The aim of this case study is to help students understand entrepreneurship and the conditions for setting up a business, with consideration of different factors.

Description of the case study. The entrepreneurs will give an introductory presentation and selected entrepreneurs will tell their own entrepreneurial stories. This will be followed by an introduction to the competition and assignment. The students will be given a moment to think about whether they have an idea or a concept around which they could try their hand at entrepreneurship. When thinking about an entrepreneurial idea, students should consider the following: what, where, what strengths they need and why this particular business would be successful (uniqueness). In thinking about this, students will be guided to use, for example, a SWOT analysis. Students should present the company’s product, which could be a good or a service, and the business idea should be as feasible as possible. Students should think about who the potential customers of the company are and how they would target their marketing. The students will draw up a plan for setting up the business, decide on the form of the company and prepare a budget. Students also need to think about how they would raise finance for their business. They will come up with a name and logo for the business. After a couple of weeks, the entrepreneurs will offer to the teams that have joined them support and ideas for improving their work. Schools will hold a qualifying round if a large number of teams turn up. In the final competition, teams will present their work and a jury of experts in entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship will select the winning work. The winning team will be awarded a cash prize of €100. The Entrepreneurship Idea Contest will be held annually at Case High School.

Authors: UuLops ESF project; Oulainen Upper Secondary School, Jokilaaksojen koulutuskuntauntayhtymä JEDU and Oulainen Unternehmer ry