Year
2021Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
Nil
Incompatible
MGMT210 Entrepreneurial Mindset
Teaching organisation
12 weeks or equivalent.Unit rationale, description and aim
Nowadays success in new businesses is progressively reliant on entrepreneur’s ingenuity; a risk-taker, independent, ethical, future-oriented and tenacious proactive mindset. Such a mentality along with effective collaboration and communication skills with business actors/partners and community has been identified as one of the key antecedents to new venture’s financial and social success. Even in large-scale and on-going organisations most of the employers are increasingly demanding these skills from the job market.
This unit arms students (as future entrepreneurial leaders) with the knowledge and skills to future-proof themselves, adopting mental models that allow for a solid start to and succeeding in their preferred occupation (especially as self-employed entrepreneurs). In this unit, students focus on taking on a systematic approach to identifying start-up problems and figuring out solutions, arming themselves with the knowledge and skills (at the individual level) to succeed in the future of their profession.
The major aim of this unit is to enhance students’ understanding and knowledge of the benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset in any type of entity and enable them to identify the key contingency requirements for the cultivation of an entrepreneurial mindset.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - evaluate the fundamental theories and concepts associated with entrepreneurial attitudes, traits, behaviours (GA5, GA8)
LO2 - analyse core concepts underpinning entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviours to support continuous organisational, personal, social and professional development (GA4, GA5)
LO3 - discuss the characteristics found in successful entrepreneurs; pinpoint differences in entrepreneurial qualities in different areas or regions of the world (GA5, GA6)
LO4 - appreciate the ethical issues that are intimately intertwined with entrepreneurial activities and decisions, in particular treating prospects, competitors and partners with dignity (GA1, GA5)
LO5 - appraise and communicate the impact of cultural, social, political, and legal structures on entrepreneurs and their behaviours (GA5, GA9).
Graduate attributes
GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
Content
Topics will include:
- entrepreneur: definition, evolution and impact
- different dimensions of entrepreneurial mindset
- analysing how entrepreneurial mindset is different from other types of mindsets
- social entrepreneurs, legal entrepreneurs and criminal entrepreneurs
- theories associated with entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours at the individual level
- common characteristics of real entrepreneurs
- entrepreneurial mindset and its impact on creativity and problem solving
- managing relationships with stakeholders at the start-up stage
- entrepreneurial leadership and working with internal stakeholders
- entrepreneurial mindset and personal empowerment
- professional and business style presentation in entrepreneurship
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit adopts active, case study, problem-based and experiential (expert keynote speakers) learning approaches simultaneously to help students in acquiring and integration of knowledge and skills related to evaluating the mental models and key characteristics of individual entrepreneurs. Students will be able to learn the application of theories and concepts underpinning entrepreneurial traits and mindsets in a series of workshops along with the materials (Videos, texts, exercises, and cases) provided through the online learning platform. Each workshop includes mini-seminars focusing on the core theories followed by practical exercises. Few entrepreneur experts will be invited throughout the semester as keynote speakers to share their practical experiences with students. Through this blended mode of delivery, students will be able to develop and accumulate practical knowledge of entrepreneurial attitudes, traits, and leadership that can impact start up business performance.
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass this unit, students are required to complete and submit three graded assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be by a rubric specifically developed to measure levels of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the Unit.
The assessment strategy for this unit helps students develop their knowledge of entrepreneurial mindsets and their characteristics to the point where students can probe and evaluate an entrepreneur’s traits and identify his/her personal traits that might have affected the start-up business outcomes. To accumulate this level of aptitude, students will present their knowledge of theories associated with entrepreneurial mental models and attitudes in an essay that introduces and analyses three successful entrepreneurs in the 21st century (Assessment 1). Students further develop their understanding of the practical application of entrepreneurial mental models by resolving a real world case study regarding entrepreneurs’ characteristics (Assessment 2), and further identify and interview an entrepreneur from the community and write a report about his/her entrepreneurial strengths (Assessment 3).
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Analytical Report This assessment task consists of a 1500-word written report. This task requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of the theories and concepts underpinning entrepreneurial mindsets and traits from a variety of perspectives and contexts. Students will present their knowledge of entrepreneurial mental models and attitudes by analysing and evaluating the characteristics of three real-world local and global entrepreneurs in the 21st century. In doing this report, students have to focus on active entrepreneurs and use recent sources. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Analytical report Artefact: Written paper | 35% | LO1, LO3 | GA5, GA6, GA8 |
Assessment Task 2: Case study analysis This assessment task consists of a 2000-word case study analysis. This task requires students to analyse concepts and practices relating to entrepreneurial mindsets and attitudes to real-world business situations, taking into account ethical perspectives such as managing stakeholder relationships. Students have to provide solutions to the entrepreneurial challenges raised in the case based on their understanding of context and entrepreneurial attitudes/traits in a specific region. where needed students need to conduct research and use recent sources. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Case study Artefact: Written report | 35% | LO2, LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA4, GA5, GA6 |
Assessment Task 3: Interview and report (Group) This assessment task consists of 2200-word written report based on an interview. This task requires students to interview an entrepreneur from the community and analyse their business situation and how the entrepreneurial mindset has been applied in their new venture. Students need to draw on key theories, concepts, methods, and analytical techniques and demonstrate critical thinking skills and understanding of practical application of entrepreneurial mental models and ethical frameworks across different contexts. Students need to sign an internal contract as a group and clarify the responsibilities, also review each other’s performance (peer review) after completing the report. Submission Type: Group Assessment Method: Interview / Report Artefact: Written report | 30% | LO2, LO3, LO5 | GA4, GA5, GA6, GA9 |
Representative texts and references
Priestley, D., 2018. Entrepreneur revolution: How to develop your entrepreneurial mindset and start a business that works. 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons.
Drucker, P 2015, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Routledge Classics, London.
Kshetri, N. 2018, Global Entrepreneurship: Environment and Strategy, 2nd edn, Routledge, USA.
Tidd, J & Bessant, J 2015, Strategic Innovation Management. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Journals
Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
Journal of Business Strategy
Journal of Business Venturing
Entrepreneurship Research Journal
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
European Journal of Innovation Management
Innovation Policy and the Economy
International Journal of Entrepreneurship Theory and Research
Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation
Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Journal of Social Entrepreneurship
Journal of Small Business Management
Journal of Product Innovation Management
Industrial Marketing Management