MGS 8590 Field Study in Entrepreneurship
MGS 4590 Entrepreneurship Field Study
Spring 2008
Wednesday 4:30pm - 7:00 pm, General Classroom Building
601, January 9 and January 16
Instructor: Dr. L. Gregory Henley
H. J. Russell, Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship
Department of Managerial Sciences, Robinson College of Business
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 4014
Atlanta, GA 30302-4014
Office & contact numbers:
Room 1017, Robinson College of Business Building;
35 Broad Street;
Telephone: 404-413-7542
Fax: 404-413-7571
E-mail: ghenley@gsu.edu
Office hours: 1:00pm to 3:30pm Thursdays.
Course Web Page: www.robinson.gsu.edu/rec once there,
click "Field Study."
Prerequisites: Consent of the instructor to take
the course.
Catalog Description: These courses immerse graduate and
undergraduate students in the planning and execution of
complex entrepreneurial activities in a small existing or
start-up business. Activities involve new business formation,
new product planning and introduction, organization direction
setting and control, and management of growth or turnaround.
While students are under the general supervision of the
faculty, they are expected to display responsible independent
action and to interact frequently with a business founder,
owner, or chief executive. The course may be repeated once
for credit.
Academic Honesty: Please consult the "Policy on Academic
Honesty" in Section 409 of the Faculty Handbook on
the GSU web site. It notes that intellectual and academic
integrity are required of all students. The Policy specifically
prohibits (1) submissions for credit that are not the result
of your own work efforts, (2) plagiarism, (3) cheating on
exams, (4) unauthorized collaboration, (5) submission of
false information, and (6) unauthorized submission of the
same work for credit multiple times. Penalties for violations
may be severe. Please read the policy for definitions and
additional information.
Course Objectives
Students should be able by the end of the semester to:
1. Assume the role of an entrepreneur in a small or new
venture.
2. Evaluate the benefits and costs of starting and operating
a business.
3. Act responsibly and productively in a business setting
where the work demands are ambiguous and changing.
4. Negotiate feasible and clear objectives for an entrepreneurial
initiative in a small or new venture.
5. Achieve business objectives, or explain clearly why they
were not achieved.
Learning Entrepreneurship by Experiencing It
The syllabus serves as a guide, but changes may be necessary.
The course emphasizes learning-by-experience in an entrepreneurial
setting. All students enrolled in the course will work with
an entrepreneur on a specific issue of importance to the
entrepreneur's business. Graduate students will work on
more complex activities than undergraduate students. There
are two required class meetings and other optional meetings.
Almost all of your time for this course will be spent away
from school, and it is required that you spend at least
8 to 10 hours per week every week of the semester on work
for this course. The course requires considerable independent
decision-making. Therefore, if you run into problems and
need help, you are expected to let someone know.
If you run into problems, you'll find your instructor encouraging
you to discuss them with your host company contact, even
if that person is part of your problem. It's good practice
for any work situation. However, if you (or the host contact)
want to communicate with me confidentially, I will honor
that. Please recognize that little can be changed without
clear and open communication.
Grades
The grading reflects emphasis on learning by doing. There
will be no examinations. Your course grade will be determined
by the degree to which you immerse yourself in the experience.
Students who make a B or better in the course will receive
a $1,000 award. These scholarships are made possible by
fees paid by the host companies, by the J. Mack Robinson
College of Business, and by the GSU Society of Entrepreneurs.
All these generous sources of funding for your awards want
to encourage people to become successful, self-employed
entrepreneurs.
Grading Scale
| A |
93-100 |
C+ |
78-80 |
| A- |
91-92 |
C |
73-77 |
| B+ |
89-90 |
C- |
68-72 |
| B |
83-88 |
D |
60-67 |
| B- |
81-82 |
F |
<60 |
Your course grade will be composed of the following items,
weighted as shown. Be sure you understand what you must
do to perform well. The expected grade for completing these
assignments is a B. To earn an A, A-, or B+ you should demonstrate
insight, the ability to integrate and analyze knowledge,
and the exercise of good judgment, both in terms of your
own learning and in your actions at your host company.
1. Objectives (10% of your course grade)
By 5pm on the class schedule below please e-mail to me
a statement of clear, specific, and achievable objectives
for your field study. Aim to achieve them by the date listed
on the class schedule. These objectives, of course, will
vary greatly from business to business. If you are working
with other students in the same business, you may have team
objectives. At least one of your objectives should briefly
describe the final report you expect to submit by the date
listed on the class schedule (see item 4 below). You should
obtain concurrence on your objectives from the contact person
at your host company. Your final objectives must have your
instructor's approval.
I strongly suggest that you e-mail to me a draft of your
objectives before the third week so I can provide feedback
to you and your host before you settle on the final objectives.
I rarely object to the general direction a student and host
want to go, but I've often helped define, focus, and prioritize
objectives. You must prioritize your objectives by clearly
showing which ones are most and least important to achieve.
You must set periodic milestones throughout the semester
that permit you, your host, and me to see whether you are
making adequate progress as the semester progresses. My
experience is that students in this course sometimes set
objectives that turn out to be more than they can handle.
While it's hard for me to judge that, I'll try to help you
avoid such problems.
In smaller businesses, such as your host company, circumstances
can change rapidly and unexpectedly. If such changes preclude
you from achieving your original objectives, or if changes
indicate that alternative objectives should take precedence,
then you are expected to let me know about these events
and to make thoughtful and responsible changes to your objectives
and activities. Such actions will be reflected in your grade
on item 2 just below.
