BUS 491CS: Small Business Consulting Fall 2015

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1 BUS 491CS: Small Business Consulting Fall 2015 COURSE AND PROFESSOR INFORMATION: Professor: Dr. Franck Vigneron Office: JH 4140 Telephone: (818) Class and Schedule: Monday 7pm to 8.15pm in JH1238 +Online Meetings Professor s Office Hours: Mondays in Office from pm, and by appointment. Course Website: COURSE OBJECTIVES: You will complete a Small Business Institute (SBI) consulting project. The purpose of the SBI program is to provide high quality business consulting to small business clients who request assistance, while affording advanced Business students experiential learning through the field case consulting model. (More information is provided in the SBI Student Consultant s Manual.) High quality business consulting is comprised of: Direct contact between the student team and client (IMPORTANT: a minimum of six (6) client meetings are required. Consulting sessions are defined to include both personal visits and telephone conversations, but a minimum of three (3) client contacts should occur as personal visits to the client s place of business.) Detailed analysis of the client s business and business problems or challenges. Thorough research. A useful and professional written report and oral presentation to the client. For you as a student, your BUS491/SBI project will provide you an opportunity to: Apply classroom/functional area knowledge, concepts, theories, and skills to actual problems currently encountered by small business owners. Sharpen analytical, problem solving, decision-making, communication, and human relations skills. Explore the advantages and disadvantages of a possible personal career as a small business owner and/or manager. Emphasize and achieve quality and professionalism in your work. Experience the satisfaction of providing immediate value to a particular small business. COURSE PREREQUISITES: 1. You must have at least a 3.0 GPA overall and in your business courses. (If you do not, and this is the only prerequisite not met, under special circumstances you may be permitted to

2 2 take this course with a strong letter of recommendation from a CSUN faculty member in your major/option. If you are trying to qualify for this course by using a letter of recommendation, those letters must be received by the end of the first week after the semester starts). 2. You must be a Business Administration major with senior standing (minimum 90 units) and have accomplished significant advanced coursework in your option. 3. You must have passed BUS 302 and BUS 302L (previously BUS 301). 4. You must have a passing score on the Upper-Division Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE). 5. IMPORTANT!!! You need to be highly self-motivated and disciplined. The project will require you to demonstrate excellent research, analysis, and communication skills. Also, you must be well-organized, responsible, and able to work well with a team and a business client. NOTE: BUS 491 is an official elective for Management (it can be substituted for MGT 498), Marketing, and Supply Chain Management. Typically, Finance and Business Law will permit substitution of the course for an option elective with the Department Chair s approval. The Chair of SOM may substitute the course if your project has a significant SOM component. IS and Accounting will not substitute the course. Please see me if you need assistance in obtaining these clearances. TEXTBOOKS: There is no one specifically assigned textbook for this class since projects will vary. However, during the first week you MUST read the Small Business Institute s, Student Consultant Manual. Download it from the course website, read it the first week before you meet with potential clients, and use it as a reference as you work on your project. Additionally, follow the Report Guidelines handout posted on the course website; and use as resources marketing, management, finance, business law, and other textbooks from your previous courses. A variety of books on small business and entrepreneurship are housed in the Wells Fargo Center for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. You are welcome to use them during my office hours and by appointment, and some are available for checkout. Your group may also purchase one of the following instructional books to use as a resource. Use the information below to locate these books new or used at amazon.com or another bookseller. Art of Start : The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything (2004) by Guy Kawasaki (ISBN13: ) Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (6TH, 2011) by Norman M. Zimmerer (ISBN13: )

3 3 Trade Book: Finally, your group must locate or purchase one trade book relevant to your client s industry or specific business needs. You may want to request your client purchase this book for your use during the semester. The client may then retain the book. If you are not able to identify a good book specific to your client s industry, I suggest you purchase a book on marketing for small business. One suggestion is Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business, 4th Edition (2007) by Jay Conrad Levinson, Houghton Mifflin. Other books in the Guerrilla Marketing series also are excellent. You can glean great ideas for inexpensive marketing from these books. COURSE BENEFITS: Your participation in this course signifies that you are a superior student, capable of independent work of high quality. You will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty and a member of the local business community. The project you do in this course should be noted on your résumé. If you satisfactorily complete this course, you can expect letters of recommendation from the faculty member(s) with whom you worked. Your satisfied client may also give you a letter of recommendation, and some students even receive job offers. Remember, however, that your Confidentiality Agreement prevents you from accepting any compensation for this project. You must wait until after the project is completed before you accept a job or other offer that would give you a vested interest in your client. GRADING: Grades will be determined primarily by evaluation of your report by your faculty advisor(s), with consideration of input from your client. Grades given individual team members may be adjusted to compensate for the quality of individual contribution and participation, as per peer evaluations by your team members and your weekly consultancy logs. Individuals who fail to work cooperatively with their team, miss client meetings, substantially fail to contribute to the finished project, and the like, may receive a failing grade in the course, even if the project as a whole as completed by other team members is strong. It is expected that each consultant (that s you!) will exhibit a mature and professional approach to research and problem solving in connection with your project. Failing to engage in sufficient primary and secondary data gathering, lack of rigor in analyzing your client s situation, sampling fewer than a reasonable and statistically reliable sample, and the like, constitutes grounds for failure.

