill expertise in Process Consultation/Humble Inquiry.

Summer term involves the consultancy team directly interacting, including via email/skype with their project host from early June to mid-July, displaying competency in consultancy tools and process, in order to build trust that will lead to information being willingly divulged by the host.

Teams will be established by the module convenor with a distribution of cultures and capabilities. Teams will then be expected to develop a team charter to enable effective performance. The teams will have an opportunity to pitch for one of the projects that are being offered though it may not be feasible to match every team to their preferred project. The module convenor has an obligation to deliver good value to the project hosts who support this ‘live project’ and has a responsibility to ensure each team is particularly strong in spoken and listening capabilities, since the information will be gathered in real meetings at the pace of the project host. 

Whilst all students enrolled on this programme have attained the minimum language requirements, many previous international students have found it beneficial to continually develop their English-speaking skills in order to make a strong contribution during the consultancy meetings, which also develops their confidence. Additional classes will be made available for such students.

In Summer term the practical application will commence. This consists of a combination of classes, weekly visits to the project hosts, and small group supervision meetings for discussion of progress.

The module convenor will strictly monitor attendance at scheduled classes in June and July and at the project host to ensure adherence to the project timeline to ensure student progression.

It is essential that no holidays or absences from the University occur from the end of the examination period up to the submission of team Task 4 at towards the end of July.

You need to be

Summative assessment- Examinations:

No final exam.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Task 1: Reflections on interactions with entrepreneurs: log/portfolio 

Task 2: Individual self-assessment of practical consultancy capabilities and development plan: 1000 words 

Task 3: Team Consultancy Proposal: 20 minute presentation

Task 4: Team report: 4000 words

Task 5: Individual report for CLIENT; proposal and implementation plan(5000 words)

Detail:

Task 1 (0% and used as evidence for Task 2) is a log of evidence that is based upon reflections of student learning from observation of and interaction with entrepreneurs and team members prior to the project commencement. 

Submit in early June.

The Task 2 is an INDIVIDUAL report of 1000 words (10% ); it requires a self-assessment of your individual capabilities for consultancy, the identification of future capabilities that will be needed, and a plan to manage and build those capabilities during the consultancy period. It will include an appendix containing evidence of attendance at Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship SME events, or equivalent events where entrepreneurs have been observed.

Submit in June 1 week after Task 1.

Task 3 is a TEAM-based presentation (20 %; 20 minutes plus question responses) about the client but for the expert audience of your module convenor (i.e. not for the client).

The module convenor is not completely knowledgeable of the matters of the host entrepreneur, so this presentation requires you to communicate your understanding of the host’s business venture, the challenges they face now, and your creative proposal for solving the biggest challenge. The audience is the module convenor.  

The presentation requires good planning and organisation as it will require 20 minutes, with an additional visual tapestry which explains the entire ‘story’ (to be explained in the criteria). 

A component of the Task is the preparation and delivery contributions of every student. The team needs to produce excellent evidence that everyone has made a valuable contribution.

Submit a document ahead of the presentation in mid July in accordance with Blackboard instructions.

Task 4 is a team report (20%, 4000 words + Tapestry) to be submitted within one week of Task 3. Task 4 requires you to learn from your Task 3 experience and the immediate verbal feedback received after the presentation.

Submit 1 week after Task 3.

Task 5 is an INDIVIDUAL report (50 %, 5000 words) which can utilise the team analysis and proposal but must now be transformed into your personal proposal with the addition of your personal implementation plan for your project host. You are now separated from your team and free to offer your personal original thinking. You will support this with theoretical and practical influences to add weight to your opinion.

You must consider the communication coaching you have received in order to enhance your communication precision as Task 5 is for an external audience; it is written FOR THE CLIENT (marked by the module convenor with input from the client). It therefore it does not need a detailed explanation of the existing business; just your analysis of the current situation, your judgement concerning the challenge the business is facing, your proposal and your next steps implementation plan. 

This is where ‘you are the expert’ as you can really help the entrepreneur.  

Submit early September, as per instructions in Blackboard.

Important Note: 

Tasks 3 and 4 are TEAM - based and require ALL members to contribute equally (or approximately equally). Your individual mark may be reduc

Formative assessment methods:

Task 1 involves the production of a learning log of experiences for referencing to from Task 2. 

Tutor and peer feedback from student and external interactions during Autumn and Spring terms will assist your development of self-awareness of the capabilities needed for consultancy, which is to be self-reported in Task 1 and Task 2.  

 

Cohort supervision discussions during the observation period leading to the case study allow for knowledge sharing and peer to peer feedback 

 

Team-based supervision discussions during the analysis of key themes from the case study. 

Penalties for late submission:

Penalties for late submission on this module are in accordance with the University policy. Please refer to page 5 of the Postgraduate Guide to Assessment for further information: http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-guidePG.aspx

Assessment requirements for a pass:

Requirement for a pass 50%.

Reassessment arrangements:

By individual submission of a new individual Task, based upon the consultancy, by 1st September of the following year.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 19 July 2019