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Learning Resources

Please read and view this week's Learning Resources before you complete the Discussion.

Reading

· Course Text: Entrepreneurship:

Hisrich, R.D., Peters, M.P., & Shepherd, D.A. (2013). Entrepreneurship (Laureate Custom Education). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Chapter 4, "Creativity and the Business Idea"

In this chapter, you will learn to identify various sources of ideas for new ventures as well as the methods available for generating new venture ideas. Creativity is an important feature of entrepreneurship and it plays a vital role in problem solving. You will examine the importance of innovation and the aspects of the product planning and development process. Technology is changing rapidly and has affected the entrepreneurial process. You will discover the features of e-commerce and the process of starting an e-commerce business. Focus on the definitions provided throughout the chapter. Review and think about the examples and anecdotes provided in the chapter that illustrate the major ideas being conveyed. Reflect on the role that the Internet plays on your abilities to do work, complete research, etc. Do you think that the Internet can be a source of advantage for one firm over other firms? Or do you think that it is a necessity just to be able to compete in today's business environment?

Chapter 7, "The Business Plan: Creating and Starting the Venture"

In this chapter, you will define what a business plan is, who prepares it, who reads it, and how it is evaluated. It is important to understand the scope and value of such plans to all stakeholders as well as to be able to identify the sources for each section of the business plan. You will learn the value of the Internet as a source of information as well as a marketing tool. Finally, you will preview examples of business plans and step-by-step explanations as to how you would go about creating such a plan. Focus on the definitions provided throughout the chapter. Review and think about the examples and anecdotes provided in the chapter that illustrate the major ideas being conveyed. Consider the amount of time and resources that must be used to develop a business plan. Given these factors, as well as the difficulties of predicting the future, is a business plan useful? What do you believe constitutes an excellent business plan?

· Case Study: "Euro Disney: Bungling a Successful Format"

Management Mistakes and Successes, 10th Edition by Hartley, R. Copyright 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.

In this case study, you will examine the history of the Disney Company's decision to build an amusement park in France despite the failure of previous amusement parks to remain open. This case presents the steps that the company undertook during the research and development stages as well as its thought process and justification for the construction of Euro Disney. You will learn the results of the venture along with the mistakes that the organization made that could have possibly been avoided.

Focus on the definitions provided throughout the chapter. Review and think about the examples and anecdotes provided in the chapter that illustrate the major ideas being conveyed. Think of large, well-established companies and their attempts to expand into new ventures. What has been the result of these ventures?