+1 862 207 3288 INTRODUCTION
This is a 10 credit elective module on the MSc Management programme. The aim of this module is to provide a solid conceptual and analytical understanding of entrepreneurial growth. Supported by real world examples coming into the lectures and small group teaching sessions, students will be asked to critically reflect on the issues of growth and innovation in entrepreneurial settings.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the environment of fast growth businesses;
• Understand the different theoretical approaches and models that underlie fast growth and be able to critical evaluate such theories;
• Identify and critically evaluate strategies for growth and entrepreneurial competencies and capacities;
• Critically analyse empirical data and key readings;
• Demonstrate written communication skills and oral communication skills (group presentation, small group activity).
TEACHING AND STUDENT SUPPORT
This module has 24 hours contact time delivered over 8 three hour sessions. Students are expected to allocate a further 76 hours for self-study, group work and individual writing.
Students can visit the module leader during office hours if they have any questions about this module or require assistance. If you have any queries about this module outside of office hours you should send an email
Attendance at the class sessions is compulsory. A register of attendance is taken. Students are required to fully participate in class student presentations.
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READING LIST
Textbook: Storey and Greene (2010)Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Pearsons: London.
You can either buy this (new or second hand) or use one of the copies in the library.
Alongside the textbook, students are expected to read case studies and academic papers. Below is a week by week list of the activities in the session. You are encouraged to read around the subject to get a better understanding of areas of interest. A list of relevant journals are:
• Journal of Business Venturing
• Entrepreneurship, Theory and Practice
• International Small Business Journal
• Entrepreneurship and Regional Development
• Small Business Economics
• Journal of Small Business Management
• Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
• Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
• Family Business Review
• International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research
• Venture Capital: An International Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance
TEACHING PROGRAMME
Week Lecture topic Activity Reading core text Case Study to
prepare
22 Introduction to the Chapter 11:Defining Business
module & importance Growth
of growing firms
Chapter 12 :Analysing and
Measuring Business Growth
23 Entrepreneurial STUDENT Chapter 13: Growing the
Growth and Ambition PRESENTATIONS Business – pre start-up
ON ‘IS BUSINESS factors
GROWTH
PRIMARILY A Chapter 14: Growing the
MATTER OF business – at start-up factors
CHANCE’
24 Post start up growth Case Discussion Chapter 15 : Growing the Harvard Business
factors and group Business – post start-up Case: The
presentation factors Entrepreneur’s
Dilemma: Alibaba,
Tencent and Amazon
as e-Commerce
Platforms
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Week Lecture topic Activity Reading core text Case Study to
prepare
25 Entrepreneurial Case Discussion Chapter 16: Theories of Harvard Business Case:
finance and group Entrepreneurial Finance Just Dial’s IPO
presentation
Chapter 17 : Debt finance
Chapter 18: Equity finance
26 Ethnic Minority Case Discussion Additional articles to read Harvard Business Case:
Entrepreneurship and group Aarong: Social
theories presentation Enterprise for
Bangladesh’s Rural
Poor
27 Gender and Case Discussion Additional articles to read Harvard Business Case:
Entrepreneurship and group Kaweyan: Female
presentation Entrepreneurship and
the Past and Future of
Afghanistan
28 Break – Visit to Coniston
29 Government support STUDENT Chapter 19: Public policy.
PRESENTATION ON Small businesses and
TRIPLE HELIX entrepreneurs
MODEL AND
ENTREPRENEURIAL Chapter 20: Macro policies
ECOSYSTEM towards SMEs
Chapter 21: Policy in practice
30 Group presentations
Assessment Week start on 17th of March
2016
31
Assessment week
37 No lectures Individual Report due
3rd May 2016 by noon
MODULE ASSESSMENT
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Assessment of this module is by Individual report (80%) and Group Assignment (20%). Reassessment will be by Individual Essay (100%).
Assessment Deadlines:
Individual Report- Tuesday 3rd May 2016 (noon)
Group Assignment – Thursday 17th March 2016 (noon)
Individual Reflective Report: Students must select a topic from the module syllabus andproduce a 2,500 words+/- 10%, word processed in Arial font, size 11, 1.5 line spacing, justified (text distributed evenly between margins) report. Sources must be in the Harvard format. The reference list does not count towards the word count.
The primary focus of the topic will be the on Advanced Topic in Entrepreneurship, which poses a critical and pertinent question. The assignment is structured in four parts.