You should send your objectives to me as a Word document
attached to an email. Attached documents MUST be named <yournamehere>
objectives.doc. For example, my objective document would
be called Henleyobjective.doc. Also, inside the document,
your full name, the company name, Objectives and the date
should be on the top of the document. This is not a guideline
- it is a RULE to ensure your e-mails do not get accidentally
deleted and your documents do not become mixed up with others.
2. Work at the host company (30% of your course
grade)
You are required, for purposes of this course, to work
at least 8 hours per week with your host company, and 10
hours per week would be better. I ask you to account for
that time in your journal (see item 3 below), and I will
ask the contact person at your host company for periodic
feedback about you during the semester. You are strongly
advised to spend as much of your 8-10 hours as possible
at the business location or with the contact person/entrepreneur.
In addition, you must NOT make that 8-10 hours per week
an average which varies wildly from week to week. Following
both pieces of advice will help you learn more from your
experience.
This part of your grade will be determined by (1) your
attendance and attention to your work, (2) the feedback
I receive about you from the host company contact, and (3)
my judgment of the quality of your work, the effort you've
made, and the amount you've learned from the experience.
Through journal entries, e-mails, phone calls, and face-to-face
meetings, please keep me informed of your problems, progress,
and achievements throughout the semester. Effective communication
from you is key to my understanding the work you have done.
Any problems you might have can be resolved if you work
hard and communicate clearly and often with me and your
host.
You may find that you and your host company want you to
spend additional time, beyond the required 8 to 10 hours
per week. If so, we encourage you to do so, if you can.
If you do, we suggest that you work out compensation with
for the extra time with your host company. Please let me
know if you do plan to work for additional compensation.
3. Your journal (15% of your course grade)
On the dates indicated in the Schedule (below), please
e-mail to me a journal entry briefly describing:
(1) what work you did for your host company,
(2) when you worked (dates & hours),
(3) how your work advanced your ability to achieve your
objectives,
(4) how your work contributed value to the business,
(5) what problems you encountered and your efforts or ideas
for resolving them,
(6) what lessons you learned about entrepreneurship, and
(7) any additional comments you'd like to add since the
last journal entry (e.g., excited about what you are doing,
confused, frustrated, overworked, alone, over your head,
ready to start your own business).
It is very important that you respond on time and to items
(1) through (7) in each journal entry. In each entry enumerate
your response to each of the seven topics. In other words,
type 1. and then answer the question 1. Then type 2., then
answer question 2. And so on. This is not a guideline -
it is a RULE to ensure you include all the information required.
Aim for 200 to 300 words, but if you have much to say, more
is okay. I'll provide periodic feedback to you during the
semester about the quality of your journal and your work.
You may submit each journal entry as an e-mail or an attachment
to an email. The "Subject" of your e-mail must
clearly say "<yournamehere> Journal <#>.
For example, the subject of my first journal entry would
be "Henley Journal 1". Attached documents must
have a similar label. Also, inside the document, your full
name, the journal number and the date should be on the top
of the document. This is not a guideline - it is a RULE
that ensures your e-mails do not get accidentally deleted
and your documents do not become mixed up with others.
4. Final output (35% of your course grade)
This is you opportunity to show me what you accomplished,
in written form, throughout the term.
All Final Output submissions must include two main components,
as outlined in the next two paragraphs. These documents
should be provided to me as hard copies and not emails by
5 pm on the due date.
By the date listed below, you must submit to me and to
the contact person at your host company the final output
defined by your objectives, which will vary from student
to student. For example, if your primary objective is to
create a web page, the web page itself may be your primary
output. Or you may produce a business plan, a marketing
plan, or a document showing the results of research you
have completed for your company. For efforts like that,
a professionally composed document will be your final report.
In case you work on operational/managerial reporting systems
without a single specific output, your output may constitute
a sample of the reports you have created. The form and format
of your final output will require some negotiation on your
part with your host and with me.
Slapping together individual reports created throughout
the term is not professional. At a minimum, you must explain
to the reader what each individual report is and how it
helped achieve your objectives. You may also want to explain
problems you encountered and where you may not have achieved
a given objective.
This document must be prepared as if you are explaining
what you did to a person of average intelligence who does
not know as much about the intricacies of your work as you
do. The reader should be able to understand all that you
accomplished during the term and how your work helped you
accomplish your objectives.
Remember that you must satisfy two clients.
5. General Lessons (10% of your course grade)
In addition, by the date listed below, you must submit
3 to 5 typed pages describing the general lessons you have
learned from this experience about yourself and your ability
to be a successful entrepreneur. Some of this may repeat
parts of your journal entries, but this document should
also analyze what you have learned over the course of the
whole semester.
The Final Output and General Lessons must be hard copies.
MGS4590/MGS8590
Class Schedule
Week 1: Jan 9 Introduction to course, instructor, and students.
Review syllabus. Confirm company assignments. Distribute
agreements. Specify responsibilities of students, host companies,
and instructor. Discussion of what to expect.
Week 2: Jan 16 Collect signed agreements and checks. Update
placements. Discussion of organizing your work. Discussion
on maximizing your entrepreneurial context.
Week 3: Jan 23 First journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 4: Jan 30 Statement of objectives due (e-mailed)
by 5pm.
Week 5: Feb 6 Second journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 7: Feb 20 Third journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 8: Feb 27 Optional class meeting to discuss your experience
so far. Mid-term evaluations will from host company contacts
will be requested about this time.
Week 9: Mar 12 Fourth journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 11: Mar 26 Fifth journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 13: Apr 9 Sixth journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 16: Apr 23 Final Output due by 5pm.
April 25 End-of-term evaluations due from host companies.
