Entrepreneurship and innovation
Convenor: Helen Lawton Smith
Assessment: This module will be assessed via coursework only (Deadline – March 30th 2012, Absolute Cut-Off deadline April 20th 2012)
Aims
The aim of the module is to provide students with a thorough understanding of the entrepreneurial process and business practice. It will introduce key debates addressing theories of entrepreneurship and innovation and will provide evidence on the applications of these theories to studies of new business creation and growth. It will highlight how some contexts are more conducive to entrepreneurship and innovation than others. To do so, the module will demonstrate patterns of entrepreneurship and innovation in the UK in comparison with other countries, particularly the US.
The specific aims of the module are:
- to understand the processes that explain entrepreneurship of various types;
- to demonstrate a knowledge of theories relating to the role, nature and function of the entrepreneur;
- to understand innovation processes and their management in entrepreneurial small firms;
- to understand the relationship between external environmental conditions, particularly government policy, and the nature of entrepreneurial activity.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the module students will be able to:
- describe the main features of management and economic theories of entrepreneurship;
- demonstrate a knowledge of theories relating to the role, nature and function of the entrepreneur;
- apply the various concepts to an understanding of new business creation and growth;
- understand the significance of geographical context in entrepreneurial and innovative behaviour.
Content
The course is organised around four themes:
THEME 1: Entrepreneurship and Innovation: theories of entrepreneurial behaviour.
From Schumpeter and Penrose to theories of organisational growth and survival to conceptualisations of uneven geographies of entrepreneurial activity.
THEME 2: Managing innovation
Definitions of innovation. Innovative as an interactive process, managing survival and growth of technology-based enterprises
THEME 3: Entrepreneurship and innovation in practice
Financing entrepreneurship and innovation, University spin-offs, innovation in manufacturing and services
THEME 4: Entrepreneurship and innovation support systems: public and private programmes
Theoretical explanations for how public policy at international, national and regional scales influences the climate for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Evidence of both the impact of public and private initiatives on the entrepreneurial process in the UK and the US.
Special features
The module has a visiting speaker programme, which includes entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. They provide real life illustrations of the theoretical and empirical components of the course.
Background reading
The module is built around the following texts and on up-to-date journal articles.
- Legge, J and Hindle, K (2004) Entrepreneurship: Context, Vision & Planning Basingtoke:Palgrave
- Tidd, J and Bessant, J K (2009) Managing Innovation 4th Edition Chichester:Wiley
- Fagerberg, J, Mowery, D C and Nelson, R (2005) The Oxford Handbook of Innovation Oxford:OUP
- Sexton, D and Landstrom, H (1999) The Blackwell Handbook of Entrepreneurship Oxford:Blackwell (slightly dated but some very good chapters)
- Casson, M, Yeung, B Basu, A and Wadeson, N (eds) (2008) The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurship Oxford:OUP
