Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Food Business

Full course description

In this course you will explore the origin of business opportunities that relate to food innovation and learn why only a few of the discovered opportunities are pursued, how ideas are transformed in products and business concepts, and how small initiatives can develop into large businesses. The primary goal of this course is to develop an understanding of the key components of successful business development, innovation and entrepreneurship in general and in the Health Food industry in particular. This course covers the entrepreneurial process from conception of a product and/or business opportunity to the birth of the new venture and its product launch. It looks at both the process and the people involved in assessing ideas, exploiting opportunities, gathering resources, and converting concepts into businesses. In the course we also look at the challenges to product innovation in large multinational food companies. We will explore scholarly insights that you can use throughout your career in the Health Food business (in a broad sense). It is not only relevant for those who may eventually venture off themselves. It is as valuable to those who will deal with product and/or business development in their professional careers. Entrepreneurs are found in virtually every business where an entrepreneurial drive (exploiting opportunities) is necessary for the firm's survival. Through case studies, tutorials, and a field project you explore how new products and businesses are conceived, developed and grown. In doing so, it provides future innovators with a framework for selecting, funding, and executing product innovation projects. It also allows them to explore food innovation in a broad variety of organisations. A field project allows you to start building a relevant network in the food industry.