GENTREP: Entrepreneurial Mind – Comprehensive Course Notes

  • Module I: Journey to Self-Discovery through Entrepreneurship
    • This introductory module aims to build appreciation for entrepreneurship, not merely to start a business, but to solve problems and develop an entrepreneurial mindset across disciplines.
    • Key purpose: transform learners toward an entrepreneurial mind set (not to convert programs to BS Entrepreneurship, but to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking).
    • Two concepts of being entrepreneurial discussed:
    • Undertaker: one who organizes resources for productive outputs by establishing an enterprise.
    • Entrepreneurial: a growth‑oriented, independent, goal‑oriented, risk‑managing, resilient, opportunity‑recognizing mind that designs solutions.
    • Vision for GENTREP learners: imbued with Christian Spirit, competence, creativity, social involvement; part of a large army of game‑changers addressing societal and environmental concerns.
    • Course reference: SLU’s core values guide course activities, outcomes, and requirements; Vision‑Mission: Saint Louis University Vision‑Mission statement and Core values (Christian Spirit, Creativity, Competence, Social Involvement).
    • Study Schedule and Course Requirements: follow weekly topics; deadlines and read‑ahead reminders; module coverage: Prelim (modules 1–3), Midterm (module 4), Final (module 5).
    • The course journey is framed as a five‑stage entrepreneurial journey (self‑discovery, problem discovery, solution discovery, business management discovery, growth discovery) with emphasis on the first three stages in this course.
    • Module 1 topics include:
    • Personal values discovery
    • Understanding entrepreneurship: Why entrepreneurship education? Evolution of entrepreneurship; definition; myths; schools of thought
    • Categories of entrepreneurship
    • Engage Activity (Personal Values Discovery): identify and rank ten personal values; articulate which value is most important for entrepreneurial decision‑making; Carl Jung quote on vision and inner values: “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.”
    • Rationale for values: values are the foundation of vision and decision making; alignment with SLU core values and the SLU Vision‑Mission.
    • SLU core values emphasized: Christian Spirit, Creativity, Competence, Social Involvement; these underpin personal and organizational vision.
    • The Entrepreneurial Mindset: entrepreneurship is a mindset that seeks opportunity and requires passion, commitment, and alignment with values.
    • The SLU context of entrepreneurship education: Youth Entrepreneurship Act (2015) and inclusion of Entrepreneurship in Senior High School; The Entrepreneurial Mind as a general course offering in tertiary education; purpose is to develop an entrepreneurial mindset across disciplines.
    • The two concepts of being entrepreneurial are reinforced throughout the module:
    • An undertaker (resource organizing) vs an entrepreneurial mind (growth‑oriented, opportunity recognizing, risk managing, designing mind).
    • Key quotes and messages to remember:
    • “Being an entrepreneur is a mindset … you have to see things as opportunities all the time.”
    • The goal of the module is to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in Louisian learners, not to convert majors but to foster entrepreneurial thinking across disciplines.
  • Module I: Journey to Self‑Discovery through Entrepreneurship – Topics to be tackled
    • Personal values discovery
    • Understanding entrepreneurship: why education, evolution, definitions, myths, schools of thought
    • Categories of entrepreneurship
  • Module II: Entrepreneurship Discovery
    • Unit 1: Theories on Economic Development and the role of entrepreneurship in economic development
    • Learning outcomes: describe theories and deduce the impact of entrepreneurship on socio‑economic development; engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate activities (e.g., mind map for relationships between mindsets and development).
    • Unit 2: Government support to MSMEs in the Philippines
    • Classify MSMEs by asset size and by number of employees
    • Role of government: laws, policies, and programs (Go Negosyo Law RA 10644; RA 9178 Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Law; RA 6977 Magna Carta for SMEs; RA 8293 Intellectual Property Code; RA 11337 Innovative Startup Act)
    • Financial, marketing, and production/ productivity support (grants/ loans, marketing assistance, training)
    • Activities include reading and analyzing government programs, and mapping entrepreneurship to socio‑economic development; suggested sources include RA numbers and government portals.
    • Growth themes: entrepreneurship as the backbone of the economy; creation of jobs, income distribution, rural development, taxes, and economic activity.
  • Module III: Journey to Entrepreneurial Development
    • Purpose: develop entrepreneurial mindset through assessment of EM and Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs). Strong link between mindset and firm orientation (EO).
    • Unit 1: The Entrepreneurial Mind (EM)
    • EM defined as the set of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional traits that drive entrepreneurial decision‑making and action; Kuratko (2024) describes EM as a threefold model: entrepreneurial cognitive, behavioral, and entrepreneurial emotional aspects.
    • Learning outcomes: comprehend EM concepts and appraise their significance for program‑pertinent decision making; use EM in undertakings.
    • Unit 2: Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs)
    • 55 PEC statements across 10 PECs; grouped into three clusters: Achievement, Planning, and Power.
    • Assessment method: self‑rating questionnaire (55 items); scoring and interpretation involve a correction factor (see Unit 2 materials).
