GRA 3162 Scaling and Growth

GRA 3162 Scaling and Growth

Course code: 
GRA 3162
Department: 
Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Pengfei Wang
Course name in Norwegian: 
Scaling and Growth
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Semester: 
2025 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

After developing the entrepreneurial mindset, grasping the essence of innovation, and establishing their new ventures, entrepreneurs and managers will need to consider whether and how to scale up. This is an essential aspect, as most well-known entrepreneurs gain their reputation for successfully scaling up businesses. Put in an extreme way, scaling success is what distinguish between great entrepreneurs and mediocre ones. Entrepreneurs are rarely deemed great if they only establish a startup that survives in a constant small scale. Yet, scaling is a very complex process, with substantial uncertainty. This course focuses on key challenges and problems in the scaling phase, to improve the ability of course participants to diagnose problems in scaling and to recommend solutions.

This course builds on theoretical and empirical explanations to explore how entrepreneurs cope with developmental challenges in different aspects. It also dives into key contexts, in order to improve the competence of students to combine knowledge with practice.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • Know the key steps and activities in the process to grow new ventures
  • Know the core challenges in the scaling-up phase
  • Know the features of key contexts
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • Be able to analyze scaling-up business cases and identify their key problems and assumptions
  • Be able to provide effective solutions tailored for the challenges in the scaling-up phase in different verticals
General Competence
  • Be able to analyze business cases concisely, with clarity, logical flow, and coherence
  • Be able to present and communicate ideas and solutions effectively
  • Be able to develop their competence of business negotiation
Course content

The course content includes:

• Scaleup: Overview

• Scaleup: Internal Analysis

• Scaleup: External Analysis

• Scaleup: Competitive Dynamics

• Scaleup: Strategy (1)

• Scaleup: Strategy (2)

• Scaleup: Organization

• Scaleup: Team

• Scaleup: HRM

• Scaleup: Innovation and ESG

Teaching and learning activities

The course is structured as a combination of short lectures and class discussions. The format of the course requires that the students should prepare extensively before each class.  It is simply impossible to come to class unprepared for the topics to be discussed.  The students are required to undertake a group project. Students are free to choose any contexts to analyze. 

Software tools
Stata
Additional information

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.

Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Disclaimer

Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Portfolio Assessment PDF
Exam/hand-in semester: 
First Semester
Weight: 
100
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 3)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Submission consisting of assignments that students have to hand in by groups.
Exam code: 
GRA 31622
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
36 Hour(s)
Prepare for teaching
64 Hour(s)
Group work / Assignments
80 Hour(s)
Sum workload: 
180

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.