Course Instructor: Andrei Pitis

Syllabus:

The course “Information Tools for Entrepreneurship and Technological Management” develops students’ knowledge and skills required to design and implement a technical project in an entrepreneurial spirit, be it as a start-up or in other organizational forms.

The first part of the course clarifies the diversity of present-day entrepreneurial practices, familiarizes students with product vision, with assessing current developments in technology – including limitations, trends, and associated opportunities to position a novel solution for an old or new customer need.

In the second part of the course, students develop competencies in understanding and managing emotions for themselves and well as in relation to their team collaborators, in time management, in introductory elements of financial planning, and in computer supported collaborative work – including the study of dedicated information solutions.

In the third part of the course students are trained in delivering public presentations for a product, in conceptual, ethical and legal issues concerning intellectual property, in branding approaches and techniques, and in market research and marketing.

The course has an important practical dimension, involving students in laboratory activities for all topics under discussion. Students therefore follow the development of a product from design to public presentation of its various stages, exploring multiple facets of such a project through group and interactive activities, through familiarization with multiple information solutions for communication, design and teamwork, and through public presentations of ideas or projects.

Students develop their technical skills in working with current, dedicated information tools, as well as their abilities to communicate directly and in front of an audience, and to work in a team.

After finalizing the course, students will be able to assess the opportunity of developing a specific project in its technological context, they will be able to formulate initial estimates for the requirements of starting an entrepreneurial project, and will master the main concepts and information tools needed to carry through such a project.