SPECIAL PROJECT SYMPOSIUM

Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a Specialty Major

BUS 490

Breyer State University
Instructor:William Flood, M.A., M.Ed.

SYLLABUS

A NOTE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Welcome to the Special Project Symposium, my name is William Flood, your instructor. I am happy to be your instructor in this course, which is the final course in the business administration program.

COURSE OVERVIEW: This is an intense project-oriented course that will provide you with the opportunity to explore an issue of your choosing within the field of business management. Although not required, I highly recommend incorporating some form of fieldwork into this project. That is, actually locating a suitable business and helping them to solve a business problem or pursue an opportunity. Such fieldwork takes you beyond the mere academic application of your business learning; it offers you practical application of what you have learned. Additionally, it is a resume builder and can help you with career networking opportunities.

The rationale for such a course is simple. In order to be successful in the business world, managers must master skills in research, analysis, written communication, problem solving, management of time, and meeting deadlines – often under pressure. Additionally, managers must be able to pull from the various business disciplines including finance, marketing, management, law, and operations. This course will help you hone those skills.

In this course, you work in a semi-independent study format examining a specific problem or opportunity, of your choosing, related to the management of business. The identified problem/opportunity must require a managerial solution. You will produce a formal professional-caliber report analyzing the situation and proposing applicable solutions.

TIME FRAME: This is a thirty semester-hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten -week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you contact me to acknowledge your enrollment. The course is built on the successive preparation of your capstone project. There will be “mileposts” along the way – pieces of that final project – that will help you successfully complete the course in the allotted timeframe.

TEXTBOOK: There is no textbook required for the course. However, you will be making significant use of existing resources. I will suggest you locate a good source of primary and secondary business source material. Good sources may include a college library, a good public library, the Internet and online business journals.

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GRADING: The following scale will be used.

90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
Less than 60% = Fail

Grading weights on your final project will approximately follow the following

• Content (50%)
(Comprehensiveness, adequate solution of problem or opportunity, thorough analysis).

• Research (20%)
(Thorough research in both primary and secondary sources. Research is appropriate to the project).

• Organization (20%)
(Clarity, follows intended purpose, logical flow).

• Mechanics (10%)
(Grammar, punctuation, etc).

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Since I ask you to send me a biography to introduce yourself, I will do the same. I am a small business consultant and career entrepreneur. I began my entrepreneurial work running a computer training school. My next venture was a direct marketing business followed by a real estate investment practice. In the 1990’s I began consulting and training other small business owners. Today, I work with aspiring entrepreneurs in such diverse areas as mail order, e-commerce, import/export, and real estate investing. I also volunteer as a counselor for the Maryland Small Business Development Center. Academically, I hold graduate degrees in counseling from the University of Delaware and in business from Regent University. Currently I live in Virginia with my wife of 14 years, a new daughter and my three cats.

COURSE OBJECTIVE: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

1). Identify, define, analyze, and resolve a complex business problem or opportunity.
2). Conduct business-oriented research in both primary and secondary source materials.
3). Create a professional-caliber case study of no less than 30 pages consisting of a detailed problem statement, and associated technical report, that presents a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of a business problem or opportunity.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1). Write a formal project proposal within the discipline of business administration (100 points).
2). Adequate preparation, at the scheduled time, of two drafts of the written project (100 points).
3). Research and write a comprehensive technical report, of formal quality, that includes thorough analysis, systematic evaluation and appropriate recommendations. The final report should be no less than 30 pages (400 points).
4). Utilize primary and secondary source material, using offline as well as online sources.

COMMUNICATION: I am available as a teacher and mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. You are encouraged to communicate with me to ask questions, and discuss the subject matter and your projects. Although not calculated as part of the grade, you are expected to periodically confer with me to discuss the status of your project. Three such contacts are mandatory. The first should be during the topic selection period (week 3) in order to confirm your intended project. The second one should be during the micro-draft stage (week 6) to discuss your progress and review your draft. The third meeting should be at approximately week 8 at the rough draft stage, again to review your work to-date. Other meetings are optional; however, you can contact me as much as you consider necessary. Primarily, communication is through email, but if you need to reach me by telephone, we can arrange that as well.

SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS: Because this is a college-level course, make sure to document and reference where you obtain your information. My suggestion is for you to use American Psychological Association (APA) style; however, you may utilize any form of professional documentation with which you are familiar. If you choose to utilize APA style, but are not familiar with it, you can find a quick reference at http://www.psywww.com.

Beyond documentation, you can submit your assignments in any attractive and readable format. Written assignments can be submitted either by email (you can send it as an MS-Word97, ASCII text, or RTF attachment), or by FAX.

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