Dream to Green:Sustainable Entrepreneurship

2009-2010 Catalog Listing

Fall and Winter quarters

Faculty:

David Shaw International Business & Economics, Management, Marketing, Strategy

Zoe Van Schyndel Business, Finance, Investments, Ethics

Major areas of study include: Business, management, entrepreneurship, sustainability

Class standing: This lower-division program is designed for 50% freshmen and 50% sophomores.

Accepts Winter Enrollment: This program will accept new enrollment, with signature. Admission will be based upon completion of a draft marketing plan.

This program takes a multi-disciplinary approach that will connect students with the information and skills necessary to start up a sustainable business. This two-quarter program will investigate what it takes to lay the foundation for a successful business. We will examine business practices involved in the creation and growth of business ventures, whether formed: for domestic or international markets, for-profit or not, as totally new-to-the-world or within existing businesses. Perspectives will be taken from multiple business disciplines, including finance, marketing, operations, microeconomics, management, business history, strategy and ethics. In our program we will investigate business success, sustainability, innovation and leadership and explore the various reasons why some ventures succeed while others fail. This program requires a strong quantitative foundation.

In the fall quarter, we will work at envisioning concepts for a new venture, from lifestyle ventures to small businesses and high-growth opportunities. We will try to help students practically answer the question of what they should do, and investigate how to translate this into both a vision and a mission statement for their venture.

The winter quarter will investigate three main areas: sustainability and ecopreneurship as business strategies in domestic and international settings, entry and exit strategies in for-profit and non-profit settings, and the principle of bootstrapping in growing a venture, concluding in a draft business plan project.

Students who successfully complete the program will gain a solid introduction to business and management as a possible basis for more advanced study in business, self-employment, or additional seasoning via employment in the private sector, or with non-profits, or governmental or intergovernmental organizations. Students will also leave the program with an appreciation of the issues an entrepreneur faces in creating and growing a startup venture into a sustainable business.

The program format will include workshops, lectures, films, seminars, guest presentations and individual and group projects. This program will also serve as a preparatory course for continuing studies in business.