Leadership in Start-ups/SMEs

Hello!

The theme of the essay is on:

Week 6: Leadership in Start-ups/SMEs

1. What types of leaders are most effective in start-ups?

2. In what ways are start-up leaders different from those running large organizations?

3. Can a successful start-up leader become an effective leader of a large company?

4. What unique challenges do these leaders face?

5. What major problems or challenges do SMEs face?

Type of Paper: Academic
Topic: Leadership in Start-ups/SME
Citation Style: APA
Word Count: 1,500

To give you a better idea of my course, I have copied and pasted the course outline below for your refernce:

COURSE OUTLINE (For your reference)

The Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Academic Year 2015 /16

Term 1

MGMT 233 LEADERSHIP SEMINAR WITH CEOS

Instructor Name : Pang Eng Fong

Title : Professor of Strategic Management (Practice)

Tel : 6828 0721

Email : [email protected]

Office : LKCSB #0508

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to give students opportunities to interact with about 10 CEOs/MDs during the semester. The invited speakers will share with students their views on leadership and management.

Before each CEO session, class will meet to analyze the transforming power of leadership and how its practice changes individuals, organizations and societies. Students will examine different perspectives of leadership in the business world as well as in politics and the arts. They will learn how leadership is developed in different organizational and cultural settings and how it is portrayed in different media including films, plays and novels.

Are great leaders born or made? Can training or coaching make a difference? This course analyses the transforming power of leadership and how its practice changes individuals, organizations and societies. It seeks to expose students to different perspectives of leadership in the business world as well as in politics and the arts.

It will examine how leadership is developed in different organizational and cultural settings and how it is portrayed in different media including films, plays and novels. The focus of the course will not be on the identification of critical leadership traits or tasks but on the interactions between a leader, the organization and the context in which leadership evolves. Weekly CEO talks will form an integral part of the course.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

 Understand and appreciate the variety of leadership/management styles of CEOs from different industries

 Relate what they have read on leadership and management theories with their practice in the world of business and non-profit organizations

PRE-REQUISITE / CO-REQUISITE / MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE COURSE(S)

Please refer to the Course Catalogue on OASIS for the most updated list of pre-requisites / co-requisites for this particular course.

Do note that if this course has a co-requisite, it means that the course has to be taken together with another course. Dropping one course during BOSS bidding would result in both courses being dropped at the same time.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Individual Class Participation: 15%

Team Presentation: 15%

Reflection Essay 30%

Team Project: 40%

There will be no quizzes or final exam for this course. 2 Course outline subject to changes

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS

A variety of instructional methods and materials will be used. Students will form groups and lead class discussions using articles on topics they have chosen. In addition, they must complete two assignments, one on their own and another as part of a team of four. They must let the instructor/TA know the chosen material for their class presentation two days before class. They must write a reflection essay of no more than 1,500 words based on their readings and the CEO talks. The essay is to be turned in by Friday, Week 15. Students are required also to complete a project with at most 3 other classmates. The project (deadline: Friday, Week 15) could be a 20-25 pages analysis of a leadership theme. It could be a multimedia production based on interviews with CEOs or video-clips and other materials. Groups may also choose to design a board game on leadership strategies or develop a practical project to train leaders.

RECOMMENDED TEXT AND READINGS

There is no required textbook. Two books you may find useful for the course are

• Dave Ulrich (editor), Leadership in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities,

McGrawHill, 2010;

• James Kouzes and Barry Posner, Leadership Challenge, 4th ed. Jossey

Bass, 2007.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

All acts of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, facilitation of acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of exam questions, or tampering with the academic work of other students) are serious offences.

All work (whether oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the student’s own work. Penalties for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to expulsion, depending on the nature of the offence.

When in doubt, students should consult the course instructor. Details on the SMU Code of Academic Integrity may be accessed at http://www.smuscd.o

rg/resources.html.

WEEKLY LESSON PLANS

SUGGESTIONS FOR QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS IN CLASS

Week 1: Introduction -- Shackleton Video

1. Class Rules and Requirements

Week 2: Primate and Political Leadership

1. Are great leaders born or made (with particular reference to Lee Kuan Yew’s speech at Harvard (www.ksg.harvard.edu/leadership/ personal reflections on leadership.html).

2. Share with class pictures/symbols/objects/trappings of past and current political leaders in Asia and elsewhere.

3. In what ways is primate leadership similar or different from human leadership?

4. How important are symbols of leadership in modern societies and in primate groups?

Week 3: Public Sector Leadership

1. How are the goals of public sector leadership different from those in the private sector?

2. What are key factors in effective public sector leadership?

3. Are the factors the same as those in the private sector?

4. How should public sector leaders be recruited and trained?

Week 4: Leadership in Family-Owned/Local Enterprises

1. Find successful examples of leaders in different family businesses

2. How does family background influence leadership style, behavior and expectations?

3. Find successful examples of leaders in different family business 3 Course outline subject to changes

Week 5: Leadership in Non-profit Organizations?

1. Challenges of managing and leading a non-profit organization

2. Find successful examples of leaders in non-profit organizations

Week 6: Leadership in Start-ups/SMEs

1. What types of leaders are most effective in start-ups?

2. In what ways are start-up leaders different from those running large organizations?

3. Can a successful start-up leader become an effective leader of a large company?

4. What unique challenges do these leaders face?

5. What major problems or challenges do SMEs face?

6. Find local & regional examples of successful SMEs

Week 7: Female Leaders

1. Find examples of women leaders in politics/business you admire. Why do they succeed in a male-dominated world?

2. Explain how they came to be leaders and how their leadership styles are similar to or different from their male counterparts.

3. Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ to find examples of female leaders in history.

4. What are the critical differences between leadership and management?

Week 8: Mid-Term Break

Week 9: Leadership in Multinationals/Crisis Leadership

1. What challenges do these leaders face that are different from private companies?

2. What types of leaders are most effective in start-ups?

3. How do leaders emerge in crises?

4. What critical skills are required of a leader in a crisis? How do these skills differ from those expected or revealed in normal times?

5. Find examples of political/business leaders who have succeeded in overcoming crises. What characteristics did they share and how did they prevail against the odds? (Go to www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/hitler_churchill_01.shtml/ to find a comparison of Churchill and Hitler as leaders).

Week 10-12: Project Presentations

Week 13: Last CEO Talk and Wrap Up

Week 14: Reflection Paper and Project Report due