PACE UNIVERSITY

 

SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS: COMPUTER SCIENCE

 

 

COURSE TITLE:

 

Technology Entrepreneurship (CS 397N/CIT 397K)

 

CREDIT HOURS:

 

4

 

PREREQUISTES:

 

None

 

TEXTBOOKS:

 

1.       T. Byers, R. Dorg, & Q. Nelson, Technology Ventures: From Ideas to Enterprise, 3rd edition, McGraw Hill, 2011.

2.       G. Altshuller (translators: Shulyak & Rodman), The Innovation Algorithm: TRIZ, Systematic Innovation and Technical Creativity, 2nd edition, Technical Innovation Center, 2007.

 

REFERENCES:

 

1.       F. Zhao, Information Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation, IGI Global, 2008

2.       J. Edmonds, How to Think about Algorithms, Cambridge University Press, 2008

3.       D. Weiss & C. Legrand, Innovative Intelligence, John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

4.       K. Allen, Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010.

5.       Entrepreneur and Inc Magazines.

 

 

SEMESTER:

 

Fall 2013

 

 

Course Description: This is an interdisciplinary course designed to provide students with technical innovative intelligence and entrepreneurial mindset in information and computational technologies and algorithms as well as to equip students with the tools appropriate to identifying real business opportunities worthy of pursuit. Technology applications and industries will be emphasized along with computing opportunities. The main concepts covered will be teamwork, creativity and innovation; innovation algorithm; customer-driven product identification and development; information technology based business creation; market analysis; niche marketing and selling; and competitive business plans. Two key components of this course will be a project to develop a business plan for an information technology venture around a specific product, system, process, or service wherein entrepreneurs will serve as mentors to students and teams, and a business plan pitch, where industry experts and entrepreneurs will serve as judges. The course will be supplemented with up to three guest lectures as well as the review and analysis of technology entrepreneur case studies.

 

 

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Each student and each team are expected to accomplish the following by the end of the course:

 

Objective 1

Can define a team as well as able to differentiate between among the types of teams and between a real team and a working group; know the behavioral characteristics of all teams and effective teams; and know what distinguish great teams from other teams.

 

Outcomes

a.       Know the four behavioral attributes of any team and demonstrate the two that are crucial to effective teams

b.       Able to define a team and its characteristics

c.        Know and can demonstrate the three different types of complementary skills that are required in a team

d.       Able to compare and contrast a working group and a real team

e.        Able to show by means of example a clear understanding of the expected performance from the different types of teams

f.        Know the functional characteristics of great teams as well as their distinguishing performance features

 

Objective 2

Know the three sources of a person’s resistance to teamwork; understand and able to describe and demonstrate the stages of team development; effective cooperation code; charter guidelines; effective communication; leadership; teamwork skills; decision making; conflict management; and teamwork challenges and problems.

 

Outcomes

a.       Know and able to explain the three sources of a person’s resistance to teamwork

b.       Understand the stages of team development and can explain each stage impact on team performance

c.        Able to demonstrate the ability to engage in more productive and useful teamwork operation with the help of team code of cooperation and charter guidelines

d.       Know the different types of teamwork skills and can explain how to use them

e.        Know different types communication, leadership, and decision making skills that needed for the proper functioning of a team as well as how to use them

f.        Know the techniques for managing teamwork challenges and problems as well as know how to manage conflict management

 

Objective 3

Able to define, identify, and describe innovation as well as demonstrate innovative thinking and innovative intelligence.

 

Outcomes

a.       Demonstrate the ability to differentiate between creativity and innovation

b.       Can identify innovative companies from non-innovative companies as well as can describe what make some companies more innovative than others

c.        Able to demonstrate innovative thinking within a team and in a project

d.       Able to demonstrate innovative intelligence within a team and in a project

e.        Show evidence of gain in the emotional and innovative intelligences through classroom behaviors and class assignments

f.        Demonstrate the ability of being able to apply the steps of the innovative thinking process.

 

Objective 4

Able to differentiate applied creativity (innovation) from other types of creativity; know the levels of applied creativity; understand the relative theory, basic concepts, and methods and procedures of inventing the solution to a real world problem; know the innovation algorithm and its operation; and understand the power of fantasy.

