CRSN 151B: Innovation & professionalization for sustainability designers, engineers & entrepreneurs 

Soc Sci 1 145, TTh, 3:20-4:55 (Class # 63382)

Instructors: Ronnie Lipschutz (rlipsch@ucsc.edu); Office hours: MF, 1-2, 121 Rachel Carson College; TTh, 1-2 PM, 234 Crown College, or by appointment.  Please email ahead.

Kevin Bell (kwbell@ucsc.edu); Office hours: F 2-3, 228 Rachel Carson College, or by appointment

The goal of this 5 unit class is to teach students how to become innovators and entrepreneurs, develop projects and enterprises, and learn professional practices for project management, with a particular focus on sustainability for students in Sustainability Studies and especially in connection with students' research and interests.  Students build teams consisting of one or more students as entrepreneurial leads and a mentor with instructors or an individual with start-up experience who  can help to develop a project or business model.  Students identify project audiences, clients and customers through application of the Business Model Canvas, and learn core project management, financial, legal, and marketing resources needed for new companies and to identify financing and other key resources.  Prepare and submit funding proposals. There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course learning objectives:

1. Understanding of the organizational and practical foundations of designing a project, program or business, including needs and markets, mentoring and partnering, workplans, funding and proposal writing, human resources, evaluation.
2. Using the Business Model Canvas (BMC) to develop hypotheses and value propositions, identify audience/client/customer segments, and construct a project or enterprise plan.
3. Developing a business strategy to incubate the good or service and the capability of preparing business plans and polished funding proposals.
4. Learning professional skills appropriate to running a project or business, interacting with audiences, customers and clients, and developing presentation and speaking skills.

 

Course Requirements & grading (read this carefully!)

Students can expect to spend 3 hours in class, 2 hours of interviewing and outreach and 10 hours of homework per week.  Late assignments will be penalized and missing assignments at the end of the quarter will result in a grade reduction commensurate with the value of the assignment.

Participation (5%): Regular attendance, participation in discussions and in-class work groups;

Weekly assignments with due dates (100 points each; see grade sheet for distribution):

1. April 10: Identification of an individual or group project; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36169 

2. April 17: Needs statement & identification of best practices; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36681

3. May 1 (5%): Completion of your Business Model Canvas with a minimum of 25 audience/customer/client interviews; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36742

4. May 8 (5%): Project description and management plan; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36753

5. May 15 (5%): Goals, objectives, timeline, workplan; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36755

6. May 22 (5%): Funding list & project budget; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36758

7. May 31 (10%): Elevator pitch and in-class presentation; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36760

Project archive (5%): Electronic folder on Google Drive to which you must upload research materials, interviews, notes, activities.   You should have received an invitation to share a folder with the instructors; https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36762

Final video (10%): Two minute smartphone videos on projects & businesses.  There will be several video workshops during the quarter to help you develop your script and filming.  Dates and times will be announced.

Draft (15%) & final project proposal or business plan (25%).  Draft is required and due via email on May 29.  Final version is due by midnight, June 13 via email, https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36932

Readings

All readings are available on the internet or course web site.

Recommended:

Startup Owner’s Manual:The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company

The Business Model Generation (Canvas): A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers,

Marcus Wagner (ed.), Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability (Greenleaf, 2012), http://site.ebrary.com.oca.ucsc.edu/lib/ucsc/reader.action?docID=10650065&ppg=12

Community Tool Box, Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas, 2017, https://ctb.ku.edu/en

IDEO, Human-Centered Design Toolkit

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Class schedule & readings

Week 1: Introduction to the course

April 3:  Why should you develop a green project or enterprise

Required reading

Panagotis Piperopoulos & Dimov, "Burst Bubbles or Build Steam?" Journal of Small Business Management 54 #4 (2015): 970-75; Eric G. Olson, “Creating an enterprise-level 'green' strategy,” Journal of Business Strategy 29, #2 (2008): 22-30; .

