Program Director Contact Details: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Name: Dr Matt McKinlay
Email: matthew.mckinlay@adelaide.edu.au

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Teaching Staff
Name: Lorraine Caruso

This course will be collaboratively taught using aligned supervisors, experienced industry professionals, plus entrepreneurs and/or mentors from the ThincLab.

Teaching staff may also include ThincLab professionals in Singapore and France, should the student wish to explore export potential/international growth options.

On successful completions of this course, students will be able to:

1. Outline an entrepreneurial opportunity from ambiguous information and critically evaluate accuracy and gaps in such information sources;
2. Design in-field experimentation to trial, develop and execute aspects of the perceived opportunity;
3. Apply an intermediate level of entrepreneurial principles and practice, from multiple perspectives, to devise solutions to venture challenges;
4. Communicate integrated concepts to various audiences in different formats;
5. Synthesise research, findings and forecasts into an operational business plan or viable blue print for the venture.

No Textbook required.

A reading list relevant to the specifics of the project will be provided in MyUni. It is expected that students will look beyond these resources to find additional literature of value.

Class discussions will highlight additional reading/books students have found valuable during their startup journey. In addition, students may find the following peer-reviewed journals useful in sourcing relevant theoretical articles.

• Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice
• Journal of Business Venturing
• Entrepreneurship & Regional Development
• Journal of Small Business Management
• Journal of Social Entrepreneurship
• Academy of Management Journal
• Small Business Economics

Library Resources
The University of Adelaide’s Barr Smith Library provides a range of learning resources including texts, journals, periodicals, magazines, and access to online databases and information services. It also offers a virtual library which is accessible via the University’s website. Access to the Library's electronic resources.

MyUni is the University of Adelaide's online learning environment. It is used to support traditional face-to-face lectures, tutorials and workshops at the University. MyUni provides access to various features including announcements, course materials, discussion boards and assessments for each online course of study.

This course is taught via on-campus face to face lectures and tutorials. The course delivers recognised knowledge and skills in respect to conducting valid research. This course will be a preparatory course for the 6 unit capstone course.

All course learning materials will be accessible via the online MyUni platform.

As a guide, a 3 unit course comprises a total of 156 hours work (this includes face-to-face contact, any online components, and self-directed study).

Total workload hours: 12 hours per week x 13 weeks = 156 hours.
Total contact hours: 3 hours per week x 12 weeks = 36 hours.
Total self-guided study: 156 hours – 36 hours = 120 hours.

You can expect to commit 312 total study hours to this 6 unit course.

Schedule

Session	Workshop Content
1	Introduction to the course: Course overview/Overview of assessment What is your purpose? Utilising design thinking to create my preferred future
2	Realities of the startup journey: Project managing and planning my startup Have a shortcoming? Learn to overcome it
3	Unexpected challenges occur regularly: Developing a viable business model for my startup Customer development; do I have a market? Maximising marketing/digital marketing strategies for my startup
4	Fill that sales funnel: Who? Me! Make the most of an unanticipated opportunity: Working towards competitive advantage for my venture
5	Be resourceful when building a team: Leading myself and my entrepreneurial team Going all-out has its risks: Risk assessment and contingency planning
6	Show me the money! Resourcing and growing my venture If things turn bad, salvage what you can: Pivot, or back to the drawing board?
7	In-class presentations

#	Assessment Task	Task Type	Length	Weight	Learning Outcomes
1	Supervisor Interaction	Individual	30 min sessions	15%	1,2,4
2	Project Presentation	Individual	15 min presentation, plus Q&A. Supported by an written outline of key milestones achieved	15%	1-5
3	Business Plan	Individual	7,000 words	70%	1-5
	Total			100%

Students should attend all classes in order to pass the course. There is considerable experiential learning during classes that build your knowledge and thus enable you to be successful in this course.

Course results may be subject to moderation by the Assessment Review Committee.

Supervisor Interaction
You will have regular meetings with your supervisor. Meeting times must be arranged between you, your supervisor and, if required, any third parties that may be relevant to the stage of startup you are working on at that point in time. Notes will be taken by you at each meeting and used to monitor progress at the following meeting. Supervisor meetings may result in written tasks or in-field activities that will facilitate production of your business plan.

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Mid-Point Presentation
You will present your stage of work at the mid-point (week 7) of the course to an audience of your peers, specialists and/or mentors. The presentation will be of 15 minutes duration, plus Q&A from the audience.

The presentation should be supported by an outline of key milestones your startup has achieved to date, and may include any challenges you have struggled with and are seeking feedback on. Record the feedback received from the audience/panel and apply this back into your developing business plan.

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Business Plan
You will produce a detailed written business plan covering a period of 2 years (maximum 7,000 word count – not including appendices and references). The most efficient way to produce a document of this nature and length is to work on a draft version as the course progresses through the various hands-on stages of your startup venture you work through. After the Mid-Point presentation, you will consider where the gaps lie, reassess what to focus your efforts on and begin to finesse the document leading up to submission in week 12. The worth of business plans is not in the quantity of writing produced, but in the quality. Key stakeholders or potential investors seek succinct, well written plans that clearly outline genuine potential supported by sound data and reliable evidence.

All text based assignments must be submitted via MyUni:

• Assignment Submission: Assignments should not be emailed to the instructor; they must be lodged via the MyUni Course site (unless specified to do both).
• Cover Sheet: Please include in the assignment a completed University of Adelaide Assessment Cover Sheet (found in MyUni, under Modules) providing details of yourself and your team members (if applicable), your assignment, the course, date submitted, etc. as well as the declaration signed by you that this is your (your team’s) work. Note that the declaration on any electronically submitted assignment will be deemed to have the same authority as a signed declaration.
• Backup Copy of Assignments: You are advised to keep a copy of your assignments in case the submitted copy goes missing. Please ensure that all assignment pages are numbered. If your assignment contains confidential information, you should discuss any concerns with the Course Lecturer prior to submission.
• Assessment extensions request: An application for Assessment Extension should be made before the due date of the assignment to the Course Lecturer. Normally, extensions will only be granted for a maximum of two weeks from the original assignment submission date. Extensions will only be granted in cases of genuine medical, compassionate or extenuating circumstances. See sections 3 and 7a) i. in particular on assessment extensions in the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment (MACA) Policy.
• Failure to submit: Failure to submit an assignment on time or by the agreed extension deadline may result in penalties and may incur a fail grade. Note that a late penalty of 5% of the total available marks for that assessment item will be incurred each day an assignment is handed in late (Unless otherwise stated in 'Assessment Related Requirements' or 'Assessment Detail' above). Assignments handed in after 14 days from the due submission date will fail even if a 100% mark is granted for the work.
• Resubmission: of an assignment after reworking it to obtain a better mark will not normally be accepted. Approval for resubmission will only be granted on medical or compassionate grounds.
• Appealing a mark or grade: If you are dissatisfied with your mark or grade, you may request a review or re-mark. There must be academic or procedural reasons for your request, so you can’t simply request a re-mark because you are disappointed with your result. For more information on the process see Assessment Grievance: Appealing a mark or grade