4 4 In determining the grade for the final report, the following five factors will be of primary importance: 1. What degree of competence and professionalism is exhibited in the report? 2. How intensive a treatment was the project given? Was the problem(s) under review thoroughly investigated and analyzed? 3. What is the quality of the recommendations? Do recommendations truly address the critical issue(s) and problem(s)? 4. Can the recommendations be feasibly implemented? Are the recommendations appropriate and practical to be utilized at this point in time? How can your client get from here to there? 5. How well organized and readable were first drafts? How much thought and preparation was apparent regarding organization, format, grammar, spelling, clarity of expression, etc.? Were necessary changes and further improvements made in subsequent drafts? Was the team proactive in putting forth the effort required to deliver a professional quality report and presentation? NOTE: Grades of Incomplete (I) will be given only when there are exceptional and uncontrollable circumstances, and sufficient progress has been made in the course. An Incomplete will result in a grade penalty of one letter grade per month the report is delayed. Remember, your client is anxiously awaiting your analysis and recommendations! TIPS FOR SUCCESS: BUS 491 is an intensive course demanding motivation and self-discipline. I cannot overestimate how important it is that you stay on track with your project. It will be tempting to put out fires and devote your attention to perhaps the more immediate demands of other courses, your place of employment, and your family. I understand this pull. However, you and your team must not procrastinate. Timely and sustained effort throughout the semester is required to ultimately deliver a quality project to your client. Please check in with your faculty advisor(s) regularly. We can help provide motivation and encouragement as well as constructive suggestions! You need to allow plenty of time for your initial drafts to be reviewed and revised. Because of the public relations and obligations involved in providing consulting to members of the business community, we must require an extremely high standard before any project is submitted to a client. We have never received a first draft that was acceptable without substantial revisions. Take advantage of your faculty advisor(s), the Learning Resource Center, and each other to improve the quality of your written work. You will be required to provide rewrites until your report is of high professional quality.

5 5 ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any form of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the course, and will be reported to the University for discipline. The most common types of academic dishonesty in courses of this type are: Fabrication intentional falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise (CSUN s definition) this includes falsifying research data and falsifying sources of information. Plagiarism intentionally or knowingly representing the words, ideas, or work of another as one s own in an academic exercise (CSUN s definition) this includes failing to acknowledge a direct quote with quotation marks and citation, and failing to cite a source of paraphrased material. GRADING CONTENT: A balance of 50% written and 50% oral grades will measure your overall entrepreneur performance this semester. GRADES 10% = Mini Quiz 40 questions in 40 minutes. 40% = Final Presentation 20 minutes presentation to the client, plus questions. 50% = Report final document given to the client. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE UPDATED on Thursday 13th August 2015 IMPORTANT Here is the 3 groups Schedule when we meet in Classroom. Group 1: 7:00pm-7.25pm Group 2: pm Group 3: 7.50pm-8.15pm

6 6 Here is the 2 groups Schedule when we meet in Classroom = 35 mins each First Group: 7:00pm-7.35pm Second Group: pm The Wells Fargo Center for Small Business & Entrepreneurship will meet and present to your client near the end of the semester. You are required to participate and showcase your work. You will make a poster for the public events with client, and a presentation to the clients at the end of the semester (see schedule). Let your client know early about these two events. Week 1: To Do/To Complete Meet in class and review concepts M. Aug. 24th 2: M. Aug. 31st 3: Meet in class. Review concepts. Make Groups 30 mins SKYPE meeting to Schedule with Team 1, 2 and 3 LABOR DAY M. Sept. 7th 4: M. Sept. 14th 5: M. Sept. 21sh Meet in classroom as a class; review of concepts of strategic opportunities and just noticeable difference. 30 mins SKYPE meeting to Schedule with Team 1, 2 and 3 M. Sept. 20th Meet in classroom for mini quiz. Mini Quiz on concepts of strategic opportunities and just noticeable difference. 40 questions in 40 minutes. 30 mins SKYPE meeting to Schedule with Team 1, 2 and 3

