APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

GRA 3159 Entrepreneurial Internship Programme

Responsible for the course
Benedicte Brøgger, Knut Sogner

Department
Department of Innovation and Economic Organisation

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
12

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The Entrepreneurial Internship Programme is part of the MSc. in innovation and entrepreneurship at BI Norwegian Business School. It allows students to participate in the activities of a start-up company. The companies will be located in one of the incubators of Oslo Innovation Centre (OCI). The students will gain real-world experience by helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses, and will work with specific company-related tasks. Student will make strategic recommendations to the company after careful analysis, in the form of a term paper that fulfills academic requirements.

Learning outcome
The student shall demonstrate the following competencies after the internship:
Knowledge of key practical dilemmas of the everyday work in a start-up company
Knowledge of ways to balance financial-, market-, product- and human resources in order for a firm to emerge.

Skills:
Ability to support suggestions for practical solutions with academically sound analysis. Ability to collaborate and build network in order to strengthen the start-up process.
Ability to define and execute tasks under conditions of uncertainy and change.
Ability to reflect on own professional development.

Reflection:
Learn not take anything at face value and to defer judgement
Understanding of the complexities of the market forces that drive business
Openness to ideas from a variety of perspectives

Prerequisites
Students must have been registered in the first year of the MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2011/2012

Compulsory reading

Other:
The discussion in the term paper shall be based on literature chosen by the intern, preferably from previous master courses. The references list of the term paper must include a minimum of 350 pages of relevant literature used. List to be discussed with course responsible.


Recommended reading
Books:
Penrose, Edith. 2009. The theory of the growth of the firm. 4th ed. Oxford University Press

Articles:
Demil, B. and Lecocq, X.. 2010. Business model evolution: in search of dynamic constistency. Long Range Planning. (43-2.3) 227-246
Gustavsen, Bjørn. 2006. Theory and practice : the mediating discourse. In: Peter Reason and Hilary Bradbury, red.: Handbook of action research : the concise paperback edition. Sage. p. 17-26
Kirzner, I.. 1997. Entrepreneurial discovery and the competitive market process: an Austrian Approach. Journal of Economic Literature. March. 60-86
Rickets, M. 2006. Theories of entrepreneurship : historical development and critical assessment. In: Casson, Mark ... [et al.], eds : The Oxford handbook of entrepreneurship. Oxford University Press. 33-58
Saxenian, A.. 1991. The origins and dynamics of production networks in Silicon Valley. Research Policy. 20 (5). 423-437
Schumpeter, J.A. 2000. Entrepreneurship as innovation. I: Swedberg, R. (red)., Entrepreneurship : the social science view. Oxford University Press. p. 51-75. Oxford management reader series

Course outline
Intrroduction to entrepreneurship in Norway
Companies and Oslo Innovation Centre
The Norwegian national innovation system
Reflection and learning from own experience
How to develop an argument/write a term paper
Uses of theory
Internship work

Computer-based tools
No special computer-based tools

Learning process and workload
Full-time internship in a start-up company for10 weeks, including activities organized by Oslo Innovation Centre (OCI) or similar institution. The place of work will be with a start-up company.

Please note that it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/It's learning.

Maximum number of students is 16. The internship work is unpaid. The total period of the internship is 10 weeks, which include internship work, weekly reflection and writing workshops, literature review, lectures on specific topics, and term paper writing. Internship company work will stop during a 2 week set holiday period. After completing the summer course, the student's autumn course requirement is two courses.





Examination
The course grade is 100% based on the term paper. This must be submitted on the last day of the course, and must include,
- a list of references from 350 pages of chosen, academically sound literature.
- a letter of confirmtion of completed internship from internship company or Oslo Innovation Centre.

Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation.



Examination code(s)
GRA 31592 term paper accounts for 100% of the final grade in the course GRA 3159.

Examination support materials
N/A. Exam aids at written examiniations are explained under exam information in the student portal @bi. Please note use of calculator and dictionary in the section on examaids

Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught.
The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code.
Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes.
Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

Additional information
Honor Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honor code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honor code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.

Any violation of the honor code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honor code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honor code, please ask.