AMITY UNIVERSITY

SAP Singapore
Programme Structure
Duration: 5 Weeks
(March 9 April 12, 2015)

Programme Structure
Subjects
Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Credits
3

International Research Methods &

Professional Writing

Self Empowerment in Cross-cultural

Environments

Country Report

6-10 (depending on credit requirements

for the semester)

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DETAILED MODULES
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Course Objectives:
This course is designed for students who believe they will one day be involved in a
creative, entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial venture, and would like to understand
how they can draw from their own creative skills. It is also appropriate for students
who may work within an innovative company, such as one in the arts (record label,
movie studio), sciences (biotech, clean energy) or Internet (consumer, enterprise).
The objectives for this course are:
To give students a thorough knowledge of where innovation can be found
within the organization, how to recognize it, and how it can be used for
competitive advantage.
To provide students an understanding of how they, as future leaders of
innovative organizations, can recognize and harness creativity.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the concept and application of
Innovation - challenges and rewards
2. Assess their own suitability as a potential entrepreneur or intrapreneur by
understanding their networks and social capital
3. Write a business plan for a new business start-up, demonstrating problem
solving and creative thinking skills
Course Outline:
I. The Innovation Landscape
Introduction: Creativity, Invention and Innovation
Types of Innovation: Radical, Incremental, Technological, Commercial or
organizational Innovation
Stages in the Innovation Life Cycle
Ways technology can be a source of Innovation
II.

Foundations of Entrepreneurship
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Forms of Entrepreneurship
Opportunity Assessment : Generating and screening business ideas
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 Managing resources
Formulating Business Plans
III. Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Innovations Value Proposition for Entrepreneurs
Innovation Strategies for Competitive Advantage
IV. Suggested Group Project: Venture Proposal
Students will be asked to construct their own creative plan (personal
innovation plan) by synthesizing their personal learnings from the readings,
lectures, speakers, personal inventories and written journals. The venture
proposal should include the following: Executive Summary
Value Proposition
Business Model
Market & Competition
Resource Requirements

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International Research Methods and Professional Writing

Course Objectives:
This course is designed to develop students analytical and technical research skills
so as to endow them with competencies to design feasible research proposals and
successfully undertake research projects. The course aims to emphasize on
standard research methods used to understand a wide range of international topics.
Specific inputs and orientation will be given and deliberated upon to help the
students understand research methods and professional writing as per their
respective areas of expertise.
Student Learning Outcomes:
After completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Discover new facts and verify & test important facts
2. Be able to demonstrate the ability to design a research project and carry it
out
3. Analytically evaluate the research of others.
4. Identify, develop, present, and market ideas and research results effectively.
Course Outline:
I.

Research Methods: An Introduction

Basic Overview
Types of Research (Descriptive vs Analytical; Applied vs
Fundamental; Quantitative vs Qualitative; Conceptual vs
Empirical)
Types of Research: Area wise (Legal, Medical, Technical, Social,
Design and market Research)
Current Trends in Research (Mono-disciplinary, Trans-disciplinary
and Inter-disciplinary)

II.

Research Process
Formulating the Research Problem
Review of Concepts & Theories
Formulation of Hypothesis
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 Research & Sampling Design

Data Collection
Analysis & Interpretation of Data
III.

Professional Writing
An Overview
Basics of Writing:o Article
o Essay
o Thesis
o Dissertation
o Case Study
o Book
o Reviews
Criteria for Good Research

IV.

Suggested Mini Project/ Assignment

Comeupwithonegoodresearchquestionthatcouldtheoretically
beusedforaproject.
Writea57pageessaythatoffersexplanationofyourresearch
questionthataddressesthefollowingissues:

1. Whatisyourquestion,andwhyisitimportantininternational
studies?
2. What do you know about this question? What theoretical
relationships are important in it? What is its historical
context?
3. Whatsortofmethodswouldbeappropriatetoansweringthis
question?
4. What sort of data would you need to answer this question
well?Isitpossibleforyoutogatheranyofthisinformation
while studying abroad? If not, where would be the
appropriateplacetolookforgooddata?
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5. Basedonthese,includeananalysisofyourownthoughts.
6. Includeabibliographycontainingatleasthalfadozenarticles
and/orbooksobviouslyrelevanttothetopicandcitedinthe
paper.

Self Empowerment in Cross-Cultural Environments

Course Objectives:
Many of the key opportunities and challenges for global businesses center around
people from different cultures working together, whether as co-workers, employeeemployer, supplier-customer, or strategic alliance partners. The course develops
students knowledge of and skills in practicing: principles for optimizing human
performance in organizations, cultural intelligence, human diversity, and leading
and managing intercultural organizations.
Student Learning Outcomes:
After completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Understand how social change involves and affects integration,
empowerment, advocacy, and acceptance.
2. Identify the benefits of applying the self-empowerment model.
3. Sequence the examples of the steps in a self-empowerment model.
4. Understand culture and how it impacts organizations and businesses
5. Able to identify potential intercultural synergies and develop strategic plans
to help organizations use them to improve.
Course Outline:
I.

Self empowerment
Introduction to Self Empowerment Understanding Management of
Self in Business and Personal Relationships
Individual Values and Human Needs
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 Judgment and Personal Power

Self-empowerment Models
II.

Culture & Diversity

Culture & its Dimensions
Human diversity & its impact on Organizations and Businesses and
how it relates to culture
Inter-relatedness of local, global, international, and intercultural
issues, trends, and systems.

