OIM3525 Enterprise 2.0: Building Social Networks to Improve Business Performance
4 Advanced Management Credits

Enterprise 2.0 is the term to describe organizations that use social media technologies (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), strategies, and business practices that enable emergent collaboration. Many organizations are now interested in capturing, distributing and applying the knowledge of their employees for business benefit. Also, companies need to keep track of knowledge outside of their corporate walls, for example, understanding market trends and being aware of what customers are saying about their products. Ultimately, the goal of Enterprise 2.0 is to break down traditional information silos and allow employees and managers to tap into the right people and expertise when they need it.

In this course we will discuss the current state of the Enterprise 2.0 movement. We will also explore how social collaboration tools (often referred to as social media and Web 2.0) are being used by organizations to leverage the "wisdom of the crowds." Organizations are increasingly using tools such as blogs, wikis, social tagging, and social networking tools to achieve emergent collaboration and to break down information silos. Knowledge workers are also using social technologies to build their personal brand and personal network.

Student projects will emphasize a "hands-on" approach to understanding the latest social technologies. We will use social network analysis (SNA) software, a methodology to analyze the structure of social networks, or the people-to-people connections in organizations. SNA is an increasingly popular application used by both management consultants and internal organizational practices (e.g., knowledge management, IS, HR, R&D) to understand information flows and "influencers" inside and outside a company. Another project will have students create a social media campaign for an organization, including providing metrics on how to evaluate the success of the campaign. We will also experiment with mobile applications, such as location-based services (e.g., Foursquare, SCVNGR) on smartphones.

Prerequisites: FME1000 & FME1001

OIM7515 Enterprise 2.0 Building Social Networks to Improve Business Performance
3 Credits

Enterprise 2.0 is the term to describe organizations that use social platforms and technologies that enable emergent collaboration. Organizations must now capture, distribute and apply the knowledge of their employees for business benefit. Also, companies need to keep track of knowledge outside of their corporate walls, for example, understanding market trends and being aware of what customers are saying about their products. Ultimately, the goal of Enterprise 2.0 is to break down traditional information silos and allow employees and managers to tap into the right people and expertise when they need it.

In this course we will discuss the current state of the Enterprise 2.0 movement including how it pertains the current reality of hybrid work. The goal is to go "beyond the hype" and provide a science and methodology to measure the value of these social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, the Metaverse, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. We will explore how social collaboration tools are being used by organizations to identify subject-matter experts, find unstructured knowledge when they need it and to leverage the "wisdom of the crowds" for experimentation and learning.

Student projects will emphasize a "hands-on" approach to understanding the latest social platforms. We will use organizational network analysis (ONA) software, a methodology to analyze the structure of social networks, or the people-to-people connections in organizations. ONA is an increasingly popular application used by both management consultants and internal organizational practices to understand information flows and "influencers" inside and outside a company. We will also explore personal network analysis (PNA) using EgoNet software and social listening platforms, such as NUVI, to understand customer influencers.

Prerequisites: None

ECN6111 Entrepreneurial Economics

MSEL Course

This course applies economic theory to decisions faced by entrepreneurs such as pricing, investment, data usage, and ethics. A primary focus of this course will be on using data to improve strategic decision making. Students will be encouraged to think about the strategic implications of decisions and to use both theory and data to support, validate, and revise decisions as needed. Entrepreneurial leaders are challenged in the global marketplace to effectively communicate not only the results of analysis but the rationale for decisions. Through both individual and group work, students will conduct market analysis and present the results while also interacting with their peers to provide constructive practical critiques.

EPS3551 Entrepreneurial Families
(Formerly Family Entrepreneurship Amplifier)
4 General Elective CreditsIf you come from a family business or have an interest in starting a business with a family member or members, this course is designed for you. The course is like no other offered at Babson or elsewhere in the world. In this course, you will work directly with your family as part of the learning process. Together you will learn about how and why families are responsible for over 75% of global entrepreneurial activity and how your family can be more successful in its entrepreneurial efforts. You will learn about succession, ownership structures, family business strategy, family and business governance, conflict management and communication. You will strengthen your ability to work with your family, build your confidence and increase your family's understanding of the value you can bring to the business. You will also learn from your peers and their families establishing relationships that will endure long after you graduate. If you know that you want to lead the family business, this course will provide a foundation for your future. If you are uncertain about joining the family business, this course will help provide clarity for your decision. If you have no desire to join the family business and prefer creating your own venture or opportunity, this course will help you to leverage the knowledge and resources within your family in order to increase the likelihood of your success.

For more information please watch this video.

Prerequisites: FME or equivalent

EPS4510 Entrepreneurial Finance

(Formerly EPS3511)
4 General CreditsHow much money should I raise? Who should I raise it from and how? What do I do with the money once I have it? This course focuses on the various aspects of funding and managing entrepreneurial ventures through the various stages of business growth. The class will utilize videos, cases, simulation and experiential learning techniques to explain how to finance the entrepreneurial firm, investment analysis and decision making, and managing company finances through growth, crisis and harvesting. Frequent guests ranging from entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, banking and legal professionals will bring the entrepreneurial experience to life in this course which utilizes the "flipped classroom" methodology of teaching.