 

Outcomes

a.       Demonstrate clear understanding of the methods and procedures an inventor follows in coming up with a new system, product, service, or process

b.       Able to illustratively explain the difference between applied creativity or innovation from other types of creativity

c.        Understand the role of heuristics in innovation and the different levels of creativity in the innovation process

d.       Know some of the different methods used to improve the trial and error method typically used by innovators/inventors

e.        Can illustratively discuss or explain the relative theory of applied creativity and the basic concept of technical contradiction relating to an invention

f.        Understand the process involve in inventing a near-perfect or perfect machine

g.        Understand the power of fantasy and its relevance to innovation and invention

h.       Know the procedures in the innovation algorithm and how the algorithm works.

 

Objective 5

Know how to identify, select, describe, and communicate an opportunity as well as develop the knowledge needed to use intellectual capital and entrepreneurial processes to create and develop potentially successful enterprise for wealth creation.

 

Outcomes

a.       Able to identify, evaluate, decide, describe, and communicate an opportunity

b.       Demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset by displaying evidence of the commitment and behavior of an entrepreneur as well as understand the role of the entrepreneur in the economy

c.        Can describe and discuss the difference between market value and economic value

d.       Can differentiate among intellectual capital, human capital, social capital, and organizational capital

e.        Show evidence of a clear understanding of dynamic capitalism and dynamic disequilibrium in the context of creative destruction

f.        Demonstrate the knowledge and ability to innovate a process, service, product, or system in a mature or declining market of the economy.

 

Objective 6

Develop the knowledge, understanding, skills needed to manage risks, engage in creative product design, and innovate using creativity, invention, and technology to effectively commercialize new systems, products, services, and processes for customers.

 

Outcomes

a.       Able to differentiate a firm's core competencies from core products and demonstrate the ability to identify the presence or absence core competencies in the firm's business model and sustainable competitive advantage.

b.       Show evidence of being able to perform the analysis that matches a firm's strengths and weaknesses with its opportunities and threats to find the most suitable purpose for the firm.

c.        Know the central role creativity plays in a firm's competitiveness and inventiveness, can differentiate an innovation from a mere invention, understand the attributes of an invention that influence the probability of it becoming an innovation, and know the elements of an effective innovation strategy.

d.       Understand the role that the technology entrepreneur plays in bringing a new technology to market.

e.        Develop a demonstrable clear understanding of the concepts of risk and uncertainty along with the process for managing them while attaining economies of scale, scope and networks.

f.        Demonstrate sound knowledge of the design and development processes needed produced a robust, usable, and modular systems, product, services, or processes.

 

Objective 7

Able to develop a sound marketing and sales plan that enables identification of the targeted customer, implement the steps needed to sell a system, product, service, or process and build solid customer relationships, and set clear objectives, as well as understand the process for building an innovative and competitive technology company, and can communicate it using a business plan. 

 

Outcomes

a.       Demonstrate a clear understanding of the process involve in setting up a new technology company.

b.       Show clear evidence of knowing the factors and supporting elements involve in the creation of a sustainable, sound, and saleable computing or information technology oriented business.

c.        Using an algorithmic framework, able to design and develop a competitive business plan for, at least, a fictitious scalable information technology oriented business; then communicate it to an unfamiliar audience.

d.       Can demonstrate an unambiguous understanding of the importance of market research and the process involve in conducting it.

e.        Know the elements of the marketing plan and the process involve in getting the marketed system, product, service, or process to a targeted, sustainable, and satisfied audience.

f.        Able to set and articulate clear marketing objectives as well as implement the process involved in selling a technology driven system, product, service, or process.

g.        Can explain with illustrative examples the concept of branding and building solid customer relationships.

h.       Demonstrate the ability to develop and deliver a pitch for a new or fictitious financial or information technology oriented business.

 

Objective 8

Know the different types of business ventures and what is involved in building and leading them effectively as well as acquired knowledge of the contemporary issues in financial and information technology entrepreneurship and recent developments in the communication and information technology for the financial industry.

 

Outcomes

a.       Demonstrate a clear understanding of and can explain the implications of recent entrepreneurial endeavors on Wall Street, London, and other financial markets.

b.       Aware of and can intelligibly discuss recent developments computing technologies for the financial world.

c.        Can show or explain how recent financial computing technologies may be augmented to support and safeguard from misuse some contemporary financial products such as mortgage-backed securities.

d.       Know the different types of new business ventures and their individual importance to the economy

e.        Able to compare and contrast the different types of new business ventures

f.        Understand and able to explain the relative importance of knowledge, learning, and design and development to a 21st century organization

 

 

Academic Integrity: Please visit http://www.pace.edu/seidenberg/seidenberg-current-students/academic-information-and-policies to review Seidenberg Academic Integrity Policy

 

 

 

 

 

Tentative Examination Schedule:

 

