MAN 458: Crowdfunding for Ecological Entrepreneurship
Contents
What is sustainability? Is it just ecology, or something more? How can my venture help to heal the planet? How do we utilize AI to design crowdfunding campaigns that promote human well-being?
This hands-on course at the intersection of cinematics, business studies and ethics will familiarize students with developing sustainable business ideas and help them harness the power of the crowd, AI and smartphones to turn them into reality.
In workshop sessions, students team up to develop their own sustainable business idea, design a crowdfunding campaign for financing and shoot their own crowd video. We will learn from experts how to create our own videos. Overall, the course embraces re-thinking our role as humans for how we can develop economies that align with the intertwined nature of society and ecology, where success is more than short-term profit, but a balance of ecology, economy, purpose and happiness – all drivers of human well-being.
Finally, this course aims to promote dialog, exchange of experiences and collaboration between participants in an enjoyable setting – with the ultimate goal of finding the best-damn-sustainable-start-up-idea (bdssi). Is this a course for you? Hell, yes!
Learning outcomes
Students are capable to
- understand fundamental concepts of entrepreneurship in an applied setting,
- work in teams to develop their sustainable and entrepreneurial ideas with the help of design thinking methods,
- generate a business model with economic viability,
- craft multimedia content for a crowdfunding campaign and plan campaign management,
- pitch their business model and campaign in front of an expert jury.
Necessary prerequisites
semester 4 or higher; students who joined SEC 3 or MAN 450 or MAN 456 are not allowed to that course.
Recommended prerequisites
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| Forms of teaching and learning | Contact hours | Independent study time |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 SWS | 4 SWS |
| Exercise class | 1 SWS | 2 SWS |
| ECTS credits | 3 |
| Graded | yes |
| Workload | 90h |
| Language | English |
| Form of assessment | Video and conventional pitch (75%), campaign- & business plan (25%) |
| Restricted admission | yes |
| Further information | register to the course via Portal2. send an email to the course instructor [robert.dehghanuni-mannheim.de] with “MAN 458 Registration” in the subject line, and attach their CV (1 page) and transcript of grades. since you will receive the feedback if you are accepted to the course on 12.02.2024, please refrain from sending Emails before this date regarding your status or regarding the receipt of your email. Course capacity is strictly limited as the format involves groupwork. Thus, students who registered but decided not to participate in the course have to deregister from the course during the deregisteration period indicated in Portal2. Please see Portal2 for the periods of deregisteration and notification of acceptance for the course. |
Examiner Performing lecturer |  | Robert Dehghan, M.Sc. Prof. Dr. Jan-Philipp Ahrens Robert Dehghan, Dr. Jan-Philipp Ahrens |
| Frequency of offering | Spring semester |
| Duration of module | 1 semester |
| Range of application | B.Sc. Bus. Adm., other Bachelor programs (depending on respective study regulations) [9] |
| Preliminary course work | Attendance is mandatory and all students are required to attend all classes (exceptions are only made for students who provide a medical certificate or have an exam). |
| Program-specific Competency Goals | CG 1, CG 2, CG 4 |
| Literature | See homepage of the chair: https://www.mcei.de/teaching/undergraduate/man-456 |
| Course outline | See homepage of the chair: https://www.mcei.de/teaching/undergraduate/man-456 |