ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE DIGITAL DOMAIN - 2021/2

Module Overview

This module asks students to look at emerging digital strategies for the design and delivery of products and services in the entrepreneurial domain. Students will be asked to create a product around which they will then establish a digital presence, digital market campaign, and investment forum.

The module will begin with an analysis of traditional entrepreneurial fundraising and will then follow through various topics around emerging fundraising and marketing strategies, which have recently shifted from the traditional ‘pitch’ to more integrated digital strategies that place value on measurable analytics, inbound marketing, and virtual investment communities such as Angel List, as well as crowdfunding marketplaces such as Indiegogo, Kickstarter and Crowdcube.

Students will be encouraged to analyse the activities of incubators, accelerators and digital competition programs, as well as to critically discuss and debate issues surrounding the ethics of digital and crowdsourced fundraising.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

LANHAM-NEW William (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

• Introduction to digital media marketing and advertising communications strategy;


• On and offline media integration and opportunities;


• Crowdfunding frameworks, legal structures and intellectual property implications


• Integrated marketing communications and mix;


• Brand position and focus in inbound fundraising;


• Setting communications objectives and measuring traction with digital tools;


• Resourcing and managing in-house implementation;


• Sales management using inbound lead channels


• Quantitative and qualitative measures of campaign effectiveness; and


• Communications as an investment and driver of shareholder value post-funding.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Group work: Alternative assessment is an individual assessment of the same coursework.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and meeting of the modules’ learning outcomes in terms of the key skills of critical discussion, debate and argumentation.

The assessment strategy is summative and formative and aligns with the learning outcomes. There are two pieces of summative assessment. The digital campaign (accounting for 60% of weighting) and an individual essay (accounting for 40% of weighting). If any student fails the module, i.e. receives a mark below 40% taking account of both assessments, they will repeat the same assessment taking account of the feedback.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• A digital campaign (60% weighting)


• An individual essay of 3,000 words (40% weighting)

Prior to both assignments, class time will be spent discussing the assignment and feedback process. After the first assignment (digital campaign) students will receive generic feedback which explains what students did well and did less well overall. This will take two forms. In the first class-based session after submission/digital campaign metrics, time will be spent explaining the key learning issues from the assignment and, once marking is completed, students will receive detailed generic feedback via SurreyLearn. After the second assignment, students will receive generic feedback via SurreyLearn explaining what students did well and did less well overall. They will also be fully briefed in the class-based session where the second assignment is discussed. Marks will be returned to students within 3 weeks of submission.

Formative assessment and feedback

Students will receive feedback during the module such as verbal feedback from the lecturer on inputs to class discussions and debates.

In addition to class-based sessions, students will be encouraged to learn via independent study and directed learning and to prepare for both weekly classroom sessions and the assignments. Students will be expected to actively participate in class and draw upon their own experiences, reflections and reading/ preparation where appropriate. In order to gain high marks in the assignments, students will have to read widely which means going beyond lecture notes and recommended texts. A list of texts will be provided but the expectation is that this represents a starting point for reading and not an exhaustive list. Students will be encouraged to do their own additional research and preparation on module topics, such as those pertinent to their assignments to receive high marks. 

Module aims

• Explore concepts and tools that support opportunity recognition and creation
• Develop practical skills to create and present a Digital Campaign for a new product or service
• Recognise funding options and support available to entrepreneurs

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

This module places a real innovation process at the centre of learning. Students will work in a project-based environment that will primarily be used to support, guide and manage the innovation process. The group project will involve planning in aspects of product specification, marketing and finance. This would be supplemented with case studies and guest lectures. Students will be given formative feedback on a presentation of their product and on their digital campaign to both advertise and fundraise for the product.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures, seminars, class discussions and debates (33 hours).


• Cases and practical examples (to comprise part of the above contact teaching sessions) 


• Multimedia resources e.g. audio podcasts (used both in class and as part of guided study/class preparation)


• SurreyLearn VLE (used to support learning and teaching and communication with students)


• Support materials


• Reading and class preparation via directed learning and independent study


• Individual work


• Group discussions and debates 

In addition, those on the module teaching team are accessible throughout the semester to address and clarify questions. Office hours will be provided. Feedback given will be oral and written on an individual basis and summative. 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN2132

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.