III.

The Key to Interpersonal Success

The Role of Personal Power in Communication
Preparing for what is Inevitable: Personal Empowerment and
Professional/Personal Success
Managing people for competitive advantage : Alignment and
Individual differences

IV.

Suggested Group Assignment

Do a field trip and observe the world around you. The trip can be
anywhere where there is cultural markers (symbols, signs, art,
architecture, images, preferences, etc.) downtown, around campus, the
dorms and dining rooms, the library, the media, etc. Do a cultural audit
and find examples of cultural, ethnic, or racial bias. What generalizations
would you make about how cultural markers can be constructed in an
empowering and respectful fashion? Did you notice any stereotypes or
hidden assumptions? Did you encounter anything surprising? Write up
your findings in a 4-5 page paper.

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Non Teaching Credit Course (NTCC): Under Graduate Program

Country Report
Course Objectives:
The objective of this course is to familiarize the students with the various products
and International markets. While collecting the primary data the students will get a
first hand feel about the prevailing trends in the market and consumer behaviour
patterns. This will help the students to correlate their studies with the practical
market situations of the developed country and that of India.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the study the students will be able to:
Understand the nuances of a developed market vis--vis a developing
market.
Analyze clearly the empirical data collected for that particular market.
Provide recommendations and policy implications for a developed market.
Course Outline:
The student has to write a report based on empirical findings of the respective
market. The guidelines for writing the Report are as follows:1. A particular market has to be selected by the student under the guidance of a
faculty.
2. The market can that be of a product, service or financial instruments.

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3. After collecting the secondary data and going through the relevant literature
the student has to submit a synopsis to the faculty stating the objective and
the research methodology.
4. After getting the approval of the faculty, a detailed questionnaire has to be
made by the student.
5. The primary data has to be collected and analyzed by the student.
6. The findings have to be clearly stated along with the recommendations and
policy implications.
7. This study of the market has to be compared with the same sector, same
market and the same product in India.

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Non Teaching Credit Course (NTCC): Post Graduate Program

Country Report
Course Objectives:
The aim of this report is to enable the student to undertake a learning journey
which is largely self-directed and self-motivated. It provides student the
opportunity to integrate the various dimensions and domains of knowledge
acquired thus far.
Student Learning Outcome:
At the end of the study the students will be able to:
Understand the history, culture, government, and modern business
practices of the country
Provide recommendations and policy implications for a developed
market,
Understand the business and competitive environment in which the
organization is operating.
Describe the complexities of doing business in the region.
Evaluate the benefits and risks associated with different ways of doing
business in various markets.
Course Outline:
The student has to write a report focusing on their chosen country Study Abroad
Program (SAP) based on empirical findings of the respective countrys market. The
guidelines for writing the Report are as follows: The country report should be a minimum of 10 pages and maximum of
15 pages of written text (not including bibliography).
Each student must submit an independently written report of their
project.
All contents need to be sourced from reliable primary & secondary
sources; references for which MUST be maintained in proper format.
The report should utilise class room learning and external exposure to
evaluate issues on hand and suggest remedial/progressive measures that
may be taken by a concerns.

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The report should begin with an overview of the history, culture, government, and
modern business practices of the country. It should then highlight the impact of the
global economic crisis on various sectors of the economy. The report should
explain the root causes of the crisis, how and why the crisis is impacting the
country, what the country is doing to solve the problem, obstacles to progress, and
what else should the country do to solve the crisis. It should include a brief
discussion of how the current value of the euro (or local currency) is affecting
economic activity in the country and a projection of whether the euro or local
currency will strengthen or weaken against the dollar.
This report should give the reader a general overview of the politics in this country
in a comparative context. It should be broken down as follows:
Chapter Plan
Section 1: Introduction to your country (1-2 paragraphs)
Section 2: Relevant Historical themes. (Absolutely not more than 1 page) One
way to help determine the relevant historical themes is to write the institutions
section first. Then go back to history, and ask yourself, What about its history
helps explain these institutions?
Section 3: An overview of the major political and institutional characteristics of
the country (4-5 pages). Remember, you are trying to educate the state department
about this country. Be sure to describe the political significance of the countrys
institutions. What is the institutional outcome of these institutions (even
presidential systems)? What should the US president know about how a prime
minister differs? What is the outcome of an electoral system based on proportional
representation, etc. Dont just list the institutions, describe what we should know
about them. This is where most people lose points. You must discuss the
significance of these institutions.
Part of understanding these institutions understanding two features: 1.) What is the
institutional outcome and 2.) How do these institutions work in the given
political/social/cultural factors in the country? What about these institutions that
make them a good choice (or not) in this society?
Section 4: A discussion of how this country compares with one other country
weve studied in class. How do politics work similarly or differently in these
countries and why? You may chose a similar country and compare, or a dissimilar
one and contrast. Some questions to consider: How do the same institutions work
differently in different countries? Are the institutions each country has chosen for
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itself appropriate and why? (This is an analysis of how politics function in these
two countries)
You may chose to combine the discussions in sections 3 and 4 (weave them
together) if that makes more sense to you
Section 5: An overview of current issues faced by that country (based on your
country briefings) 2 pages. Think big picture, not the tiny details. If your country is
facing problems with corrupt officials, discuss this, and use an example from your
country report as supporting evidence (not the main topic).
This section should be thoughtful and well-analyzed. It should reflect the opinion
of a country expert who has been studying this country for 2 months.
Section 6: Full bibliography (no page limit).

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