Additional reading: US AID, "The Entrepreneurship Toolkit," Sept. 2011;  Green for All, "The Green Business Plan Guide," n.d.,  Tim Brown & Jocelyn Wyatt, “Design Thinking for Social Innovation,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2010; Derk Loorbach & Katinka Wijsman, “Business transition management,” Journal of Cleaner Production 45 (2013): 20-28; Glenn Bachman, “Attributes of a green enterprise,” RI Business Plan Competition, 2010

April 5: Identifying a need and designing a project to meet it

Required reading: Soraya M. Coley & Cynthia A. Scheinberg, “Writing the Needs or Problem Statement,” in: Proposal Writing—Effective Grantsmanship, Sage, 3^rd ed., 2008; Community Tool Box, "Assessing Community Needs & Resources," Section 1, 5,  https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources;

Additional resources:    Eleazer Hernandez, “Brainstorming,” pp. 57-74, in: Leading Creative Teams, Apress, 2017; Robin Murray, Geoff Mulgan & Julie Caulier-Grice, “How to Innovate: The tools for social innovation,” NESTA/The Young Foundation; Geoff Mulgan, “The Process of Social Innovation,” Innovations, Spring 2006, 145-62;  Aalborg University, "Handbook of Project Writing," 2005; Kristal Johnson, "The Needs Assessment: Making the Connection between Data and the Nonprofit Story," Journal of the Grant Professionals Association 12, #1 (Fall 2014): 44-50.

Assignment #1: Identifying a sustainability project.  Preparation of a 250 word abstract or description of a sustainability project due via email to Ronnie (rlipsch@ucsc.edu) & Kevin (kwbell@ucsc.edu) by 12:30 PM on Tuesday, April 10. Prompt at https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36169. Before you begin this assignment, be sure to read CIVICUS, "Writing a Funding Proposal," at: https://canvas.ucsc.edu/files/533157/download?download_frd=1

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Week 2: Project design & feasibility

April 10: Critical elements of a project & project proposal

Required reading: “Guide to Writing a Project Description,” University of Western Sydney; Community Tool Box, “Promoting the Adoption & Use of Best Practices,” https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/analyze/choose-and-adapt-community-interventions/using-best-practices/main

Additional reading: Community Tool Box, ch 8: Developing a Strategic Plan, https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/create-objectives/main; Else Øyen, “A Methodological Approach to ‘Best Practices” ; Daniel Linman, “How to Write a Project Description,” MyManagement Guide.com, 10/31/11

April 12: Assessing project or business feasibility & best practices & conducting due diligence

Required reading: Don Hofstrand & Mary Holz-Clause, Iowa State Extension Feasibility Study; Mary Lewinson, “How to Write a Feasibility Study Report,” MyManagementGuide.com, 12/15/10, 

Additional reading: Eric McConnell, “Feasibility Study-A Quick Overview,” MyManagementGuide.com, 10/19/10; Anand Saxena & Seema Sodhi, “Feasibility analysis, project report and business plan.”

Assignment #2: Preparation of a needs statement and a list of best practices associated with your project, due via email in pdf or Word (no Pages please) to Ronnie (rlipsch@ucsc.edu) & Kevin (kwbell@ucsc.edu) by 12:30 PM on Tuesday, April 17.  Prompt at https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36681.

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Week 3: The Business Model Canvas (BMC)

April 17: Who is your market? What do they want? How can you serve them?

Required reading: Entrepreneur Media, "How to Determine If There's a Market for Your Business Idea," Entrepreneur Network, Dec. 16, 2014, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240164;  Alex Cowan, "The Customer Discovery Handbook," Cowan+;Anastasia, “Business model canvas: Customer segments,” Cleverism, Feb. 16, 2015, https://www.cleverism.com/customer-segments-business-model-canvas/

April 19: Using the BMC & doing Customer discovery

Required reading:  The Business Model Generation (Canvas): A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, pp. 14-42,  Ingrid Burkett, “Using the Business Model Canvas for Social Enterprise Design,” Knode.

Additional reading: Steve Blank, “The Mission Model Canvas – An Adapted Business Model Canvas for Mission-Driven Organizations,” https://steveblank.com/2016/02/23/the-mission-model-canvas-an-adapted-business-model-canvas-for-mission-driven-organizations/; Tom Sivén, “Applying Business Model Canvas in an Internal Project Funding Case: IB-HUB,” BA thesis, Turku University, Finland, 2014;  Rita S.Y. Berry, “Collective data by in-depth interviewing,”  Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Sussex at Brighton, September 2 - 5 1999.

