BUU22570 Creative Thinking, Innovation and Entrepreneurial Action

(5 ECTS)

Lecturer(s):

Gorkem Aksaray 

Email: GORKEM.AKSARAY@tcd.ie 
Office Hours: By appointment (via email)

Available to Exchange students 

Module Description:

This module offers students a critical perspective on the prevailing trends, dynamics, and opportunities within the field of entrepreneurship. Over the last decade, entrepreneurship has emerged as a pivotal discipline in the business world, garnering attention from scholars, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide. Entrepreneurship serves as a primary catalyst for innovation, economic growth, regional and urban competitiveness, and a vital source of employment. However, it has also faced scrutiny for exacerbating wealth and income disparities, particularly in sectors characterized by winner-takes-all dynamics. As entrepreneurship continues to evolve, expand globally, and provoke both opportunities and controversies, it necessitates a multidisciplinary and international approach. Recognizing the intricate nature of contemporary entrepreneurship, this module will draw from diverse theoretical and practical resources.

Learning Outcomes:

By the conclusion of this module, students will be able to:

• Comprehend the fundamental dynamics governing the formation, expansion, and sustainability
  of entrepreneurial ventures.
• Develop and proficiently articulate a business model.
  Practice creative thinking and effective communication skills through presentations.
  Apply lean startup principles and utilize associated tools to optimize entrepreneurial processes.
  Conduct a primary research to acquire valuable customer insight.
  Analyse marketing and financial strategies of entrepreneurial firms.

Relation to Degree

This module is designed to offer students a first-hand experience of working as entrepreneurs in a “risk-free” environment. Students will learn the current vocabulary in entrepreneurship. In addition to the theoretical knowledge gained through lectures and readings, they will apply their knowledge to generate novel business ideas and develop and present repeatable and scalable business models. The module aims to support undergraduate studies by improving creativity and critical thinking skills through rigorous evaluation of scalability and feasibility of business ideas.

Workload

Textbooks and Required Resources:

The module draws on academic articles, cases, practical examples, newspaper articles, and exercises. In addition, podcasts and video clips will be used in class, and guest speakers will also be invited to share their experiences. A full reading list as provided below will be made available in course intranet. Required readings must be read before attending the class. You are asked to supplement these with your own literature reviews as relevant to your coursework and assessment requirements.

Required core course textbook:

• Blank, Steve, and Bob Dorf. The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. K&S Ranch, 2012. (ISBN-13: 9780984999309)

Recommended books:

• Bygrave, William, and Andrew Zacharakis. Entrepreneurship (4th edition). Wiley, 2016. (ISBN- 13: 9781119298809
• Reis, Eric. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. The Crown Publishing Group, 2011. (ISBN-13: 9780307887894)
• Osterwald, Alexander, and Yves Pigneur. Business Model Generation. John Wiley & Sons, 2010. (ISBN-13: 9780470876411)
• HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Entrepreneurship and Startups. Harvard Business Review Press, 2018. (ISBN-13: 9781633694385)

Course Communication:

Relevant module material (module outline, supplementary materials etc.) as well as administrative information and any module announcements will be posted on the module intranet site (Blackboard). Please ensure that you have access to the module site on Blackboard and please check this regularly along with your college email. If needed, the lecturer and others involved in delivering the module will contact you directly via your college email. If you experience difficulties with this module or have special needs, please make contact as soon as possible to arrange a meeting and discuss any supports that may be required.

Please note that all course related email communication must be sent from your official TCD email address. Emails sent from other addresses will not be attended to.

Assessment:

Group assignment (60%) The assessment for the module will consist of the development of a business concept. Following deliverables are expected:

1. A recording of an elevator pitch
2. An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) demo
3. Primary customer research report
4. A complete business model canvas

Submission deadlines: TBD
Additionally, tutorial attendance and participation is expected.  

Final exam (online) (40%)
The written final exam will be held online on Blackboard and will consist of questions based
on topics covered during the lectures as well as assigned readings. While most questions will
be multiple choice, other types of questions such as true/false, fill-in-the-blanks, calculation,
and matching can also be asked.

Supplemental Exam/Assignment

Students who receive an overall fail mark in their first attempt will be re-assessed by the completion and submission of an individual assignment only, without any consideration of other assessment marks.

Biographical Note

Dr. Gorkem Aksaray is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. Before joining Trinity College, he was a faculty member at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey. He holds a Ph.D. in Organization and Management from Emory University (Atlanta, GA) and a MSc in Managerial Economics from the London School of Economics (London, UK).

His primary research interest is examining mechanisms underlying the dynamics of entrepreneurial entry and exit. He specifically studies structural, spatial, and financial factors affecting mobility into and out of self-employment and performance by utilizing longitudinal panels of individuals and matched aggregate economic data. His research has appeared in major scientific journals and conference proceedings.