6 ECTS credits
174 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1023166BNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester
2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Business Technology and Operations
Educational team
Kevin De Moortel (course titular)
Emiel De Buyser
Activities and contact hours

39 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
109 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

This course provides an introduction to technology and entrepreneurship, two of the main driving forces of the (free market) economy.  After an introductory lesson on the relevance of the subject, we start by studying the structure of industries; we introduce terms such as supply chains, value chains, business ecosystems, standards and dominant designs, network effects, industrial clusters; we study the various types of actors in a business ecosystem and the role of government. Next, we focus on innovation; we refine our understanding of the concept and we study the life cycle of companies, innovations, products and technologies. We illustrate these concepts with a number of cases. 

In the second part of the course, we look take on the perspective of the entrepreneur. We see how an entrepreneurs work out their strategy within the environment described above, how they mobilise financial resources, and how they build up their organisation. We study the importance of marketing and the diversity of marketing strategies. We study the 'human' aspects of entrepreneurship (leadership, teams, organization) and other relevant topics: business planning, intellectual property, new product development and technology transfer.  

 The course also covers a number of relevant technological sectors. We discuss the social importance of these sectors and sketch a picture of the current situation. A number of sessions in the WPOs will also be devoted to sample cases and applications of the concepts discussed in the lectures. 

Within the framework of the WPOs, students will be asked to prepare a number of things (answers to questions, presentation...), always in order to prepare the students for the final exam. 

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Slides of the course, posted on Canvas, Canvas
Digital course material (Recommended) : Additional materials, reading list, posted on Canvas, Canvas
Additional info

During the course we invite guest speakers, attendance at these guest lectures is mandatory. 

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

The course unit has the following specific learning outcomes: 

  • Students understand the basic structure and dynamics of (high-tech) industries and understand the concepts that explain this structure. 
  • The students know the different types of actors active in business ecosystems and have an insight into the role of government. 
  • The students know the basic concepts of innovation and understand the role of innovation in the current economic system. 
  • The students understand how an entrepreneur builds his/her strategy and how this strategy seeps through in the functional domains of a start-up (e.g. HR, finance, marketing, new product development...). 
  • The students know and understand the workings of the different types of investors (in start-ups). 
  • The students know and understand the basic concepts with regard to intellectual property rights and can frame the importance of these rights for a company and research institute. 
  • The students know and understand the basic concepts of product development 
  • The students are broadly familiar with the history and current status of a number of high-tech sectors. 
  • The students can recognize the basic concepts discussed in the course in or apply them to a specific technology or start-up case. 

 

In addition, the course unit contributes to a wide range of final competencies of the programme. After this successfully completing this course, students will: 

  • Possess knowledge and insights into the economic system and the role of markets, institutions, companies and individuals. 
  • Be able to anticipate changes in the market environment and organisational problems in or around the company and, if necessary, propose solutions. 
  • Have the ability to set up their own company, either individually or together with others, whilst taking into account economic, organisational, commercial and legal conditions and rules, among other things. 
  • Integrate his/her technological insights into the management and functional areas of the company (marketing, human resources, finance, etc.). 
  • Be able to translate his economic and general knowledge into a specific problem, and to develop new solutions on the basis of that knowledge where necessary, thereby further expanding that knowledge.  
  • Communicate fluently with all parts of the company, and in particular with those responsible for technological decisions within the company, so that he/she can make or understand choices in full knowledge of the facts. 

 

 

 

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 90% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 10% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Written Exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 90% of the final mark.

    Note: Closed book

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Group Assignment with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 10% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

During the course, we foresee an information session with regard to the exam. During this session, we supply additional information on the exam (what to know? How to study? Sample questions…) and there is room to ask additional questions to the educational team.  

During the course the students will have to do a group work. The score on this work accounts for 10% of the final score. Group assignment ‘Technology Museum’: instructions during the course sessions and on Canvas. 

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Business Economics: Business and Technology