Objectives and competences
Students in this course:
1. deepen their understanding of the basic concepts of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial process;
2. develop the ability to recognize and make basic assessments of entrepreneurial opportunities;
3. acquire basic knowledge for using entrepreneurial tools in the development of business ideas, business models, and business plans;
4. understand the importance of entrepreneurial resources, entrepreneurial teams, and entrepreneurial ecosystems for the creation and development of new ventures;
5. develop the ability to combine knowledge in the fields of entrepreneurship, business economics, marketing, finance, accounting, and organization when dealing with specific business cases;
6. develop basic skills for analyzing business problems and designing appropriate solutions;
7. develop awareness of the ethical, social, and environmental aspects of entrepreneurship and responsible business practices;
8. develop the ability to work in a team, express themselves in writing, and present business content orally.
Content (Syllabus outline)
1. Definition of the concept of entrepreneurship, its development, types of entrepreneurship and its role in society
2. Definition of the entrepreneur, his characteristics and motivation
3. Development of business from the idea as an entrepreneurial process
4. Identifying, evaluating and exploiting business opportunities
5. Business model development, lean approaches and business planning
6. Entrepreneurial team development and the role of networking
7. Creating business strategies
8. Facing entrepreneurial risks
9. Exit strategies
10. Entrepreneurship ecosystem
11. Entrepreneurship in Slovenia
Learning and teaching methods
- lectures;
- guest speakers and entrepreneurs;
- case studies;
- team work;
- out of building canvas hypothesis testing
Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding
Development of knowledge and understanding
Student:
1. explains the basic concepts of entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial process, and different forms of entrepreneurship;
2. describes the key stages of developing a new business and the basic elements of a business model and business plan;
3. explain the importance of entrepreneurial opportunities, entrepreneurial resources, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the creation and development of a company;
4. recognize the connection between entrepreneurship and social, economic, and technological changes in the environment;
5. explain the ethical, social, and environmental aspects of entrepreneurial activity.
Intended learning outcomes - transferable/key skills and other attributes
Cognitive/Intellectual skills
Student:
1. recognizes and makes a basic assessment of a business opportunity based on market needs and identified problems;
2. analyzes a selected business case from the perspective of customers, customer value, resources, and feasibility;
3. collects, organizes, and interprets basic information for evaluating a business idea;
4. compare different options for developing a new venture and assess their basic advantages and limitations;
5. use basic entrepreneurial tools to solve a specific entrepreneurial problem.
Key/Transferable skills
Student:
1. searches for and uses relevant information from professional literature and business practice;
2. participates in a team in the development of a business idea, business model, or business plan;
3. prepares a structured written report or seminar paper;
4. clearly and coherently presents a business idea, business model, or analysis findings;
5. uses information and communication technology in the preparation of assignments, analyses, and presentations.
Practical skills:
Student:
1. creates a basic Business Model Canvas for the selected business idea;
2. prepares a basic draft business plan for the selected venture;
3. conducts basic field testing of the selected business model assumptions;
4. based on the findings, proposes basic improvements to the business idea or business model.
Readings
Obvezna študijska literature (Compulsory textbooks):
1. Podjetništvo: glavni dejavnik razvoja. (2022). Ekonomska fakulteta. https://www.ef.uni-lj.si/assets/Zaloznistvo/Studijska-gradiva/Podjetnistvo-glavni-dejavnik-razvoja.pdf COBISS.SI-ID - 110246915 (izbrana poglavja)
2. Burns, P. (2022). Entrepreneurship and small business: start-up, growth and maturity (5th ed., str. XLIV, 537). Red Globe Press. (izbrana poglavja)
3. Podjetništvo: glavni dejavnik razvoja. (2022). Ekonomska fakulteta. https://www.ef.uni-lj.si/assets/Zaloznistvo/Studijska-gradiva/Podjetnistvo-glavni-dejavnik-razvoja.pdf (izbrana poglavja)
4. Blank, S. (2013). Why the Lean Startup Changes Everything, Harvard Business Review, May 2013. Dostopno na: https://hbr.org/2013/05/why-the-lean-start-up-changes-everything
5. Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y. Business model generation. Dostopno na/available at: http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/downloads/businessmodelgeneration_preview.pdf str. 14 – 44.
6. Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G., Smith, A., Value Proposition Design. Dostopno na/available at: https://assets.strategyzer.com/assets/resources/value-proposition-design-book-preview-2014.pdf. Str. 15-38.
Dodatna študijska literatura (Additonal textbooks):
7. Bradač Hojnik, B. (2025). Podjetništvo: skripta pri predmetu Podjetništvo. EPF. (dostopnjo v Moodlu predmeta)
8. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor ter Slovenski podjetniški observatorij, izdaje zadnjih 3 let, dostopno na/ editions of last 3 years, available at: www.ipmmp.um.si
9. BRADAČ HOJNIK, Barbara, RUS, Matej, MOČNIK, Dijana. Podjetniška demografija in dinamika podjetij različnih tehnoloških ravni, znanja in razvojnih faz : Slovenski podjetniški observatorij 2024. 1. izd. Maribor: Univerza v Mariboru, Univerzitetna založba, 2025. 1 spletni vir (1 datoteka PDF (179 str.)), ilustr. Slovenski podjetniški observatorij (Online). ISBN 978-961-286-975-5. ISSN 3023-9818. https://press.um.si/index.php/ump/catalog/book/965, DOI: 10.18690/um.epf.2.2025. [COBISS.SI-ID 232187651]
10. Goljar, M: Poslovno modeliranje. Ustvarjalnik, Ljubljana, 2012 (dostopno v moodlu / available in moodle)
11. Rus, M., Rebernik, M.: Načrtno do uspeha. Priročnik za pripravo poslovnega načrta, IRP Maribor, 2005. Dostopno na spletnih straneh Tovarne podjemov: www.tovarnapodjemov.org
12. Rus M., et al: Orodje za poslovno načrtovanje, IRP, dostopno na: www.tovarnapodjemov.org, 2007.
13. Tominc, P., Rebernik, M., Bradač Hojnik, B., & Širec, K. (2019). Danube region entrepreneurship observatory: entrepreneurship ecosystem, women and youth entrepreneurship. Pearson.
14. Hisrich, R. D., Peters, M. P., & Shepherd, D. A. (2017). Entrepreneurship (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Dodatna literatura in študije primerov (vključno z izbranimi članki iz mednarodnih znanstvenih revij ter primeri iz poslovne prakse) bodo študentom posredovani na predavanjih. (Additional readings and case studies (including selected articles from international academic journals and practical business cases) will be provided to students during lectures.)
Prerequisits
A passing grade in the written exam is a prerequisite for the consideration of other assessment elements (seminar paper, coursework, class participation).
Additional information on implementation and assessment - written exam (60%);
- project (10%);
- seminar paper (10%);
- fieldwork (10%);
- coursework (10%).
Written exam or written assessment with midterm exams. The written assessment includes two midterm exams. Students shall pass the written examination if they achieve a total of 56% of the maximum possible marks in both midterm exams.
Note: The project involves the preparation of a business model (canvas), and the seminar paper involves the preparation of a business plan.
