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2023/2024  BA-BBLCV6000U  Fashion Entrepreneurship and Business Development

English Title
Fashion Entrepreneurship and Business Development

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants 40
Max. participants 75
Study board
Study Board for BSc and MSc in Business, Language and Culture, BSc
Course coordinator
  • Fabian Csaba - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Marketing
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 02-02-2023

Relevant links
Learning objectives
The student should be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the core concepts and contemporary condition of fashion, lifestyle and design businesses
  • Apply analytical frameworks of the course to identify opportunities and address challenges of enterprises in this field.
  • Understand and reflect critically on the theory, concepts, tools and cases covered in the course
  • Develop and present a entrepreneurial venture project, a business model development project for an established entrepreneurial enterprise, or theoretical or strategic analysis of salient issues the business of fashion, lifestyle and design.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 1
Compulsory home assignments
Class presentation of group projects and Peer feedback on project presentations.
Students can present individual projects. For entrepreneurial and business development projects, however, it is recommended to work in groups.

Oral presentations etc.
Please note, to attend the exam it is a precondition that the student has made an attempt in the mandatory activity, unless it can be documented that lack of submission/participation was caused by illness or similar circumstances.

In case the student fails the mandatory activity or can document that lack of submission/participation was caused by illness, he/she will be offered an extra home assignment (3-pages) that is to be handed in before the exam.
Examination
Fashion Entrepreneurship and Business Development:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Oral group exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 2-5
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
Students have the option to submit an individual 10 page assignment. It is, however, recommended to do entrepreneurial and business development project work and submit reports in groups.
Assignment type Project
Release of assignment Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
15 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam Home assignment - written product
Size of written product: Max. 10 pages
Assignment type: Project
Release of assignment: Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration: Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Description of the exam procedure

Report on either entrepreneurial project/business plan, business development project, fashion industry analysis or fashion (business) theory paper and oral exam.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

This course introduces students to the fashion, lifestyle and design business(es) and provides them with the analytic concepts to understand and practical knowledge and skills to help establish and develop successful enterprises in this field - as entrepreneurs, consultants, analysts, or strategists.

 

The course starts with a survey of fashion, lifestyle and design businesses exploring their commonalities, distinctions, and entanglements. It examines key issues and forces driving change in the field including those linked to digitalization, globalization, and sustainability.

 

Drawing on theory, company cases and presentations, the course will explore entrepreneurial processes and the opportunities and challenges of developing new ventures, innovative products, sustainable business models and strong brands in fashion, lifestyle and design business.

 

The course provides students with conceptual tools and practical insights to understand and deal with issues entrepreneurs face in areas of finance, creative design and product development, sourcing and production, distribution, retailing and merchandising, communication, legal affairs, IPR and brand building

.

During the course, the students should acquire the skills to competently formulate, develop or rethink business models of companies in fashion, lifestyle and design. The course also aims to advance students' understanding of strategic and cultural  

 

The course draws on different disciplines, including fashion and design theory, entrepreneurship studies, business model theory, business economics, strategic brand management, social theory, and CSR theory.

 
Description of the teaching methods
The course consists of 8 three-hour sessions and 6 two-hours studio/workshops which blend theoretical and practical approaches to enterprises, markets, institutions and consumption in the area of fashion, lifestyle and design. The first part of the course, explores the field and introduces theoretical perspectives and concepts to understand, develop and manage businesses in this field. Gradually the focus shifts to cases and presentations by speakers, who share practical experiences and insights and provide the course's core illustrative case examples. In the latter stages, workshops guide student groups in developing their own entrepreneurship, business development or case projects. The projects should either detail a business plan or model for a new enterprise, assist an established enterprise in developing selected aspects of their business or deal with substantive issues in the business of fashion, lifestyle and design. Students will develop and present (preliminary) projects in class during the course, and submit final project report at the specified date. Project reports serve as the basis for oral exams. In class sessions, groups will present their ideas and receive feedback from their peers and faculty supervision in the preparation of the projects.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback on class assignments
Comments on project proposal ideas
Quizzes to test comprehension of selected texts and theory (with feedback)
Student workload
Total student hours 206 hours
Participation in classes 38 hours
Readings and assignments for class 60 hours
Research for project assignment 40 hours
Project presentation (preparation and evaluation) 10 hours
Completion of exam (project) report 38 hours
Oral exam preparation 20 hours
Further Information

The course is developed and will be offered in close collaboration with Danish and international industry associations and companies in the area of fashion, lifestyle and design.

 

It seeks to strengthen interest in fashion, lifestyle and design business at CBS, and help facilitate and encourage student entrepreneurship, internships, projects and research on business development in fashion. 

 

The course partners with Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship, providing a pathway for entrepreneurial projects beyond the course itself.   
Expected literature

Indicative literature

 

Aspers, P., & Godart, F. (2013). Sociology of Fashion: Order and change.  Annual Review of Sociology, 39, 171-192.

 

Kennedy, J. & Pearl, J. (2022) How to Build an Independent Beauty Brand, London, Business of Fashion.

 

Mills, C. E. (2018). “Grappling with the Challenges of Start-Up in the Designer Fashion Industry in a Small Economy: How Social Capital Articulates with Strategies in Practice”. In Creating Entrepreneurial Space: Talking Through Multi-Voices, Reflections on Emerging Debates(pp. 129-155). Emerald Publishing Limited.

 

Munch A. V., H.-C. Jensen, Selling Time: Multiple Temporalities in the Promotion of Danish Design Classics, Journal of Design History, Volume 35, Issue 1, March 2022, Pages 53–69

 

Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. (2010), Business Model Generation, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hobroken, New Jersey.

 
Last updated on 02-02-2023