Course Section

Project Deliverable Dates

Final Project Deliverable & Pitch Date

Final Exam

CS 397N/CIT 397K (CRN: 73642/73637)

9/19, 10/3, 10/24, 11/14, & 12/5/2013

December 12, 2013

December 19, 2013

 

 

Class meeting Schedule

 

Course Section

Day, Time, and Location of Class Meetings

First and Last Day of Class Meetings

CS 397N/CIT 397K

CRN: 73642/73637

Thursday: 6:10pm – 9:00pm

163 William Street, Room 1420

Classes begin: Sept.4, 2013

Classes end: Dec. 20, 2013

 

 

 

PROFESSOR’S PROFILE

 

Professor:

 

Dr. A. Joseph

Office:

 

163 Williams St., 2nd floor, room 231

Telephone:

 

212 346 1492

Email:

 

ajoseph2@pace.edu

Office Hours:

 

Tuesday: 9:00 am – 12:00 am ; 2:30pm – 4:30pm

 

 

COURSE PROFILE

 

EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

Grading Policy

Project (including prototype and Business Plan):

 

20% [Due date: December 12, 2013]

Business Pitch:

 

10%

Team/class participation and performance:

 

Journal:

Meetings with mentors:

Collaboration with team-mates

 

25%

 

10% [Due dates: 9/26, 10/31, 12/5/2013]

10% [At least 6 verifiable meetings; keep record]

5%   [Verifiable – keep record of meetings]

 

Homework :

Deliverables:

 

0%

25% [Due dates: 9/19, 10/3, 10/24, 11/14, & 12/5/13]

Final examination:

 

20% [Cumulative]

Team’s average performance [bonus]:

 

Above 86%:

76% -- 86%:

65% -- 75%:

Below 66%:

 

10% (Maximum)

 

10%

6%

3%

0%

 

 

 

Note: In writing your business plan for your project related business, work closely with the Small Business Development Corporation, located here at Pace in building 163 William Street (3rd floor), to develop and approve the business plan before submission.

 

Note: Exams and journal are cumulative.

 

Final Grade Determination

 

Above 92%
 
A

90% -- 92%

 

A-

87% -- 89%

 

B+

83% -- 86%

 

B

80% -- 82%

 

B-

77% --79%

 

C+

70% -- 76%

 

C

67% -- 69%

 

D+

60% -- 66%

 

D

Below 60%

 

F

 

Note: Grade is computed to the nearest whole number.

TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS

 

Week #1

A.      Teams and teamwork: Team definition; different types of teams; behavioral characteristics of a team; functional characteristics of great teams.

 

B.      Project: Orientation to and discussion of project assignment; collaborative learning, project-based learning, and team dynamics; consent form, entrepreneur test, and related paperwork; and collection of student information for team formation.

 

C.      Assignment 1a: Individual student project idea and brief class presentation of it (in week 2)

Assignment 1b: Introduction to and follow-up with mentor to discuss the project idea and its scope if it is to be completed on schedule (in week 2).

 

 

Week #2

A.      Team development, teamwork, and teamwork skills: Team development; resistance to teamwork; effective cooperation code; charter guidelines; effective communication; teamwork, leadership, and decision making skills; conflict management; teamwork challenges and problems.

 

B.      Project: Brief class presentation of individual student project idea (Deliverable #1 in week 2); overview of the creative and innovative processes and ways to improve them and protecting one’s ideas through patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

 

C.      Assignment 2a: Brief class presentation of individual student project idea.

Assignment 2b: Assignment of teams; decision on team project idea; introduction to and follow-up with mentor to discuss team project idea and its scope (week 2).

 

 

Week #3

A.      Innovation, innovative intelligence, and innovative thinking: Define innovation, innovative intelligence, and innovative thinking; creativity and innovation; three critical intelligences (innovative, emotional, & analytical); analytical intelligence paradox; characteristics and algorithm of effective innovative thinking.

 

B.      Project: Team project presentation and project approval; strategic problem solving techniques; case studies of algorithmic solutions to practical problems and meeting with teams (academic, technical, and moral supports to teams).

 

C.      Assignment 3a: Guest lecturer – Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, and elements of an effective business plan (in week 3)

Assignment 3b: Team project idea presentation, submission, and approval as well as the role and function of each team member on a team (in week 3)

Assignment 3c: Begin work on project (for week 4)

Assignment 3d: Meeting with mentor (for week 4).

