The scheduling of these courses may change so please verify online registration for the correct semester, day, and time.

EPS7500
Entrepreneurship

Interdisciplinary course that focuses on all aspects of starting a new business, with emphasis on the critical role of recognizing and creating opportunities. Topics include attributes of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial careers, evaluating opportunities, writing business plans, and financing the venture.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

EPS7505
Technology Entrepreneurship

In order to be successful in high technology entrepreneurship, there are technology–related skills that are necessary beyond traditional business skills and entrepreneurial zeal. These include managing an array of uncertainties including technology, market, resource and organizational. The primary objective of this course is to give the student the formalized training necessary to begin to understand and improve upon their skills in order to understand and manage these uncertainties. The end deliverable will require the student to identify an unmet or underserved market need and a potential technological solution to serve this need with the goal of helping the student establish the basis for new venture creation or product launch.

There are two common general approaches to technology entrepreneurship: technology push and market pull. Technology push arises when scientific researchers and organizations create a new technology that exhibits unique characteristics that has the potential to radically innovate market segments. Market pull arises when unmet or underserved market needs are identified that can be filled with a novel technological solution. This class will discuss both approaches. The course will progress from technology development/acquisition, through market assessment, business model development, venture funding, and finally preparing to launch.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Spring

EPS7510
Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture

This course focuses on raising seed and growth capital from venture capital, business angels, investment banking, and commercial banking sources; and financial problems unique to the small- and medium-sized firm undergoing rapid growth. Examines actual proposals made to venture capital firms, particularly in terms of their financial viability. Course also examines financial management for entrepreneurs over the life of a business project. Includes financing start- ups, financial planning for the nonpublic smaller enterprise, going public, selling out, bankruptcy, sources of capital, and other related topics.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

EPS7515
Leading Change and Growth in Family Firms

This course will explore the distinctive leadership strategies, structures, and skills required to lead closely-held and family firms through change and growth. Because of the agency relationship between ownership and management, closely-held and family firms have idiosyncratic dynamics and strategic challenges when facing change and growth. Leaders and consultants often overlook or intentionally try to ignore these unique issues with the result being that their recommendations, strategies, or leadership activities are often less than successful and at times even destructive. Using a process consulting and problem solving framework, we will analyze cases and interact with business leaders on their change and growth scenarios.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Spring

EPS7520
Managing Growing Businesses

This course is designed for students who want to manage growing companies in an increasingly professional manner while still maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit that brought the company to its current growth position. Also relevant for those who want to manage larger companies to emphasize innovation and the management of opportunities rather than to concentrate on the efficient management of ongoing operations. Subject matter is organized around the following themes: measuring economic performance and obtaining information for management decision making, management control systems for innovative companies, short- and long-run planning in owner-managed businesses, and entrepreneurship and managing growing companies.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

EPS7530
M & A For Entrepreneurs

This course focuses on the strategies and process entrepreneurs and business leaders employ in various types of acquisitions or divestitures (leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, ESOPs, etc.). The course is centered around $10-500 million revenue companies and its content is applicable for students pursuing either entrepreneurial opportunities or corporate positions where they may be called upon to acquire or divest a division or product line. We take a strategic view throughout the course discussing and evaluating all phases of the acquisition process: acquisition planning and targeting, valuation alternatives, leveraged buyouts, ESOPs/partnerships, financing buyouts, tax, legal and accounting issues, letters of intent, due diligence, negotiating an agreement, international markets, and lessons to be learned from failed acquisitions.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

EPS7540
Corporate Entrepreneurship

Designed for entrepreneurs, managers, and consultants interested in stimulating and preserving creativity and innovation in established organizations. Topics include the forces affecting the nature and rate of innovation, the advantages and disadvantages of existing organizations in pursuing innovation objectives, and the choices made by managers at different levels in the organization that promote or hinder creativity and its successful exploitation.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall

EPS7545
Buying a Small Business

This course will delve deeply into the challenges, process, and risks of buying a small business. Students will explore the intricacies of planning, evaluating and negotiating to buy a small business from a family-controlled or privately-owned enterprise. All aspects of financing and equity structure alternatives plus the industry peculiarities of acquiring a small business will be explored via cases, discussion, and an individual research paper.

