ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Masters in Business Administration

BUS 705

Breyer State University
Instructor: Ian Marshall, PhD.

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to the course on Entrepreneurship, the final Masters Degree Level course in the curriculum for the Degree Masters of Business Administration. This is a very exciting course as it will allow you to research the world of the entrepreneur, and experience what possibilities there are for you to become a part of the many individuals that make a contribution to the growth of the economy through Self-employment.

If you are considering entering the world of the entrepreneur, you will find this course very enlightening as we examine all of the challenges that most entrepreneurs face as they develop their businesses. The course is designed around the realities of operating a small business and brings to the new entrepreneur the management tools and information needed to run a Micro Enterprise.

There have been many articles written on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship and of course there are all the books discussing individuals who are successful entrepreneurs, but it is not likely that you will hear of the numerous business ventures that fail daily, unless you are in the habit of looking in your local newspaper at business liquidations and receiverships. Most of these failures result from a lack of training. You may ask the question, “what has training to do with being in business for yourself?” Well, let me try to explain – firstly 8 out of 10 businesses fail within the first three years of operation. Several of the survivors simply survive despite themselves. There is however a clear correlation between business success and entrepreneurial education. A study undertaken by Dave Schulte of 400 micro enterprises based in Vancouver shows that there is a direct connection between success and entrepreneurial education, and further this success is higher amongst those who actually completed and followed a business plan. If you were considering entering a career of say that of an engineer, or a medical doctor, would it be not a good idea to take a training course in those disciplines. In fact would it not be true, that you would be disallowed from practicing as a doctor unless you had completed a certain number of years of training at a medical school and taken the recognized examinations. Thus it stands to reason then, that an education in entrepreneurship would not be too high an expectation when considering the career choice of that of entrepreneur. The challenge for you during this course will be to understand the importance of constructing a workable and meaningful business plan, and learning how to work on your business without getting trapped into the abyss of working in your business. This is a simple practical lesson which, differentiates your ability to achieve entrepreneurial growth, without the frustration of mundane tasks.

The business world is a complex system comprising many kinds of business organizations, large and small, which independently mobilize the resources of a country to satisfy the needs of its inhabitants.

Business is the primary source of products, services, employment and income for the community. Micro enterprises act as a catalyst for economic growth in the communities they serve. This economic growth leads to the social uplifting, empowerment and improvement of the general welfare of the community and the people that live in it.

There are several disciplines, which you will encounter in running a business, such as finance, marketing and production. However entrepreneurial success comes not only from good planning, accurate budgets and good cost control but also from raw "gut feel" - which is a result of experience and training.

You will undoubtedly have your own personal objectives in studying this course. Our objective is to provide you with the tools to establish a micro enterprise, which will benefit you and serve the community in which you operate. We trust that you will take up this challenge and begin the fantastic journey of entrepreneurship.

I thank you for giving me the opportunity to share many of my experiences through this course. I wish you every success in meeting the challenges of your own aspirations as you move towards entrepreneurship.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Ian Marshall

The course is designed to provide entrepreneurial business management skills from a practical point of view and the information provided is derived from real work place experience combined with the traditional textbook theory. It is designed to stimulate a paradigm shift from conventional thinking to entrepreneurial thinking, and to motivate creative ways to overcome the tough challenges faced by entrepreneurs everyday. Each of the participants is treated as a professional and as such will be expected to rise to the occasion in preparation for the final submission of the “Business Plan” which forms the final assignment of this course. You will experience the subjects of market research, marketing, sales and operations for your business. You will get to write your business vision and mission statements and set realistic objectives, towards the implementation of your business idea. I encourage you to put in place a business idea that can be well researched and for which a comprehensive business plan can be constructed. I am looking for ideas that create employment through developing the product or service: rather than buying and selling tomatoes one buys tomatoes and sells Ketchup.