Part one
You are asked to identify a theme in Entrepreneurship Research. This will require you to look through some Entrepreneurship text books and refereed academic articles and do some background research. You can choose your own theme but the themes might include aspects such as:
• Entrepreneurship and Importance of growing firms
• Entrepreneurial Growth and Ambition
• Entrepreneurial finance
• Pre-start-up, start-up growth , and post start-up factors
• Immigrant Entrepreneurship theories
• Gender and Entrepreneurship
• Government Support and Policy
Please make sure you confirm your topic with the module leader.
Part two
You are each asked to find three high quality peer reviewed academic articles on the aspect of Entrepreneurship subject you have chosen to research. The articles must be from a peer
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reviewed, respected academic journal, and must be published since 2005 and must be of a reasonable length – so at least five pages long.
You will find the data bases on the Library web site helpful, in particular:
ABI/Inform Global (From ProQuest)
Academic Search Premier (Ebsco – used to be Elite)
Business Source Complete (Ebsco)
Emerald Fulltext
Web of Knowledge
JISC
Scopus
Part three ( 500 words per article)
Having identified, read and printed off your articles you are now required to write a review of the articles you have found. You will need to annotate your articles in ADOBE (electronically) and include all your original workings in the final submission – there will be separate link on CANVAS for the submission of the annotated articles. This is to help me understand how you are reading the article, the points you are identifying and equally provide you with feedback on any aspects you may have overlooked.
Part four (1000 words)
In this part of the assignment you are required to write a review in which you compare and contrast all the articles noting similarities and differences in the arguments they make, noting the value and contribution of each of the articles. The review will follow a similar format to the one you each did for your individual article.
Assignment Submission
You will submit one document in which there are Please Tick to indicate you have
the following sections: included this element in your
submission
Three individual reviews of the selected articles (
500 words each )
Three annotated original copies of the individually
selected articles reviewed
One combined critical review of all the articles
reviewed (1000 words)
The grade you would give the piece of work and
the relevant comments to justify the mark.
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ASSESSMENT DEADLINES
You must submit electronic copies of the individual report via Canvas. Individual Assignment Submission is in the form of one uploaded copy of Assignment and three separate annotated articles to Canvas ( please find separate links for the assignment and academic papers) and this must also be done Group Assignment deadline is:
Thursday 17th March 2016.
Penalties are applied for late submission.
Any student who believes that they have a case for an extension must contact the Post Graduate office as early as possible. The module lead does not have the authority to issuestudents with extensions.
Helpful Notes on Critical Reading
The following notes provide a helpful guide about how to read an article and write a critical review about an article. ( Adapted from University of North Wales and University of Plymouth guides)
What is the Purpose of the Critical Review?
The purpose of the critical review is to review or critically evaluate an article.
What is meant by ‘critical’?
To be critical means that you are required to:
ask questions about the ideas and information presented in the article to comment thoughtfully by engaging in a process of evaluation
make judgements about the validity and relevance of the article to your chosen subject
make judgements about the validity and relevance of the article in relation to other articles you have read.
Part of the process of being critical is to use the information gathered from questioning to understand the topic from different perspectives and in relation to relevant theoretical frameworks in the field. By asking the right questions this will help you to make links with any previous reading, understanding or information you have come across and will help you develop your own position and develop your own thoughts and arguments about the subject area you are studying.
What is meant by ‘evaluation’?
Evaluation is the process that encourages you to show an understanding of the article content by analysing its purpose and its structure, and finally assessing and making judgements about its appropriateness according to various academic criteria and in comparison with other articles you have read about the same subject area.
What is meant by ‘analysis’?
To approach a topic analytically is to examine carefully the content, issues and structure, by separating them into component parts and explaining how they interrelate.
In critically reviewing your article, it may be helpful to think about how to read the article; these are some of the issues you need to think about when you are reading it.
Introduction …………………….. Why did they start the research?
Methods …………………………. What did they do?
Results ……………………………. What did they find?
Discussion ……………………….. What do the results mean?
Title: A minor issue this one, but it is helpful if the title is succinct but descriptive of the articlecontent. Gimmicky or catchy titles are all very well but do they enable you to tell what the article is about? Of course a poor title does not necessarily indicate a poor paper and certainly isn’t a key criterion in assessing the quality of a paper.
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Date: when was the article written, how current is it?
