2223T1 Seoul/Course

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Overview of Project Course

Synopsis

It is not by accident that Korea has the highest Internet penetration in Asia. You will learn this unique Internet culture and their approach to entrepreneurship. From Entrepreneur Forums to University incubators, we will cover the ecosystem and support structure. How do you compete in an economy that is second to Japanese, European and American products, mired by corruptions and bankruptcies of family-run chaebol, and government inertia? Yet, Korea continues to be resilient, churning out large successful companies like Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Daewoo, etc. We will investigate the environment by visiting start-ups in Internet, Online gaming, Social Media, NOG and other industry in Seoul.

Visit the soul of Asia, Seoul and experience the unique culture by emerging ourselves in startups, ventures and government support structures. You will have the opportunity to speak to entrepreneurs and ask questions about their process, challenges, risks and rewards of starting up a new business. Is it Korean guanxi? Is it luck? Is it a culture or personality of the founders? Seek the X factor that is the ultimate ingredient for a successful business.

Objectives

This course will help

• Introduce students to the entrepreneurship scene in the city to visit.
• Students to develop an understanding of the factors and ecosystem leading to a start-up.
• Inspire student entrepreneurs to start their own venture.
• Students understand how to start a technology company.
• Students to build relationships with the organisations we will visit.

Teams

• Students will form their own teams on first day of class.
• Student teams will need to source for organization to visit.

Output and Assessment Summary

Students will be assessed on planning, sourcing organization, in class and during the trip activities and conduct. Here is the grading criteria:

• Skills - I am better able to collaborate effectively with people of other cultures. 
• Knowledge - I have gained new perspectives on intercultural, societal, and global issues. 
• Network - I have broadened my network to include more contacts overseas. 
• Attitude - I am better able to appreciate our interconnected world, where actions in one place have implications elsewhere. 
• Attitude - I am more motivated to do my part in tackling societal and/or global issues. 
• Other benefits and takeaways from your exposure to the rest of the world. 

Grade breakdown

This course will be a pass/fail. To pass, you will need to get at least a B-. The grade breakdown is listed below.

No	Time Frame	Topics	Assessment Type	Weighting
1	Pre-Trip	Organization sourcing	Team	20%
2		Plan trip	Individual	20%
3	Trip	Discussion and Presentation	Individual	20%
4		Trip role/helping others	Individual	20%
5		Reflection	Individual	10%
6	All	Wiki, Blog & Photos	Individual	10%

Assignment

Here are the assignments:

1. Pre Trip
   1. Teams are to source for organizations to visit. Research on the organization.
      1. Ecosystem: background, industry, culture, ecosystem, research universities, compare to Singapore, politics, aspiration, etc.
      2. The culture/trait could be connections (companies, country, customer focus), support environment (government, business, infrastructure, society, market maturity, reputation), personality/company culture (integrity, leadership, competitive, entrepreneurship, savvy, creative, innovative, dynamic, risk taking, commitment to technology, excellent communication, team spirit, fun seeking, etc.). Research on this by reading books, websites or interviews. Come up with examples of company events when this trait is vital to the company. Explore this trait in some of the organization we will visit.
      3. Organization: background, motivation, challenges, investments/employee stock ownership plan/intellectual property, strategy/business model/IPO, culture/personalities/politics/connections, etc. Students to prepare a company brief that is due before the trip.
      4. Organization and students to work on a mutually agreed problem statement, which will be beneficial to both our students and the companies
      5. SMU Library resources. You may contact XIA Wei <weixia@smu.edu.sg> if you need to get SMU library resources while doing your research.
   2. Individual will be assessed based on the quality of your contributions in the role you play, getting organization, helping out with the trip planning and execution.
2. During the Trip (if it happens)
   1. Teams will ask questions, when the opportunity presents itself. Each team will introduce their company, present the focus and recommend improvements. Each team will have a backup team to support them (taking photos, questions, follow up, etc)
   2. Individuals will keep a journal/blog/diary/tweet (with video, photo, links, etc.) on the discussion and company visits. Focus on learning points and reflections. Compile your journal in the individual reflection page.
3. Post Trip
   1. Reflection on your research
   2. Key takeaways (2) or learning points from the organization
   3. Quotes from presenter/senior management/owner/founder
   4. Recommendation on how the trip can be improved further

Academic Integrity

All acts of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, facilitation of acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of exam questions, or tampering with the academic work of other students) are serious offences. All work (whether oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the student’s own work. Penalties for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to expulsion, depending on the nature of the offense.

When in doubt, students should consult the instructors of the course. Details on the SMU Code of Academic Integrity may be accessed at http://www.smuscd.org/resources.html.

Classroom Planning

There will be several classroom meetings to organize the course, trip and research. Students will meet in classroom to present their research findings. The teams are required to update their progress using the wiki.

Course Schedule Summary

Class (Week)	Topics	Comments
1	Course introduction, team formation and organization assignment.	Roles, Teams and Organisation. Team and group photos.
2	Organization groupings for each team and trip planning	Trip itinerary and Organisation Grouping.
3	Inspiration from Guests!
6	Confirm visits.	Sector Research and Contact (reorganise grouping).
Week 8: Break.
11	Present organization and itinerary (first come first serve)	Itinerary confirmation
12	Present organization and itinerary (as needed)	Itinerary confirmation
18	Reconfirm itinerary with companies	Company brief due
19	Visit company and have fun.	Reflection