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ME2828 Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries 7.5 credits

Entrepreneurship is most often related to the creation of new businesses. However, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial dynamics is as relevant to the creation of not-for-profit initiatives. It is about generating ideas, organizing and hands-on action that can have many different effects.

Entrepreneurship can mobilize people, resources and innovative practices and are fundamental to the ways we organize societies. In this course entrepreneurship is put in the context of developing countries. Both economical aspects of business based entrepreneurship, social aspects of civil society based entrepreneurship, and aspects of combining economical/social aims in a sustainable development are elaborated on in this course.

The context of developing countries brings a focus on issues related to low economic development and poverty alleviation, economies in transition and emerging markets as well as development of both social and political infrastructure beyond what commonly is elaborated on in western dominated entrepreneurship discourse. Thus, it is also paramount to critically scrutinize entrepreneurship activities, the promises it stands for and the possible outcomes. In the wake of increasing criticism of the neoliberal market economy, the course opens up for new questions, such as; How can we know that a specific entrepreneurial activity is good?

Choose semester and course offering

Choose semester and course offering to see current information and more about the course, such as course syllabus, study period, and application information.

Application

For course offering

Autumn 2024 Start 26 Aug 2024 programme students

Application code

50565

Headings with content from the Course syllabus ME2828 (Autumn 2017–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course contents

Throughout the course students will elaborate on the basics of entrepreneurship; to develop ideas and to act upon these ideas. The course is grounded in policy issues and entrepreneurship and organization theory and experiences from practical cases are used for inspirational learning. Issues addressed are:

  • Idea generation in relation to development and sustainable development
  • Markets assessment in relation to political assessment
  • Financial opportunities in relation to poverty alleviation

Through the contextualization in developing countries, different roles of entrepreneurship are emphasized. Issues addressed are:

  • How entrepreneurship can contribute to development and what the effects are
  • How entrepreneurship shapes life in developing societies

This content will, constructively be put together in an individual essay addressing different entrepreneurial initiatives and their effects. Some students might choose to describe a fictive learning case, while others might turn into real entrepreneurial initiatives. All will be followed by a critical reflection on entrepreneurship in developingcountries.The course content will also be dealt with in a group project which will focus on poverty alleviation in relation to sustainable development in a developing country. All examinations eill be followed by a critical reflection on entrepreneurship in developing countries.

Intended learning outcomes

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to an overview of the role of entrepreneurship for economical, social and ecological sustainable development, including poverty alleviation. Focus is on developing regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America through:

  • Describing the key development challenges facing the developing world in the 21st Century
  • Identifying opportunities for entrepreneurial initiatives in developing countries, especially in relation to different forms of politics
  • Analyze what “governmental techniques”, such as empowerment, that are used to develop entrepreneurial initiatives in developing countries
  • Evaluate leadership and managerial dilemmas in navigating risk and uncertainty in developing regions
  • Analyzing, from theory and practice, links between technological and/or social innovations, entrepreneurship and sustainable development
  • Identify and analyze the prevailing features of the overall policy and reform environment that shape entrepreneurial development in Africa, Asia and Latin America
  • Critically scrutinize and discuss intervention techniques, such as foreign aid, trade and foreign direct investment, as tools for developing capacity to do business for sustainable development.

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

Students must have a minimum of 120 university points.

Recommended prerequisites

No information inserted

Equipment

No information inserted

Literature

Literature will be announced in connection to the start of the course and communicated to enrolled participants.

Examination and completion

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • PRO1 - Project, 7.5 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

Students’ grade will depend on three factors:

  • Individual essay
  • Group projects
  • Active participation

Students that successfully complete an SSES course will be graded according to the couse syllabus.

Attendance is compulsory.

Opportunity to complete the requirements via supplementary examination

No information inserted

Opportunity to raise an approved grade via renewed examination

No information inserted

Examiner

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

Main field of study

Industrial Management

Education cycle

Second cycle

Add-on studies

No information inserted

Contact

registrar@sses.se

Supplementary information

The course is offered within the framework of the Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship.

Responsible institution: Stockholm University (SU)

Course director: Birgitta Schwartz, birgitta.schwartz@sbs.su.se

Queries can be addressed to SSES Education Coordinator via registrar@sses.se

Replaces ME2810