LUBS1890 – Starting Your Own Business

LUBS1890 – Starting Your Own Business

University of Leeds | Leeds University Business School

🎯 Course Overview

This module equips students with foundational entrepreneurial thinking, including opportunity identification, market feasibility, creative idea generation, and the development of competitive advantage using Blue Ocean Strategy. It provides theoretical and practical frameworks to develop a new business idea from scratch.

📅 Weekly Lecture Themes

  • W1: Module Introduction & Assignment Brief
  • W2: Opportunity Identification – Ideas vs. Opportunities
  • W3: Understanding Target Markets
  • W4: Market & Industry Feasibility Analysis
  • W5: Creative Idea Generation & the Marketing Mix
  • W6: Creating Value & Competitive Advantage (Part I)
  • W7: Blue Ocean Strategy – BOC & BOS
  • W8: Entrepreneur Feasibility & Team Analysis
  • W9: Entrepreneurial Skills & Motivation
  • W10: Pitching + Assignment Workshop

📚 Key Readings & Frameworks

  • Timmons (2004) – Opportunity Recognition
  • Drucker (2014) – Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Blundel & Lockett (2011) – Exploring Entrepreneurship
  • Dimov (2012) – Entrepreneurial Opportunities

📝 Assessment

100% Individual Assignment – A 2,500-word written report and visual Blue Ocean Canvas.
Students must identify a market opportunity, evaluate its feasibility, and develop a unique business idea supported by strategic analysis and justification.

💡 Assignment Reference Guide

  • Section 4: Entrepreneur Feasibility Analysis
  • Section 5–6: Market & Industry Feasibility – support from Weeks 2–4
  • Section 7–8: Competitive Positioning & Blue Ocean Strategy – Weeks 5–7
  • Section 9: Concluding Feasibility Summary