2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

LUBS3009 Social Networking and New Venture Creation

10 creditsClass Size: 65

Module manager: Angela Carradus
Email: A.Y.Carradus@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

This module is mutually exclusive with

LUBS3015

Advanced Entrepreneurship

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The module has a strong practical dimension and makes extensive use of industry experts and formative feedback to enhance your learning. We start with an introduction to the new venture creation process, followed by sessions on social networking and social media theory and practice. Examples of successful businesses that make effective use of social networking will provide a firm foundation for the development of your own new venture ideas. These ideas will be presented to a panel of experts mid-module to obtain feedback before each student dives deeper into new venture creation for their own individual assignment. More advanced instruction from industry experts on social media strategy and use and on mobile app development complete the module.This module will help you understand new venture creation in the context of social networking and enhance your employability skills. Many employers ask for people with enterprise skills and an appreciation of new developments, such as social media.

Objectives

Social networking has always been at the heart of new venture creation: as the old saying goes “it’s not what you know but who you know that counts”. Recently the process of “making connections” has been enhanced by the advent of social networking technologies such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. But making connections to start a new venture is only part of the story. Social networking and social media have important roles to play in recruiting new customers and collaborators and in enhancing customer engagement – even to the level of customers co-designing new products and services with the firm. Finally, social media can become a key element of the “platform” of the firm and the process by which products and services are delivered to the customer. This is the realm of the mobile app - allowing users to share information and make new connections anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

This module explores how social networking and social media can be used to enable new venture creation and growth.

Learning outcomes
Knowledge/Application:

Upon completion of this module students will be able to critically assess:
- the key theories of new venture creation
- the key theories of social networking and social media
- the role of social networking and social media in enhancing new venture creation and growth

Skills:
Upon completion of this module students will be able to:
Transferable
- develop and apply self-management, team working and communication skills in a problem solving context
- develop commercial (i.e. business/customer) awareness and recognise its different constituent elements

Subject specific:
- develop a proposal for a new business venture
- further develop and deepen understanding of their personal and entrepreneurial skillset in the context of social networking.

Syllabus

The general outline of the syllabus is included below:
1. Introduction and new venture creation
2. Social networking and social media in practice
3. Social networking and social media in theory
4. Case studies of social networking for new venture creation and growth
5. Visions & Opportunities: nurturing creativity and innovation
6. The core components of a new venture: People, Place (Markets), Process, and Profit
7. Your new venture proposals: group presentations and formative feedback
8. Reflecting on the new venture proposals and moving on to the individual assignment
9. Advanced social networking and social media workshop
10. Social platform development and mobile apps workshop
11. Module summary and review and individual assignment workshop

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	1	1.50	1.50
Seminar	11	2.00	22.00
Private study hours			76.50
Total Contact hours			23.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

The module has a core text and recommended supplementary readings which the students will be expected to read. Students will also be given case studies and activities to do before class and to undertake group work (for new venture creation) outside of class time as well as in class time. Group presentations will have to be prepared as will draft individual reports for submission to the tutor for formative feedback. The module is assessed by an individual report that will require further research and writing.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Tutorials will comprise of exercises that reinforce students’ understanding (e.g. case studies). The three group work sessions (weeks 4, 5, and 6) will comprise of each group updating the tutors on progress and discussing any issues arising. Two tutors will be present to ensure adequate support for the groups. The group presentations in week 7 provide a key point to monitor progress and provide formative feedback. In week 8 students will work in new groups to discuss how they intend to take their group proposal further as an individual piece of work. Each student will submit a draft copy of their individual assignment in week 10 for written feedback from the tutor. This feedback will be discussed in week 11 with further tutor input.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Report	Project Report - 2,500 words	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

The resit for this module will be 100% by coursework.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 16/01/2018

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