COURSE AIM: This training course aims to equip you with entrepreneurial and business management skills with which you can start and run a micro enterprise – “a business entity”. The nurturing and fostering of these skills, combined with your individual capabilities, will assist you to become a part of the mainstream economy through the exciting concept of self-employment.

TIME FRAME: This is a five-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 register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your text book(s) have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of time are permitted, unless you have good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded five semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOKS: There is one textbook required for this course.

Book 1: A SIMPLE, PRACTICAL APPROACH TO BEING AND ENTREPRENEUR, by Dr. Ian Marshall & Dave Schulte.

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EXAMINATION ASSIGNMENTS: There are three examination assignments for this course. The first is due after three weeks, the second examination assignment is due after six weeks, and the final examination assignment is due at the end of ten weeks.

The first assignment is a comprehensive market research wherein you must demonstrate the use of the research tools taught and that you have understood whom your target audience is. The research paper must be a minimum of ten (10) pages in length, double-spaced with 1.5-inch margins. I must download your first paper by the end of the third week in the course.

The second examination assignment is the completion of your sales manual, which is a paper that must be a minimum of ten (10) pages in length, double-spaced with 1.5-inch margins. I must download your second paper by the end of the sixth week in the course.

The third examination assignment is your final business plan and must contain all of the elements as found in the business plan template, described in the textbook. The Business Plan must be a minimum of five (25) pages in length, double-spaced with 1.5-inch margins. I must download your third paper by the end of the tenth week in the course.

All three exams are programmed and are located in the classroom for this course. All of the exams must be based on your business idea and thus must follow the same business idea throughout. To send me the exam, you must send me an email and let me know that you have finished your paper. I will then download your exam and grade it. Within a week, you will receive an email back from me telling you what your grade was and why you received it.

EVALUATION AND GRADING: All assignments are to be handed in for evaluation and will be graded A, B, C, or D. The Final Assignment will constitute the final exam and will also be graded A, B, C or D. You will receive an outline of how I will be evaluating your final assignment, at the end of the textbook under the section Assignments – this will give you a full understanding as to what is required.

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90- 100%    = A
80-89%       = B
70-79%       = C
Below 70%  = Fail

CONTENT: Weight 65%.
1). Content is comprehensive, accurate and/or persuasive.
2). Major points are stated clearly, and are supported by specific details, examples, and/or analysis.
3). Research is adequate for the topic.
4). The context and purpose of the writing is clear.

ORGANIZATION: Weight 15%.
1). The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points.
2). The structure of the paper is clear and easy to follow.
3). The organization of the paper emphasizes the central theme or purpose and is directed.
4). The conclusion reviews the major points.

FORMAT/GRAMMAR: Weight 5%.
1). Spelling is correct.
2). Word usage is correct.
3). Punctuation is correct.

READABILITY/STYLE: Weight 15%.
1). Sentences are complete, clear, and concise.
2). The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment.
3). The paper must be consistent and must flow.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Provide a basic understanding of entrepreneurship and the business and economic environments as they relate to the business.
2). Encourage entrepreneurial thinking and business idea generation.
3). Provide the foundation to entrepreneurial business management and to explain the disciplines found within an organization.
4). Examine the market in which the micro enterprise is to operate.
5). Understand the need for a marketing plan, an operations plan and a financial plan related to small business, and to develop a “gut” feel for the business
6). Equip the participant with the ability to construct a meaningful Business Plan with all the elements required to build a successful business.

COMMUNICATION: You are encouraged to communicate with me. I am available as a teacher, coach, and mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. Primarily, communication is through email. However, I am also available for conversation by telephone if you would like. Our classroom for this course has a “chat” room. I am also very willing to meet with you one-on-one in the chat room at your request. From time to time, depending on how many students are enrolled in this course at a particular time, we will have some scheduled group chats. You will receive more detailed information at the time such chat sessions are scheduled. Please keep my email address handy so that you can contact me. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away.

ASSIGNMENTS: For specific assignments, please click on the link “Assignments”

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