ENT4510 Intrapreneurship Emneplan

Intrapreneurship is the practice of entrepreneurial skills and approaches carried out/initiated within an established organisation. This course will examine the challenges and opportunities for both employees and organisations in creating and maintaining a culture that fosters intrapreneurial activities. 

Intrapreneurship can be defined as the process that allows individuals and groups with an established organisation to think, develop and execute value creation while still having access to internal resources to reach their intended goals. An intrapreneur is a person who becomes empowered to create new products or services for an organisation. Intrapreneurship has the ability to leverage internal resources and market knowledge to expand their value proposition to existing and new markets and users.

In this course we will look at intrapreneurship from the eyes of the organisation, at the processes to support intrapreneurship and at the entrepreneurial individual. We will review the role of intrapreneurship in building and sustaining innovation capacities within an organisation, the role of corporate culture in driving innovation processes, and the impact of leadership styles on successful intrapreneurship activities. 

None 

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence: 

Knowledge 

The student has 

• in-depth knowledge about the relevance and concepts of intrapreneurship 

• specialised knowledge about why established organisations find entrepreneurial culture so challenging 

• a high level of knowledge about intrapreneurial activities relate to a company’s ability to drive innovation throughout the organisation 

• a broad understanding and knowledge related to the synergy necessary between leadership, corporate culture and organisational dynamics to drive successful intrapreneurship 

• in-depth knowledge about the synergy necessary between leadership, corporate culture and organisational dynamics to drive successful intrapreneurship

Skills 

The student has

• a high level of skills in identifying and evaluating the reasons why incumbent companies find intrapreneurship challenging 

• specialised skills in identifying opportunities within a company 

• specialised skills manoeuvring and understanding the internal innovation process of a company 

• in-depth skills in understanding the internal culture of a company and identifying and communicating with relevant stakeholders 

• a high level of skills in understanding how resources can facilitate innovation within a company

General competence 

The student has 

• a high degree of competence to apply knowledge and skills when deciding the most appropriate innovation strategy within a company 

• specialised competencies in communicating and mastering theoretical concepts, language and forms of expression that are relevant within the field of intrapreneurship

• a high level of competence in ethical challenges related to a company's innovation and growth strategy 

Students are expected to actively contribute and participate in class discussions and exercises. The course will include lectures, readings, problem solving, oral and written presentations, field visits to companies, workshops, guest speakers and cases.

No coursework requirements and compulsory activities. 

The exam comprises two parts: a term paper/report (60 per cent) and an oral presentation (40 per cent). 

• Term paper/report (60 per cent of final grade).

The intrapreneurship report must have a scope of 10 pages (+/- 10 per cent). Font and font size: Arial or Calibri, 12 points. Line spacing: 1.5.

The course will require teams of students to act as corporate entrepreneur consultants by evaluating the level of intrapreneurship and intrapreneurial activities within a local organisation. Therefore, each team of students will venture out into the local business community and select a company on which to perform a ‘health audit’ of entrepreneurial behaviour. The goal is to envision and design an intrapreneurial venture appropriate for that firm. The students will have to present a compelling argument for the project, as well as identify, analyse and mobilise relevant resources (financial, human, technological, etc.), where within the firm they believe the venture should be housed, reporting arrangements, etc. Students select their own teams, which must comprise two to three members.

Students awarded a fail grade are given one opportunity to submit an improved version of the term paper for assessment.

• Oral presentation (40 per cent of final grade). The intrapreneurship presentation (15 minutes).

Each team will present the intrapreneurship report as a 15-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session from faculty and peer students. The students will be graded as a team.

All aids are permitted as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A–F.

The term papers and the oral presentations are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.