Professor Michael Vitale
Contact hours: by appointment
Professor Michael Vitale
Contact hours: by appointment
To book an appointment ring 9902 0283 or email michael.vitale@swc.monash.edu.au
Welcome to FIT 3134, IT-based Entrepreneurship. This unit is intended for students who want to learn and grow, achieve financial independence, and gain a sense of accomplishment from transforming an idea into a company. The unit will cover the main steps in the start-up process, with a focus on IT-based enterprises. Teaching and learning will be based on lectures, discussions, case studies, guest presentations, and the preparation of a business plan for an IT-based start-up company.
Workload commitments are:
time for group meetings, which can be face to face or virtual
The approach to teaching and learning includes a weekly two-hour lecture/discussion and a weekly two-hour tutorial. Each student should also allocate 8 to 12 hours per week for personal study and group meetings.
For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/
On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.its.monash.edu.au/
Week | Date* | Topic | References/Readings | Tutorials | Key dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19/07/10 | Introduction | initial assignment will be distributed by email | IT-based entrepreneur I -- Rohan Fernando | |
2 | 26/07/10 | Teams and Teamwork | text chapters 1 - 3 | teamwork exercise -- introduction | |
3 | 02/08/10 | Opportunity Analysis | text chapters 4, 5, and 8 | teamwork exercise -- debrief | |
4 | 09/08/10 | Business Models | text chapter 9 | IT-based entrepreneur II -- James Horne | |
5 | 16/08/10 | Accounting for Entrepreneurs | chapter 17 of Byers et al Technology Ventures (third edition), to be distributed via MUSO | accounting practice | |
6 | 23/08/10 | Business Plans I | text chapter 10 | accounting problem set | |
7 | 30/08/10 | Sources of Finance | text chapters 6, 11, and 12 | progress presentations | |
8 | 06/09/10 | Sources of Wealth | text chapters 14 - 17 | negotiation exercise | |
9 | 13/09/10 | Intellectual Property | text chapter 19 | patent and trademark searching | |
10 | 20/09/10 | Marketing for Entrepreneurs | readings to be provided via MUSO | marketing exercise | |
Mid semester break | |||||
11 | 04/10/10 | Business Plans II | readings to be provided via MUSO | elevator pitch | |
12 | 11/10/10 | Social Entrepreneurship | readings to be provided via MUSO | IT-based entrepreneur III | |
13 | 18/10/10 | Student Presentations | none | student presentations |
*Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.
This unit is being offered for the first time.
The prescribed text is Swanson, James A and Baird, Michael L, Engineering Your Start-Up: A Guide for the High-Tech Entrepreneur, Second Edition (paperback), Professional Publications Inc, Belmont California USA 2003, ISBN 1-888577-91-6
There are literally thousands of books about entrepreneurship, ranging from weighty academic tomes to airport bookshop self-help paperbacks. A few that you might find useful are listed below. There will not be any required material from these books, but you might actually enjoy reading them.
Gerber, Michael E, The E-myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, third edition (paperback) 1995, HarperCollins, New York, ISBN 0-88730-728-0
Gold, Steven K, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture, 2008, Learning Ventures Press, Lexington, Massachusetts USA, ISBN 0-9762790-4-5
Kawasaki, Guy, The Art of the Start, 2004, Portfolio, New York, ISBN 1-59184-056-2
Shane, Scott A, The Illusions of Entrepreneurship, 2008, Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut USA, ISBN 978-0-300-11331-0
Study resources we will provide for your study are:
weekly readings, weekly lecture slides, and weekly tutorial tasks, as well as this unit guide and the unit web site on MUSO. Student teams will be responsible for preparing weekly lecture notes to be distributed to the class.
To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:
If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.
Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.
Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.
Assignment submission and preparation requirements will be detailed in each assignment specification. Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced. You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html.
There will be 12 tutorials, beginning in the first week of the semester. Students will receive full marks for attending and participating in 10, 11, or 12 tutorials, four marks for 9, three marks for 8, two marks for 7, one mark for 6, and no marks for 5 or fewer.
Lectures are on Monday afternoons; notes should be submitted to the lecturer by 9am on the following Wednesday. One mark will be deducted if the notes are submitted by 9pm Wednesday, another mark for 9am Thursday, etc. The lecturer will not modify the notes but will assess them for accuracy, completeness, and usefulness.
The ideal elevator pitch is irrefutable, compelling, and greed-inducing. The pitches will be judged on these criteria, as well as adherence to a strict three-minute time limit. Each member of a team will receive the same marks.
Criteria are comprehensiveness, accuracy, and coherence of the searches, and the clarity of the description of the conclusions and actions to be taken. Each member of a team will receive the same marks.
The progress report and presentation will be assessed on:
presentation style (25%)
visual aids (15%)
clarity and completeness of description (30%)
viability of proposed business (30%)
All members of a team will receive the same marks.
Business plans will be assessed based on:
executive summary and overview (10%)
management team (10%)
markets (20%)
products/services (25%) including IP, operating strategies, and critical risks
financial projections (25%) including cash flow statement, income statement, balance sheet, and funds required
offer to investor (10%)
Assessment will be based on the quality of the agreement reached.
Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.
Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.
A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.
Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html
Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 5% per day, including weekends. Assignments received more than seven days after the due date will not be accepted.
Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.
Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
Graded assignments with comments
Solutions to tutes, labs and assignments
Please visit the following URL: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/appendix.html for further information about: