The teaching business case studies available on LearningEdge, which fall under the headings of entrepreneurship, leadership/ethics, operations management, strategy, sustainability, and system dynamics, are narratives that facilitate class discussion about a particular business or management issue. Teaching cases are meant to spur debate among students rather than promote a particular point of view or steer students in a specific direction.

Some of the case studies featured on LearningEdge highlight the decision-making process in a business or management setting. Other cases are descriptive or demonstrative in nature, showcasing something that has happened or is happening in a particular business or management environment.

Whether decision based or demonstrative, case studies give students the chance to be in the shoes of a protagonist. With the help of context and detailed data, students can analyze what they would and would not do in a particular situation, why, and how.

Designed to introduce students to the essential concepts of business and other organizations. Focus is on small, entrepreneurial start-ups, and expanding the discussion in each chapter to include issues that are faced in larger organizations when it is appropriate to do so.

This book moves the reader through eleven chapters, which provide a logical path from developing the concept to success operation of a new restaurant. Part one: evaluating the marketplace comprises chapter one through six concerning the city, who lives there, what competitive forces exist, the market segments that would enjoy a particular concept, and how one positions themselves in a marketplace.Part 2: From Concept to Marketplace comprises chapters seven through eleven. Once the marketplace itself, potential consumers, and competitive force evaluations occur, the operation focuses on defining market segments and positioning strategy, and developing a marketing plan that speaks to customers who best fit their business model.

This is a course for those who are interested in the challenge posed by massive and persistent world poverty, and are hopeful that economists might have something useful to say about this challenge. The questions we will take up include: Is extreme poverty a thing of the past? What is economic life like when living under a dollar per day? Why do some countries grow fast and others fall further behind? Does growth help the poor? Are famines unavoidable? How can we end child labor - or should we? How do we make schools work for poor citizens? How do we deal with the disease burden? Is micro finance invaluable or overrated? Without property rights, is life destined to be "nasty, brutish and short"? Has globalization been good to the poor? Should we leave economic development to the market? Should we leave economic development to non-governmental organizations (NGOs)? Does foreign aid help or hinder? Where is the best place to intervene?

There is an increasing demand in the industry for graduates with problem solving skills; those with the capability of applying the theories, methods and techniques learnt during their degree programme in solving real life problems. The goal behind applied computer science programme is to produce such graduates who can easily integrate into the industry immediately after college and become indispensable problem solvers. Another goal of the applied computer science programme is to produce entrepreneurs who can create opportunities and bring about innovative solutions. Knowing fully well the demand of the industry, Project 2 has been designed to help students consolidate the knowledge and skills acquired during the course of the degree programme by developing systems (hardware or software) that are applicable to the market. Such systems as a matter of fact should contribute by addressing gaps in the market and should mainly target areas that need solutions unique to the African region. This is not in any way to limit students’ horizon; they should think globally but be able also to customize their solutions to the region.

The subject of this course is the historical process by which the meaning of "technology" has been constructed. Although the word itself is traceable to the ancient Greek root teckhne (meaning art), it did not enter the English language until the 17th century, and did not acquire its current meaning until after World War I. The aim of the course, then, is to explore various sectors of industrializing 19th and 20th century Western society and culture with a view to explaining and assessing the emergence of technology as a pivotal word (and concept) in contemporary (especially Anglo-American) thought and expression.

Innovation in global health practice requires leaders who are trained to think and act like entrepreneurs. Whether at a hospital bedside or in a remote village, global healthcare leaders must understand both the business of running a social venture as well as how to plan for and provide access to life saving medicines and essential health services. Each week, the course features a lecture and skills-based tutorial session led by industry, non-profit foundation, technology, and academic leaders to think outside the box in tackling and solving problems in innovation for global health practice through the rationale design of technology and service solutions. The lectures provide the foundation for faculty-mentored pilot project from MOH, students, or non-profit sponsors that may involve creation of a market or business plan, product development, or a research study design.

This class surveys developmental entrepreneurship via case examples of both successful and failed businesses and generally grapples with deploying and diffusing products and services through entrepreneurial action. By drawing on live and historical cases, especially from South Asia, Africa, Latin America as well as Eastern Europe, China, and other developing regions, we seek to cover the broad spectrum of challenges and opportunities facing developmental entrepreneurs. Finally, we explore a range of established and emerging business models as well as new business opportunities enabled by developmental technologies developed in MIT labs and beyond.

If you are an entrepreneur, one of your priorities, in addition to building your company, is ensuring you have enough money at the right times. Early Stage Capital will consider a broad range of questions that entrepreneurs deal with on this front, including the following: What should your strategy and your priorities be in raising early stage capital? What are the market norms and standards in structuring VC deals? What are the critical negotiating strategies and tactics? How will your company be valued? How can you obtain the optimal valuation for your new venture? What are the critical elements in the relationship between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs? How is the "venture model" evolving? Is it broken? What is the impact of Super Angels and micro VCs? These are key questions that face all entrepreneurs in 2010, particularly first-time entrepreneurs. This course aims to prepare you for these decisions, as either a potential entrepreneur or venture capitalist. Using live interactions with leading figures in the venture finance community, most of the class sessions will analyze fundamental strategies of the venture-capital investment process and the critical importance of the relationship between entrepreneur and investor. As well, we will have a tactical focus on demystifying the legalities and jargon of the term sheet and the "A round" financing process. Significantly for 2010, we will also frequently consider the rapid and arguably fundamental change in VC today as the "lean startup" model threatens much of the traditional role and value of the venture investor. Disclaimer: The websites for this course and the materials they offer are provided for educational use only. They are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney and no attorney-client relationship is created by using them. All materials are provided "as-is", without any express or implied warranties.

Entrepreneurial Finance examines the elements of entrepreneurial finance, focusing on technology-based start-up ventures and the early stages of company development. The course addresses key questions which challenge all entrepreneurs: how much money can and should be raised; when should it be raised and from whom; what is a reasonable valuation of the company; and how should funding, employment contracts and exit decisions be structured. It aims to prepare students for these decisions, both as entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. In addition, the course includes an in-depth analysis of the structure of the private equity industry.

The primary objective is to teach students to do rigorous, explicit, customer-based marketing analysis which is most appropriate for new ventures. Explicit analysis of customers and potential customers, using available data, together with explicit and sensible additional assumptions about customer needs and behavior. Additional course objectives are to teach students about: (a) ways to implement marketing strategies when resources are very limited, and (b) common deficiencies in marketing by entrepreneurial organizations. From course home page: Course Description Educational Objective This course clarifies key marketing concepts, methods, and strategic issues relevant for start-up and early-stage entrepreneurs. At this course, there are two major questions: Marketing Question: What and how am I selling to whom? New Venture Question: How do I best leverage my limited marketing recourses? Specifically, this course is designed to give students a broad and deep understanding of such topics as: What are major strategic constraints and issues confronted by entrepreneurs today? How can one identify and evaluate marketing opportunities? How do entrepreneurs achieve competitive advantages given limited marketing resources? What major marketing/sales tools are most useful in an entrepreneurial setting? Because there is no universal marketing solution applicable to all entrepreneurial ventures, this course is designed to help students develop a flexible way of thinking about marketing problems in general. Career Focus This course is aimed at students who plan to start a new venture or take a job as a marketing professional in an early-stage business.

This book is designed for upper year undergraduate students and graduate students studying fundamental entrepreneurship concepts.

Table of Contents
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Toolkit
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Chapter 2 – Opportunity Recognition and Design Thinking
Chapter 3 – Evaluating Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Chapter 4 – Business Models
Chapter 5 – Business Planning
Chapter 6 – Financing Entrepreneurship
Chapter 7 – Business Set-Up, Start-Up, and Growth
Chapter 8 – Strategic Entrepreneurship
Chapter 9 – Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Chapter 10 – The Entrepreneurial Environment
References
The Language of Entrepreneurship

An introductory textbook in business that covers a variety of topics: The Foundations of Business, Economics and Business, Ethics and Social Responsibility, Business in a Global Environment, Forms of Business Ownership, Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business, Management and Leadership, Structuring Organizations, Operations Management, Motivating Employees, Managing Human Resources, Union/Management Issues, Marketing: Providing Value, Accounting and Financial Information, and Personal Finances.

Preface: Teamwork in Business
Chapter One: Foundations of Business
Chapter Two: Economics and Business
Chapter Three: Ethics and Social Responsibility
Chapter Four: Business in a Global Environment
Chapter Five: Forms of Business Ownership
Chapter Six: Entrepreneurship:Starting a Business
Chapter Seven: Management and Leadership
Chapter Eight: Structuring Organizations
Chapter Nine: Operations Management
Chapter Ten: Motivating Employees
Chapter Eleven: Managing Human Resources
Chapter Twelve: Union Management Issues
Chapter Thirteen: Marketing, Providing Value
Chapter Fourteen: Accounting and Financial Information
Chapter Fifteen: Personal Finances

Global Entrepreneurship Lab: Asia-Pacific enables teams of students to work with the top management of global start-ups and gain experience in running, and consulting to, a new enterprise outside the United States. The focus is on start-ups operating in emerging markets throughout the world, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The course combines an internship in a growing firm with in-class discussions of the issues and policies that affect the climate for innovation and start-up success around the world.

Global Entrepreneurship Lab: Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa enables teams of students to work with the top management of global start-ups and gain experience in running, and consulting to, a new enterprise outside the United States. The focus is on start-ups operating in emerging markets throughout the world, with a special focus on Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. The course combines an internship in a growing firm with in-class discussions of the issues and policies that affect the climate for innovation and start-up success around the world.

"This innovative, trans-faculty subject teaches how information technologies (IT) are reshaping and redefining the health care marketplace through improved economies of scale, greater technical efficiencies in the delivery of care to patients, advanced tools for patient education and self-care, network integrated decision support tools for clinicians, and the emergence of e-commerce in health care. Student tutorials provide an opportunity for interactive discussion. Interdisciplinary project teams comprised of Harvard and MIT graduate students in medicine, business, law, education, engineering, computer science, public health, and government collaborate to design innovative IT applications. Projects are presented during the final class. ĺĘ Starting in Spring 2010, this course will be titled Enabling Technology Innovation in Healthcare and the Life Sciences."

This course is based on the work of the MIT-African Internet Technology Initiative (MIT-AITI). MIT-AITI is an innovative approach by MIT students to integrate computers and internet technology into the education of students in African schools. The program focuses upon programming principles, cutting-edge internet technology, free open-source systems, and even an entrepreneurship seminar to introduce students in Africa to the power of information technology in today's world. MIT-AITI achieves this goal by sending MIT students to three African nations in order to teach both students and teachers through intensive classroom and lab sessions for six weeks. The AITI program is implemented with emphasis on classroom teaching, community-oriented projects, and independent learning. This course has two major components: Content from a spring 2005 preparatory seminar offered by the MIT-AITI leadership. The goal of this seminar is to adequately prepare the AITI student teachers for their upcoming summer experiences in Africa. A snapshot of the summer 2005 MIT-AITI program. This includes the Javaĺ¨-based curriculum that MIT-AITI ambassadors teach in Africa each year, as well as content from an entrepreneurship seminar offered concurrently with the IT class.

Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond.

Operation of the business firm; function of the businessperson; nature of economic system and private enterprise; orientation to collegiate business education.  

Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Understanding Economic Systems and Business
Chapter 2: Making Ethical Decisions and Managing a Socially Responsible Business
Chapter 3: Competing in the Global Marketplace
Chapter 4: Forms of Business Ownership
Chapter 5: Entrepreneurship: Starting and Managing Your Own Business
Chapter 6: Management and Leadership in Today's Organizations
Chapter 7: Designing Organizational Structures
Chapter 8: Managing Human Resources and Labor Relations
Chapter 9: Motivating Employees
Chapter 10: Achieving World-Class Operations Management
Chapter 11: Creating Products and Pricing Strategies to Meet Customers' Needs
Chapter 12: Distributing and Promoting Products and Services
Chapter 13: Using Technology to Manage Information
Chapter 14: Using Financial Information and Accounting
Chapter 15: Understanding Money and Financial Institutions
Chapter 16: Understanding Financial Management and Securities Markets
Chapter 17: Your Career in Business

Reviews of this title available here: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/introduction-to-business