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COMP30390

Academic Year 2025/2026

Enterprise, Innovation & Entre (COMP30390)

Subject:
Computer Science
College:
Science
School:
Computer Science
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Mr Damian Dalton
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Although this is a Computer Science module no prior knowledge or competency of computer science is required beyond that of basic computer technology usage such as Facebook, Google, linkedin etc.

Over the past 5 years students from Arts, Science, Engineering and the humanities have successfully completed the module.

The course is very much focused on equipping students with the knowledge, skill-set and a road-map to establish their own start-up company whether in the technology sector or otherwise. Invited guest lectures by many successful Irish and international entrepreneurs, some former students of the module, complement the topics in the module and give a "Reality check" to many themes in the course based on their experience.

The process of innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship specifically in the areas of technology and emergent business models employing the internet are reviewed and analysed.


Case studies are used throughout the module to illustrate in a real context the interplay and affects of the social, economic, and cultural issues that influence the commercialisation of research and innovative activity. Particular emphasis is given on the key issues confronting start-up companies, highlighting specific dangers and problems and the means to circumvent them to create a successful business.

Topics covered are:

1.Commercialising Innovation: Types of Innovation, factors influencing innovation and creativity, bringing concepts to the market.
2. Characteristics of a Start-up company.
3. Funding Start-ups: Customer-funded, angel and venture capital investment. National and European funding programmes.
4. Innovative business models based on the Cloud and internet.
5. The basic steps of establishing a company: includes the legal company formation process, networking, and a check list of business fundamentals.
6. The Lean Start-up methodology.
7. Creating customer value: The Value Proposition Canvas.
8. Creating the business model: The Business Model Canvas.
9. Patents: Filing patents and establishing a patent portfolio.
10. Blue Ocean markets.
11. Disruptive innovation.
12. Open innovation.
13. Case study companies.

There will be some guest lecturers given by Irish and/or foreign entrepreneurs, some are previous students of the module who have founded highly successful international-trading companies in the B2B and the consumer sector. These lectures are quite informal and are designed to facilitate discussion and interaction with the lecturers. These are held during the practical sessions of the module. Tea and biscuits are provided !!


About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module the student should know the following :
• The basics of forming a company. The Do's and Don'ts.
• The development stages of taking an idea or concept to market.
• Creating a product that will sell: Getting a customer.
• Different funding strategies for a start-up company
• Practical methods and strategies for reducing costs and expenses during the Start-up phase of a company.
• Marketing strategies empoyed in early-stage companies.
• Going international
• Establishing a brand image.
• Key features of successful I.T companies.
• When and how to patent an idea.
• Successful business models using the Cloud and the Internet.
• Risk assessment and management.

Indicative Module Content:

The following book list (Each student will select one for review) gives a flavour of the range of topics that will be covered.

1. Sustainability: Essentials for Business. Young & Dhanda. Sage.

2. Zero TO One. Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future. Peter Thiel.Virgin

3. Behind the Cloud: The Untold story of Salesforce.Com. Marc Benioff. Wiley.

4. The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google. Nicholas Carr. W.W Norton.

5. The Innovator's Dilemma. Clayton Christensen. Harper.

6. Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Chris Anderson. Random House.

7. The Customer-Funded Business. John Mullins. Wiley

8.Where Good Ideas Come From. The Seven Patterns of Innovation. Steven Johnson. Penguin.

9. The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking the Public versus Private Sector Myths. Mariana Mazzucato. Anthem.

10. Inside Apple's design Process during the golden age of Steve Jobs. Ken Kocienda. MacMillan.

11. The Startup Way. Eric Ries. Penguin.

12. The Lean Startup. Eric Ries. Penguin.

13. Simplify. How the Best Businesses in the World Succeed. Koch & Lockwood. Piatkus.

14. Blockchain Revolution. Don Tapscott, Alex Tapscott. Portfolio Penguin.

15. Frenemies: The Epic Distrruption of the Advertising Industry. Ken Auletta. Harper Collins.

16. The Ten Faces of Innovation: Strategies for Heightening Creativity. Tom Kelley. Profile Books.

17. How to Build a Billion Dollar App. George Berkowski. Little Brown.

18. Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology. Henry Chesbrough. Harvard Business School Press.

