ENTR201 - Entrepreneurial Mindset

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

MGMT210 Entrepreneurial Mindset

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Nowadays success in new businesses is progressively reliant on entrepreneur’s ingenuity; a risk-taker, independent, ethical, future-oriented and tenacious proactive mindset. Such a mentality along with effective collaboration and communication skills with business actors/partners and community has been identified as one of the key antecedents to new venture’s financial and social success. Even in large-scale and on-going organisations most of the employers are increasingly demanding these skills from the job market.

This unit arms students (as future entrepreneurial leaders) with the knowledge and skills to future-proof themselves, adopting mental models that allow for a solid start to and succeeding in their preferred occupation (especially as self-employed entrepreneurs). In this unit, students focus on taking on a systematic approach to identifying start-up problems and figuring out solutions, arming themselves with the knowledge and skills (at the individual level) to succeed in the future of their profession. 

The major aim of this unit is to enhance students’ understanding and knowledge of the benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset in any type of entity and enable them to identify the key contingency requirements for the cultivation of an entrepreneurial mindset.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - explain the fundamental theories and concepts associated with entrepreneurial attitudes, traits, behaviours (GA5, GA8)

LO2 - Identify core concepts underpinning entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviours to support continuous organisational, personal, social and professional development (GA4, GA5)

LO3 - Interpret the characteristics found in successful entrepreneurs; pinpoint differences in entrepreneurial problem-solving qualities in different areas or regions of the world (GA5, GA6)

LO4 - Apply ethical frameworks that are intimately intertwined with entrepreneurial activities and decisions, in particular treating prospects, competitors and partners with dignity (GA1, GA5)

LO5 - appraise and communicate the impact of cultural, social, political, and legal structures on entrepreneurs and their behaviours (GA5, GA9)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include:

• entrepreneur: definition, evolution and impact
• different dimensions of entrepreneurial mindset
• analysing how entrepreneurial mindset is different from other types of mindsets
• social entrepreneurs, legal entrepreneurs and criminal entrepreneurs
• theories associated with entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours at the individual level
• common characteristics of real entrepreneurs
• entrepreneurial mindset and its impact on creativity and problem solving
• managing relationships with stakeholders at the start-up stage
• entrepreneurial leadership and working with internal stakeholders
• entrepreneurial mindset and personal empowerment
• professional and business style presentation in entrepreneurship

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit adopts active, interactive problem-based and experiential (expert keynote speakers) learning approaches simultaneously to help students in acquiring and integration of knowledge and skills related to evaluating the mental models and key characteristics of individual entrepreneurs. Students will be able to learn the application of theories and concepts underpinning entrepreneurial traits and mindsets in a series of workshops along with the materials (Videos, texts, exercises, and cases) provided through the online learning platform.

The learning and teaching strategy is based on student engagement in the learning process by participation in workshops or equivalent and practical activities designed to reinforce learning. Workshops and equivalent support students to actively participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge both individually and in small groups. The learning strategy adopted in this unit can be described as constructivist or student-centred. Thus, students are expected to be active participants in their learning to enhance life-long learning experience. In this student-centred learning environment, the instructor’s role is to create the enabling learning environment and conditions to facilitate learning by guiding the student along with relevant learning tasks and a valid assessment regime.

A variety of learning materials (real-life examples, case studies from current issues relating to entrepreneurship theory and practices, videos, lecture capture) will be used. Deep learning is likely to be fully realised if students are exposed to a variety of learning tasks.

Mode of delivery: This unit is offered in different modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.

Attendance Mode

In a weekly attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops, most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.

Blended Mode

In a blended mode, students will require intermittent face-to-face attendance determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

In an online mode, students engage in asynchronous learning and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge. Students are required to participate in a series of online interactive workshops which include activities, knowledge checks, discussion and interactive sessions. This approach allows flexibility for students and facilitates learning and participation for students with a preference for virtual learning.

ACU Online

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.

Assessment strategy and rationale

To pass this unit, students are required to complete and submit three graded assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be by a rubric specifically developed to measure levels of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the Unit.

The assessment strategy for this unit helps students develop their knowledge of entrepreneurial mindsets and their characteristics to the point where students can probe and evaluate an entrepreneur’s traits and identify his/her personal traits that might have affected the start-up business outcomes. To accumulate this level of aptitude, students will present their knowledge of theories associated with entrepreneurial mental models and attitudes in an essay that introduces and analyses three successful entrepreneurs in the 21st century (Assessment 1). Assessment 2 is designed to determine the extent to which students understand and appreciate the rudiments of entrepreneurship through combination of engagement in the unit via discussion board questions, responses to postings and evidence of successful engagement in online asynchronous activities.). In assessment 3, students further identify and interview an entrepreneur from the community and write a report about his/her entrepreneurial strengths.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Priestley, D., 2021. Entrepreneur revolution: How to develop your entrepreneurial mindset and start a business that works. 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons.

Drucker, P 2015, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Routledge Classics, London.

Kshetri, N. 2018, Global Entrepreneurship: Environment and Strategy, 2nd edn, Routledge, USA.

Tidd, J & Bessant, J 2015, Strategic Innovation Management. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Journals

Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal

Journal of Business Strategy

Journal of Business Venturing

Entrepreneurship Research Journal

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

European Journal of Innovation Management

Innovation Policy and the Economy

International Journal of Entrepreneurship Theory and Research

Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Journal of Social Entrepreneurship

Journal of Small Business Management

Journal of Product Innovation Management

Industrial Marketing Management