 

 

Week #4-5

A.      Applied creativity (or innovation): Methods and procedures an inventor follows; levels of creativity; methods of inventing; knowledge and innovation; technical contradictions; fantasy and its relevance to innovation and invention; process and operation of innovation algorithm.

 

B.      Project: Team project presentation (deliverable #2); strategic problem solving techniques; case studies of algorithmic solutions to practical problems; overview of the elements of an effective business plan; plan and design an algorithmic solution to a financial or healthcare problem with big data; and entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation.

 

C.      Assignment 4/5a: Guest lecturer – Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship; and project management (in week 4)

Assignment 4/5b: Team project idea presentation and submission (deliverable #2 in week #4))

Assignment 4/5c: Work on project (in week 4)

Assignment 4/5d: Meeting with mentor (in week 5).

 

 

Week #6

A.      Economic growth, opportunity, and the technology entrepreneur: Entrepreneur and the entrepreneur’s challenge; economics and the firm; creative destruction; innovation and technology; opportunity identification; opportunity evaluation; concept summary; case study.

 

B.      Project: Continue with work on project (algorithmic problem solving – design and development of prototype); develop an understanding of financial statements and prepare a financial plan; develop and present idea of a new business to mentor; meeting with teams (academic, technical, and moral supports to teams); and guest speaker.

 

C.      Assignment 6a: Meeting with professor (in week 6)

Assignment 6b: Guest Lecturer -- Understanding financial statements and preparing a financial plan for inclusion into a business plan as well as technical support for teamwork and develop pitch of new business (in week 6).

Assignment 6c: Project update –presentation of progress report of team project (in week 6)

Assignment 6d: Read textbook chapters 1 &2; do problems: chap 1 – 2 & 4; chap 2 – 2, 3, & 8 (in week 6).

 

 

Week #7-9

A.      Vision, competitive strategy, business model, innovation strategies and risk/return: Vision; mission statement; value proposition; business model; business innovation in challenging markets; core competencies; sustainable competitive advantage; venture strategy; strength and opportunities analysis; achieving sustainable competitive advantage; alliances; matching tactics to markets; movers and follows; imitation; types and sources of innovation; technology and innovation strategy; new technology ventures; risk and uncertainty; risk versus return; managing risk; case study.

 

B.      Project: Continue with work on project (algorithmic problem solving – design and development of prototype, develop an understanding of financial statements and prepare a financial plan; develop and present idea of a new business to the professor (deliverable #3); meeting with students (academic, technical, and moral supports to teams); and guest speaker.

 

C.      Assignment 7/9a: Meetings with mentor (in weeks 7 and 9)

Assignment 7/9b: Guest Lecturer -- Preparing a financial plan for inclusion into a business plan, technical support for teamwork, and develop pitch of new business (in week 8)

Assignment 7/9c: Meeting with professor (in week 8)

Assignment 7/9d: Team project deliverable -- presentation of deliverable #3 (in week 7)

Assignment 7/9e: Read chapters 3, 4, 5, & 6; do problems: chap 3 – 7; chaps 3 to 6 – venture challenge (in week 9)

Assignment 7/9f: Get help with developing and writing business plan from Small Business Development Corporation located at Pace University (163 William Street, 3rd floor).

 

 

Week #10

A.    Business and marketing and plans: New business creation; business plan and its contents; marketing; marketing objectives and customer target segments; product and offering description; market research and customer development; brand equity; customer relationship management; personal selling and sales force; case study.

 

B.      Algorithmic solution for financial or healthcare problem of project assignment completed and presented to class for review feedback from class and the professor and grading by the professor (project deliverable #4); teams consider how to implement the algorithm in software prototype; teams are aware of how the resulting software product of the algorithmic solution to the identified financial or healthcare problem would function with real data or situation as well as the limitations and implications of such functioning; and case study of information technology entrepreneurship.

 

C.      Assignment 10a: Meeting with professor (in week 10)

Assignment 10b: Project deliverable – presentation project deliverable #4 (in week 10)

Assignment 10c: Guest Lecturer – Marketing and selling (in week 10)

Assignment 10d: Meeting with mentor (in week 10)

Assignment 10e: Read chapters 7 & 11; do problems: chaps 7 & 11 – venture challenge (in week 11).

Assignment 10f: Get help with developing and writing business plan from Small Business Development Corporation located at Pace University (163 William Street, 3rd floor).

 

 

Week #11-12

A.      Ventures, knowledge, learning, design, and contemporary issues technology entrepreneurship: Ventures (e.g., independent; corporate ; family own, franchising); corporate new ventures; innovator’s dilemma; an organization knowledge; managing knowledge assets; learning organizations; product design and development; product prototype.

