At the end of the day, there’s only one real way to learn entrepreneurship – by doing it. But we think there’s a shortcut you can take that may allow you to bypass many of the failures, missteps and blunders that most entrepreneurs encounter along the way, and this is learning via:
In short, you need to stuff your feet into the shoes of a real world entrepreneur and see the decisions, risks, uncertainties, and motivations through their eyes. In case discussions you will take a scenario that really happened, and play it out as if it’s happening to you. You will sit in the midst of the complexities and make decisions. You will figure out how to prioritize, plan and execute.
During a case discussion, the teacher will press students to move from facts to analysis to judgment as they make critical business decisions. Time pressures and an action-oriented atmosphere also force students to focus and choose carefully how to spend class time. They learn to make decisions under pressure. What is more, case discussion gives the students a chance to practice the conversations that are required to make things happen.
In short, you need to stuff your feet into the shoes of a real world entrepreneur and see the decisions, risks, uncertainties, and motivations through their eyes. In case discussions you will take a scenario that really happened, and play it out as if it’s happening to you. You will sit in the midst of the complexities and make decisions. You will figure out how to prioritize, plan and execute.
During a case discussion, the teacher will press students to move from facts to analysis to judgment as they make critical business decisions. Time pressures and an action-oriented atmosphere also force students to focus and choose carefully how to spend class time. They learn to make decisions under pressure. What is more, case discussion gives the students a chance to practice the conversations that are required to make things happen.
You’ll be completing several experiences that take you out into the world to test and practice your skills and knowledge. These simulations and challenges aren’t your typical academic assignments—they are designed to get you out in the real world making difficult choices and reflecting on how those choices have affected you and the world around you. Processes that look good on paper sometimes fall apart on the factory floor. You’ve got to run a process to see how it really works. Simulations help you develop intuition about processes dynamics and the ways in which well-laid plans can go awry when real people are involved.
You’ll be completing several experiences that take you out into the world to test and practice your skills and knowledge. These simulations and challenges aren’t your typical academic assignments—they are designed to get you out in the real world making difficult choices and reflecting on how those choices have affected you and the world around you. Processes that look good on paper sometimes fall apart on the factory floor. You’ve got to run a process to see how it really works. Simulations help you develop intuition about processes dynamics and the ways in which well-laid plans can go awry when real people are involved.
These visits let you test your developing intuition as you observe real-world processes in action and meet the managers responsible for their smooth Operations.
These visits let you test your developing intuition as you observe real-world processes in action and meet the managers responsible for their smooth Operations.
In these tutorial sessions, you’ll work through analytical exercises that test your knowledge of basic concepts and your ability to apply them to process design, sales, cost management challenges, finance and more. Although the exercises focus on tools—in the spirit of Acton—each exercise also involves a business decision.
In these tutorial sessions, you’ll work through analytical exercises that test your knowledge of basic concepts and your ability to apply them to process design, sales, cost management challenges, finance and more. Although the exercises focus on tools—in the spirit of Acton—each exercise also involves a business decision.
In each class, students live with the consequences of their decisions – good and bad. It’s a game, but when students identify with the entrepreneur-protagonist, the emotional experience is real. As experience accumulates, students get better at recognizing patterns. Their reflexes improve. Over time, students will begin to see how certain actions might lead you astray. The more you fail, the more you learn to succeed. When the time comes, and you’re finally in a real world setting where everything is on the line, you’ll be better equipped to make the right choices.
The Acton MBA is an internationally acclaimed business school designed, led and taught by successful entrepreneurs, dedicated to inspiring and equipping the next generation of principled entrepreneurs.