BE853-7-SU-CO:
Innovation & Entrepreneurship for New Business Models
2024/25
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Summer
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Friday 27 June 2025
10
11 July 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MBA N20012 The Essex MBA,
MBA N20E24 The Essex MBA,
MBA N20E36 The Essex MBA
This module provides students with the concepts, frameworks and the skills to lead entrepreneurial and innovative projects and ventures within (or outside) an organisational setting.
The module helps students to obtain a critical understanding of economic, sociological, psychological and managerial theories of enterprise creation and development and their application in the world of business and in the wider economy. The focus is on the formation of new ventures, product/process/service/business model innovation, and their impact on economic and social development in different environments.
The aims of this module are:
- To provide the necessary theoretical framework for the study and the practice of entrepreneurship, defined as new venture creation and innovative growth relating to different types of organisations and environments.
- To provide the critical, theoretical underpinning for the study and investigation of enterprise development and the three critical components of entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurial People, Entrepreneurial Organisations and Entrepreneurial Environments.
- To provide insights into and models for the practice of entrepreneurship and innovation in different organisational and economic environments.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of different theoretical approaches to business and new venture creation, growth and maturity, and their accompanying business models, in different spatial contexts.
- Explain conceptual issues on entrepreneurship and its links with innovation clearly and concisely and how these concepts help us better understand economic and social development.
- Evaluate and explain the relationship between different types of new ventures, as in new small firms, corporate entrepreneurship, new ventures within public and not-for-profit organisations in different countries and develop relevant business models for their growth.
- Develop realistic ideas for engaging with new business creation and growth in different environments.
- Identify opportunities for and develop an innovative venture or project within an organisational setting.
Syllabus
- Theories and Concepts
- The economics of entrepreneurship and innovation.
- Entrepreneurship, enterprise, invention, discovery and innovation.
- Social and economic perspectives.
- Sociological explanations of new venture creation and growth.
- Entrepreneurial typologies and forms, and the psychology of entrepreneurship.
- Entrepreneurship and the Innovation process – new products, new processes, new business models and new organisations.
- Entrepreneurial organisations: new firms, small firms, medium sized firms, large firms, networked firms, social enterprises.
- Entrepreneurship and innovation in the global economy.
- Entrepreneurship and Economic and Social Development
- Practical Components
- Application of theories and concepts to policy making, organisational design and strategy, and community and individual development.
- Application of the Business Models Canvas to the development of new ventures.
This module will be delivered via:
- Lectures.
- Seminars.
- Discussion of case studies.
- Discussion of journal articles.
- Class exercises.
- Group based project work.
- Tutorials.
- Signposting to other support.
- Self-study to develop individual and group action plans (including immersion activities, seminars and workshops).
Details will be available on Moodle.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Individual Learning Journal |
06/05/2025 |
25% |
| Coursework |
Individual Work based Project report |
06/05/2025 |
75% |
Additional coursework information
The assessment for this module will be based on 100% coursework and will include an individual innovation proposal (75%), and an individual learning journal (25%).
Coursework –
a) Individual innovation proposal (75% of the total marks)
This 2,500 words practical assignment aims to transfer new skills and knowledge to the design of an innovation proposal. It also allows the student an opportunity to add to their personal development plan by reflecting upon how their learning can be applied in creating a strategic project. The assessed coursework component of the module will consist of a situational analysis of an organisation and the identification of possible avenues for product/process/service/business model innovation.
Individual Learning Log (25% of the total marks)
This assessed coursework will comprise a critical reflection of your learning. The word limit is 1,000 words (+/- 10%) excluding tables, figures, references, and appendices.
Specific details about this coursework will be posted on the BE853 Moodle page and discussed in the lectures.
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Jay Mitra, email: jmitra@essex.ac.uk.
Jay Mitra
jmitra@essex.ac.uk
No
No
Yes
Dr Lorenzo Todorow Di San Giorgio
University College London
Lecturer
Available via Moodle
Of 28 hours, 28 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
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