 

B.      Prototype algorithmic solution for financial or healthcare problem of project assignment presented to class for review and feedback from class and the professor and grading by the professor (deliverable #5); completion of business plan inclusive technical and business aspects of the product or service outcomes of the assigned project; provide reasonable expectation of how the resulting software product from the prototyped algorithm would perform in a real situation, as well as the evaluation of product/service limitations and range of practical use; and case study of information technology entrepreneurship.

 

Assignment 11/12a: Meeting with mentor to share completed project outcome (product or service) and to solicit their feedback (in weeks 11 and 12)

Assignment 11/12b: Project deliverable – presentation project deliverable #5 (in week 12)

Assignment 11/12c: Guest Lecturer/event – pitching a new business idea to potential investors in hopes of receiving seed funding (in week 11 or 12)

Assignment 11/12d: Preparation of project presentation (business pitch) and completion of project documentation  

Assignment 11/12e: Business plan signed off by Small Business Development Corporation located at Pace University (163 William Street, 3rd floor)

Assignment 11/12f: Meeting with professor (in week 10).

 

 

Week #13

Business pitch and Project submission: Business pitch of technical and business plan relating to project outcome as well as the submission of the project report in the form of a well-conceived and presented business plan containing both the technical and business attributes of the project outcome – product or service and the completed learning journal inclusive of the first 13 weeks of class and project documentation.

 

Observers: May include chairperson, some mentors, guest speakers, and other professionals and entrepreneurs.

 

 

Week 14

Final Examination

 

 

 

NOTE: This course will be supplemented with two or three guest lectures as well as case study assignments and a project on contemporary issues in entrepreneurship and recent development in financial technologies. There will be a second project on business plan.

 

 

Note 1: This course is structured around small collaborative teams in a cooperative learning environment. A main objective of the course is to have heterogeneous teams of mixed gender and of different academic, experiential, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds work together to develop a business plan and business plan related modules. Students will be encouraged to work together in their respective teams to form effective and productive entrepreneurial enterprises that share the learning experience within the context of the course to attain the course’s objectives and their expected outcomes. Team members will be also encouraged to help each other with learning difficulties as well as to spend the required amount time necessary to get to know each other and develop trust in each other. Each team member is expected to partake in the research, design and development, and decision making of its team’s projects and is responsible for the projects’ successful completion, submission, presentation. Importantly, each team member is expected to meet regularly with the team’s designated mentor to get advice and suggestions on the designing and developing the business plan and its modules. A team may identify and consult with an existing company in need of a solution to problem that is hampering its growth. Each team member will be individually graded in proportion to his or her contribution to the projects and presentation. Teams must budget their available time to ensure that they can devote the necessary amount of time needed to successfully complete the projects.

 

Note 2: During the first class session, student background information will be collected for the purpose of forming the teams and assessing students’ knowledge of the relevant subject area. Students will be placed in teams by the second class meeting. These teams will be viewed entrepreneurial entities analogous to enterprising small businesses and as such may assign itself a class acknowledged and recognized name.

 

Note 3: To ensure that each team completes the projects in a timely fashion, a strict time schedule will be followed consistent with regular assignment submission deliverables. There will be deliverable dates for each team to have specific modules of its projects completed. 

 

Teams: Each team will consist of three to four students who will participate in the necessary research, planning, design, and development of the team’s projects. The ultimate business plant resulting from the projects must be done using a MS Word in Times New Roman with font size 11 or 12 and the reference list must adhere to the publication manual of the American Psychological Association. In addition, each team is expected to maintain proper documentation of all activities relating to the projects including the business plan with the marketing and sales plans, and a financial statement in their journal.

 

Web support: This course will be supported with Blackboard postings of instruction and guidelines pertaining to the course as well as class presentations, small business related news, team and class discussions, email correspondence about the course, questions relating to individual projects, and miscellaneous course related activities and information. 

 

Supplementary materials: There will be handouts in class or web postings of current events and issues that affect Technology Entrepreneurship. Some books that may be helpful for the course will be posted on Blackboard along with links to pertinent websites.

.

 

 

Entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation

 

Who creates a new activity in the face of risk and uncertainty for the purpose of achieving success and growth by identifying opportunities and putting together the required resources to benefit from them?

 

Creativity is the ability to develop new ideas and to discover new ways to of looking at problems and opportunities

 

Innovation is the ability to apply creative solutions to those problems and opportunities to enhance or to enrich people’s lives.

 

What is your team’s name?

 

 

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