Assignment #3: Applying the Business Model Canvas to your project. Completion of the BMC for your project and a minimum of 25 customer discovery interviews. Filled out BMC and file with record of your interviews due via email in pdf or Word by 4:30 PM on Tuesday, May 1, to rlipsch@ucsc.edu and kwbell@ucsc.edu.  Prompt at https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36742.

 

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Week 4: Project management I

April 24: How will you do what you are proposing to do?

Required reading: Elizabeth and Richard Larson, "10 Steps to Creating a Project Plan,” PMTimes, http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/10-steps-to-creating-a-project-plan.html; Zilicus Solutions, "Basics of Project Planning," 2012.

Additional reading: Business Plan for Small Business, 2009, ; MyOwnBusiness, “The Business Plan.”

April 26: Project Planning--developing a management framework

Required reading: Human-Centered Design Toolkit, pp. 4-38; W. Durfee, “Project planning and Gantt charts,” 2008

Additional reading: Columbia University, “Project & Organizational Development for NGOs and CBOs--A Handbook,” Institute for Human Rights, n.d.,

Assignment #4: Project description and management plan, due Tuesday, May 8 by 4:30 PM.  See https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36753

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Week 5:  Project Management II

May 1: Goals & Objectives  & Budgets & Finances

Required reading: Goals, Objectives & Performance Criteria;  Critical Path concepts;  Project SITE, “Defining Goals and Objectives,” 2012; Glenn Barnes, “Understanding Costs & Revenues,” Dept. Of Energy Better Buildings Workshop, Oct. 26, 2011; MyMG Team, “How to Prepare a Project Budget in Three Generic Steps,” 12/26/11.

Additional reading: COOP Africa, "Project Design Manual," International Labour Organization, Dec. 2010, pp. 67-73; S. Carter, N.J. Macdonald, D.C.B. Cheng, “Information for decision making” (ch. 5), in: Basic Finance for Marketers (Rome, FAO, 1997), http://www.fao.org/docrep/W4343E/W4343E00.htm#Contents; John Cammack, “Project budgeting: how to guide,” BOND, 2010,

 May 3: Making videos (in-class exercise): Create one minute videos of your project pitch

Required reading: Tina Maund, “Video-Storytelling: a Step-by-Step Guide”; Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety29, #3 (March 2003): 152-55,

Additional reading: Jodi Harris, “23 Things to Consider When Creating Video Content,” Content Marketing Institute, April 12, 2016, http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/04/video-content-examples/ Digital Marketing Institute, “How to Create Outstanding Video on a Budget, https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/24-05-16-how-to-create-outstanding-video-content-on-budget;

Assignment #5: Preparation of goals, objectives, timeline and workplan, due by 4:30, Tuesday, May 15, via email.  See https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36755

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Week 6: Funding & financing

To join the class on-line, you will need to download the Zoom app, join the meeting (ID# 845-706-0616), and decide whether you want audio only or audio and video.

1. Go to http://ucsc.zoom.us/

2. Click on "join a meeting" in the upper right corner of the page

3. Insert 845-706-0616 in the box.

4. You will then be prompted to download the Zoom app onto your computer.

5. Once it is fully installed, the meeting window should open and ask about audio or video.

 

May 8: How to fund a project

Required reading: Rebecca Lake, “Angel Investing vs. Crowdfunding,” Investopedia, Jan.4, 2016, http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/010416/angel-investing-vs-crowdfunding-how-raise-money-your-startup.asp; Cenkus Law, “Seed Funding & Series A Rounds--Raising Capital for Startups, Part 1, Austin, Tx, https://www.businessattorneyinaustin.com/raising-capital-startups-seed-series-a-funding/

Additional reading: Michael J. Swenson, Gary K. Rhoads & David B. Whitlark, “Startup Marketing: Leveraging Leverage,” Journal of Applied Business & Economics, 16, #6 (2014): 55-62;  Anna Vital, “How Startup Funding Works,”

May 10: Getting past the "Valley of Death"

Required reading: Robin Toal, “Don’t just write, call your potential funder!” Oct. 14, 2013, https://www.fundsforngos.org/free-resources-for-ngos/dont-write-call-potential-funder/

Assignment #6: Preparation of a project budget and funding list.  Due 4:30 on Tuesday, May 22 via email.  See https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36758

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Week 7: Grant & funding proposal writing

You can find a very good past proposal with an excellent description here.  Please read it over

May 15: What do funders want to see?

