TECHCOMM 2006 - Opportunity Assessment

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2014

Developing an opportunity assessment programme; Assessing potential success of a number of possible opportunities; Risk analysis of commercialisation of innovation; Assessing technological innovations; Assessing market and financial issues of commercialisation; Constructing and communication of conclusions.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code TECHCOMM 2006
    Course Opportunity Assessment
    Coordinating Unit Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation & Innov Centre
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Course Description Developing an opportunity assessment programme; Assessing potential success of a number of possible opportunities; Risk analysis of commercialisation of innovation; Assessing technological innovations; Assessing market and financial issues of commercialisation; Constructing and communication of conclusions.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Gary Hancock

    Name: Dr Wendy Lindsay

    Short Bio:

    Wendy holds an MBA from Bond University, and a Master of Advanced Business Practice from the University of South Australia. Her PhD, obtained from The University of Adelaide, adopted a repeated measures longitudinal research design to examine the effects of personal values, entrepreneurial attitude, and entrepreneurial intentions on business start-up behaviour of nascent entrepreneurs. Her research interests include opportunity recognition, entrepreneurial attitude, values, business start-up behaviour, social entrepreneurship,  gender issues, family business, well-being/quality of life and cultural influences on  Indigenous business.


    Wendy’s academic experience comprises lecturing (face-to-face and online) in the entrepreneurship and innovation discipline at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, and Bond University.

     
    Wendy’s business experience includes general management in the professional practice environment, and thereafter through provision of consultancy services to a diverse range of clients. She has founded/co-founded businesses in the areas of financial management, administration, tourism accommodation, e-learning streaming media, offshore Indigenous entrepreneurship training, and most recently, a registered training organisation. Wendy also enjoys community outreach through the means of her Rotary membership and volunteers with Little Athletics.



    Email: wendy.lindsay@adelaide.edu.au

     

    Phone: +61 8 8313 2564

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.


    Opening intensive:

    Monday 28th – Wednesday 30th July
    9am-5pm
    Napier 210

     

    Closing intensive:

    Monday 25th – Wednesday 27th August
    9am-5pm
    Napier 210

     
    Examination:

    Friday 12th September 2014
    Time: 9am – 11:10am
    Masonic Hall B02 Seminar Room East

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 The difference between an idea and an innovative business opportunity
    2 How to articulate a new venture investment proposition and communicate ideas and concepts effectively
    3 How to build an assessment process for a new opportunity or venture to determine its viability and sustainability
    4 To identify the areas of risk in research commercialisation and/or in introducing new technologies or other innovations into a market
    5 To produce a feasibility report for your own or another new venture opportunity
    6 To make conclusions and recommendations on an opportunity for new venture development based upon a comprehensive assessment
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1,4,6
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 3-5
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 6
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 2
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources


    Text book:

    Fredrick, Howard, O'Connor, Allan and Kuratko, Donald F. (2013).
    Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process and Practice,
    3rd Edition. Cengage Learning.
    ISBN-10: 0170214982

    ISBN-13: 9780170214988

    Recommended Resources


    A comprehensive list of readings will be available on MyUni


    Candidates may also benefit by consulting the following text:

    Timmons, Jeffry A., Gillin, L. M., Burshtein, S., and Spinelli, Stephen Jr. (2010).New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century – A Pacific Rim Perspective, 1st Edition. McGraw-Hill Irwin.


  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes


    This course is offered in blended learning mode with the face-to-face component offered as intensives.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.



    As a guide, a 3 unit course comprises a total of 156 hours work (this includes face-to-face contact, any online components, and self directed study).

     

    Undertaking a comprehensive assessment of an opportunity is a time consuming process and in this course you are expected to ultimately demonstrate your capacity to satisfactorily reach a conclusion on whether a business idea or concept is truly an opportunity and make recommendations with respect to how to proceed to develop the idea. Each student can expect to devote in the vicinity of 10-15 hours per week throughout the semester to acquire and master the tools and concepts of this course.

    Learning Activities Summary
    See MyUni for Learning Summary Table
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary

    An overview of the course assessment appears in the following Table. Details appear in the following section:

    #AssessmentLengthWeightingDue DateLearning Outcomes
    1 Opportunity Concept Proposal (Individual)   (Concept proposal and Executive Summary) 2 minute oral proposal   1000 word Executive Summary 15%
    (5% Oral presentation & 10% Executive summary)
    See MyUni 1, 2
    2 Opportunity Assessment Framework (Group) Report max 2500 words 25% See MyUni 1, 3, 4
    3 Opportunity Assessment (Individual) Max 3000 words 30% See MyUni 4, 5, 6
    4 Exam 2 hour 30% 12th Sept 3, 4, 5
    Total 100%
    Assessment Related Requirements


    It is expected that assignments will be typed, using word processing software such as Microsoft Word.

    All Assignments must be submitted through Turnitin.
     

    Don’t cram too many words onto a page: use a line spacing of 1.5 lines, and a right-hand margin of 4cm (to enable feedback and comments). If software other than Microsoft Word is used, the file format must be one that can be read using Word, such as .doc or .rtf (rich text format). PDF (Acrobat) format is not acceptable unless accompanied by an editable Microsoft Word document or similar. All assignments may be scrutinised using Turn-It-In as per University policy (see below).

    Students must complete all course assessment requirements and must attend lectures to be eligible to pass the course.

    Course results are subject to moderation by the ECIC Board of Examiners

    Assessment Detail
    See MyUni for extensive assessment detail.
    Submission
    All text based assignments must be submitted via MyUni.
    Please refer to step by step instructions: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/tutorials/files/AssignmentStudentSubmission.pdf

    There are a few points to note about the submission of assignments:
    • Assignment Submission:  Assignments should not be emailed to the instructor; they must be lodged via the MyUni Course site (unless specified to do both). Note that assignments may be processed via TURNITIN, which is an online plagiarism prevention tool.
    • Cover Sheet:  Please submit, separate to your assignment, the completed University of Adelaide Assessment Cover Sheet providing details of yourself and your team members (if applicable), your assignment, the course, date submitted, etc. as well as the declaration signed by you that this is your (your team’s) work.  Note that the declaration on any electronically submitted assignment will be deemed to have the same authority as a signed declaration.
    • Backup Copy of Assignments:  You are advised to keep a copy of your assignments in case the submitted copy goes missing.  Please ensure that all assignment pages are numbered. If your assignment contains confidential information, you should discuss any concerns with the Course Lecturer prior to submission.
    • Extensions of Time:  Any request for an extension of time for the submission of an assignment should be made well before the due date of the assignment to the Course Lecturer.  Normally, extensions will only be granted for a maximum of two weeks from the original assignment submission date.  Extensions will only be granted in cases of genuine extenuating circumstances and proof, such as a doctor’s certificate, may be required.
    • Failure to submit: Failure to submit an assignment on time or by the agreed extension deadline may result in penalties and may incur a fail grade.  Note that a late penalty of 5% of the total available marks for that assessment item will be incurred each day an assignment is handed in late (Unless otherwise stated in 'Assessment Related Requirements' or 'Assessment Detail' above) Assignments handed in after 14 days from the due submission date will fail even if a 100% mark is granted for the work.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.