This course is geared specifically to buying a small business and links with EPS7530 (M&A for Entrepreneurs) which focuses on a broad understanding of middle-market company M&A and is geared to students looking to buy a business in the future or students entering the corporate or advisory world.

No prerequisites are necessary for this course. It is recommended that students also take EPS7530 (M&A for Entrepreneurs) in order to develop a deep understanding of the M&A process.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

EPS7546
Buying a Small Business: The Search Experience

This course compliments EPS 7545 (Buying a Small Business) and EPS 7530 (M&A for Entrepreneurs) by allowing students interested in buying a business the opportunity to conduct a live search under the supervision of their Professor. Enrollment in or successful completion of either of the courses listed above is a prerequisite for this course.

The latter stage of the MBA program is an excellent time to conduct a business search. Students can learn from their experiences, share lessons with fellow students and actually find a serious business acquisition opportunity within a three-month semester.

The course will include group seminars and private sessions with the Professor for planning and review of the individual search plan. Students are expected to spend 30-40 hours during the semester conducting a serious search.

Group seminars will cover the following areas: Self Assessment, Definition of the Search Objectives, Preparation of a Business Plan for the Search, Preparation of a Communications and Target Plan, Opportunity Risk and Opportunity Process, Strategies for Information, Due Diligence & Negotiations, Keeping the Deal Alive, and The Closing Process.

Prerequisite: Students who enroll in this course must be currently enrolled in EPS7530 or EPS7545 or have completed one of these courses in a prior semester.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

EPS7550
The Social Entrepreneur

Author David Bornstein, in How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas (2004), makes a startling observation: "The past decade has produced vastly more social entrepreneurs than terrorists (and corporate criminals), but you would never know it by following the news." This course is about social entrepreneurs and the organizations they create and run, both for profit and nonprofit, which seek to achieve both social objectives and financial sustainability (aka double and triple bottom line organizations). Course materials include films, cases, readings and speakers representing a variety of sectors including consulting, financial services, venture capital, housing, economic development, education, healthcare, cultural organizations, food and clothing industries. For the discerning individual desiring more out of life than just a paycheck, this course provides a venue for considering the opportunities and challenges of using one's managerial skills and entrepreneurial talents creatively and appropriately to help solve social problems and to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall

EPS7555
The Family as Entrepreneur

This course is a foundational course that systematically explores the entrepreneurial process within the context of the family. It is one of the only courses in the world that provides students with an integrated theory and practice approach to the family as entrepreneur. Families who act as entrepreneurs must learn how to pass on the mindset and methods for creating new streams of wealth across many generations not simply passing the business to the next generation. We refer to this practice as transgenerational entrepreneurship and wealth creation. In this course, we will learn what is required for family businesses to establish transgenerational entrepreneurship practices and create transgenerational wealth. As an overview course students will definitely gain a better understanding of the issues impacting continuity and long-run growth in family firms. They will also have the opportunity to interact professionally with families through cases, live presentations, and assessments that they will conduct on their/a family company.

This course is typically offered in the following semester: Fall

EPS7571
Franchising

The course focuses on "business format" franchising, but also explores issues relating to leadership, business strategy, and branding in a high-growth, multi-unit retail environment. The course also includes some material on licensing and distributorships.

The course is typically offered in the following semester: Spring

EPS7573
Venture and Growth Capital: Theory and Practice

This course explores venture and private equity investing. The central themes of the course are venture capital investing, deals and deal structuring, valuing high-risk, long-term equity investments, creating and realizing value, and the private equity fund as an enterprise. (1.5 credit hours)

Prerequisite: (MOB7000 or MOB8400) or completion of one-year or two-year modules and (EPS7500 or EPS8571). For One and Two Year students EPS7500 may be taken as a co-requisite.