Prerequisites: (SME2001 and SME2002 and SME2011 and SME2012 and SME2021 and SME2031) or (ACC2002 and OIM2001 and MKT2000 and OIM2000 and FIN2000 and ECN2002)

MBA7507 Leading Enterprise Change: Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation
3 Credits

This course will go deep into the principles of innovation - disruptive, product (Agile), process (Lean), customer experience (Design Thinking), and business model innovations. Participants will learn how key tools like Agile, Lean and Design Thinking become the corner stone of innovation projects and processes that help teams to become more effective and help executives to build an innovation culture. Today, even the most conservative of industries are being pushed to transform themselves towards digital excellence. We will see several examples of firms that have gone through this transformation. Strategy, Innovation, and Culture are inseparable and they are the three key weapons of every entrepreneurial leader confronting ever increasing VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments. This course provides the participants a set of strong principles and common language for leading their teams and their enterprises through uncharted terrains. When this course is offered exclusively for firms in the healthcare industry, the case studies and the assignments will be chosen appropriately.

EPS1220 Entrepreneurial Leadership Field Studies
4 Free Elective Credits

This course is designed specifically for Arthur M. Blank School of Entrepreneurial Leadership Scholars (AMBSEL Scholars) and for other Scholars (e.g., Weisman, Presidential, Posse, etc.) by instructor consent.

Entrepreneurial leadership theories and frameworks, considered to be distinct from other forms of leadership, are still at the nascent stage of development. Babson Professor Scott Taylor and his colleagues are currently developing an entrepreneurial leadership model that includes the following constructs: "leader internal clarity", "leader opportunity seeking behavior", "leader outward focus", "follower motivation effect", and "recognizing and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities". Each of these constructs will be explored by students through discussions of assigned readings and qualitative research in the form of entrepreneur interviews and a case research project which includes a written case and teaching note. Students will develop qualitative research skills (e.g., interview techniques) through in class lectures and asynchronous videos that have already been produced by Professor Shay. The learning-focused activities and assignments, especially the field-based entrepreneur interview and case research project, are designed to enhance student (and the field's) understanding of the unique nature of entrepreneurial leadership and to develop the student's own entrepreneurial leadership skills. Student course deliverables (entrepreneur interview and case study) will provide insights to advance our understanding of entrepreneurial leadership as well as teaching materials for classroom use. The entrepreneur interviews and case studies will be submitted for inclusion in Babson's case resources and possibly for publication in peer-reviewed journals such as Case Research Journal.

EPS3543: Entrepreneurial Opportunities in AI

4 advanced managements credits

This experiential seminar explores the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential for creating new business opportunities. Students will learn about cutting-edge technologies in AI, such as machine learning, computer vision, neural networks, and natural language processing. We will also cover recent developments in the AI industry and the impact of venture capital investment on AI startups. Throughout the course, students will have the opportunity to experiment with AI technologies and develop their own innovative projects. By the end of the course, students will have a deep understanding of the current state of AI and the potential for new business opportunities in this field. This course is ideal for students interested in the intersection of entrepreneurship and technology.

EPS7800 Entrepreneurship
2 Credits (Core MBA)If you have taken and passed EPS7200, you cannot register for EPS7800, as these two courses are equivalent

Through the Entrepreneurship components of the course, you will explore and practice the concepts of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and how these three concepts come together to create the future. You will examine the importance of creativity in this process, and how it fosters an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to identifying, solving and acting on management challenges. You will build an ET&A toolkit to create and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities, marshal resources, and form teams driven by creativity, leadership, and smart action. You will explore questions about value exploration and value appropriation - for yourself and for others in society. In sum, this course is a journey through the fuzzy front-end of early-stage entrepreneurial activity. This course is not intended to be a complete overview of entrepreneurship. It makes no effort to deal with all the complex issues of entrepreneurial practice. Topics such as managing growth, franchising, entrepreneurial finance, corporate entrepreneurship, family entrepreneurship, or buying businesses are not covered in the course. Other courses offered during your MBA program go into greater depth in many of these issues. This course is an immersion experience for finding, creating, and evaluating early-stage opportunities for value creation. It also expands your horizons about how to determine what is valuable not only for yourself, but for others across people, organizations, and society in new and creative ways.

EPS3501 Entrepreneurship and Opportunity
4 General CreditsEPS3501, EPS3502, EPS3503, EPS3530, EPS3508 and EPS4520 are all equivalent courses. Students can take only ONE of these courses.

Before spending time and money on launching a new venture, it is important to understand if you should launch that particular venture. In fact, some of the main causes of new venture failure are the lack of product-market fit and cash flow problems resulting from underestimating the costs of the venture. This course concentrates on identifying and evaluating opportunities for new business to ensure that the venture has the potential to meet the individual entrepreneur's goals. Students will work on venture ideas to learn how to determine if there is a sufficient market, what that market requires to be willing to pay for a solution and what it will take for the entrepreneur to deliver that solution. Students will gain first-hand experience with market and customer research as well as a better understanding of what they need to do to determine if an idea represents a true opportunity for them. Students will leave the class being better able to understand their own personal entrepreneurial capacity and the process and tools that they can use for evaluating any venture idea that they may have in the future. Student teams will conduct both primary and secondary research on a venture idea of their choice.

Prerequisites: (SME2021 or FIN2000) and (SME2011 or MKT2000) and (SME2031 or ECN2002)