Advanced Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Innovation

Introduction

The Advanced Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Innovation prepares students for the working world with real-life and relevant skills.

Course Structure

The course consists of 12 modules - Economics for Business, Business Functions and Operational Processes, Human Capital Development in Business, Entrepreneurship Principles, Essentials of Marketing, Financial Accounting, Business Strategy for Competitive Advantage, Design Thinking for Business Innovation, Business Forecasting and Budgeting, Business Ideation, Prototypes and Implementation, Business Acceleration and Growth and Entrepreneurship Project (Group). The course will be conducted in both full-time and part-time modes with a course duration of 16 months.

Economics for Business

The module teaches students applied economics which uses economic theory and quantitative methods to analyse business enterprises and the factors contributing to the diversity of organisational structures and the relationships of firms with labour, capital, and product markets

Learning Outcome

• Acquire a solid understanding of key economic issues that are crucial for current and future business decision-makers.
• Recognize the factors influencing the relationship between business and economics.
• Develop a strong grasp of macro- and microeconomics, particularly regarding growth and competitiveness.

Business Functions and Operational Processes

Students will study how business functions in enterprises are responsible for managing the process of creation of goods and services. It is about designing, managing, and improving the set of activities that create products and services and deliver them to customers and it involved good operational processes.

Learning Outcome

• Learn how operations processes and management is the central core function of every company.
• Understand the differences and the unique challenges for the operations function in a manufacturing company and service company.
• Gain knowledge on how operations integrate with purchasing to understand impacts on supply chains.

Human Capital Development in Business

This module highlights the importance of managing staff to improve organizational fit, employee engagement and long-term business success. The program aims to provide a framework looking at human resource management challenges as well as leadership styles in organizations.

Learning Outcome

• Learn human resources importance in creating a positive and collaborative working environment.
• Gain insights to working in a multi-cultural environment and managing diversity across work teams and business units.
• Operations processes and management are the central core function of every organisation.
• Learn talent acquisitions management, strategies, and methods to build and maintain positive employees’ relations for business growth.

Entrepreneurship Principles

This module explores the concepts of entrepreneurship where it is seen as a starting point to transform oneself towards entrepreneurial-thinking and become a change agent for business growth. Whether the aspiration is to be an entrepreneur or a successful businessperson, it is important to be able to fulfil environmental, social, and economic expectations from the communities at large.

Learning Outcome

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the concept of entrepreneurship and its linkage to entrepreneurial mindsets.
• Learn what are needed to be a successful entrepreneur and examine issues that could cause business failure.
• Gain principles of transformation actions to achieve entrepreneurial endeavors.

Essentials of Marketing

This module offers a detailed and comprehensive introduction to the important elements of marketing concepts. Student will be able to develop an understanding of the key theories and applications of knowledge in marketing decision-making. The module allows students to develop an appreciation of the importance of strategic development and marketing planning for the organization.

Learning Outcome

• Learn the importance of the external and internal environment influencing marketing decisions of an organization.
• Gain awareness and approaches to customer segmentations, promotion strategies, pricing, products in marketing and promotional mix on buying choices and habits.
• Understand marketing management frameworks that enable business communication tactics and strategies used in today’s business awareness platforms.

Financial Accounting

This module introduces the basic concepts and principles of accounting and skills needed to analyze financial statements and disclosures for use in financial analysis. They will also learn how accounting standards and managerial incentives affect the financial reporting process. Students can apply these skills to a real-world business challenge in managing a business profitability.

Learning Outcome

• Enable students to combine practice and theoretical knowledge of financial accounting.
• Gain decision making skills in the financial analysis context and read the three most common financial statements: the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
• Develop ability to identify and analyze financial accounting problems and opportunities in real life situations.

Business Strategy for Competitive Advantage

This module will equip students with the concepts to understand strategy formulation and implementation to manage the firm’s competitive position and development. It is designed to enhance the entrepreneurial thinking capacity for strategic decisions making and problem solving. The module addresses the importance of the opportunities and challenges facing a business and setting out a course of action for dealing with them.

Learning Outcome

• Develop strategy options, evaluate options, and select the most appropriate strategy to ensure the growth of business.
• Learn the various frameworks and techniques of strategic management to effectively use them to make management decision.
• Understand how to effectively position a company or a small business until within a strategic plan whole considering the organization's capabilities and environment.

Design Thinking for Business Innovation

This module will look at design as a way to transform companies to create value. The business innovation landscape has evolved from being engineering-driven to design-driven, from product-centric to customer-centric, and from marketing-focused to user-experience-focused. Design thinking is now at the core of effective strategy development and organizational change.

