The Future Entrepreneur
The current times require a fundamentally different view on entrepreneurship. First, because entrepreneurial behavior is not only limited to entrepreneurs anymore, but also concerns so-called intrapreneurs (employees showing entrepreneurial behavior). Second, creating financial value is no longer the only task of the entrepreneur; increasingly creating social and ecological value is gaining importance. Issues like the current economic crisis, climate change, extortion of natural resources, and social diversity in the world make thinking about the future entrepreneur (especially her/his competences and values) both an urgent and a challenging task. Innovation plays a key role in this future.
Lecturers
- Professor Dr Enno Masurel (also coordinator), VU Center for Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (VU)
- Professor Dr Peter Nijkamp, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (VU)
- Dr. Frank de Bakker, Faculty of Social Sciences (VU)
- Professor Dr Wim Naudé, World Institute for Development Economics Research, United Nations University
- Professor Dr Tom Elfring, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (VU)
- Professor Dr Joske Bunders, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences (VU)
- Professor Dr Mirjam van Praag, Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economics and Business (UvA)
Main course elements and concepts
Lectures will be given by well-known experts from different disciplines. First a broad introduction on entrepreneurship and innovation will be delivered. Then Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the economic crisis and public health are introduced as main drivers that shape the future entrepreneur. After this, the role of delivering knowledge and the phenomenon of the serial entreprepreneur (who has started multiple firms) will be discussed with the aim to broaden the view of the students.
This course is organized by the Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship. In this center VU University (VU) and University of Amsterdam (UvA) collaborate. This course shows involvement by thinking critical about what is needed in the future with respect to entrepreneurship. Innovative concepts are dealt with and further developed in this course. The lecturers (VU, UvA and external) and the assignments are specifically selected on the basis of their ability to inspire the students.
The current economic crisis, climate change, extortion of natural resources, and social diversity in the world cannot be dealt with without developing the traditional view on entrepreneurship into a new one. The entrepreneur is not only a business owner anymore but the concept is broadened towards entrepreneurial people, seizing different opportunities. The entrepreneur is not heading solo at making profits as his main task, but also increasingly focuses on creating ecological and social value.
Scholars have been studying entrepreneurship ever since the 18th century. Cantillon and Schumpeter are ancient but not dated sources. However, changing external circumstances require adaption of our views on entrepreneurship. We are now gearing towards a next step in profiling entrepreneurship.
Working formats and activities
In the first week the set-up of this course will be introduced, including lively examples, and stressing the academic approach of making the profile of the future entrepreneur (like deriving the future profile from earlier profiles and the intervening role of changing external circumstances). Also the concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation will be dealt with. Furthermore the course will include extensive reading of literature, in order to get a basis for the remainder of this course. Each of the following six weeks will consist of two hours lecturing and a two hours workshops focusing on the progress of the essay.
Each lecture will start with a short presentation by one of the students (on a voluntarily basis) introducing the papers the lecturer will discuss in the lecture. The student is free to choose his / her own approach: multimedia, internet, filming, power point etc. The same applies to the final presentation.
Assessment method(s)
The final grade will be based on an essay, the final presentation and the exam (all 33.3%). Bonus points can be earned with the voluntary short presentations at the start of the lectures.
Credits and Transitional arrangement
VU students who have started the Honours Programme in 2009-2010 and all UvA students receive 6 European Credits (EC) on successful completion of this course. VU students who started the Honours Programme earlier receive 5 EC. The lecturer of the course will explain the difference in the requirements for 6 EC and for 5 EC.
Semester
Semester 2, period 5 (March 29 – May 28, 2010)
