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2014/2015  KAN-CIBCV2005U  Language and Entrepreneurship

English Title
Language and Entrepreneurship

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Master of Arts (MA) in International Business Communication in English
Course coordinator
  • Peter Juel Henrichsen - MSC
Main academic disciplines
  • Information Systems
  • Innovation and entrepreneurship
  • Marketing
  • Language and Intercultural Studies
  • Corporate and Business Strategy
  • Methodology
Last updated on 08-04-2014
Learning objectives
At the end of the course, students must:
  • be able to discuss how to motivate and introduce new communication solutions in existing professional working environments (e.g. companies or public organizations)
  • be able to discuss how to conceive and develop own innovative ideas for computer-aided communication solutions (e.g. start-up or consultancy-based)
  • demonstrate knowledge of the working principles of modern language tools for speech communication, translation, and web-interfacing
  • demonstrate working experience with one or more language tools applied in a specific professional environment
  • demonstrate basic understanding and working knowledge of contemporary theories of entrepreneurship
Course prerequisites
* BA in language (linguistics, translation, lang.technology, rhetoric, phonetics, etc)
* Proficiency in English (written and spoken)
* Each participant must bring a personal laptop (Linux, Mac, Windows)
Examination
Language and Entrepreneurship:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Group exam, max. 5 students in the group
Groups usually have 3 or 4 members, possibly 2 or 5. In the written paper, the contributions of each group member must be clearly identifiable.
Size of written product Max. 30 pages
Assignments are 20-30 pages (excluding appendices), max. 10 pp. pr. student.
Assignment type Project
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period December/January
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure
Each group delivers one main assignment at the end of the semester. The assignment contains:
  1. The project design, including technical issues and goals, development plan, and organizational circumstances.
  2. The inherent business model. Description of value proposition, end-user profile, competition, economical aspects, etc.
  3. An elaboration of the practical project developments (phases, actions, feedback etc.)
Course content and structure
This course prepares the advanced language student for a career as an employed or self-employed language expert, offering an alternative to traditional teaching-based career tracks. Participants are trained in applying their language expertise (be it linguistic, technological, rhetorical, or other) to new societal problem areas, in close cooperation with external partners (private enterprises and public organizations). Based on her/his personal academic profile and previous experience, each student is introduced hands-on to modern linguistic tools and applications for translation, spoken language interfacing, web-based communication, and more. The practical work is supplemented by readings of contemporary international research literature. Having acquired the necessary theoretical foundations, the participants are organized in study groups with complementary profiles (e.g. linguists with business students, translators with language technologists, phoneticians with communication students). Each group engages in a project, either self-defined (composing a business idea) or in co-operation with an external party (conceiving a solution to a communication-related problem). The projects are developed and advanced by the use of entrepreneurial principles, and the students will gain basic understanding and experience with relevant entrepreneurial methods. Groups wishing to present their projects at the Venture Cup (Nov 2014) will be given the necessary support; such participation is however not a course requirement.

During the course, participants will acquire a network of fellow students in complementary academic fields with an interest in language and entrepreneurship, as well as a contact list of persons representing companies and organizations with an interest in modern communication solutions.
Teaching methods
12 weekly sessions with lectures and/or group presentations (obligatory). Talks by invited speakers (highly recommended, but not obligatory). Visits to external professional environments (highly recommended, but not obligatory).

Preliminary semester plan:

1. Introducing the course (aims, methods, semester plan). Text Tools (how to collect, organize and use language data in a professional environment)
2. Intro to Translation Tools (machine translation, computer assisted translation)
3. Speech Tools I (text-to-speech)
4. Speech Tools II (automatic speech recognition)
5. The Web I (introduction to HTML5 and dynamic homepages)
6. The Web II (how to integrate language tools)

7. Group formation. Introduction to entrepreneurship.
8. Business Models 1 (design and organizing a business model)
9. Business Models 2 (communication and creating stakeholder commitment with a business model)
10. Group presentations and supervision
11. Group presentations and supervision
12. Questions and answers (exam related)
Further Information
Ændringer i skema kan forekomme
Tuesday 13.30-145.10, week 36-42
Expected literature
NB: Changes to the list should be expected

Jurafsky & Martin (2009) Speech and Language Processing, 2nd ed, selected chapters from parts I and II

Blank, S: The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products that Win, 2013: chapter 2.

