Course content

The course ensures that students encounter different challenges associated with managing a modern technology enterprise. The challenges are related to establishment, development and management of companies. This specifically includes a) understanding of organisations, including change and development processes; b)understanding of economy including basic understanding of accounting, investments and economy management; and c) possibility evaluation, business development and technologybased innovation.

Learning outcome

The position of the course:
The course is an obligatory course for alle students enrolled in a 5-year engineering program at NTNU, but can also be taken by other students who want an introduction to enterpreneurship, organization and economics related to improving innovation in technology-based companies.

Knowledege provided in the course:
- a basic overview of themes relevant for an engineer within the areas of entrepreneurship, organization and financial engineering.
- basic knowledge about concepts and models for understanding innovation
- basic knowledge about concepts and models witin entrepreneurship related to possibility evaluation, technolobased business devlopment and financing of entreprenurial companies.
- basic knowledge about organizations with respect to how structural and HR theory can be used to improve innovative work in a company
- basic knowledge about central concepts and models in industrial engineering, particularly related to investment analysis, microeconomics and managerial accounting.

Competences developed in the course:
- Through the exercises students will learn to analyse the situation in a company with respect to important challenges to meet related to entrepreneurship and organizations.
- Through the exercises students will learn to develop and evaluate possible solutions to the challenges aalyused above
- Through exercises in economics students will train themselves to calculate and understand central models for calculating investments and accounting models.

Other competences:
- students will learn to use the textbook as a starting point for search for further material on challenges they meet.

Learning methods and activities

Weekly lecture of 3h where each lecture covers one sub-topic within technology management. There are three topics on entrepreneurship, four topics on economy and four topics on organisation. In addition, one week is reserved for the business simulator exercise. The topics are followed by practical exercises. One exercise is an individual lecture room exercise where the students complete an economic simulation of a company. Portfolio assessment is the basis for the grade in the course. The portfolio includes two exercises (each counting 20%) and a final written exam (60%). The results for the parts are given in %-scores, while the entire portfolio is assigned a letter grade. In addition to the exercises which are part of the mark, students need to complete either the economic simulation exercise or one other economy exercise. The other learning activities are voluntary. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may be changed from written to oral.

Compulsory assignments

• Assignment

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic knowledge og calculus and advanced mathematics similar to the basic courses givn to technology students at NTNU during their first two years are needed for the ecomonics part of the course.

Course materials

Course materials are given at the start of the study year.

Credit reductions