IMS FSV UK – Katedra severoamerických studií

Winter Semester

Course Title: Entrepreneurship in the U.S.: The Startup Culture

Language of Instruction: English

Professor: Tomáš Klvaňa, Ph.D., M.A.

Email: tomasklvana@me.com

Description of the course

The course examines American approaches to entrepreneurship with a focus on the startup culture of Silicon Valley. Through their participation in this course, students are expected to:

· Understand basic concepts related to entrepreneurship and innovation, and explore their impact from both macro and micro perspectives

· Analyze case studies that illustrate lessons in entrepreneurship

· Learn and put in action the entrepreneurial tools and methodologies necessary to launch a new venture (including generating new ideas, creativity and innovation as well as startup product development and testing)

· Understand the dynamics of high-performance teams, identify different roles within a team, and understand the personal role for each student

· Analyze how new ventures are financed, how investors evaluate business opportunities, and how to correctly present a project to a potential investor

Course Method & Requirements

Interactive lectures, exercises and discussion
Preparation for every class
Short reflection essays/presentations in front of the class
Term paper and Final Presentation
Student-led exploration and discussion of successful companies

Methods of Evaluation

Attendance & Participation (class discussion of the texts and videos; leading discussions of/discussing the podcasts; 20%

Term Paper (startup idea, 6 pages) 40%
Final Presentation (startup pitch ideas – 20 minutes) 40%

Attendance Policy

Mandatory attendance is a primary requirement for a responsible learning experience. Please consider that every absence has the potential to lower the final grade, as it may affect the “attendance and participation” portion of your grade or result in missing key information that could appear on quizzes or exams.

Grading scale

A: 91-100%

B: 81-90%

C: 71-80%

F: 70 and below

Primary Texts

The following readings are mandatory and shall be discussed in class. If students fail to read the assigned texts, graded quizzes will be introduced each subsequent class session. Their grades will count towards the participation grade.

· Duke Corporate Education 2013 CEO Study. Leading in Context. Available online: http://www.dukece.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/LeadingInContext_web_newlogo.pdf

· Blank, Steve and Dorf, Bob. The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. K & S Ranch, 2012 (Book)

· Sinha, Makkar & Dutta, Entrepreneurship: Learning and Implementation: Introduction to Enterprenuership: Edition: First, Publisher: CEGR, New Delhi, Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301659818_Introduction_to_Entrepreneurship

· Evan Carmichel: Richard Branson: TOP 10 rules for success, Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3fQqUs5WSQ

· Arthur Pinkasovitch: Why is game theory useful in business? Investopedia, December 2017 Available online: https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/game-theory-business.asp

· Milton Friedman: The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits. The New York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970 https://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/libertarians/issues/friedman-soc-resp-business.html

Duke Corporate Education 2013 CEO Study. Leading in Context. Availabl

NPR Podcast How I Built This with Guy Raz / Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale Podcasts

The podcasts are available for free on iTunes, Stitcher, NPR website and elsewhere.Before the assigned class session, students will listen critically (while taking notes) to the following podcasts. One student will have a 10-minute introduction and will lead a 30-minute discussion of the interview content. All students will participate actively in the discussion.

1. Guy Raz - Patagonia / Yvon Chouinard

2. Guy Raz - Instagram / Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger

3. Guy Raz - Starbucks / Howard Schultz

4. Guy Raz - Burton Snowboards / Jake Carpenter

5. Guy Raz - Chipotle / Steve Ells

6. Guy Raz - Airbnb / Joe Gebbia

7. Guy Raz - Reddit / Alexis Ohanian, Steve Huffman

8. Guy Raz - Sam Adams / Jim Koch

9. Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale ep. 14 and 15: Barry Diller

10. Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale Ep. 21 (Bonus Episode): The Ten Commandments of Startup Success with Guest Host Tim Ferriss

11. Guy Raz - Ben & Jerry’s / Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield

Course Schedule

Week 1

Introduction;

Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook

Reading: Duke CE (online)

Week 2

Entrepreneurship

Patagonia / Yvon Chouinard

P.Sinha, U.Makkar, K.Dutta, Entrepreneurship https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301659818_Introduction_to_Entrepreneurship

Week 3

Trends and Ecosystem

Instagram / Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger

Readings: 1. Blank/Dorf (Chapter 1)

Week 4

Entrepreneurship/Startups, Customer Development

Starbucks / Howard Schultz

Readings: 1. Blank/Dorf (Chapter 1)

Week 5

Startups, Customer Development;

Burton Snowboards / Jake Carpenter

Reading: Blank/Dorf (Chapter 2)

Week 6

Startups, Customer Discovery; Chipotle / Steve Ells

Reading: Blank/Dorf (Chapter 3)

Week 7

Startups, Customer Discovery;

Airbnb / Joe Gebbia

Reading: Blank/Dorf (Chapter 4)

Week 8 -- TERM PAPER DUE

Startups, Customer Validation;

Reddit / Alexis Ohanian, Steve Huffman

Reading: Blank/Dorf (Chapter 5)

Week 9

Startups, Customer Validation;

Sam Adams / Jim Koch

Reading: Blank/Dorf (Chapter 6)

Week 10

Game Theory; Developing Strategies;

Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale ep. 14 and 15: Barry Diller

Reading: Pinkasovitch, Why is Game Theory Useful in Business https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/game-theory-business.asp

Week 11

Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale Ep. 21(Bonus Episode): The Ten Commandments of Startup Succe