DALMINE
Dati Generali
Periodo di attività
Syllabus
Obiettivi Formativi
Radical and rapid changes in new digital technologies together with opportunities coming from a globalized and interconnected economy, favor the establishment of startups (i.e. new firms) and their role in global innovation processes. In recent years, the role of entrepreneurship has become paramount for the growth of economic systems, so that also large and established companies recognize corporate entrepreneurship as strategic behavior and take advantage of it, through strategic renewal, venturing and innovation, by means of digital transformation projects.
Entrepreneurship is a process of change and innovation through new products, organizational forms and market solutions to pursue new business opportunities. The entrepreneur is an agent of change and an innovator who seizes opportunities and gathers resources to pursue them.
The course aims at analyzing different entrepreneurial phenomena from both individual and firm level perspectives. Although the course is mainly practically oriented and the final output is a validated design of a digital project for a new venture based on an innovative idea, students will also be provided with the theoretical and methodological basis to understand entrepreneurship as a business domain and a field of study in the global economy.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
(1) understand the foundational elements (e.g., perspectives, actors, processes) of the “entrepreneurial society”;
(2) analyze in detail the value of an entrepreneurial idea through different perspectives (strategy, technology and marketing);
(3) generate innovative ideas to address real challenges in real contexts via digital technologies;
(4) effectively use the tools to validate an innovative idea;
(5) conceive and design a business model for an innovative idea.
The course contributes to learning objectives of the master program in Management Engineering, particularly for what concerns the understanding of entrepreneurial phenomena and the skills to prompt an entrepreneurial approach to plan and manage complex systems. The Management Engineer is characterized by strong analytical and decision-making skills coupled by an open and multidisciplinary mindset. In particular, the course is meant to characterize the “Digital Innovation and Management” track.
Prerequisiti
Students are required to possess basic knowledge about business management and organization, as well as innovation management.
Some knowledge about the issues of Economics of Technological Change (22023) could facilitate the learning of the main topics.
Deep synergies are pursued with the course of Strategic Management in the Digital Economy (37198-E2).
Metodi didattici
Teaching is organized through lectures, with special attention to the engagement of and dialogue with the students, who are encouraged to deepen the topics of the lectures and formulate requests for additional insights and case studies.
During the course, seminars with distinguished actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem will be organized, aimed to deepen methodologies and observe “theory in practice”. Video podcasts will also be regularly offered to students, to deepen and exemplify the topics expressed within the lectures.
Within the course, labs with practical exercises will also be organized, concerning the development - through laboratory activities - of a new business design and launch.
Verifica Apprendimento
Discussion (30% of the final grade): Individual discussion and elaboration of two conceptual essays to be shared with the classmates and the faculty (individual work).
Project work (70% of the final grade): Written project work + oral (presentation). The project work consists in an originally designed business model for an innovative digital startup project (team work). To assess the understanding of theory and tools, questions related to all lectures contents might be asked during the project work presentation, too.
Additional points (up to 3) can be given to students based on their proactive participation (individually) during the semester (assignment, podcasts, etc.).
For non-attending students, the exam consists of a written exam, which mirrors – in terms of contents, approaches and level of difficulty – the course content and the exam that is provided to attending students. The exam is based on the reference texts provided and on the resources made available through the e-learning platform (materials, cases and discussions).
Contenuti
ENG
-Entrepreneurship as an academic discipline.
-Entrepreneurship as a career: models, data and global trends.
-Entrepreneurship and digitalization.
-What makes a business opportunity? Activities, process and challenges of new firm formation (startups).
-Entrepreneurship within established companies (intrapreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship).
-Enterprises in social contexts: university-entrepreneurship, family-entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial teams.
-Business model design and business model innovation.
- Tools to launch digital startups: design thinking, lean startup and experimentation, pitching and raising funds.