BUAD 301
Technology Entrepreneurship
Course Syllabus
Fall, 2015
Professor:
Office:
Monday evening, 6:00-8:50 PM
Section #: 14640R
Bridge Hall, Room 5
Email:
Office
Hours:
Dr. Justin I. Miller
Bridge Hall
basement level
justin.miller@marshall.usc.edu
Wednesday 2:00-3:00, and by
appointment
(please always email to
schedule, even for appointments
during regular office hours)
Technology Entrepreneurship: Course Overview
BUAD 301 provides an overview of business fundamentals, and is aimed at engineers and scientists who
are interested in commercializing technology. Topics in this course include developing, testing, and
adapting business concepts; financing the technology enterprise; market challenges faced by
entrepreneurs; organizational issues; global and legal considerations affecting technology-based ventures.
This course helps students understand the role of entrepreneurship in the allocation and distribution of
scarce resources for the creation of wealth and prosperity, and the entrepreneurs’ influence on
contemporary issues. Students will develop a realistic perspective of the skills entrepreneurs must master,
and come to understand the diverse skills they must attain in order to realize their entrepreneurial
aspirations.
If you are interested in continuing with further studies in the Greif Entrepreneurship Program, this course
serves as a pre-requisite to BAEP 452 Feasibility Analysis.
Learning Objectives
 Understand the fundamental concepts, theories, principles, and practices employed in the field of
entrepreneurship, as well as the role technology-related entrepreneurship plays in the global
economy and in society
 Develop an in-depth understanding of the new venture establishment process - the activities,
challenges, and opportunities involved, including ethical and international issues
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 Develop your critical thinking, idea generation, and decision-making abilities by analyzing
situations and formulating strategies for complex entrepreneurial cases
 Learn what contributes to an idea becoming a successful venture, and how to reject seemingly
brilliant ideas that lack business potential
 Develop your team leadership skills
 Develop your communication skills
To achieve these objectives, a combination of methods will be used in the course, including lectures,
problem-solving exercises, case studies, individual and group projects, and guest lectures.
Course Materials
Required Text
“The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The costly myths that entrepreneurs, investors, and policy makers live
by.” Shane, Scott A. (2008). Yale University Press: New Haven, Connecticut.
 This book is available through Amazon (Kindle edition is approximately $10)
Required Cases
There is a course packet available from Harvard Business School Press. I have custom created this
reading packet for our class, and it is available in digital form. After you purchase the packet you will be
able to print the individual parts (if you want), download and save, or read the material online. You also
will have the option of requesting a printed course pack from HBS (for an additional fee).
The link to the course packet is:
https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/38552495
You will need to register for the Harvard Business School Press website (the link above will take you to
the sign-in/registration page). After registration, you will be able to purchase the course packet. The cost
of the course packet is approximately $32.
Required Additional Reading
Additional required readings will be posted to Blackboard, and are provided without charge
Name Cards
I will endeavor to learn each student’s name, face, interests, and background. However, you MUST
display your Name Cards (tent cards) every class session throughout the semester. If you don’t have one
or if you lose it, make one I can read from the podium. Failure to display your name card may negatively
impact my ability to award you class participation points.
Class Slides
I will endeavor to post class slides to Blackboard at the end of the week following the relevant class – I do
not post slides before class. Also, please note I do not create slides for each class. Our course is rooted in
discussion, not the details of a pre-printed set of slides. Just like entrepreneurship, evolution and response
to the peculiarities of the current discussion are critical (and difficult to fully capture prospectively).
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Supplemental Material
A recommended optional textbook: “Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers.” Allen, Kathleen.
(2010). Prentice Hall. Available through USC bookstore, Amazon, and the publisher:
http://www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0132357275
Course Communications
You should communicate with me either in-person, or through email. My email address is
justin.miller@marshall.usc.edu. When you contact me through email, please be sure to use a meaningful
subject line. Meaningful subject lines include your section, and the topic of the email (i.e., M 6PM 301,
Request for meeting). Please note, I teach three sections of this course and it is not possible for me to
remember to which section each student is assigned. Therefore please always include your section (for
example, M 6PM 301) in the subject line. This will alert me that you are from the Monday 6PM section
of BUAD 301. Correct subject line information will help me to provide more appropriate responses to
your emails, and to do so in a more timely manner.