Country of Origin: Is the article written by a UK or USA academic or is it written by an academic fromanother country. Is this significant in any way?
Author: Some idea of the author(s) academic background can be gained by looking at their job title,qualifications, and where they work. Articles normally provide this basic information and it may give you an indication of the ability of the writers to carry out valid research. If you know them to be acknowledged experts in the subject area covered then there is good chance the research work will be of high standard.
Abstract: This should provide a handy summary of the content with indications of the aims, methods,results and importance of the study. The abstract can therefore give you a quick indication of what the article is about and what the key conclusions are – you can then judge if it is relevant or not to your own research.
Source: An assessment of where the article was published should give some clues as to its potentialvalue. The key issue is whether it is a peer reviewed journal. In other words do articles submitted to the journal go through a rigorous review process before they are accepted for publication?
Introduction: This section is where the research problem/ clinical question should be defined clearly.You should expect to find here clear descriptions of the research aims, an outline of theoretical issues and the hypothesis should be introduced. Information should include the current state of knowledge about the research topic and an indication of the gaps in knowledge which the current study will hope to fill. Overall you should get an answer to the question “why was the research done?”
are undoubtedly less fastidious about having articles assessed before publication.
Literature Review: Here you will find a survey of current knowledge highlighted by a thorough reviewof the existing literature. The review should indicate any theoretical implications of the research in relation to previous work. The review should include up to date references and be based on as wide and thorough a search of sources as possible. A key issue is whether researchers have been unbiased and have presented any evidence which actually contradicts their own ideas.
Methodology: This section should provide a clear and concise account of methods used. Suchdetail should be sufficient to allow the research to be replicated by other researchers. The study design and data collection methods should be clearly outlined. Overall you should be able to assess how the research was done. This section should provide you with details about the participants, the test conditions and procedures for experimental and control groups should be described in detail. This should enable you to assess whether the sample selection method was valid. You would expect information on the number of subjects and who took part. A small sample may be fine as long as it is representative and numbers will generally be smaller for qualitative studies. However, it may be that a large sample size is needed to provide a representative group size and small numbers may have an impact on the power of statistical analysis. The type of research will obviously impact greatly on the information you should be looking for. For example, in the case of a study using a randomised controlled trial, there should be information on the method for randomising the allocation of subjects to experimental and control groups. Any ethical issues should be clearly stated and explained. You would expect to
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learn if the study had been through ethical committee clearance and that the confidentiality and anonymity of subjects has been assured
Results: The results section reports what has been discovered as a result of the researchundertaken. The normal format is for the results of the research to be reported factually and formally without discussion and then for a prose summary to be given of the statistics etc. Other results including summary statistics may usefully be presented in tables or figures which, if they are well constructed, should aid understanding of the findings. Any statistical tests and measures used should be described allowing the reader to evaluate whether the appropriate tests were applied. A good researcher should mention all the relevant results, even those that actually go against the hypothesis.
Discussion: The issues raised by the findings should be discussed and resolved in this section. Agood discussion section will relate the findings back to the literature and to the aims of the research as outlined in the introduction. The author is expected to examine, interpret and qualify the results and draw any inferences from them. It should be possible to assess the extent to which you consider the research has made a contribution to wider study and decide how far it has helped to resolve the original problem.
Conclusion: The article should end with some conclusions about the importance (or otherwise)of the findings. The author should not make any statements here which are not supported by the facts found. Some speculation is acceptable but only if it is described as such and does relate logically to the data or theoretical basis of the study. Recommendations on the basis of the findings are often stated here and may include comments on possible improvements to the research or future areas for more study
References: Consistent citing of references is a sign of good practice here. The list should beappropriately extensive and up-to-date. The separation of citations into References (i.e. papers actually referred to in the text) and Bibliography (other material read to support the research but not directly cited or quoted) may occur.
Some possible questions:
You might find the following questions useful; however, not all of them will be relevant for evaluating all articles:
the timeliness of the article
the degree to which the article makes an original contribution the logic of the view put forward
the validity of the evidence put forward the theoretical framework used
The Methodology
What methodology was used?
Is the methodology appropriate?
Is the methodological approach explained clearly?
Does the methodological approach have any weaknesses?
Is the study sufficiently comprehensive and thorough?
Is anything important omitted in the research?
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The findings
Are the findings presented and described clearly and fully? Do the findings seem sound?
Could the data be interpreted in another way?
Do/does the author(s) account for everything in the data or do they ignore something that might be important?