Learning Outcome

• Learn the use of design thinking tools and methods to visualize a ecosystem that impact business activities and performance.
• Understand the needs of both internal and external customers and its influence on getting great customer experience by working towards a personalized customer service.
• Gain brainstorming and ideation strategies and techniques that can create innovations that are able to be integrated into a business model.

Business Forecasting and Budgeting

This module will focus on the financial budgeting process from start to finish. It will also teach students how to make sure there is a culture of good budgeting in a organization. Students will look at the various ways one can build a sensible and workable budget, techniques to analyze the results, and how to better an organization's financial performance improvements.

Learning Outcome

• Learn and adopt a disciplined approach to developing budgets that works to effectively use variance analysis to track performance.
• Understand how to accurately forecast results with quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Gain skills in how to present results with informative charts and graphs.

Business Ideation, Prototypes and Implementation

This module will focus on Ideation and developing the prototypes for implementations and testing. Ideation entails a process of discovery designed to lead toward the creation of dynamic and impactful enterprises. Prototyping is an integral part of an ideation process whereby it allows company to test business ideas quickly, take corrective actions, improve on them in a timely manner before full implementation and launch.

Learning Outcome

• Gain skills to generate business ideas, develop and pitch innovative new venture ideas to stakeholders.
• Evaluate the ideas and put into prototyping to determine the attractiveness and feasibility of new venture opportunities.
• Analyze the performance of the prototypes within the industries, markets, and competitions.

Business Acceleration and Growth

This module looks at the growth of a company business and what is the best route companies can take to achieve the highest possible business performance.  Students will look at how can companies create and accelerate growth, the possess of developing the capabilities for growth and look at some systematic approach to go beyond current business models for continual growth sustainability.

Learning Outcome

• Learn how to look beyond core business for both adjacent and new areas to reach growth targets.
• Develop a clear, shared vision, mission and strategy for growth as part of organization culture.
• Create the environment to encourage efforts to find growth and to deliver the growth of the company.

Entrepreneurship Project (Group)

This module will allow students to apply the concepts learned in the course. As a group, the students will strive to create a workable business idea by identifying and analysing data and information in relation to business feasibility challenges. Student will also be challenged in researching alternative solutions, and applying a judgment based on assessment of the evidence to pitch a business idea to a panel of judges.

Learning Outcome

• Identify appropriate data to assess entrepreneurial challenges within the chosen business idea context.
• Synthesize and use information and knowledge effectively
• Undertake, and communicate the results from, an independent piece of research work
• Creatively deal with complex corporate problems in a professional capacity
• Apply theoretical models to real world business solutions
• Identify, evaluate, and critically appraise alternative solutions to finance, marketing and product problems
• Numeracy and quantitative skills applied to business management decisions
• Critical self-reflection applied to business practice and experience
• Complex problem-solving skills to support corporate decision making
• Effective communication skills of complex solutions to business related decisions (including effective use of written presentation tools/reports)
• Effective skills of the use of information technology, where applicable
• High collaborative culture and personal effectiveness

Delivery Mode

Classroom learning, lessons to be conducted at Edvantage Institute (Singapore).

Learning Outcomes

• Gain a comprehensive introduction to the key economic issues relevant to present or future business decision-makers.
• Understand factors that impact and influence overlaps between business and economics.

Assessments

• 2 Written Assignments- 20%
• Group Project – 15%
• Individual Presentation – 10 %
• Class Participation- 5 %
• Written Examination – 50 %

Graduation Requirements

Obtain a Pass in all Assessment Components.

Teachers

All our teachers are registered with the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

Prerequisites

Minimum Age

Minimum age: At least 17 at the time of registration

Local Entry Requirements
Academic Level
- Relevant Diploma from local polytechnics/PEIs or equivalent, or;
- 2 GCE ‘A’ Level Credits (Grade D and above) exclude all languages
- Diploma in Enterprise Operations and Entrepreneurship (allows admission to Year 2 of this course)

Language Proficiency
- Minimum C6 in English Language at GCE ‘O’ Levels, or;
- Pass the English Placement Test

International Entry Requirements
Academic Level
- Completed Year 12 or equivalent in the home country of the applicant
- Diploma in Enterprise Operations and Entrepreneurship (allows admission to Year 2 of this course)
Language Proficiency
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 5.5 or equivalent, or;
- Completed English Language in Year 12 or equivalent, or;
- Pass the English Placement Test

Mature Candidates Requirements
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 5.5 or equivalent, or;
- Pass the English Placement Test, and;
- At least 30 years of age at the time of registration with 8 years of working experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis if the applicant does not have the academic minimum requirement.

Course Schedule and Fees

Please contact the School for information on course fees and intake.