Managing Growth and Pathways to Market

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Total time commitment: 136 hours

Entry to the Master of Entrepreneurship and completion of:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

New entrepreneurial ventures, once successfully past the formation stage (incubators and accelerators), often encounter problems caused by their very rapid growth. The activities of the entrepreneur have to change, from innovation to delegation, communication, and organization as different functional and technical skills are needed, new external relationships such as bankers, lawyers and investors are formed and new company employees have to be integrated into the goals and operations of the enterprise. This is a very basic change that many entrepreneurs never make. The purpose of the subject is to recognise that managing growth is the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs, to consider and evaluate the alternative pathways to growth and to consider processes for identifying a preferred approach. The subject identifies methods for assessing customer and market opportunities, the need for revised business models, marketing strategies, the development or acquisition of appropriate skills and resources and the adoption of management control systems that should be used to monitor and analyse growth, with the additional challenge of international growth also considered. Participants in the subject will use case studies and meetings with entrepreneurs to develop a pragmatic understanding of the challenges of growth, as well as the obstacles that need to be overcome. At the conclusion of the subject, students should be able to identify the different pathways to market including commercialisation.

On successful completion of this subject, using case methodology, students should be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the different pathways to ground four different types of enterprise;
• identify and address the different barriers to growth;
• manage the resourcing of the enterprise through the different stages of growth;
• analyse markets and develop entrance level analytic models for scaling the enterprise;
• create a market strategy;
• evaluate “How to” capture value from globalisation.

Three individual 500 word case studies of start-ups that have dealt with the challenges of growth (1500 words total). Due in Week 8 (select 3 case studies from across the case discussions) (3 x 10%, 30 total)

Develop and analyse growth strategy for own enterprise – group (2000 word per student equivalent (30%); Peer collaboration assessment (10%). Due in Week 11 (40%)

Participation in case discussions

This is assessed using a case participation rubric each week. It assesses quality and quantity of contribution. This methodology is used widely at the elite business schools internationally e.g., Harvard, Stanford; see

http://www.hbs.edu/teaching/case-method-in-practice/providing-assessment-and-feedback/student-performance.html. Whole semester. (30%)

You will be advised of the prescribed texts by your lecturer

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

High level of development;

• Develop problem-solving and decision making skills through case methodology
• Think critically, and organise knowledge, using case methodology material
• Develop creative ways of solving unfamiliar problems, through the case studies
• Present an argument, by reflecting on those presented in the case analysis and readings

Moderate level of development

• Learn to adopt new ideas, from participation in the case study analysis and discussion
• Develop oral presentation skills
• Plan effective work schedules, to meet the regular deadlines for submission of assessable work.