How valid are the conclusions?
How thoroughly does the article treat the subject?
How valuable is the article compared to that of other articles on the topic How appropriate is the article for the intended audience?
What is the structure of a critical review?
Like most other writing you do at university a critical review has an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
Introduction
In the introduction you should:
provide a context for the article (background information or shared knowledge)
give the title of the article and name of author (full name is possible here with subsequent references to the family name only)
identify the writer by profession or importance if appropriate
include some indication as to why the subject is important and thus worth writing about identify the purpose of the article
give an indication of your overall impression of the article in general terms.
Body
In the body you should:
summarize and analyze the contents of the article
make clear by frequent reference to the author(s) of the article that you are presenting the author(s) views, not yours
evaluate the article. – your ideas about how effective or limited it was.
Conclusion
In the conclusion you should: summarize the previous discussion
make a final judgment on the value of the article
comment on the future of the issue/topic or implications of the view expressed.
Group Assignment: The Group Assignment reinforces the module via student-led group learning,presentation and subsequent class discussions. Working effectively in groups and delivering high quality presentations are key employability skills. Students in allocated groups must prepare a theoretically informed, critically argued presentation and will be allocated 20 minutes to present and answer questions. Students have a choice of one from six of the following questions:
1. What theory best explains small business growth?
2. Taking a region of your choice, analyse the factors that explain its entrepreneurial performance or lack thereof.
3. How does current entrepreneurship research construct female and / or immigrant entrepreneur?
4. How does crowdfunding challenge the traditional VC model from both theoretical and practical perspectives?
5. Is it possible to replicate the Silicon Valley model in a developing economy? Choose a particular developing economy to examine the policy options.
6. How can we study entrepreneurship critically and how can this affect policy and practice of entrepreneurship?
Students are reminded that participation in the group assignment is an essential part of the module. Failure to contribute may result in a reduction of mark, potentially to zero.
WEEKLY ARTICLE READING:
Please note the academic papers below are aimed at posing important questions and enable you to motivate yourself to find answers to pertinent entrepreneurship dilemmas, and can be used to start thinking about your critical essay responses.
WEEK 22: INTRODUCTION TO THE MODULE AND BUSINESS GROWTH
NO READINGS
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WEEK 23 :Entrepreneurial Growth and Ambition
Alsos, G.A., Carter, S. and Ljunggren, E., 2014. Kinship and business: how entrepreneurial households facilitate business growth. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 26(1-2), pp.97-122.
Coad, A., Frankish, J., Roberts, R. G., &Storey, D. J. (2013). Growth paths and survival chances: An application of Gambler’s Ruin theory. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(5), 615-632.
Estrin, S., Korosteleva, J. and Mickiewicz, T., 2013. Which institutions encourage entrepreneurial growth aspirations?.Journal of Business Venturing, 28(4), pp.564-580.
Wiklund, J., Patzelt, H., & Shepherd, D. A. (2009). Building an integrative model of small business growth. Small Business Economics, 32(4), 351-374.
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WEEK 24 Post start up growth factors
Unger, J.M., Rauch, A., Frese, M., et al. (2011) Human capital and entrepreneurial success: A meta-analytical review. Journal of Business Venturing, 26 (3): 341–358.
Clarke, J., Holt, R. and Blundel, R., 2014. Re-imagining the growth process:(co)-evolving metaphorical representations of entrepreneurial growth. Entrepreneurship & RegionalDevelopment, 26(3-4), pp.234-256.
Cowling, M., Liu, W., Ledger, A. and Zhang, N., 2014. What really happens to small and medium-sized enterprises in a global economic recession? UK evidence on sales and job dynamics.
International Small Business Journal, p.0266242613512513.
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WEEK 25 : BUSINESS FINANCE
Bruton, G., Khavul, S., Siegel, D., & Wright, M. (2015). New Financial Alternatives in Seeding Entrepreneurship: Microfinance, Crowdfunding, and Peer‐to‐Peer Innovations. EntrepreneurshipTheory and Practice, 39(1), 9-26.
Mollick, E. (2014). The dynamics of crowdfunding: An exploratory study. Journal of BusinessVenturing, 29(1), 1-16.
Rock, A. (1987). Strategy vs. tactics from a venture capitalist. Harvard Business Review, 65(6): 63-67.
Wasserman, N. (2008). Revisiting the strategy, structure, and performance paradigm: The case of venture capital. Organization Science, 19(2): 241-259.