7 7 6: M. Sept. 28th WFC Team 1 and 2: 35 mins each Meet with Dr. Vigneron in groups by appointment (JH 4140) Turn in to Dr. Vigneron: Secondary research (to date) with proper citations and references Revised proposal and research plan Proposed preliminary research instrument(s) Weekly consultancy log Discuss with Dr. Vigneron: Information learned through secondary research Proposed research instrument(s) Proposed schedule of meetings with client and technical advisor Teamwork concerns, if any 30 mins SKYPE meeting to Schedule with Team 3 7: M. Oct. 5th Team 2 and 3: 35 mins each Meet with Dr. Vigneron in groups by appointment (JH 4140) to discuss Situation Analysis, and data analysis Turn in complete draft of Situation Analysis and SWOT, and receive feedback Conduct data collection. Conduct data analysis 30 mins SKYPE meeting to Schedule with Team 1 8: ALL TEAM M. Oct. 12th 1st BOOTCAMP Meet in classroom for progress updates and brainstorming session Present to the class (1/4 Bootcamp PowerPoint slides) your analysis of the client s situation, including what you have learned from secondary research and client-provided information. Summarize in SWOT. Present research plan Pretest primary research instrument(s) (e.g., surveys) on class Outside class, continue to work on Situation Analysis and SWOT Each Team has up to 25 mins max to present. SKYPE WITH ALL TEAM WHEN APPROPRIATE

8 8 9: M. Oct. 19th 10: M. Oct. 26th WFC 11: M. Nov. 2nd Team 1 and 3: 35 mins each Meet with Dr. Vigneron in groups by appointment (JH 4140) to discuss results of analysis, and additional work needed Data coding and initial statistical analysis should be completed; submit written analysis of findings and supporting data/analysis SKYPE WITH 2 Team 1 and 2: 35 mins each Meet with Dr. Vigneron in groups by appointment (JH 4140) Submit written update with initial recommendations SKYPE WITH 3 Team 2 and 3: 35 mins each Meet with Dr. Vigneron in groups by appointment (JH 4140) to discuss revisions Turn in complete first draft. This should be submitted as though you believe you are finished i.e., it should be thorough, and your best written work, edited and proofread Prepare Celebrating Success poster boards, and present to the class for feedback. Turn in weekly consultancy log SKYPE WITH 1 13: M. Nov. 9th 2nd BOOTCAMP Meet in classroom to brainstorm Present to the class (2/4 Presentation Bootcamp with ppt), including: * Brief reminder of situation analysis * Research instrument(s) and methodology * Findings from data analysis * Specific recommendations regarding strategy, tactics, and implementation details SKYPE WITH ALL TEAM WHEN APPROPRIATE

9 9 12: M. Nov. 16th Team 1 and 2: Meet with Dr. Vigneron in groups by appointment (JH 4140) to discuss revisions Turn in complete first draft. This should be submitted as though you believe you are finished i.e., it should be thorough, and your best written work, edited and proofread Prepare Celebrating Success poster boards, and present to the class for feedback. Turn in weekly consultancy log SKYPE WITH 3 14: M. Nov. 23rd Team 2 and 3: Meet with Dr. Vigneron in groups by appointment (JH 4140) Work on revisions and do additional work as necessary Finalize posters Prepare presentation for Celebrating Success event. Keep filling out weekly consultancy log, but turn in next week 15: M. Nov. 30th =Submission date 3rd BOOTCAMP SKYPE WITH 1 Meet in classroom Turn in completed final project to Dr. Vigneron in both hard copy and electronic form. This is the official due date. You may not consider the report ready for binding until you have approval from Dr. Vigneron. Once you have approval, prepare two bound copies (one for your client, and one to be turned in to Dr. Vigneron and housed in the Wells Fargo Center). Formal project presentation (3/4) TO CLASS. Bring two bound copies of report (see Week 14). Dress in professional business attire. Submit Letter of Receipt to client, including a stamped envelope addressed to Dr. Vigneron. Advise client to please return it no later than end of last month of class (see below). SKYPE WITH ALL TEAM WHEN APPROPRIATE

10 10 16: Formal project presentation (4/4) TO CLIENT and invited guests. M. Dec 7th Final Week Turn in Peer Evaluations no later than on the first day of finals week if not before. You may your completed form to Dr. Vigneron. Original Letter of Receipt is due from your client by the same time. You are responsible to organize that the client mail this letter back to me no later than this date or before this date. The original must be received directly from the client for your grade to be final and for your grade to be submitted. Turn in final weekly consultancy log if applicable Congratulations! You are done! J "Students with disabilities must register with the Disability Resources and Educational Services office and complete a services agreement each semester. Staff within the DRES will verify the existence of a disability based on the documentation provided and approve accommodations. Students who are approved for test taking accommodations must provide an Alternative Testing Form to their faculty member signed by a DRES Counselor prior to making testing arrangements. Disability Resources and Educational Services is located in Bayramian Hall, room 110. Staff can be reached at "