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Entrepreneurs and Markets

Vak
2024-2025

Admission requirements

Required course(s):

None, but students should ideally have completed Academic Writing

Description

This 100-level course will introduce you to entrepreneurs and markets, i.e., the people who add value to society and the markets that they face and disrupt. We will examine both social and business entrepreneurs. Business entrepreneurs seek to maximize profits; social entrepreneurs are willing to earn lower profits to meet other goals (e.g., sustainable products, employing less-productive workers, etc.).

You will learn many economic ideas (e.g., induced demand, substitution, monopoly rents, gains from trade, etc.) in the process of understanding entrepreneurs and markets as well as researching your case study of an entrepreneurial success. These economic ideas are similar to those of Principles of Economics, but we will look at how they work (or not) in reality.

Course Objectives

  • Understand the value added by entrepreneurs and how they interact with markets.

  • Apply basic economic ideas to real world dilemmas and their potential solutions.

Timetable

Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2024-2025 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.

Mode of instruction

The course is taught through two-hour seminars. Students will be expected to participate in both large and small group discussions; present and defend their ideas within an academic setting; and take part in group projects. The instructor will facilitate and ensure the efficient running of the discussion, but students are responsible for its quality.

Assessment Method

  • Class participation: 10% (continuous weeks 1-7)

  • Study team: 10% (continuous weeks 1-7)

  • Homework: 3 x 5% each (due weeks 3/4/5)

  • Peer critiques: 2 x 10% each (due week 6)

  • Individual presentation: 10% (due week 7)

  • Individual essay: 35% (due reading week)

Reading list

Around 20 academic and popular articles (approx 200+ pages).

Registration

Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.

Contact

Dr. David Zetland, d.j.zetland@luc.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks

This course (formerly an elective called World of Entrepreneurs) has been reconfigured to fit in the Economics track of the GED major. GED students can take this course or Principles of Economics to fulfill the GED economics requirement.