MGS 8590 Field Study in Entrepreneurship
MGS 4590 Entrepreneurship Field Study
Spring 2009
Wednesday 4:30 pm 7:00 pm, General Classroom 523 January
7 and January 14.
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 Wednesdays.
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 |
60-70 |
| 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 your 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 double-spaced 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.
Important: Late submissions will be penalized by 10%
per day, no exceptions. Assignments are late when
they are received after 5 pm on the day that they are due.
A 24-hour period equals one day so that, for example, an assignment
received 25 hours after the due date is 2 days late. No
course material will be accepted after the date and time that
the Final Output is listed in the syllabus.
No incompletes will be given at the end of the semester for
the purpose of improving a grade. There are absolutely no
exceptions to this policy.
MGS4590/MGS8590
Class Schedule
Week 1: Jan 7 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 14 Collect signed agreements and checks. Update
placements. Discussion of organizing your work. Discussion
on maximizing your entrepreneurial context.
Week 3: Jan 28 First journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 4: Feb 4 Statement of objectives due (e-mailed) by
5pm.
Week 5: Feb 11 Second journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 7: Feb 25 Third journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 9: Mar 11 Fourth journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 11: Mar 25 Fifth journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 13: Apr 8 Sixth journal entry e-mailed by 5pm.
Week 15: Apr 22 Final Output due by 5pm.
Apr 24 End-of-term evaluations due from host companies.
