BEFORE the seminar starts: To prepare for the class, please read Howard E. Aldrich, Organizations and Environments, 1979. For more information about my research interests and publications, please see my Web Site: My Home Page at UNC

This is a discussion-based seminar, and therefore readings should be completed by the date assigned in the syllabus. The readings will be discussed in class, in an active-learning rather than lecture format. Please note that we have assigned readings for the first day of class.

At various points during the seminar, we will discuss students' ideas for seminar paper topics.

May 5 10:00-12:00 I. Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Societies

Question: Is the United States a special case? Do these ideas apply to Sweden?

A. Readings

1. John Case. 1992. "Discovery." From the Ground Up: The Resurgence of American Entrepreneurship (Ch. 1), pp. 15-41.

2. Reading on entrepreneurship in Sweden

B. Class discussion: What do entrepreneurs do for a society?

May 5 14:00-16:00 II. New Industries: The Engine of Entrepreneurial Societies

Question: Why are new industries so rare?

A. Readings

1. Howard E. Aldrich, "Emergence of New Populations." From Organizations Evolving. References from all chapters from Aldrich will be found in the last chapter of the readings.

2. John Case. 1992. "New Business." From the Ground Up: The Resurgence of American Entrepreneurship (Ch. 3), pp. 72-114.

B. Exercise: Open Up a New Market

May 6 10:00-12:00 III. Where Do New Ideas Come From?

Question: Can the process of idea generation be routinized?

A. Readings

1. Karl H. Vesper. "Sources of Venture Ideas." New Venture Strategies (Chapter 5), pp. 127-158.

2. "Case 26: John Morse," pp. C592-C613.

B. Exercise : Was John Morse foolish?

May 6 14:00-16:00 IV. What Skills Do You Need to Be an Entrepreneur?

Question: Are business founders just like managers?

A. Readings

1. Howard E. Aldrich. "Emergence of New Organizations," from Organizations Evolving.

B. Exercise : To be arranged

May 7 10:00-12:00 V. Why Don't Big Organizations Just Take Over Everything?

Question: Under what conditions do small new organizations have a chance to succeed?

A. Readings

1. Howard E. Aldrich, "Transformation: Content and Process." From Organizations Evolving.

2. Anand Swaminathan and Glenn R. Carroll. 1995. "Beer Brewers." Pp. 223-243 in Glenn R. Carroll and Michael T. Hannan (eds.), Organizations in Industry: Strategy, Structure, and Selection (Ch. 11). New York: Oxford University Press.

May 7 14:00-16:00 B. Exercise: Generalists and specialists in Sweden

May 12 10:00-12:00 VI. Do Entrepreneurs "Network" for Success?

Question: Are there generic networking strategies?

A. Readings

1. Howard E. Aldrich and Amanda Brickman Elam "A Guide to Effective Networking for Entrepreneurs." From Birley and Myzuka, Managing Enterprise, 1997.

2. Howard E. Aldrich, Amanda Brickman Elam, and Pat Ray Reese, "Strong Ties, Weak Ties, and Strangers: Do Women Business Owners Differ from Men in Their Use of Networking to Obtain Assistance?" From Birley and MacMillan, Entrepreneurship in a Global Context, 1997.

B. Exercise: Personal Network Questionnaire

May 12 14:00-16:00 VII. Is Human Resource Management the Weak Link for Entrepreneurs?

Question: By what process do young organizations grow, and why?

A. Readings

1. Howard E. Aldrich. "The Emergence of Boundaries," Organizations Evolving.

2. Rob Brookler. 1992. "HR in Growing Companies." Personnel Journal (November), pp. 80B-80O.

B. Exercise: Solve an HRM Problem

May 13 10:00-12:00 VIII. Fear of Failure?

Question: Are organizations doomed from the start?

A. Readings

1. Herbert Kaufman. 1985. Time, Chance, and Organizations (Chapters 1-3), pp. 11-64.

B. Exercise: It's a Random World

May 13 14:00-16:00 IX. Summing Up

Question: Do you still think Sweden needs entrepreneurs?