ENT4340 – Managing New Venture Growth
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course focuses on managing growth in young start-up companies. New venture creation is not about starting a business, it is about starting a business that becomes successful. Managing growth can be like traversing a minefield. One misstep and your emerging business can be in serious trouble. The purpose of the course is to prepare you for what potential hazards and challenges you can encounter when growing a company and how these can be avoided and mitigated.
The course will use the venture creation project you are developing in ENT4360 – Student Venture Creation Project as an active learning arena.
Learning outcome
After taking this course, you will:
- Have a solid understanding about the different stages of new venture evolution and what characterizes them
- Have advanced knowledge about potential challenges and hidden hazards facing an evolving venture in the different stages of its development including product/service development and delivery, customer experience and expectations, organizational development, competition, cash flow and financial commitments
- Have advanced knowledge about frameworks, strategies and hands-on measures for how to best develop companies in a manner that is both financially attractive and sustainable
- Be able to analyse a particular evolving company or industry to identify and rank challenges that must be addressed and managed
- Have developed your proficiency in how to effectively manage and mitigate the identified challenges for a particular company or industry
Admission to the course
The course is available only for students admitted to the study programme Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management (master's two years).
Recommended previous knowledge
ENT4000 – Business Creation, ENT4050 – Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership, ENT4070 – Entrepreneurial Opportunity Evaluation, ENT4330 – Entrepreneurial Finance
The course is designed to be taken in parallel with ENT4360 – Student Venture Creation Project.
Teaching
Weekly classes throughout the semester that include lectures, in-class activities and group exercises. In addition, readings and group/individual assignments between classes.
Due to the significant amount of group exercises and in-class activities in this course, 80% attendance of the lectures is mandatory. Completion of mandatory attendance is required in order to pass the course.
Examination
The course grade is calculated based on the following components:
- A final group assignment including an oral group presentation accounting for in total 50 % of the score. Students in each group are given the same score. Group members who do not fulfill their obligations can be scored individually from the group.
- Individual assignments/quizzes given during the semester accounting for in total 50 % of the overall score.
Failing a graded assignment does still allow participation in the remaining exams. All exams and assignments must be taken during the same semester.
Completion of mandatory attendance is required in order to pass the course.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.