This Fall I am helping re-launch a program at Regent's School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship--it is called an entrepreneurial MBA. With a team of two others I will teach a class entitled, BMBA 601: "The Future of Commerce." The focus is on how entrepreneurship can create and change culture, economy and community service. It is the first course in a 7-course online MBA sequence.

I spent nearly 3-weeks this past Spring on a course development team for this course. Given this program will be offered worldwide, our Dean asked us to develop it without textbooks! That put the burden on us to use journal articles, online media, and executive summaries--to build in 5-hours a week reading. The three emphasizes of the course are foresight, creativity and innovation. Students appreciate the role that for-profit enterprises can play in envisioning future needs, stimulating creativity in teams toward new product development, and leading innovation programs at the organizational level.

Here are some of the questions we open the course with:

• How can businesses consider the future, change, and uncertainties in a way that focuses commercial strategy?
• How can businesses identify trends and emerging issues on their horizon that will likely shape their strategic thinking and entrepreneurial decisions?
• How can civic leaders develop areas that are attractive to businesses and promote sustainable economic growth?
• How can biblical hope remain true to its roots, but creatively participate in the human future?

This course is organized around 7 two week periods of work. They are:

1. Innovation: Developing the Capacity within the Organization
2. Foresight: From Scan to Plan - Seeing What Others Are Not Able to See
3. Ideas: What Will Work in the Marketplace?
4. Disruption and Punctuated Equilibrium: Opportunities for Success
5. Transformation: Insight from Scripture
6. Business Site Selection: Understanding Regional Foresight, Growth, Development, and Change
7. Social Entrepreneurship
   

This is a great way to start an MBA, isn't it?

Can entrepreneurs really step up to the plate as social and global leaders? Yes, claims, Sir Richard Branson, in this recent BusinessWeek article.

If you are ready to earn an MBA, and want to study it under entrepreneurs, futurists, strategists, and proven business leaders, check out Regent's online and campus programs in this area. We will help you sharpened your skills and business acumen to participate on our national SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) competitions. My colleague, Dr. Greg Stone, has placed Regent teams in the top three over the past five years.