AEM 4940.001 – International Entrepreneurship
Course Instructor:
Professor Deborah Streeter
Warren 307
255-1611, dhs4@cornell.edu
Teaching Assistant:
Danier Bouza
db295@cornell.edu
First session:
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00
Remaining sessions TBA
Fall and Spring Semesters
variable credits (1-3)
Contact Professor Streeter (dhs4@cornell.edu)
Course Description:
This is a course for students who are either going abroad or going to a non-US country
for either winter or summer break. The focus is on how entrepreneurship manifests itself
in different cultures. Participants will conduct audio interviews with entrepreneurs during
their travel. Students will attend 4 sessions during the semester preceding their travel
to: get an orientation in international entrepreneurship, write a proposal for their country
(based on study and discussion), and create a project plan and timeline.
The course is assigned variable credit for three aspects:
1. Paper on entrepreneurship in country. (1 credit)
2. Interview preparation. (1 credit per 3 interviews)
3. Interview execution. (1 credit per 3 interviews, including transcriptions and
translations)
(Note that we will provide: technical training, all digital equipment and funding for
transcription and translation costs.)
These elements are described in more detail below. Participants can receive credits in
either fall or spring semesters as appropriate. During the semester preceding travel to
another country, the participants must attend four sessions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Orientation.
Check-in discussion and problem-solving session.
Oral presentation of papers.
Technical training session.
If the interviews are deemed of appropriate quality, they will be uploaded and featured
on Cornell’s eClips (http://eclips.cornell.edu).
Course Elements
1. Paper on entrepreneurship in specific country
To complete this element of the course, the student will research the history, role and
status of entrepreneurship in the country he/she will be visiting. The goal is to
understand the current environment for innovation and entrepreneurship today in the
context of the past economic, social and political environment.
 Historically how has entrepreneurship been viewed?
 What are the social, political and historical circumstances that influence
the presence or absence of entrepreneurship?
 Has the number of entrepreneurs been growing? Declining? Stable?
 How does entrepreneurship fit into the cultural norms? Is it admired?
Considered suspicious? Encouraged?
 What is the size and shape of the entrepreneurial sector? That is, are
there many small companies that a family-owned, is it a high-growth-high
turnaround environment or are entrepreneurial companies more often
spinoffs from corporate giants?
 Has entrepreneurship been studied by the academic community?
 Do formal entrepreneurship education programs exist? If so, describe the
extent and nature of the programs.
 Who are some of the most prominent entrepreneurs in the country? Are
they widely admired?
 How has the information technology and advances in scientific knowledge
influenced the rate or scope of entrepreneurial activities?
To answer these questions will require research of secondary sources, but you may also
consult with qualified experts, either here or in the country of choice. Baseema KrKoska,
the librarian at Mann who is focused on helping the AEM program, is willing to meet with
each individual on a one-on-one basis.
2. Interview preparation.
The next step in the process is to identify 3-5 entrepreneurs from the country of choice
and secure permission to interview them, either by phone or in person. Determine
whether the interview will be in their native language or in English. We will provide
equipment and training for you to do these audio interviews. Your job is to create an
effective interview script to get the most out of the process. This will involve several
steps:
 Review the Guide to Content Creation, with special attention to the
chapters on interview preparation.
 Browse eClips and listen to some of the clips and podcasts, to get a feel
for the content.
 Research everything you can learn about the individual you are to
interview.
 Create a draft interview script and submit for approval.
 Finalize the interview script (and translate it, if needed, into the native
language of the entrepreneur) and practice setting up the equipment and
asking questions with a member of the course staff or Professor Streeter.
 If the interview is not in English, research options for translating the
interview after it is conducted.
3. Interview execution.
 Contact your entrepreneurs and set up a time for the interview.




Conduct the interview. Make sure the speaker signs the release.
Upload the content to our home base of operations (we’ll talk more about
this).
We will send you a transcript and have you look over it for correct spelling
of all names, etc.
If the content is deemed of high enough quality, we will edit and load to
eClips.
The final step of the course will be a one-on-one meeting with Prof. Streeter to review
the project.
Due Dates
Note: these dates may be adjusted depending on your work plan (when you will be
abroad, etc.)