Course communication takes place through in-classroom announcements, emails, and Blackboard
(http://blackboard.usc.edu/). Most emails I send you will go through Blackboard; therefore it is
imperative that you have a fully operational Blackboard account with an email address that works all the
time. By default, Blackboard uses your USC email address (username@usc.edu); if this is not your
primary email account, please make sure to change your Blackboard email settings or forward your USC
email to an account you use actively.
You are responsible for ensuring you have timely access to all information sent through Blackboard.
Additionally, you are required to monitor your Blackboard account: all material posted to our course
Blackboard site will be deemed communicated to you. Students are responsible for checking blackboard
and managing their notification processes.
I endeavor to be available to students as often as possible. Please note however: the Greif Center’s
offices are currently shared due to space limitations, and so I’m not able to sit there each day. If you want
to meet with me, please email me with your request and we will find a day, time, and place to connect. I
am happy to join you for hot chocolate, lunch, dinner, a walk around the campus, etc., as my schedule
permits.
Course Policies
Classroom Decorum
Name Cards:
Tardiness:
Dress Code:
Eating:
Phones:
Please display your name card in front of you at every class meeting
Arriving late or leaving early disrupts the learning experience for other students; please
inform me ahead of time if you must leave early
When we have a guest speaker, please dress business casual (no hats, shorts, etc.)
No eating in the classroom
Please remember to turn off cell phones while in the classroom – phones may not be used
in the classroom
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Electronic Submission of Assignments
Other than for in-class assignments, or as specifically directed by me in posted assignment instructions,
student deliverables will be submitted online through Blackboard. I will provide a separate instruction
sheet for each assignment. The instructions in the assignment sheets are controlling and supersede any
other communications about assignments.
Use of Computing Devices in the Classroom
Use of laptops is permitted in my class, but solely for class-related purposes. Note: Detailed note taking
is not required for success in my course – rather, participation is required. To the extent the use of laptops
distracts you from participating, such use is to be avoided. If you’re updating Facebook, playing Angry
Birds, bidding on EBay auctions, trading options with your brokerage account, etc., you are a) not getting
much out of the class discussion, b) not participating in the class discussion, and c) interfering with your
classmates’ ability to gain valuable insights from the class discussion. Therefore, if you need to be doing
any non-class related activities, please sit in the back row. And please do not make it a habit. If your use
of computers in the classroom starts to distract me, or if other students start complaining to me, I will ask
you to leave.
Use of phones is not permitted in class – in any mode. I reserve the right to confiscate phones used in
class.
Video and audio recordings are not permitted to be made in class due to copyright and privacy issues. I
reserve the right to confiscate recording equipment used in the classroom.
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. Please let me know as soon as possible if you
will be requesting accommodation through DSP. A letter of verification for approved accommodations
must be obtained from DSP; please be sure that letter is delivered to me early in the semester so I may
make the recommended accommodations. DSP is located at Grace Ford Salvatori Hall, Room 120, and is
open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776. For
more information visit www.usc.edu/disability.
Non-native English Speakers
Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute
http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali; ALI sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international students.
Please also inform me directly, so I may attempt to make appropriate accommodation. NOTE: non-native
English speakers must still fully participate in the course, including in-classroom discussion. NOTE
ALSO: I will not utilize a more lenient grading standard for the written work of non-native English
speakers.
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity
In case of a declared emergency and if travel to campus is not feasible, USC executive leadership will
announce an electronic means for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or homes using a
combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies. Please make sure you have access
to the course in Blackboard; this will be crucial in an emergency. USC's Blackboard learning
management system and support information is available at www.blackboard.usc.edu.