Henrichsen, P.J. (forthcom.) Tale er Guld, om talegenkendelse i de danske kommuners tjeneste; Språk i Norden 2014. [will also be available in English]

 

Maurya, A.: Running LEAN - How to Iterate from Plan A 
to a plan that works 2012: Chapter 1-14


Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001),“What makes entrepreneurs entrepreneurial”, Harvard Business Review, 2 – 9


Hargadon, A. and R. Sutton (1997), Technology Brokering and Innovation in a Product Development Firm,“ Administrative Science Quarterly, 42 (4), 716–749.

 

Peter Juel Henrichsen
Danish Center for Applied Speech Technology (DanCAST)
Copenhagen Business School
pjh.ibc@cbs.dk
Resume
Mange danske kommuner er parate til at indfase automatisk talegenkendelse, men er samtidig nervøse
efter en lang række dårlige business cases i den nærmere fortid. Der klages over høje licenspriser og
lavt serviceniveau, den typiske virkning af et de facto monopol på leverandørsiden. Denne artikel
beretter om en ny offentlig handlingsstrategi der har taget form i 2013. Nok er Danmark et lille
sprogområde, men vores offentlige sektor er velorganiseret og købedygtig. Det seneste år har de danske
kommuner organiseret sig omkring den taleteknologiske udfordring, man har i fællesskab formuleret en
række spørgsmål og nye krav til leverandørerne og bevidst arbejdet frem mod et udbudsmateriale der
åbner for fair konkurrence. I dette arbejde har også offentlige forskere, heriblandt denne artikels
forfatter, deltaget som økonomisk neutrale rådgivere. Initiativet skal bane vej for den første rentable
kontrakt på området - som vi håber at se i 2014 - en begivenhed som præcis kunne løsne den
nuværende deadlock og åbne et milliardstort marked for taleteknologi i det offentliges tjeneste.
Introduktion
De danske hospitaler er erfarne brugere af talegenkendelse. De danske kommuner ville meget gerne
være det også. Set fra en kommunalbestyrelses synspunkt har talegenkendelse en række indlysende
fordele; den kan gøre sagsbehandleren mere produktiv, fjerne en forhadt skrivebyrde for de praktisk
orienterede funktionærer, støtte de sprogligt udfordrede medarbejdere: ordblinde, nydanske,
svagsynede, lavtuddannede. Med talegenkendelse på sin smartphone eller tablet kan hjemmehjælperen
afslutte sin visitationsrapport undervejs til næste klient, og trafiktælleren føre sine observationer direkte
ind i regnearket. Kort sagt, talegenkendelse er lean.
Baggrund
En lille snes kommuner - ud af Danmarks otteoghalvfems1 - har sat penge i taleteknologiske produkter
gennem de sidste fire-fem år. De har generelt været seriøst indstillet på at forberede deres personale på
nye arbejdsrutiner hvor man dikterer frem for at taste; ingen har troet at fordelene skulle komme uden
samvittighedsfuldt forarbejde. Alligevel har endnu ingen dansk kommune tjent sin investering hjem. I
dag anvender kun ganske få kommunalt ansatte talegenkendelse på daglig basis, hvad der står i skarp
kontrast til de titusindvis af læger i Skandinavien der benytter teknologien. Problemet har især ligget i
tilpasningsfasen. De fleste kommuner giver udtryk for at deres leverandør lovede en høj service med
uddannelse af brugere og tilpasning af talegenkendelsen in situ, men at virkeligheden blev en anden
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Last updated on 08-04-2014