News & Events
Thursday, Apr 30, 2009Expanding MBA Entrepreneurship
Posted by dgore
Dean’s Message
A few weeks ago I detailed our strategic plan called Distinctive Leadership 2015. I am excited to now share that we are taking a significant step toward enriching student learning, one of the five key objectives guiding our vision for the Graziadio School. We have re-tooled and expanded the entrepreneurship courses we offer and revitalized the entrepreneurship emphasis/concentration. This bold new direction is designed to help MBAs translate a creative vision into a real business that both produces wealth and allows students to express their personal values.
This fall, we are introducing the six part entrepreneurship emphasis/concentration to Full-time MBAs in Malibu and Fully Employed MBAs at the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus. In the spring courses will start at the Irvine Graduate Campus with other campuses to follow.
What sets the entrepreneurship emphasis/concentration apart is the approach. Programs at other business schools start with courses focused on market feasibility or business planning. Often the student’s underlying business idea is not fully examined until late in the curriculum or they settle on a business idea that assumes profitability, but is neither personally meaningful nor well-conceived.
As designed by Professor Larry Cox, who joined the faculty last fall, our program will start with the genesis of the idea. Students will not be expected to show up the first day of class with a new business concept. Instead, they will be immersed in a program that focuses on unlocking their creativity and uncovering solutions to problems that generate personally compelling ideas with large market potential. This approach ensures ideas are first strong candidates for potential ventures before students begin the analysis necessary to develop a viable business plan.
Students will first have to complete a session in the new “Opportunities in Entrepreneurship” Seminar Series. Each session in the series explores a cutting-edge technology or potential applications for new products and services in a different industry or field of study, such as clean tech, social entrepreneurship, entertainment, life sciences, and eCommerce. The seminars help students find those personally compelling, high-potential ideas for a new business.
Students then progress through successive courses that cover assessing the market and financing, marketing and structuring a viable business. The result will be a business plan validated by a panel of angel and venture capital investors.
Dr. Larry Cox has led this re-design. Previously, he served as director of the top 10 ranked Entrepreneurship Center at Ball State University. We are fortunate to benefit from his experience and I am looking forward to the dynamic new business plans the entrepreneurship emphasis/concentration will generate. Many of these plans I hope will be leading contenders in future Business Plan Competitions.
Entrepreneurial spirit is the legacy of both University founder George Pepperdine and the business school’s namesake George Graziadio. The new entrepreneurship emphasis/concentration represents an investment in the School’s future–in its distinctive leadership. It is only fitting that it also honors the heritage of these two great patrons.
Best Regards,
Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
Dean
Category : Recent Headlines | Students
Ms. Livingstone,
I am very pleased to see Pepperdine becoming focused on an Entrepreneurship program. I am a graduate of the Orange County Executive MBA program in 1980, and have utilized that education in several positions – GM/VP for Compaq; Quantum, President of Netgear (including an IPO), and CEO positions at two startups. For the past two years I’ve enjoyed being a Partner in a small consulting firm that provides hands on sales and marketing consulting to startups and young companies
I’ve been involved for two years in Sand Hill Angels, most recently as a Board member. Our group regularly invites students from MBA and entrepreneur programs (Stanford, San Jose State, etc.) to our meetings.
I would strongly encourage Pepperdine to similarly connect with angel and venture capitalists to expose students to the early stage fund raising process, as it is an acid test of business plan and strategy development. I’d be happy to talk to you, or Pepperdine representatives if you choose to pursue this supplement to your program.
All the best,
Ray Robidoux
I’m excited! Let me know when Encino campus has this opportunity.
As a former student of Dr. Cox, Pepperdine’s Entrepreneurship program is in capable and excellent hands. Expect to see many exciting changes and improvements.
Very good blog matey, keep up the good work!