Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Creation of Cultural Entities

Creation of Cultural Entities
3
10675
1
Second term
OB
Main language of instruction: English

Teaching staff


Dr. GIRONZA MARQUÉS, Alfonso - agironza@uic.es

Introduction

The Creation of Cultural Entities course focuses on the main topics in creating successful cultural businesses. This course seeks to provide the founding principles and knowledge to entrepreneurs and managers of cultural entities. Students are encouraged to learn how to use well-researched theories about strategy, innovation, and business management to understand why things happen the way they do in organizational management, and to understand what management tools and methods can be effective under different circumstances.

The methodology of the course is very student-oriented and practical. In class, we will learn the most important concepts and theoretical frameworks to start practicing them with a ‘learning by doing’ approach. Students will have to work on their Business Plan early on, and all the courses and classes are intended to support students throughout the development of their Business Plan.

In short, the course seeks to identify critical success factors in creating and managing cultural entities. It gives the student the opportunity to improve exercise-related skills with an active and practical methodology.

Pre-course requirements

Students are expected to be familiar with and to use basic economics and finance concepts, and to apply knowledge acquired in other courses such as cultural marketing, communication, and funding for culture. 

Objectives

The educational goals for this course are threefold:

  • Firstly, to become accustomed to the entrepreneurial process of generating ideas and how to commercialise cultural projects.
  • Secondly, to understand what is required to build a successful cultural business.
  • Thirdly, to appreciate some of the basics of private organizations and the economic environment in which these entities operate.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

Basic competences:
To have and understand knowledge that provides a grounding or opportunity to be original in terms of the development and/or application of ideas often in a research-based context.

Cross-disciplinary competences:
To design, direct, produce, and evaluate projects, programs, strategies, policies, or cultural actions that involve a wide variety of different professional profiles, agents, and institutions.

General competences:
To analyze and interpret social and cultural environments in order to identify needs, opportunities, weaknesses, and strengths.
To search for and/or administer economic resources within the framework of an institution, a company, or in a program, project, or cultural service.
To act responsibly and produce good quality rigorous and efficient work that is placed at the service of society.

Specific Competences:
To design and carry out an efficient and viable business plan within the creative sector.

  • CB10 - Students should have the learning skills necessary to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous manner.
  • CB6 - To have and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity for the student to develop and/or apply original ideas, often in the context of research.
  • CB7 - Students should be able to apply their knowledge and ability to solve problems in new or little-known environments, within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
  • CB9 - Students should be able to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and arguments supporting these conclusions to specialised and non-specialised audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
  • CE1 - To identify and use the main economic management tools and methods that may be applied in the various types of cultural organisations, differentiated according to mission (public, non-profit or for-profit).
  • CE10 - To define, design and programme an innovative and sustainable cultural project that responds to the needs and interests of society and contributes to social enrichment and development.
  • CE6 - To design and implement an efficient and viable business plan within the creative sector.
  • CE7 - To analyse, apply and assess marketing strategies in different cultural sectors, institutions and projects and develop a basic communication strategy for a cultural institution or project.
  • CE8 - To identify the business structures inherent to the creative cultural, visual arts and cultural heritage industries at a national and global level and manage the processes and work procedures involved in their creation, programming, management and production.
  • CG1 - To analyse and interpret social and cultural environments to identify needs, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths.
  • CG2 - To lead, coordinate and form part of interdisciplinary work teams.
  • CG5 - To act responsibly and produce high-quality, rigorous and efficient work that benefits society.

Learning outcomes of the subject

The student:

  • Possesses and understands knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in the context of research.
  • Designs directs, produces, and evaluates projects, programmes, strategies, policies, or cultural actions which involve a wide variety of different professional profiles, agents, and institutions.
  • Analyses and interprets social and cultural environments to identify needs, opportunities, weaknesses, and strengths.
  • Search for and/or administer economic resources within the framework of an institution, a company, or a program, project, or cultural service.
  • Acts responsibly and produces good quality rigorous and efficient work that is placed at the service of society. 
  • Designs and carries out an efficient and viable business plan within the creative sector.

Syllabus

Lecture 1: Entrepreneurial Profile

  • Setting the rules and expectations.
  • What is innovation and entrepreneurship?
  • Why is innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership important to launch a new company?
  • Specific and common needs of cultural companies vs. others.


Lecture 2:  Exploration of Ideas

  • Lean Start-up.
  • Design Thinking.
  • Model Design.
  • Storytelling.
  • Cultural Enterprises, profile picture. 


Lecture 3: Business Model Design

  • Business Model.
  • Business Model Canvas.


Lecture 4: Hypothesis Definition and Validation

  • Generation of the hypothesis of the business idea.
  • Exploration and validation of the main hypothesis.

 

Lecture 5: Starting the Business Plan:

  • Strategy definition.
  • The need for Strategic Management.
  • Understanding the value chain and the role of stakeholders.


Lecture 6: Market and Competitors

  • Definition and expected evolution of the target market.
  • The competition and the competitors.
  • Importance of having a competitive advantage.

 

Lecture 7: Sales and Marketing Plan

  • Segmentation.
  • The Five Ps of Marketing.
  • How to get the first clients.
  • Advertising and Sales promotion.
  • How to set up an optimum Selling Price.