    • Correction factor: the factor is the sum of items 11, 22, 33, 44, and 55; if the correction factor is 20 or greater, apply a correction to each PEC score using the provided table (subtract a correction value from each PEC score). Highest possible PEC score is 25; lower scores indicate weaker competencies.
    • TEC: 10 PECs are: Opportunity Seeking, Persistence, Commitment to Work Contract, Demand for Efficiency & Quality, Risk Taking, Goal Setting, Information Seeking, Systematic Planning & Monitoring, Persuasion & Networking, Self‑Confidence.
    • Outcome: identify strongest and weakest PECs; interpret total PEC score and corrected score; recognize developmental needs.
    • Unit 3: The Entrepreneurial Organization (EO)
    • Dimensions of EO: Autonomy, Innovativeness, Proactiveness, Competitive Aggressiveness.
    • EO concept reflects a firm’s strategy making, mind‑set, processes, and culture geared toward entrepreneurship; firms with EO exhibit independence, innovation, proactive behavior, and competitive boldness.
  • Module IV: Problem Exploration
    • Unit 1: Understand your environment
    • Appraise elements of the business environment to identify problems that can be turned into opportunities; engages learners to reflect on personal roles in socio‑economic development; group activities on business ideation.
    • Unit 2: Opportunity identification and evaluation
    • Use EM to recognize and evaluate business ideas that address societal/environmental problems; apply ideation and evaluation approaches to develop viable opportunities.
  • Module V: Solution Discovery
    • Unit 1: Product Ideation
    • Emphasizes the role of creativity and innovation; product ideation as core activity in module; create innovative business/product ideas aligned with program; use creativity and EM in developing ideas with the Business Model Canvas.
    • Activities include readings on creative entrepreneurial actions during the COVID‑19 crisis; group final projects with ideation, evaluation, pitch (100 points) and business proposal (50 points).
    • Unit 2: Product Development
    • Defines concepts of product and product development stages; create viable, sustainable innovative products; apply PECs and EM in pitching ideas with a Business Model Canvas.
  • The Entrepreneurial Journey: A lifelike model of cyclical stages
    • Stage 1: Self‑discovery – assess passion/fit; answer prompts like “How entrepreneurial am I?”; develop passion, determine readiness, and identify needed skills.
    • Stage 2: Problem discovery via environmental scanning and opportunity identification/evaluation; focus on societal problems that can be turned into business ideas.
    • Stage 3: Solution discovery – product concept development via ideation and development processes; heart of Module 5.
    • Stage 4: Business management discovery – planning, organizing, staffing, leading, controlling to implement the venture; execution phase.
    • Stage 5: Growth discovery – strategies for scaling and sustaining the venture; entrepreneurship is a cycle of continual development.
  • The Entrepreneurial Mindset and Mindset Theory
    • Mindset is a mental attitude or inclination; it is shaped by knowledge, beliefs, experiences and practice.
    • McGrath & MacMillan’s 5 characteristics of entrepreneurial mindset (as cited by Bosman & Fernhaber):
    • They passionately seek new opportunities
    • They pursue opportunities with enormous discipline
    • They pursue only the very best opportunities
    • They focus on execution, especially adaptive execution
    • They engage the energies of everyone in their domain
    • Macros for mindset attributes:
    • The Independent Mind: internal locus of control, independent thinking, willingness to stand up for beliefs, self‑direction.
    • The Growth‑Oriented Mind: openness to change, continuous learning, feedback, and development.
    • The Goal‑Oriented and Effectuating Mind: goal setting, action orientation, execution, meticulous work.
    • The Risk‑Managing Mind: calculated risk taking, cost‑benefit analysis, long‑term viability considerations, risk mitigation.
    • The Resilient Mind: positive attitude, learning from failures, persistence, social support, purposefulness, confidence.
    • The Opportunity‑Recognizing Mind: curiosity, empathy, problem sensitivity, and resource awareness.
    • The Designing Mind: transcends rules, generates multiple novel ideas, experimentation and learning from mistakes.
    • The four elements of resilience (per Cary Cooper et al.): Confidence, Social Support, Adaptability, Purposefulness.
  • The Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs): details and scoring
    • 55 PEC statements; 10 clusters; Scores can be corrected using the factor from items 11, 22, 33, 44, 55.
    • Clusters: Achievement (Opportunity Seeking, Persistence, Commitment to Work, Demand for Efficiency & Quality, Risk Taking), Planning (Goal Setting, Information Seeking, Systematic Planning & Monitoring, Persuasion & Networking), Power (Self‑Confidence).
    • Corrected score process: if Correction Factor ≥ 20, subtract a correction value (depending on original PEC total) from each PEC score using the table provided; highest corrected PEC score is 25; lower scores indicate areas to improve.
    • Interpretation focuses on identifying strongest/weakest PECs and overall readiness for entrepreneurial action.
  • The Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) in detail
    • EO is a firm‑level construct describing strategies and cultures that foster entrepreneurship within an organization.
