Bachelor
2024/2025
Researching Entrepreneurship: How to plan, design and conduct a project on Entrepreneurship
Type:
Elective course (Sociology)
Area of studies:
Sociology
Delivered by:
School of Sociology
Where:
Faculty of Social Sciences
When:
4 year, 1 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Alexander Chepurenko
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
6
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course is a practically oriented module, It is dedicated to train students in conducting research on entrepreneurship and advising them how to proceed all necessary steps; starting with a formulation of the theme and literature review up to choosing a relevant methodology, etc. Thus, the course can be useful for all BA students of the 4th year of education seeking to conduct a well-structured final qualification project (ВКР). The lectures are used to introduce some key concepts and to give practical hints in designing and elaborating an own small scale research project on the area of Entrepreneurship. The seminars are constructed as workshops allowing students to start preparing own (preferably, small group or individual) mini-projects to be presented in the final colloquium. Consequently, the seminars should be used to work on (a) choosing the topic and arranging a research team (group or solo), (b) making a profound literature review, (c) formulating hypotheses in parallel with (d) choosing an appropriate dataset and analyzing it, (e) drafting some evidence based conclusions and/or practical recommendations.The activities, started in the seminars, should be continued during the self-preparation time, in small task groups or individually.
Learning Objectives
- - to be able applying mainstream paradigms and theories when doing small-scale secondary research on entrepreneurship and related themes;
- - to be able using advanced methods and tools for a quick developing of the literature analysis and formulating of research goals, objectives, hypotheses or research questions;
- - to be able choosing applicable research methods (qualitative, quantitative, mixed) when planning a small-scale research project on entrepreneurship related themes;
- - to be able presenting the literature analysis, expected findings, theoretical outcomes and research limitations of the own small scale research project.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Students to know about the specific constraints of entrepreneurship in transitioanl societie with imperfect instiotutions and strong predatory incentives and about the approaches to make international comparisons of the entrepreneurship ecosystems development
- Students to know about the specific constraints of entrepreneurship in transitional societies with imperfect institutions and strong predatory incentives and about the approaches to make international comparisons of the entrepreneurship ecosystems development
- To know and be able to use for secondary analysis the data of internationally most known research projects on entrepreneurship, to know about the constraints and advantages of qualitative and quantitative approach in entrepreneurship research
- To know basic terms and its comparative advantages and disadvantages for empirical research on entrepreneurship
Course Contents
- The field of the Entrepreneurship research
- Preliminary desk research of entrepreneurship literature: sources and techniques
- Empirical investigations of entrepreneurship: projects and data-bases
- Research findings and outcomes
Assessment Elements
- attendance
- activity
- final colloquiumThe final examination is conducted in the form of a colloquium with students’ mini-group presentations of certain topics, up to 15 minutes long. The final presentation in PowerPoint, with attachments with graphs, tabs, calculations, etc. if necessary to support the findings in the presentation itself (Microsoft WORD or Excel), should be delivered to the lecturer no later than 4 days before the colloquium. Delivery of the material mentioned above is a prerequisite for admission to the final examination (colloquium). The procedure of the colloquium includes also answering questions related to the content of the presentation, raised by the lecturer and audience. The students’ scores are cumulated; the total score is normalized on a 10-point scale based on the number of points obtained: From 0 to 3 points - "unsatisfactory" (according to the presence, activity and interim tests scores as well as to the final presentation the course main goals and objectives are not achieved) 4 to 5 points - "satisfactory" (according to the presence, activity and interim tests scores as well as to the final presentation the course main goals and objectives achieved only partially, the literature analysis shows significant missing, hypotheses or research questions are not based on the literature, the AI based literature analysis is not (fully) relevant, or empirical data of the expected project is not described or described very generally) 6 to 7 points - "good" (according to the presence, activity and interim tests scores as well as to the final presentation the course goals and objectives are mostly achieved, however, not completely, the research design is described, but no secondary data analysis or AI based literature analysis undertaken) from 8 to 10 points - "excellent" (according to the presence, activity and interim tests scores as well as to the final presentation the course goals and objectives are completely achieved, at least some steps of the AI based literature analysis in form of clusters of research papers, or tables with relevant papers etc. demonstrated, or introductory steps of the secondary analysis of data to realize the proposed research project realized – in a form of appropriate regressions modelling etc.).
- interim testEach test card contains one question to verify the knowledge of basic terms, theories and attempts in Entrepreneurship research and another one to check the ability to use appropriate data, or methods of research. The average time of test is ca. 1 hour.
Interim Assessment
- 2024/2025 1st module0.3 * activity + 0.1 * attendance + 0.4 * final colloquium + 0.2 * interim test
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Alvarez, S. A. (2005). Theories of Entrepreneurship: Alternative Assumptions and the Study of Entrepreneurial Action. Foundations and Trends(R) in Entrepreneurship, (3), 105. https://doi.org/10.1561/0300000003
- Per Davidsson. (2016). Researching Entrepreneurship. Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.spr.insten.978.3.319.26692.3
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Aidis, R., Estrin, S., & Mickiewicz, T. (2007). Institutions and entrepreneurship development in Russia: a comparative perspective. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.DBA334A7
- Gartner, W. B. (1988). “Who is an Entrepreneur?” Is the Wrong Question. American Journal of Small Business, 12(4), 11–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/104225878801200401
- Hansemark, O. C. (2003). Need for achievement, locus of control and the prediction of business start-ups: A longitudinal study. Journal of Economic Psychology, (3), 301. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.eee.joepsy.v24y2003i3p301.319
- Hoang, H., & Antoncic, B. (2003). Network-based research in entrepreneurship: A critical review. Journal of Business Venturing, (2), 165. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.eee.jbvent.v18y2003i2p165.187
- Mueller, S. L., & Thomas, A. S. (2001). Culture and entrepreneurial potential: A nine country study of locus of control and innovativeness. Journal of Business Venturing, (1), 51. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.eee.jbvent.v16y2001i1p51.75
- Reynolds, P. D. (1997). Who starts new firms?——Preliminary explorations of firms-in-gestation. Small Business Economics, 9(5), 449. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007935726528
- Tomi Ovaska, & Russell S. Sobel. (2005). Entrepreneurship in Post-Socialist Economies. Journal of Private Enterprise, (Fall 2005), 8. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.jpe.journl.811