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Grades
Grading Plan
The course grade will be based on the following components, weighted as indicated:
Class Participation (Instructor Evaluation):
10%
(individual)
Team Participation (Team Evaluation):
10%
(individual)
Pitch Presentation:
5%
(individual)
Team Contract & Team Photo:
5%
(team)
Business License Application, Taxpayer ID
20%
(team)
Application, Name Search
Primary Market Analysis
10%
(team)
Business Model Analysis
15%
(team)
Final Presentation
10%
(team)
Kickstarter Campaign Video
10%
(team)
Team Ballot
5%
(individual)
Grading Policies
Late Work
Student work must also be submitted on time; late assignments will be marked down according to the
following schedule.
 1-24 hours late =
 24-48 hours late =
 48+ hours late =
15% drop in assignment grade
30% drop in assignment grade
no score, fail on assignment
Please Note: This is true for both individual assignments and for team assignments. Late team
assignments will result in lower grades on that assignment for all team members, regardless of fault for
tardiness. This means you are each responsible for the success of your team and teammates – pay
attention and make sure your teammates are accomplishing assigned tasks.
Make-up Assignments/Extra Credit
Make-up assignments must be pre-approved, in writing, by me. This means you must talk to me prior to
missing an assignment. Failure to schedule a make-up ahead of time will result in denial of a makeup
opportunity. Make-ups will only be considered on a case-by-case basis, and only in the advent of
unavoidable time conflict. I do not award extra credit.
Note: It is not possible to reschedule the final project.
Expectations Regarding Written Work
You should think of your written (as well as your spoken) presentations in this class as placing on you
similar demands to those made in the business world. As such, your work should be clear, meaningful,
and easy to comprehend. Written communication is a critical skill, and if you are not good at it now, use
your college experience to improve – it will do you a world of good. If you need guidance in
composition, I strongly recommend The Elements of Style by Strunk and White (any edition): you can
find it online as a free PDF. Additionally, USC has writing tutors available to assist you. Please use
these resources. Written submissions that are difficult for me to understand are likely to receive low
grades. I have no desire to be a part of the ‘grammar police,’ but I do expect professional work quality –
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just as will be expected by your future employers, investors, and others who actually care about your
success.
Requests for Re-grading
If you feel I made an error in the grading of any assignment, you may, within one week of the date the
assignment is returned to you, request I re-grade that assignment. To request a re-grading, please speak to
me personally. If I agree to regrade your assignment, I will provide you instructions on what I need in
order to complete the regrading activity.
Grade Calculations
Class Participation
Individual Evaluation
The requirement for class participation in this course reflects important aspects of organizing and running
a small business – your efforts do not stand alone, and your ability to work with others has a significant
bearing on your potential for success. You will not succeed in the market by sitting and waiting for
opportunity, customers, or capital to come looking for you! You must be good at proactively
communicating and you are expected to demonstrate same in this course. As such, you must participate
in the classroom discussion – through actively raising questions, and actively providing answers. We
each contribute our own insights, and we get stronger through exposure to more people’s ideas.
I make ever attempt to be fair and avoid any bias in noting participation. However I do believe that
arriving on time and volunteering can only help your participation. If you manage to make it through the
term without my getting to know who you are, you should expect that you are nowhere near maximizing
your potential class participation points. Note: I may, at any time, randomly call on students to
participate, including through the use of ‘cold-calls.’
Team Evaluation
In addition to my evaluation of your in-class performance, your participation will be evaluated by your
team members, via ‘anonymous team ballots.’ The information from these team ballots represents
important class-related participation that takes place outside my view. The team ballots will allow every
student to provide me feedback about themselves and their teammates with respect to who (and how
much they) contributed, lead, shirked, etc. Team ballots will be used to calculate individual team
participation scores. Please note: turning in the team ballot is an individual assignment.
Team Grades
In addition to the points awarded individually, as described above, there are also activities that will be
team-based and therefore grades will be awarded at the team-level for these activities. Each member of a
team will receive the same score as all of their teammates on such activities.
Instructions for each of the team projects will be distributed in a separate written communication and will
also be discussed in class prior to their due dates.
