Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Gain the skills to lead an enterprise while developing a topic of interest. Concentrations include Ecopreneurship, Music Administration, Dance Administration or Spanish for Management and Entrepreneurship.

Courses include:  

ENTR 101 - entrepreneurial leadership

Examine the attributes required of successful entrepreneurs in contemporary leadership roles. You will learn how to take an idea to impact and consider important concepts, such as ethics, sustainability, economic Darwinism, and managing uncertainty. You will discuss product invention, service implementation, economic choice, risk and return, scale and scope, value creation, and small business generation. As a significant course assignment, you will develop a strategic plan for a product, service, startup or organization that is worthy of implementation.

ENTR 120 - economic principles or principles of economics 

Gain a foundational understanding of microeconomic theory necessary to pursue entrepreneurial enterprises in contemporary markets. You will acquire the analytical tools for solving complex organizational or policy issues. Key topics will include: economic principles guiding various types of organizations; rational behavior; competition vs. monopoly power; simple game theory; pricing strategies; and production costs and behavior in the short and long-term. This course will be more applied than a traditional intro to economics class, relying on entrepreneurial case studies and news reports as appropriate.

ENTR 201 - quantitative tools 

Learn the the basic accounting, statistical, and Excel skills necessary for success. All of the examples will be done using Excel. The accounting techniques covered will include: accounting terminology; the accounting equation; how to prepare and analyze financial statements (the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows): operational costing considerations; cost behavior and cost-volume-profit analysis; differential analysis and product pricing; and budgeting.

ENTR 203 - doing well and doing good: ethical perspectives of entrepreneurship

Pursue such questions as: How do we act with ethical awareness in entrepreneurial activity? What lessons can we learn from historical experience? How might ethical writings inform our entrepreneurial ventures? Narratives include: the racial integration of Major League Baseball; the global expansion of McDonald's hamburgers; the founding of Genentech and the biotech industry; the management of difficult emotions in family businesses; the domination of cigarettes in U.S. cultural history; the construction of the worldwide pornography industry.

ENTR 210 - Fundamentals of Marketing

Learn and hone your skills to manage successful marketing campaigns. Topics address customer and market analysis segmentation, targeting and positioning, product pricing and placement, social media strategies, regulation, ethical considerations, and communication strategies. After completing this course, you will appreciate how marketing strategies have changed over time, whether because of cultural norms or advances in technology and will demonstrate the design of effective and ethical marketing strategies.

ENTR 215 - managerial accounting 

Explore the need and purpose of accounting information systems for any type of organization. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of financial statements, terms, and accounting theories utilized by management to effectively participate in managerial activities such as long-range planning, capital budgeting, investments, internal control and various managerial scenarios. The class also covers key regulatory agencies and requirements, including the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

ENTR 310 – managerial finance 

Develop the fundamental skills necessary to analyze and understand how businesses make investment and finance decisions. Topics covered include:  the concept of present value, discounted cash flow analysis, valuation techniques, capital structure, capital management and investment priorities, risk management, short- and long-term financing, and selected topics in international finance.

ENTR 315 - organizational management  

Engage with materials that will enhance your knowledge of the art and science of management across sectors (i.e., for-profit, nonprofit, public, etc.). The course covers the many roles of managers across enterprises and begins with foundational/historical components of enterprise administration (e.g., Fayol’s planning, organizing, coordinating, commanding, and controlling). The course continues with contemporary theories and practices in management (e.g., diversity, equity, and inclusion; lean management; sustainability; flexible work arrangements; data-driven decision-making; learning organizations; intrapreneurship; among others).

ENTR 400 – capstone 

Identify a problem and learn how to apply creative solutions. Projects may include the development and launch of a product, service or organization (for-profit, non-profit, low-profit, hybrid, government service, etc.). Projects are required to demonstrate positive social and environmental impact regardless of legal structure and demonstrate an awareness of ethical considerations. You are required to make connections between their concentration area and the broader goals of the capstone. For example, students with a concentration in Ecopreneurship must propose projects focused on environmental issues.

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