This course is typically offered in the following semester: Fall

EPS7574
Marketing for Entrepreneurs

This course is an advanced elective, with the objective of providing a strategic decision-making perspective in entrepreneurial marketing. It is designed for MBA students who are interested in examining the marketing strategies and methods used by start-up, early-stage companies, and small-business enterprises.

We compare conventional marketing with entrepreneurial marketing. The focus of the course includes both the positioning and strategy issues and marketing activities of the entrepreneurial businesses.

The objective of this course is to move away from the abstract and closer to the real environment. Therefore, we will be making extensive use of actual firm experiences via the case method. Students are expected to monitor a wide range of media for information about entrepreneurial marketing and examples of best practices in the field. The orientation of this course is strategic.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

EPS7575
Venture Growth Strategies

The course focuses on the opportunities and challenges involved in the management of growth in entrepreneurial settings, either in an individual company or as part of a larger corporation. Growth is the ultimate resource constrainer, stretching all systems in a company to the limit and often beyond. Consequently, this course will emphasize management "at the limit" of what students may have already learned in other functional courses. It will provide students with a series of frameworks, analytical skills and techniques, and decision-making tools that can be used in growing entrepreneurial businesses.

The course relies on non-traditional, experiential learning methods in addition to the usual case-based method. A central part of the course is a sophisticated international simulation exercise known as the "Sigma Challenge." This simulation is used by leading companies worldwide as an innovative training tool because of the rich experience it provides to participants. The simulation is different from most other simulations because in the "Sigma Challenge" the teams start with a "clean slate" in planning their strategies and, equally important, the simulation is extremely responsive to the different strategies undertaken by the participating teams, thus providing participants with a dynamic learning experience which reflects real-world conditions and outcomes. The simulation takes place on one weekend during the semester (Friday through Sunday). The regular Tuesday-Thursday classroom meetings are suspended during the time period before and after the simulation in order for students to prepare for the simulation and also to compensate for the intensive number of classroom hours spent during the simulation weekend.

During the simulation students working in teams are asked to manage the growth of a multi-product company from a single undifferentiated, imported product to a portfolio of differentiated products. Management decisions will involve strategy, marketing, finance, production, technology, R&D, and other functional areas.

The course thus provides students with an opportunity to apply functional skills they have learned in other courses to build a growing company in an exciting, highly competitive, and rapidly changing environment. The course is particularly useful to students who have interests in one or more of the following areas: (1) growing their own entrepreneurial companies, (2) managing the growth of existing companies in an entrepreneurial fashion by emphasizing innovation and opportunity capture in a dynamic environment, and/or (3) helping companies manage their growth through consulting assignments.

Lab fee required for simulation.

This course is typically offered in the following semester: Spring

EPS7578
Raising Money-VC, Angels and Incubators

This course will focus on how to raise money for an early stage company from the founder/entrepreneur's point of view. The first part of the course will focus on the fund raising environment and the different sources of equity money- family and friends, angels and angel groups, incubators, and organized asset classes such as venture capital so that there is a clear understanding of what investors of different types are seeking. This includes analysis of the sources of capital, their structure, process, demands and behavior. We will also cover resources such as SBA loans, special commercial banks and vendor financing. The second part of the class will cover how to make the company an attractive investment and positioning the company so that the valuation is realistic and reflective of the environment, industry and management team, including when, how, and how much capital to raise and the specific sources for the capital and the deal terms. The third part will focus on how to raise money strategically and how to work with the various potential investors and asset classes.

This course is typically offered in the following semester: Spring

EPS9525
Socially Responsible Entrepreneurship

Business has tremendous societal ramifications. Inventions and industries from the automobile to the internet impact everything from air quality to economic and political freedom. Entrepreneurs, who are often at the forefront of business and thus societal innovation, are changing the way business is conducted. 21st Century Entrepreneurs are creating businesses that are beneficial to the bottom line, society and the environment.

Through cases, projects and present day examples, the course will challenge students to understand the impact of business on society. In addition, it will offer new frameworks for entrepreneurial ventures which capitalize on social responsibility to gain competitive advantage and increase valuation.

This course is typically offered in the following semester: Summer