Duration: 3 hours per week - 13 weeks [ECTS: 6]

Course outline

The objective of the course (during the winter semester) is to familiarize students with basic entrepreneurial knowledge and culture. The course focuses on strategic entrepreneurship rather than operational or financial aspects, giving emphasis on the resource-based view perspective. Emphasis is given to market positioning the establishment of competitive rather than comparative advantage and competitive analysis. The aim of the course is for students to develop and present an entrepreneurial idea from conception to business model. In order to do that, they must comprehend social needs and dynamics and explore user needs, as well as technological trends. Then they must come up with an entry strategy and explore a viable business model.

The course is the first part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program of the University of Thessaly. The objective of the program is to develop the entrepreneurial and innovation skills of the students and to encourage them to view the creation of businesses as a livelihood option, while developing their perception of the various obstacles. A mixture of different educational tools is used: team working, speeches by invited - mainly young - entrepreneurs and work with experienced mentors, site visits to innovative businesses, support of student teams through specialized guides and tools and team coaching and hosting of events and competitions. During the program students are expected to organize themselves in teams (simulating a real start-up endeavor) and present their ideas and plans in writing as well as to defend them orally.