19. The Innovator's DNA. Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators. Dyer, Gregersen, Christensen. Harvard Business School Press.

20. Confessions of a Radical Industralist: How Interface proved that you can build a succesful business without destrying the planet. Ray Anderson. Rbooks.

21. Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success. Ken Segall.Portfolio Penguin.

22. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. Nir Eyal. Penguin.

23. China Now: Doing Business in the World's Most Dynamic Market. Lam, Graham. McGraw-Hill.

24. Dot.com: How America lost its mind and money in the internet era. John Cassidy. Harper Collins.

25. Dotcom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for growing your company online. Russell Brunson. Morgan James.

26. The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs. Kevin Johnson. Johnson Media.

27. Explosive Growth: A Few Things I learned While Growing to 100 Million Users. Cliff Lerner. Clifford Ventures Corp.

28. Shoot for the Moon: How the Moon Landings Taught us the 8 Secrets of Success. Richard Wiseman. Quercus.

29. The 1-page Marketing Plan.Get New Customers, Make More Money and Stand Out from the Crowd. Allan Dib. Page Two Books.

30. One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days. Brendan Kane.Benbella Books.


Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

72
Lectures

24
Small Group

24
Total

120

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures/Exercises/Presentation/Discussion Groups/ Guest Lectures/ Exam

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): A presentation and report on a selected book Week 7 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
40
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): A presentation and report on a selected start-up company, incorporating material from lectures Week 11 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
45
 No
Practical Skills Assessment: A two minute pitch presentation on a selected company Week 3 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
15
 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on assignments will be given within 2-3 weeks of submission

Each student will review ONE of the following, or suggest an alternative for approval by the lecturer.

1. Sustainability: Essentials for Business. Young & Dhanda. Sage.

2. Zero TO One. Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future. Peter Thiel.Virgin

3. Behind the Cloud: The Untold story of Salesforce.Com. Marc Benioff. Wiley.

4. The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google. Nicholas Carr. W.W Norton.

5. The Innovator's Dilemma. Clayton Christensen. Harper.

6. Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Chris Anderson. Random House.

7. The Customer-Funded Business. John Mullins. Wiley

8.Where Good Ideas Come From. The Seven Patterns of Innovation. Steven Johnson. Penguin.

9. The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking the Public versus Private Sector Myths. Mariana Mazzucato. Anthem.

10. Inside Apple's design Process during the golden age of Steve Jobs. Ken Kocienda. MacMillan.

11. The Startup Way. Eric Ries. Penguin.

12. The Lean Startup. Eric Ries. Penguin.

13. Simplify. How the Best Businesses in the World Succeed. Koch & Lockwood. Piatkus.

14. Blockchain Revolution. Don Tapscott, Alex Tapscott. Portfolio Penguin.

15. Frenemies: The Epic Distrruption of the Advertising Industry. Ken Auletta. Harper Collins.

16. The Ten Faces of Innovation: Strategies for Heightening Creativity. Tom Kelley. Profile Books.

17. How to Build a Billion Dollar App. George Berkowski. Little Brown.

18. Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology. Henry Chesbrough. Harvard Business School Press.

19. The Innovator's DNA. Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators. Dyer, Gregersen, Christensen. Harvard Business School Press.

20. Confessions of a Radical Industralist: How Interface proved that you can build a succesful business without destrying the planet. Ray Anderson. Rbooks.

21. Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success. Ken Segall.Portfolio Penguin.

22. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. Nir Eyal. Penguin.

23. China Now: Doing Business in the World's Most Dynamic Market. Lam, Graham. McGraw-Hill.

24. Dot.com: How America lost its mind and money in the internet era. John Cassidy. Harper Collins.

25. Dotcom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for growing your company online. Russell Brunson. Morgan James.

26. The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs. Kevin Johnson. Johnson Media.

27. Explosive Growth: A Few Things I learned While Growing to 100 Million Users. Cliff Lerner. Clifford Ventures Corp.

28. Shoot for the Moon: How the Moon Landings Taught us the 8 Secrets of Success. Richard Wiseman. Quercus.

29. The 1-page Marketing Plan.Get New Customers, Make More Money and Stand Out from the Crowd. Allan Dib. Page Two Books.

30. One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days. Brendan Kane.Benbella Books.
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