Lecture 9: Operations Plan

  • The Operations Plan: Definition and elements.
  • Business processes.
  • Approaches to Start the Operations Plan.
  • Supply chain Optimization.


Lecture 10: Human Resources Plan.

  • Profiles required.
  • Team Building.
  • Recruitment and selection.
  • Salary and social benefits.
  • Training and career development.
  • Leadership and people skills.

 

Lecture 11:  Financial Plan

  • Key indicators.
  • Investments.
  • Cash flow and P&L.
  • Break-even point.
  • Balance sheet.
  • Ratios, profitability, and tracking performance.

 

Lecture 12: Management of the Newco

  • Organization.
  • Balance scorecard.
  • Objectives and indicators.
  • Continuous improvement and innovation.

 

Lecture 13: Implementation Plan

  • Some tools (Gantt Chart, PERT, GERT)

 

Lecture 14: Risk Management

  • Evaluate the potential risks.
  • Contingency plan definition.


Lecture 15:  How to Present the Business Plan?

  • Key factors for a successful presentation.

 

Teaching and learning activities

In person



In this class, we will take an active learning approach. This approach requires students to prepare for the class. In other words, they should do the assigned readings and/or answer the preparation questions for the study cases, think about the issues discussed in the assigned readings, and be prepared to contribute to the class discussion. The main learning will be achieved through case and article preparations, class discussions, and work on assignments just after the theory presentation.  

The course is composed of a mixture of theory classes, case studies, article analyses and discussions, and group project work. The class is offered in English and all class material will be available in English. Students will be provided with the cases, readings, exercises, and lectures.

Theory classes:
The objective of theory classes is to understand the main theoretical concepts related to the creation of cultural entities and consider all relevant elements in developing and implementing effective business plans. 

Group project work:
During the course, the contents will be worked through a business plan for a new cultural entity. Working on these assignments should:

  • Allow to practice the concepts covered in class to help you learn and understand them better and prepare for the final exam at the same time.
  • Motivate to learn more about specific industries and sectors.
  • Sharpen the analytical skills.
  • Help to become better at dealing with ambiguity.
  • Encourage to learn how to make recommendations and how to justify your opinions.
  • Improve group working skills.
  • Give an opportunity for public speaking in front of a relatively friendly audience.

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



This is a highly integrative course. Students are expected to develop their Business Plan throughout the course. To do so, the course has a practical approach that combines theoretical content with exercises in class.
It is recommended to take maximum advantage of classes to develop the content of the Business Plan.  To do so, students are asked to develop a holistic point of view able to integrate knowledge acquired in other courses such as marketing, communication, and finance or funding for culture.
For the best outcome of the course in terms of knowledge acquired and discussions, students must participate actively in class, reading all the material required for discussions and exercises. 
The use of laptops or other electronic devices (iPad, tablet, etc) is necessary to conduct the course exercises so please be ready to use them only for learning purposes.
During the term, students will be evaluated as indicated in the table below:

%

 ACTIVITY

20%

 Canvas

10%

Participation

20%

Progress test 

50%

Business Plan

Considerations:
a. Each assessment element (the second column) is scored with a grade between 0 and 10 with one decimal point precision. Zero is the lowest grade and ten is the highest grade. 

b. The final grade for the course is calculated by adding grades obtained in each element multiplied by their assigned weights (the first column). 

c. The final grade of the course is reported on a scale from 0 to 10 with one decimal point precision. 

d. In addition to numeric final grades, you are also given descriptive grades: 

  • NS (no show) 
  • 0.0 – 4.9 Failed
  • 5.0 – 6.9 Passed
  • 7.0 – 8.9 Notable 
  • 9.0 – 10.0 Excellent

e. A student can obtain an “NS” (“No show”) grade only if he/she doesn’t have any grade in any of the five grading elements. 

f. To obtain a passing course grade, you must obtain the final group project grade that is equal to or greater than 5.0 AND the total course grade that is equal to or greater than 5.0. 

g. Exam 1 includes only material covered before Exam 1. Exam 2 includes only material covered between Exam 1 and Exam 2. There is no final exam.

h. All students in a group receive the same grade for any teamwork.

i. The class preparation and participation grading element, evaluates your preparation for the case and article discussions, not your class attendance record. 

Bibliography and resources

 

Basic Bibliography:

  • Pinson, Linda, (2013) “Anatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing Your Company's Future”. Out Of Your Mind And Into The Mark.
  • Gillman, Joan and White, Sarah, (2001) “Business plans that work: includes actual business plans that successfully attracted financing”. Adams Media.
  • Blank, Steve and Dorf, Bob, (2020) “The Startup Owner's manual: the step-by-step guide for building a great company”. Wiley.
  • Carpenter, M. A. and Sanders, W. G., (2009) “Strategic Management Concepts and Cases” (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NY: Pearson Prentice Hall. 
  • Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. (2010). “Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers”. Wiley. 
  • Tokan, B. (2013). “How To Write Your First Business Plan”. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 
  • Kim, W. C. and Mauborgne, R. (2005). “Blue Ocean Strategy: How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make Competition Irrelevant”. Harvard Business Review Press. 


Teaching resources (posted on the course intranet): 

  • Powerpoint slides.
  • Supplementary articles and templates.

Teaching and learning material


Print version