Other Policies
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Add/Drop Process
Please follow the USC procedures for adding or dropping the course. For fall 2015, the last day to drop a
Monday-only class without a mark of “W” and receive a 100% refund is September 15. The last day to
drop a class with a mark of “W” is November 13 (http://classes.usc.edu/term-20153/calendar/).
Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies’ Confidentiality Policy
Throughout ‘The Entrepreneur Program's’ classes and events, students will be exposed to proprietary
information from other students, guest lecturers, and faculty. It is the policy of The Entrepreneur
Program that all such information be treated as confidential.
By enrolling in and taking part in The Entrepreneur Program's classes and activities, students agree not to
disclose this information to any third parties without specific written permission from students, guest
lecturers or faculty, as applicable. Students further agree not to use any such proprietary information for
their own personal commercial advantage, or for the commercial advantage of any third party.
In addition, students agree that any legal or consulting advice provided without your payment of a direct
fee and in an academic setting must not be relied upon without the enlisted opinion of an outside attorney
or consultant without affiliation to The Entrepreneur Program.
Any breach of this policy may subject a student to academic integrity proceedings as described in the
University of Southern California "University Governance Policies and Procedures," as outlined on
SCampus, and also to any remedies that may be available at law.
The Entrepreneur Program, the Marshall School of Business and the University of Southern California
disclaim any responsibility for the protection of intellectual property of students, guest lecturers or faculty
who are involved in The Entrepreneur Program’s classes or events. Receipt of this policy and registration
in our classes is evidence that you understand this policy and will abide by it.
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include
the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be
submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own
academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All
students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook,
(www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student Conduct Code (see
University Governance, Section 11.00; recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A).
Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words –
is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion
of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards
https://scampus.usc.edu/1100-behavior-violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Other
forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and
university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct/.
Should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty, the student will be referred to the Office of
Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review. The Review process can be found
at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/. Failure to adhere to the academic conduct standards set
forth by these guidelines and our programs will not be tolerated by the USC Marshall community and can
lead to dismissal.
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Misconduct
Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to
report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity http://equity.usc.edu/, or to the Department of
Public Safety http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/online-forms/contact-us. This
is important for the safety of the whole USC community. Another member of the university community –
such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report. The Center for
Women and Men http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7 confidential support, and the
sexual assault resource center webpage https://sarc.usc.edu/reporting-options/ describes reporting options
and other resources.
Other Resources
The following are useful sources for business data and related information:
Small Business Administration: http://www.sba.gov
US Bureau of Economic Analysis: http://www.bea.gov
Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov
The Federal Reserve System: http://www.federalreserve.gov
Census Bureau Trade Data: http://www.census.gov/indicator/www/ustrade.html
Moody's Economy.com: http://www.economy.com/default.asp
Forbes: http://www.forbes.com
Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com
The Venture Edge: http://www.theventureedge.com/author/kathy/
Eurostat: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/eurostat/home/
China National Bureau of Stats: http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/
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Instructor Bio (abridged)
Justin I. Miller is an assistant professor of clinical entrepreneurship at the Greif Center for Entrepreneurial
Studies, Marshall School of Business, USC. Justin received his Ph.D. in management and
entrepreneurship at the Stern School of Business, NYU, and has also earned a J.D. from the University of
San Diego, a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch
College, City University of New York, a MS in E-Commerce from National University in San Diego, and
did his undergraduate work at the US Naval Academy. Justin has taught graduate and undergraduate
courses in entrepreneurship, strategic management, general management, and information technology, as
well as a series of computer science courses.
In addition to his academic experience, Justin has worked as a US Naval Officer, a California licensed
attorney, and in the information technology/security sector. Justin has co-founded two companies, and
served on senior management teams for several additional technology-based startups. He has also
engaged in corporate venturing at firms in New York City and Silicon Valley.
Some of Justin’s research interests include financial entrepreneurship, organizational theory, and industry
emergence. His current research deals with how organizations and entrepreneurs respond to changes in
their regulatory environment, with particular emphasis on both the US financial services industry, and the
European chocolate industry.
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