Course Media

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Movie

The Story of Alexander Graham Bell: Movie

The Simpsons: The Old Man and The Lisa Season 8 Episode 21

Course Readings

Mark Twain, Excerpts from "Roughing It"

Mark Twain, Chapter 2 from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

“What are Firms? Evolution from Birth to Public Companies,”

by University of Chicago Graduate School of Business professor Steven N. Kaplan, Per Strömberg of the Sweden Institute for Financial Research, and Berk A. Sensoy of the University of Chicago.

Course Textbooks

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers (1991, revised 1999), is a technology start up marketing and strategy book by Geoffrey Moore. Moore lays out a clear and precise market driven methodology for not only starting a new business in the US but also has good solid strategy for follow up growth and expansion management.

Further Information on Crossing the Chasm:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Chasm

http://www.parkerhill.com/Summary%20of%20Crossing%20the%20Chasm.pdf

How to Win Friends and Influence People
(1936, revised multiple times), is the quintessential professional and businessperson's handbook. All the books in the airport bookstore business section are derived from Dale Carnegie's text on public speaking and proper conduct in the business social setting.

Grading

Weekly assignments…30%

Weekly assignments must be on time as detailed in the assignments post as given by the Professor. A sample assignments post can be found here. Typically, the assignments must be placed as links in the "Comments" area below the assignments post and linked in the Shane Style. Late reports will be deducted one half grade for every day past the due date. All assignments must have correct spelling. Essays and long form written assignments must have correct grammar and punctuation. Assignments must be complete. For example, if the assignments post calls for three observations, completing fewer than three observations will result in a deduction of one half grade for every missing portion. Grades can be improved by revising the assignments by incorporating the Professor's comments and linking this new revision along with the next group of assignments.

Class participation…. 30%

Class participation includes prompted and unprompted discourse within the classroom environment. Failure to do the required reading for any particular class revealed by the Professor's questions will result in poor grades for that class participation score. Enthusiasm and positive informed participation will result in a good class participation scores. Questioning of authority is permitted. For further information on how to participate positively in class, please see the required readings.

Business Presentation..40%

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of INDS 430A, students will:

1. Be able to use an interdisciplinary approach and perspective to understand the meaning and significance of the role of the entrepreneur in American society and history.

2. Be able to develop and defend a new business proposal; both verbally and through documentation.

3. Be able to analyze and critique, in written memo form, business proposals developed by others, basing the critique on facts.

4. Be able to find and use data from free and legal online sources that support and defend business proposals.

5. Be able to identify the “drivers” of a successful start up and to incorporate these “drivers” into the business proposal.

6. Be able to design and produce a “powerpoint” computer presentation that conveys the salient aspects of any business proposal in 15 minutes or less.

7. Have developed the ability to synthesize multiple perspectives in a variety of modes, including written assignments, collaboration in a group environment, and oral presentations.

8. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the content of various forms of media (image, text, sound) as active (rather than passive) viewers.

A Note on Written Work

All written work should be delivered in electronic form to the professor, adequately cited and on time. Papers should be filed at least 24 hours prior to class. ONLY electronic submissions of any writing will be accepted by the instructor. Please include your name, date, assignment number, and “INDS 430A” at the top of the first page. As part of the instruction in the course, it is hoped that ALL course information can be sourced ONLINE and as cheaply as possible. At the beginning of each class approximately 10 minutes will be devoted to each student's development of sourcing the readings and viewings for each section, detailing sources and the cost of obtaining the necessary materials. Previously used reading and viewing materials are perfectly acceptable so long as they are obtained legally and legitimately. Extra credit will be given to students who have the lowest cost of materials for each class. In all cases, as noted below, these sources MUST be legal and legitimate and MUST respect US copyright laws. Use of electronic document, spreadsheet and presentation software to deliver course assignments is NOT restricted to any one type of expensive software--all free legitimate formats and forms of electronic delivery, such as google docs or open office, are acceptable.

UMBC ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENT

By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC’s scholarly community in which everyone’s academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC Policies section of the UMBC Directory.

[Quoted from http://www.umbc.edu/provost/integrity/faculty.html]

Course materials can be obtained from the Internet only through LEGAL AND LEGITIMATE sources in compliance with U.S. Copyright laws. When in doubt about the legality or legitimacy of any source materials, please consult your professor.

INDS 430A Course Description

The growth of global telecommunications and data networks has made starting up a business faster, cheaper and more efficient. Multi billion dollar companies like Google, Under Armour, and Starbucks spring up to achieve market dominance, seemingly overnight. In the 21st Century, the entrepreneur is the new rock star. This course, The American Entrepreneur in the 21st Century, will instruct on how, what, when and where to start a new business. Students will develop skills in interdisciplinary research and problem solving, in oral and written communication, and in the analysis of new business challenges through fact based analysis and documentation. Through the use of literature, both fiction and business based, and through filmed entertainment sources, students will review the history and the psychology of the successful American entrepreneur. The use of in depth online data sources will aid in developing business premises which will then be debated and documented in formats that lead to proposals that are tested and ready for launch into the marketplace.