Assignments

Entrepreneurship and Business for Engineers and Scientists - TG 401 and TG 501

Class Session Topics & Pre-readings

all readings are in the course electronic casebook, unless noted below; details of each week's assignment are included at the end of the presentation materials for the previous week


Session 1 Course Outline, Objectives and Motivation
Pre-session reading assignment: none

Session 2 Financial and Market Measures of Corporate (or Product) Success
Assignment:

  • Appendix to Writing a Business Plan: The Basics
  • How to Read a Financial Report (pp. 1-3, 26-31, and 33-36) in "Supplementary Materials"
  • internet-based analysis of Google

Session 3 Company Roles and Profit/growth Responsibilities
Assignment:

  • Internet-based analysis of a public company

Session 4 Winning Business Plans
Assignment:

  • Writing a Business Plan: The Basics
  • Opportunity Assessment Aperture (in "Supplementary Materials")
  • Sources of Info on Starting a Business (in "Supplementary Materials")
  • FHP Wireless (case)

Session 5 Market and Customer Analysis
Assignment:

  • DLJdirect: "Putting Our Reputation Online"

Session 6 Beating the Competition
Assignment:

  • Airborne Express

Session 7 Making Product Decisions
Assignment:

  • Linear Air: Creating the Air Taxi Industry

Session 8 Mid-term exam (topic: making product decisions)
During this session, we'll take the midterm exam, and then discuss it. The midterm exam case is Mathsoft (A) 

Session 9 Marketing and the Marketing Plan
Assignment:

  • Creating a Marketing Plan: An Overview
  • Cardio Thoracic Systems

Session 10 Reaching the Customer: Sales and Sales Channels
Assignment:

  • Going to Market
  • GolfLogix: Measuring the Game of Golf

Session 11 Marketing and Sales for a New Technology
Assignment:

  • Hub Spot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0

Session 12 R&D: Product Development and its Relationship to Marketing
Assignment:

  • Guidant: Cardiac Rhythym Management Business (A)

Session 13 Operations: Manufacturing, Logistics and Service
Assignment:

  • Can Marketing and Manufacturing Co-exist?
  • Crocs: Revolutionizing an Industry's Supply Chain

Session 14 Launching a New Product
Assignment:

  • Invisalign: Othodontics Unwired

Exam period: Final Exam (topic: new product launch)
The case for the final exam is:

  • Goodyear: Aquatred Launch