While some observers maintain that corporate entrepreneurship is an oxymoron, others have noted the success of entrepreneurial ventures within the corporate environment in firms such as 3M, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, and Motorola. Family businesses are an important force in the US economy. These businesses can be found in all sizes and every industry. Family businesses are two very different organizations with very different social dynamics and synergies combined into one. The course is designed to be participatory.
Emphasis is on the financing elements that make deals succeed.
There also is analysis of established companies and internal corporate ventures, as well as start-up companies. The purpose of the entrepreneurship seminar is to examine new developments in entrepreneurship practice. An important recent trend is to view entrepreneurship as a process consisting of a series of tasks that must be performed well for success. The seminar uses real-world cases to investigate the entrepreneurial process, beginning with opportunity recognition and evaluation and ending with harvesting and distributing value. Depending on the needs and career goals of the students, final projects may include writing research papers, case studies, or feasibility studies.