ENSC300 Course Outline

Business
Basics
for
Engineers
by
Mike Volker

ENSC300 COURSE OUTLINE Sep'99

Course presented by:

Michael C Volker, BASc, MASc, P.Eng. (see Mike's resume)

Cell: 644-1926 Fax: 925-5006 SFU Strand Hall 2100N

Goal:

To introduce some basic business & management concepts, especially relating to the management of advanced technology enterprises in Canada. We'll start with "the better mousetrap" and how to build a business. To have fun and learn something, too.

Lectures:

Wednesdays, 15:30 to 16:20, AQ3153

On-Line Delivery:

This course is administered on-line through Virtual U, courtesy Virtual Learning Environments Inc (an SFU spin-off company).
The URL is http://www.vu.vlei.com/vu/sfu/.

Grading:

Tests: 45% (3 short tests, 15% each)
Team Project: 25%(Team part: 15%, individual part: 10%)
Quizzes: 15% (ad hoc)
Assignments: 15% (3 individual assignments)

Refer also to Tips and Suggestions on how to prepare and submit assignments.

Texts:

(see also reference text list and links to other sites.)

BC Technology's T-Net
Globe & Mail Report on Business (compulsory)
Financial Post
Mike's Clipping Service (& WEB Sites)
Business in Vancouver
Silicon Valley North
Business Week, Inc, Canadian Business, Fin.Post, Red Herring

Note: Globe & Mail offers special deal for students: 50% off
Only $35 for 3 months - delivered to your door.
Call 687-4435 to subscribe. Fax student proof to 687-3891.

Possible Guest Speakers (sampling):

Roy Trivett, Architel Systems
Bruce Elliott, SFG Technology
Tim Collings, V-Chip
Duncan Fraser, TVI Group
Bart Copeland, Credo Multimedia
Gary Kooznetsoff, Heatwave
Judy Bishop, Bishop and Company
Mike Boeur, T-Net
John Kidder, Lightwave Medical
Barry Jinks, Spectrum Signal Processing
Ross Mitchell, HotHaus Technologies
Michael Brown, Ventures West
Greg Aasen, PMC Sierra

Videos (sampling):

The Xerox Story
Triumph of the Nerds, PBS Video on emergence of the PC industry
Tom Peters' "In Search of Excellence"
Danny DeVito in "Other People's Money"

Some Lecture Topics:

The Fun of Business
The Primary Risk Factor
The E-Myth
Business Jargon, Terminology
Marketing: 4P's, Product Life Cycles, Competitive strategy
Technology S-curves
Intellectual Property Management (patents, trademarks, etc)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Business Structures - Corporation vs Proprietorship (or Partnership)
Business infrastructure - Canada & Global
Management "fads": what's in and what's out
Financing Technology Ventures, Capital Markets
The Business Plan
Personal Finance Topics
Taxation
you choose some!

Modus Operandus:

Call or email anytime (email preferred). Office hours - by appointment only.

This is your course. You are the client! Our mutual objectives should be to obtain maximum value from this opportunity!