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WEEK 26 Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship Theories
Kloosterman, R., Van Leun, J. and Rath, J. (1999), “Mixed embeddedness: (in)formal economic activities and immigrant businesses in the Netherlands”, International Journal of Urban
and Regional Research, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 252-266.
Ma, Z., Zhao, S., Wang, T. and Lee, Y., 2013. An overview of contemporary ethnic entrepreneurship studies: themes and relationships. International Journal of EntrepreneurialBehavior & Research, 19(1), pp.32-52.
Ojo, S., Nwankwo, S. and Gbadamosi, A., 2013. Ethnic entrepreneurship: the myths of informal and illegal enterprises in the UK. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 25(7-8), pp.587-611.
Ram, M., Theodorakopoulous, N. and Jones, T. (2008), “Forms of capital, mixed embeddedness and Somali enterprise”, Work Employment and Society, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 427-446.
Vershinina, N., Barrett, R. and Meyer, M. (2011), “Forms of capital, intra-ethnic variation and Polish entrepreneurs in Leicester”, Work, Employment and Society, Vol. 25 No. 1, pp. 101-117.
Ramadani, V., Rexhepi, G., Gërguri-Rashiti, S., Ibraimi, S. and Dana, L.P., 2014. Ethnic entrepreneurship in Macedonia: the case of Albanian entrepreneurs. International Journal ofEntrepreneurship and Small Business, 23(3), pp.313-335.
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Wang, C.L. and Altinay, L., 2012. Social embeddedness, entrepreneurial orientation and firm growth in ethnic minority small businesses in the UK. International Small Business Journal, 30(1), pp.3-23.
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WEEK 27 : Gender and Entrepreneurship
Al‐Dajani, H., Carter, S., Shaw, E. and Marlow, S., 2015. Entrepreneurship among the displaced and dispossessed: Exploring the limits of emancipatory entrepreneuring. British Journal ofManagement, 26(4), pp.713-730.
Ahl, H. and Marlow, S., 2012. Exploring the dynamics of gender, feminism and entrepreneurship: advancing debate to escape a dead end?.Organization, 19(5), pp.543-562.
Brush, C.G. and Cooper, S.Y., 2012. Female entrepreneurship and economic development: An international perspective. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 24(1-2), pp.1-6. Greene, F.J., Han, L. and Marlow, S., 2013. Like mother, like daughter? Analyzing maternal influences upon women’s entrepreneurial propensity. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 37(4), pp.687-711.
Hamilton, E., 2013. The discourse of entrepreneurial masculinities (and femininities).
Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 25(1-2), pp.90-99.
Jayawarna, D., Jones, O. and Marlow, S., 2015. The influence of gender upon social networks and bootstrapping behaviours. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 31(3), pp.316-329.
Marlow, S. and McAdam, M., 2013. Gender and entrepreneurship: advancing debate and challenging myths; exploring the mystery of the under-performing female entrepreneur.
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 19(1), pp.114-124.
Marlow, S. and Swail, J., 2014. Gender, risk and finance: why can’t a woman be more like a man?. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 26(1-2), pp.80-96.
Rouse, J., Treanor, L. and Fleck, E., 2013. The gendering of entrepreneurship: theoretical and empirical insights. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 19(5), pp.452-459.
Ruth Eikhof, D., Summers, J. and Carter, S., 2013. “Women doing their own thing”: media representations of female entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior &Research, 19(5), pp.547-564.
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WEEK 28: No class
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WEEK 29: PUBLIC POLICY
READINGS:
Engel, J. S., & del-Palacio, I. (2011). Global Clusters of Innovation: The case of Israel and Silicon Valley. California Management Review, 53(2): 27-49
Etzkowitz, H. (2008). The Triple Helix: University-Industry-Government Innovation in Action
London: Routledge.
Mason, C. and Brown, R., 2013. Creating good public policy to support high-growth firms. SmallBusiness Economics, 40(2), pp.211-225.
Minniti, M. (2008). The role of government policy on entrepreneurial activity: Productive, unproductive, or destructive? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 32(5), 779-790.
Smallbone, D., & Welter, F. (2012). Entrepreneurship and institutional change in transition economies: The Commonwealth of Independent States, Central and Eastern Europe and China compared. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 24(3-4), 215-233.
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WEEK 30 &31 PRESENTATIONS
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