Required reading: Robin Toal, “What do funders look for in a grantee?” Oct. 10, 2013, at: http://www.fundsforngos.org/free-resources-for-ngos/funders-grantee/; Padraic Brick, et al, “Granting Success--Lessons from funders and charities,” New Philanthropy Capital, Jan. 2009; Michael Wells, articles on project evaluation, GrantsNorthwest.

May 17: Proposal writing

Required reading: B. Huberman, “How to Write Proposals that Get Funded,” Advocates for Youth, 1990,  Besim Nebiu, “Project Proposal Writing,” Regional Environmental Center, 2002, ; Nicole Notario-Risk and Korrie Ottenwess, "Using Data to Support Grant Applications and Other Funding Opportunities," Community Research Institute, 2004; CIVICUS, "Writing a Funding Proposal," at: https://canvas.ucsc.edu/files/533157/download?download_frd=1

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Week 8: Outreach & Communication

May 22: Creating an elevator pitch

Required reading: Jerome A. Katz & Richard P. Green, “The Elevator Pitch,” in: Entrepreneurial Small Business (McGraw-Hill, 2013);  Norma McGavern, “Public Speaking Tips.” ; Eleazer Hernandez, “The Art of the Pitch,” pp. 105-27, in: Leading Creative Teams, Apress, 2017.

Additional reading: Melanie Milovac & Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, “Positivity makes for poor pitches: Affective tone conveyed by entrepreneurs shapes support for creative ideas,” Academy of Management Proceedings (2014):777-82;  Harvard Business School, “The Art of Pitchcraft.”

May 24: Telling your story

Required reading: Ashoka Changemakers, “A Changemaker’s Eight-Step Guide to Storytelling,” Fall 2013;Tina Maund, “Video-Storytelling: a Step-by-Step Guide”; Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety29, #3 (March 2003): 152-55,  Rockefeller Foundation, “Digital Storytelling for Social Impact,” 2014, https://ecommons.ucsc.edu/x/JJX1PP

Additional reading: John Rampton, “The Ultimate Guide to Startup Content Marketing,” Forbes June 8, 2016, Jodi Harris, “23 Things to Consider When Creating Video Content,” Content Marketing Institute, April 12, 2016, http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/04/video-content-examples/ Digital Marketing Institute, “How to Create Outstanding Video on a Budget, https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/24-05-16-how-to-create-outstanding-video-content-on-budget;  Microsoft, “Turn your powerpoint presentations into video,” https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Turn-your-presentation-into-a-video-c140551f-cb37-4818-b5d4-3e30815c3e83; John Nemo, “How to Create Awesome Online Videos,” SocialMedia Examiner, Jun 24, 2014, https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/tools-to-create-online-videos/

 

Assignment #7: Text or video of your elevator pitch.  Due by 4:30 PM on Tuesday, June 5 via email.  See https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/12456/assignments/36760

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Week 9: Implementing a successful project

Draft project proposal due by 4:30 PM on Tuesday, May 29, via email

May 29: Managing projects & people

Required reading: Brett Harned, "A Guide to Project Management," teamgantt; John Rampton, "How to manage a project from start to finish."

May 31: Project evaluation

Required reading: Wellcome Trust, “Project Evaluation Guidelines.”;  Fataneh Zarinpoush, “Project Evaluation Guide for Nonprofit Organizations,” Toronto, Imagine Canada, 2006.

Additional reading:   Joy Frechtling Westat, et al., “The 2010 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation,” National Science Foundation. December, ch. 1-3.

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Week 10: Wrapping Up

June 5: Practice for final student pitches & video presentations

June 7: Practice for final student pitches & video presentations

StartUp Business Evaluation Form, https://ecommons.ucsc.edu/x/ybAkwb

 

Final presentation (15%): Final exam period presentations on projects & businesses, Wednesday, June 13, 4-7 PM. 

Draft & final project proposal or business plan (25%).  Draft is required and due via email on May 24.  Final version is due by midnight, June 13 via email.