DCM515 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of this assignment, students will be able to:
- Critically evaluate major theories and models of entrepreneurship and innovation management.
- Identify and assess the characteristics of effective entrepreneurs and innovators.
- Appraise and appreciate the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and utilize strategies to overcome them.
- Theories how strategic innovation practices contribute to clear differentiated positioning; and
- Reflect on the different stages as well as challenges through the innovation process.
BRIEF
Prepare a reflection essay (2000 words) based on your my experience as an entrepreneur or partnering/working with an entrepreneur.
G R A D U A T E AT T R I B U T E S
- Define the problem: graduates will be able to understand the broad context and complexity of an industry and the resultant challenges faced by its constituents. Students will be able to frame complex industry problems and effectively communicate them to others possessing both specialist and non-specialist expertise. DCM515 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Gather and analyse evidence: graduates will develop and refine skills of efficiently collecting, analysing and synthesizing data required to identify and illuminate the roots of complex industry challenges though both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
- Demonstrate management: graduates will develop project management knowledge and skills and then administer projects by drawing on practical experience and theoretical approaches to management. They will be able to critically apply leading management theories to specific project contexts in order to effectively achieve project goals.
- Develop strategic vision: graduates will develop frameworks for achieving organizational change drawing on innovative and entrepreneurial solutions. They will develop strategic visions that identify business opportunities and appropriately incorporate relevant risk reasoning into proposed business solutions.
- Demonstrate leadership in cyber and data management: graduates will be able to communicate vision effectively and mitigate implementation risks to achieve effective change management in relation to cyber and data through both creative and pragmatic approaches. Graduates will be prepared for leading organizational change. DCM515 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Understand, communicate and apply advanced theoretical knowledge in their fields of Data security leadership and people management to real world contexts in order to justify propositions and related bodies of knowledge to critically evaluate the resolution of business problems and recommend actions relevant to contemporary business settings. DCM515 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Critically apply cross-disciplinary knowledge in decision making to demonstrate an understanding of global business challenges and key management strategies to positively influence a Data mindset with creativity for innovation and Data security contexts.
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
For this assignment, write a reflective essay based on your personal experience as an entrepreneur or partnering/working with an entrepreneur. If you have not experienced either scenario, you may select a well-known entrepreneur or an interview an entrepreneur for your reflection essay.
Reflective writing is documenting the thinking process or revisiting a practical situation and reviewing your experiences through the lenses of the concepts or theories you are studying.
When engaging in reflection, you begin by recalling a situation and the thoughts and feelings you encountered during the experience. From there you explore your beliefs, values, and attitudes that underpin these thoughts and feelings. Lastly, as you study the subject identify one or two salient points, concepts, or theories that you can relate to your situation and discuss your insights. DCM515 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
It is important to realize that while you are writing your reflection, the story of the incident or event is not the focus. Rather you should focus on the insights you gained from re-examining and documenting your reactions and connecting the salient points, concepts or theories to real life situations.
Reflection Essay
When writing your reflective essay use the 4Rs Model to Reflective Writing (Moon, 2006; QUT, 2010) to address the following sections:
- Reporting and Responding – Report your experience or explain what issue was involved.
a. Provide a brief overview of your experience or entrepreneur’s experience.
b. Introduce the salient points, concepts or theories you will use in the reflection discussion.
c. Provide a brief overview of what you have learned from your experience or the entrepreneur’s
experience. - Relating – Relate or connect entrepreneurship capabilities with your own experience, skills, or
knowledge.
a. Describe your how your thoughts, feelings, perspectives help with an entrepreneurial mindset
or describe your thoughts and feelings when working with someone with an entrepreneurial
mindset.
b. Identify the characteristics or skills you or an entrepreneur displayed during an entrepreneurial experience or event.
c. Explain the challenges, opportunities, and risk associated with an entrepreneurial experience
or event. Include your initial thoughts, feelings, perspectives3. Reasoning – Detail significant factors underlying the issue or experience.a. Identify what factors contributed to your ability to identify opportunities, solve challenges, and manage risks.
b. Connect how your mindset, skills, and characteristics you identified helped to identify the
opportunities, solve the challenges, and manage the risks.
c. Consider what other skills, characteristics or mindsets would have been beneficial. DCM515 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Connect any relevant salient points, concepts or theories to support your reasoning.
4. Reconstructing – Reconstruct future practice or professional understanding.
a. Explain what you have learned from this reflection. What might work better in the future and
why?
b. Describe any different mindsets, characteristics, or mindsets you will use in the future.
c. Explain how you might develop or strengthen any new skills or characteristics to help with
entrepreneurial opportunities, challenges, or risks in the future.
d. Are your ideas supported by any salient points, concepts or theories? Provide references to
support your ideas.
S T R U CT U R E
You may use the following structure to format your reflection essay.
- Cover or Title Page
- Introduction
a. Brief overview of the situation (personal incident/experience or event reported in the media)
you will base your reflection on.
b. The theories and concepts you will use for analysis.
c. A brief overview of what you have learned.
d. Conclusion as a transition to move into the body of your reflective essay. - Description
a. Entrepreneurial mindset
b. Characteristics and Skills
c. Challenges, opportunities, risks4. Reflective Discussion
a. Report your experience or explain what issue was involved.
b. Relate or connect this experience with business strategy with past experiences, skills, or
knowledge.
c. Detail significant factors underlying the issue or experience.
d. Reconstruct future practice or professional understanding.5. Conclusion
a. Restate the importance of your reflection
b. Restate the main points you made in the body
c. Review your perspective or stance and reiterate your learning (make sure it is logical and well
supported)
d. Identify the implications for management practice and your own further development
6. References
7. Appendix, if needed
C O N S I D E R AT I O N S
– Have I identified and defined the academic concepts related to the reflective tasks using current
academic literature?
– Have I demonstrated the ability to apply and integrate relevant salient findings, concepts or theories in my essay?
– Have I provided sufficient evidence and examples to support my reasoning?
– Have I made a connection between entrepreneurial practices and my own professional experience,
knowledge and skills?
– Have I developed an argument and demonstrated understanding of differing points of view?
– Have I demonstrated understanding of the relevance of the chosen experiences to the overall concept of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge?
– Did I produce a quality essay? Consider the balance between academic and industry sources.