August 1st, 2007

New Fall Undergraduate Course on Entrepreneurship

The Simon Graduate School of Business will offer a new undergraduate course on entrepreneurship in Fall 2007: “Entrepreneurship, Planning and Growing a Business Venture” (ENT 223). Bob Tobin, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Rochester Center for Entrepreneurship, will teach the 4.0 credit course that provides undergraduates with a dynamic, hands-on approach to immerse themselves in the vision, research, and planning aspects of a new venture.

The course centers on the business planning process—opportunity recognition, business concept development, feasibility testing, and the Business Plan. The Business Plan will include four major sections: Management and Organization Plan, Product/Service Plan, Marketing Plan, and Financial Plan. Students gain the knowledge, skills, concepts, and strategies relevant for start-up and early-stage entrepreneurs.

The principal themes of this course involve:

  • (1) understanding entrepreneurs; why some are successful while others struggle,
  • (2) understanding how various pieces of a business—opportunity recognition, accounting, finance, marketing, production, and management—work together to create companies,
  • (3) understanding the industry and competitive environment in which a business operates,
  • (4) knowing the venture’s long-term direction and strategy, and
  • (5) developing a business plan around a chosen concept.

Prior to his appointment as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Rochester, Bob Tobin was President and CEO of Tobin & Associates, Inc., an Information Technology Services firm which he and his wife, Pat, established in 1987. Tobin & Associates, Inc. is a seven-time recipient of the "Rochester Top 100" award, and has also received the Quality First Award from the Eastman Kodak Company.