ASSIGNMENT 1 (2,000 words)

Part (a)

Select a small firm of your choice (any country) in the business to business or business to consumer sectors' that has been trading for no more than 10 years and present it as a business case study (a social entrepreneurial enterprise will also be acceptable). The firm can be a service company or a manufacturing company, a social enterprise and can be in any sector. Cover the history of the business, the nature of the business, the main target markets served by the business, the objectives set for the next five years, the original vision and mission set for the new venture by the entrepreneur. Use analytical frameworks in your work. (Recommended word length 400 words - time allowed 5 minutes)

Part (b)

Explain how management of the above company developed in the case can measure entrepreneurial orientation within their organisation. Using the case study you have constructed from the above task as a vehicle for discussion and analysis and using appropriate evaluative frameworks critically appraise and discuss the organisation's entrepreneurial orientation. Suggest how management might use the various frameworks examined to measure entrepreneurial orientation to improve the degree of entrepreneurial orientation within their enterprise. Having done so compare and contrast entrepreneurial orientation with marketing orientation and discuss whether you consider the two business orientations to be mutually exclusive. Present your suggestions and recommendations for improvements in entrepreneurial orientation in the form of 12 months business plan for product and/ or service development, market development, strategy objectives, targets, planning, budgets, implementation and control. Use analytical frameworks in your work. (Recommended word length 600 words time allowed 10 minutes)

Include a 1,000 words additional support paper summarising the slide presentation and expanding on key points if necessary. Submit the slide presentation and the 1,000 words support paper as a single word document via Turn-It-In.

TOTAL 2,000 WORDS

Please note that the word length of Assignment 1 should be 2,000 words maximum in total. The allocation of words between the case study and the rest of Assignment 1 are only a recommendation and you must use your own judgement as to the exact length of each part of Assignment 1 - do not exceed the maximum word length.

Submit a hard copy in class after the presentation ALONG WITH THE 1,000 WORD SUPPORT PAPER and also on Turn-It-In on the due date also in slide format for the presentation part of the work. The slides and support paper should be submitted as one document (you can copy the slides onto a Word document and submit in one document with the support paper). The individual presentation dates for assignment 1 is to be arranged and will be given at the start of the programme. The date for Turn-It-In submission as stated.

Learning Outcomes to be achieved: L1, L2, L4, and L5 (see Learning Outcomes listed below).

ASSIGNMENT 2 (2,000 words)

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

Using the case study for the start-up company developed and discussed in assignment 1 for analysis and as a vehicle for further discussion, critically evaluate how the firm uses social networking sites such as Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Bebo (and/ or others) to contribute to the achievement of its communication and relationship marketing objectives. Having appraised the firm's approach in this area put forward entrepreneurial suggestions as to how management might be able to improve its use of social networking sites to improve performance and to help achieve future entrepreneurially oriented improvements. Put your suggestions in the form of a management report to be discussed by senior staff. Use examples of good social networking practice by small entrepreneurial firms' available in the academic and business literature in your work and use the case study developed in assignment 1 as a vehicle for discussion. Take budget and other constraints often faced by a small firm into account when making suggestions.

Learning Outcomes to be achieved: L1, L2, L3, L6 and L7 (see Learning Outcomes listed below).

Module Learning Outcomes to be Assessed in Assignments 1 and 2:-

Learning Outcomes for the module are coded L1 to L7 below.

Upon successful completion of the module the students will be able to:

L1. Identify and determine the driving forces in a new venture.

L2. Analyse how successful entrepreneurs and investors create, find, and differentiate profitable and durable opportunities; in particular, how they tell these opportunities apart from just "other good ideas".

L3. Evaluate and determine how successful entrepreneurs and investors create and build value for themselves and others.

L4. Identify and determine the necessary financial and non-financial resources available for new ventures; the criteria used to screen and evaluate proposals, their attractiveness and risk, and know how to obtain start-up and early growth capital.

L5. Determine the critical tasks to be accomplished, the hurdles to be overcome during start-up and early growth, and what has to happen to ensure success.

L6. Apply the opportunity screening criteria to actual start-up ideas, and subsequently develop a business plan suitable for presentation to investors and industry participants.

L7. Develop and analyse integrated financial projections for a start-up venture.

ASSIGNMENT 1 (2,000 words)

Part (a)

- Use a specific small firm venture and develop this venture as a CASE STUDY. Cover the history, nature of the business, target markets, the objectives, vision and mission set for the venture. Use of analytical frameworks in the work.

Part (b)

Recommended word length for Part (b) is 600 words and the work should incorporate all of the factors listed below for Part (b) - time allowed for this part of the presentation 10 minutes - 12 slides maximum.

- Provide a critical analysis and imaginative entrepreneurially based suggestions and recommendations for a future improvement in entrepreneurial orientation. Demonstrate and employ your knowledge of entrepreneurship and your entrepreneurial skills developed on the course. Demonstrate a good grasp of entrepreneurial theory and practice in the construction and content of the business presentation on achieving improved entrepreneurial orientation within the organisation.

- Provide conceptual models and academic frameworks which should be used to support the points made in the report where appropriate. Use frameworks and models to measure entrepreneurial orientation available from the entrepreneurial and small business literature. They will compare and contrast entrepreneurial orientation with marketing orientation and examine the similarities and differences. Use journal articles in your selection of literature. Provide a clear rationale and justification. Additional material can be placed in the appendix. The appendix does not count in terms of the word length requirements. Only relevant additional material to support the written work in the actual report should be included in the appendix. A critical discussion and examination is required for the above points.

- Students' should give a professional presentation using the slides for the case study and the work on an improving the entrepreneurial orientation of the organisation. Effective and professional presentation style, time management, clarity of presentation, content, analysis, critical evaluation of the literature, quality of sources used and relevance of the material presented will be taken into account in awarding marks for the presentation. Provide a full set of references/ bibliography on additional slides

- For parts (a) and (b) of assignment 1 a 1,000 words additional support paper summarising the slide presentation and expanding on key points if necessary.

Present all of the above in class using slide format for the presentation and written format for the support paper and submit the presentation pack of slides and support paper as one file via Turn-it-in.