Business in Calgary

Entrepreneurship: more than a buzzword • Entrepreneurship
Is waiting
for your
In the last decade or two, there has
been a seismic shift in demand for a
new breed of slightly or dramatically
different and even alternative
business education, especially ones
that teach the basics and specifics of
entrepreneurship – education that is
tapped into everything from startup
ecosystems to accessing venture
capitalists and startup incubators.
taking way
too long?
We have a
solution for that.
For years, most business schools
offered courses or student clubs on
the vague and fringe topic of entrepreneurship
although it was inevitably
a small part of the courses which
were designed to teach business students
the basics in economics, finance,
accounting, marketing and operations,
usually getting qualified for specific
management roles in existing, large
organizations.
Schools had to make significant
adjustments, in some cases re-invent
themselves, to better serve a rapidly-growing
base of gung-ho and
aggressive entrepreneurs.
In the last decade or two, there has
been a seismic shift in demand for a
new breed of slightly or dramatically
different and even alternative business
education, especially ones that teach
the basics and specifics of entrepreneurship
– education that is tapped
into everything from startup ecosystems
to accessing venture capitalists
and startup incubators.
Respected business schools – from
Calgary’s Haskayne and Chiu School
of Business at Bow Valley College to
Schulich, Harvard, Kellogg, Wharton
and others – acknowledge the role and
impact of entrepreneurship in today’s
and tomorrow’s business world.
“Although entrepreneurial aspects
are now a routine part of many business
courses, we have emphasized
‘experiential learning,’” Neutens points
out. “Not just reading about entrepreneurial
skills but living them, live. We
invite successful Calgary entrepreneurs
to come into our classrooms, meet our
students and talk openly about their
successes and their failures.”
Various aspects of entrepreneurship
are already entrenched and expanding
as vital parts of contemporary MBA
and other business programs. In fact,
some business schools are so committed
to the potential of entrepreneurship
that they have actually begun to offer
master of entrepreneurship (MEntr)
degrees as an alternative to MBA.
There is caution in tempering (not
discouraging) the trend and excitement
about entrepreneurship.
As some academics, conventional
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businessincalgary.com | BUSINESS IN CALGARY March 2014 • 35