15 courses in Waterloo’s course catalog for 2021–22 (Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022), from UW Open Data. ucalendar asks programs not to read that year’s calendar, so this stands in for it. Original: ucalendar.uwaterloo.ca/2122/COURSE/course-BET.html
Successful entrepreneurs combine intellectual rigour with innovation to create solutions that have impact. It is a process that starts with a search for "big ideas" using tools such as research, observation, and appreciative inquiry. Next, entrepreneurs analyze situations and apply creativity techniques to develop solutions. Finally, solutions are tested against business drivers including customer value propositions, customer identification, channel selection, and resource needs. This course covers the three steps that form the foundation of all entrepreneurial success: big ideas, solutions, and testing. Because of its broad scope, the course is valuable to students from different academic backgrounds, entrepreneurship interests, and program level. [Note: Offered: F,W,S]
Modern organizations increasingly rely on a technological infrastructure that informs what can be accomplished, the prospects for long-term growth, and its overall competitiveness. In this course, students will learn about technologies such as enterprise resource management and platform management, understand how to plan for new technologies, evaluate existing systems, and obtain third party industry certifications on some in-demand business applications. [Offered: F,W,S]
This course provides students with an introduction to the processes involved in moving an idea for a new venture from concept through to launch. The theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to create a successful small entrepreneurial enterprise are developed. Topics include definition and evaluation of entrepreneurial opportunities, business planning, funding strategies and early-stage revenue models, legal issues and intellectual property protection. [Offered: F, W, S]
Once your "big idea" has been formulated, what is the best way to realize its potential? With whom should you partner? How do you protect your intellectual property? What is the optimal business model? The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the commercialization process, with a specific focus on assessment of opportunities and development of an entrepreneurial business plan. Course content includes the importance of strategic partnerships, understanding the bases of competition, conducting industry and market level analyses, evaluating innovative ideas for commercial potential, business planning in a corporate context, intellectual property strategy, and strategic tools needed for launching new ideas. [Note: It is recommended that students should take BET 100 prior to this course. Offered: F,W,S]
BET 340Essentials of Entrepreneurial Planning and Execution
Entrepreneurial success starts with finding a solution to a problem and then creating the right strategy to bring it to market. The final step in the process is explored in this course, the disciplined execution of strategy. A broad range of skills are required to do this including understanding founder and team dynamics, hiring and firing, cash flow management, project management, developing suitable equity structures and compensation, pitching, fundraising, internal and external communications, and people skills. This course explores the business skills and knowledge needed to take a new venture, whether it is a start-up or part of an existing organization, from strategy to market. [Note: It is recommended that students should take BET 100 and BET 320 prior to this course. Offered: F,W,S]
In this course, entrepreneurial students will learn the principles and tools of customer experience (CX) design and how developing an exceptional experience for the customer fits into an overall business strategy. Not only will students develop a conceptual understanding of user experience and user-centered design, they will also learn how to deeply understand the needs of the customer and develop engaging and innovative products and services. Topics include visual design principles, design thinking, user experience research, experience mapping, sketching and storyboards, interactive prototypes, and usability testing. [Offered: F]
BET 400Marketing Foundations for Early-stage Ventures
This course develops the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to develop a marketing strategy for early-stage ventures. Topics include managing product development, marketing and brand development, segmentation and targeting, competitor analysis, and positioning. [Offered: W]
BET 411Capstone Entrepreneurship Planning and Execution
This course taken concurrently with a non-engineering capstone project, consists of workshops, seminars, and online content. Topics include goal setting and project planning, team building, understanding your competitive landscape and customers, patents and patent searches, commercialization options and developing a business model, legal issues, creating a business case for the capstone project, presentation skills and "pitching", post-mortem and root cause analysis. [Note: This is a requirement for the corporate entrepreneurship track of the Entrepreneurship Minor, supporting the efforts of capstone project teams to develop a commercialization strategy. Not open to engineering students. Offered F,W,S]
This course will be taken by students in the corporate entrepreneurship track of the Entrepreneurship Minor, and approved by the program co-ordinator in order to meet the experiential component requirements in the minor with special projects as assigned. [Note: Not open to engineering students. Offered: F,W,S]
This course explores how innovative approaches can address social problems, create organizations that make positive change, have significant social impact, and be sustainable and economically viable. Topics include the principles of social entrepreneurship, design thinking applied to identifying significant problems, innovative solutions for social impact, and identifying opportunities for social change. Students develop skills and tools for refining and implementing their ideas as well as measuring the success and value of mission-driven organizations. Through case studies, lectures, and workshops, students also develop skills in strategic thinking with a socially conscious business mindset to create high-impact ventures. [Offered: F,S]
The one thing every new venture needs whether small or large, not-for-profit or for-profit, startup or part of an already mature business, is sales. This course is designed to help create and grow a successful business venture through personal marketing and sales efforts. Coursework examines key sales technologies, networking techniques, the use of marketing in sales, the sales process, and assessing the value of a particular sale from both the perspective of customer impact and the financial and strategic impact on the organization. [Offered: F,W]
Leaders make things happen. Leaders make things possible. This course explores the relevant concepts, theories, and skills needed to lead successfully in any environment, from new ventures to change management in large corporations, government, and not-for-profits. Course topics include leadership and followership, group and team dynamics, change management, interpersonal dynamics, and supporting leadership skills such as self-awareness, conflict management, and communications. Course topics will be enriched through a critical study of leadership exemplars in popular media. [Offered: F,W]
We negotiate every day with potential employers, coworkers, merchants, service providers, customers, and suppliers. Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more independent parties. It is a craft that must hold co-operation and competition in creative tension, and even the most experienced negotiators often fall prey to common biases and errors in judgment. This course is highly experiential; therefore, students will practice, reflect, analyze, and practice again. [Offered: F,W]
This course explores the business practices needed to manage, run, and work for family-owned ventures. The focus will be on those issues unique to family-businesses such as the interaction between family, management, and ownership. Family-controlled businesses are also characterized by challenges that put their continuity in serious jeopardy; and leadership and succession crises are the norm. Topics include, but are not limited to, the strengths and weaknesses of family businesses, managing family-business conflict, succession planning, professionalization, communication, new opportunity development, and strategic planning. [Note: Course offered when resources permit.]
This course is useful for anyone considering working as a consultant, either for a consulting firm, as an independent entrepreneurial consultant, or as an internal consultant to large organizations. Some of the competencies skilled consultants have include understanding business needs from a holistic perspective, developing innovative ideas, expert people skills, influence, and change management. Course topics may also include key stages in the consulting process, issue diagnosis, managing difficult clients, consulting frameworks, analytical approaches to solving complex problems, engagement management, building a consulting toolset, change management processes, negotiation, and advanced presentation techniques. We will also cover aspects of the business of consulting. [Offered: F,W]