    • Four dimensions: Autonomy, Innovativeness, Proactiveness, Competitive Aggressiveness.
    • EO influences decision making, venture creation, and overall firm performance; dimensions have associated opportunities and risks (e.g., autonomy fosters independent action but may duplicate efforts; innovativeness requires experimentation and may waste resources without results).
  • Topic: Categories of Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate Entrepreneurship (Intrapreneurship): entrepreneurship inside existing organizations; employees lead to new directions; fosters internal innovation; appropriate for non‑BS Entrepreneurship learners.
    • Technopreneurship: technology‑driven entrepreneurship; creating or leveraging technology to innovate products/processes; first used term in 1987; examples include engineering/architecture tech startups.
    • Ecopreneurship (Environmental Entrepreneurship): solving environmental problems and pursuing sustainability; ecopreneurs aim to maximize environmental and social value along with profits.
    • Social Entrepreneurship: addressing social problems through innovation; mission‑driven; distinct from corporate social responsibility; change‑agents who strive for social value, continuous innovation, and accountability.
    • Generations of Entrepreneurs: Millennialpreneurs (positive social/environmental impact), Ultr entrepreneurs, Serial entrepreneurs (4+ ventures), Boomerpreneurs (older generation with social impact focus).
  • Why the need for ecopreneurship and green economy framing
    • Ecopreneurship responds to calls for a low‑carbon, resource‑efficient economy; strategies include maximizing material and energy efficiency, turning waste into value, substituting renewables, re‑designing products for societal/environmental benefit, promoting sufficiency, and re‑design for sustainability.
  • Theories on Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (Module II, Unit 1)
    • General theories of economic development include a range of factors on population, technology, culture, and policy; entrepreneurship is a backbone of development due to job creation, income distribution, and innovation.
    • Key points on economic growth and entrepreneurship:
    • Population growth affects production and consumption; higher production and employment can occur, but resource scarcity can cause stagnation.
    • Entrepreneurship creates employment and uses land, labor, and capital for productive purposes; it helps equitable income distribution and government revenue through taxes.
    • Entrepreneurship drives industrialization in rural areas and reduces talent migration.
  • Government role in MSME growth (Module II, Unit 2)
    • MSME classification (by asset size and by employee count):
    • MICRO: up to Php 3,000,000 assets; 1–9 employees
    • SMALL: Php 3,000,001–15,000,000; 10–99 employees
    • MEDIUM: Php 15,000,001–100,000,000; 100–199 employees
    • LARGE: More than Php 100,000,000; 200+ employees
    • Laws and policies to support MSMEs:
    • The Go Negosyo Law (Republic Act No. 10644)
    • Barangay Micro Business Enterprise Law (RA 9178, 2002)
    • Magna Carta for Small and Medium Enterprises (Republic Act 6977)
    • Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (RA 8293)
    • Innovative Startup Act (Republic Act 11337)
    • Government support types: financial, marketing, and production/productivity assistance (grants/loans, marketing clinics, distribution, productivity workshops).
  • The practical and ethical implications
    • The course emphasizes ethical action, alignment with Christian Spirit and SLU core values; the entrepreneurial mindset is linked to social responsibility and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
    • The course provides a structured, multi‑disciplinary pathway to develop skills that can be applied in any discipline, encouraging responsible leadership and social impact.
  • Assessment, evaluation, and course delivery approach
    • Assessments include a blend of classroom activities, Google Classroom interactions, and a final product pitch with a Business Model Canvas; formative and summative assessments are integrated (pre‑assessments, self‑assessments, reflection questions, mind maps, comic strips, relationship mind maps); final outputs include the product pitch and a comprehensive concept paper.
    • The course emphasizes online and onsite delivery (50% onsite, 50% online) and requires rigorous discipline in time management, collaboration, and integrity (no plagiarism, proper citation, APA 7th edition in reports).
  • Notable course logistics and references
    • Exam dates (historical: Prelim February 19–24, 2024; Midterm April 10–16, 2024; Final May 17–23, 2024).
    • Core references include Diaz & Fajardo (2015), Kuratko (2017, 2024), and foundational entrepreneurship texts; additional sources include OECD (2011) on green entrepreneurship, MindTools resilience quiz, and business model canvas resources.
  • Summary of key conclusions and practical takeaways
    • Entrepreneurship is a mindset, not only a business creation activity; success hinges on passion, values alignment, and disciplined execution.
    • The entrepreneurial journey is cyclical and aims to develop a broad set of competencies (EM, PECs) and organizational orientations (EO) that enable individuals and firms to identify opportunities, create solutions, and grow sustainably.
    • There is a strong emphasis on applying ethics, Christian values, and social responsibility in entrepreneurial action across all modules and activities.
  • Generative prompts and continuation topics
    • How would you position yourself as an ecopreneur, technopreneur, or social entrepreneur in your field of study?
    • How can you apply the Business Model Canvas to a problem identified in your environment during Module IV?
    • What steps will you take to develop the highest PECs in your own profile, and which corrective actions would you choose based on the correction factor methodology described?