MAN SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SPRING 2011

Transcription

1 MAN SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SPRING 2011 INSTRUCTOR Dr. William OFFICE HOURS Jackson OFFICE Piano Man 101A Monday 1:00-2:00 p.m. Office Phone Tuesday 10:00-11:00 a.m., 1:00-2:00 p.m. Homepage Wednesday 10:00-12:00 a.m. FAX Thursday By appointment Friday By appointment Classroom STG 113 Time 2:00-4:50 Tuesday [1] COURSE SPECIFIC SECTION Course Description, Prerequisites, and Grade Requirement: Prerequisites: MAN 4802 or CI. Description: Field application in small business settings by (a) analyzing an on-going small business and developing recommendations for making improvements; or (b) conducting a feasibility study for a new enterprise and developing a strategy for implementation if favorable. Group teams will be formed and serve as consultants for participants in the Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Alliance (SEIA). Student activity will involve teams assisting the professional consultants of the Alliance (SEIA) move high potential start-up firms (See section on Gazelle Lab in BlackBoard) from the idea stage to market. Course Objectives: 1) The development of a general business view of entrepreneurship in action to generate a long-term, comprehensive view of a small business by direct interaction with that firm. 2) To develop skills in strategy application: to identify, assess, and recommend strategies that an organization may develop or adapt to its environments. 3) To develop skills in strategy implementation: to identify and apply key management skills required to succeed in the small business environment. 4) Improved application and confidence in communication skills oral and written communication skills are required throughout the course. Required Textbook: There is no required textbook for this course. Students will be responsible for readings assigned by the instructor throughout the semester. Many of these will be located on-line

2 in various small business management websites and periodicals dedicated to the advancement of small businesses (i.e. Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine). The two primary publication links for these will be and Major Consulting Project: The focus of this class is the application of acquired knowledge to a real world firm. Within the first couple of weeks, a firm will be assigned to each group. Each group will be responsible for working directly with their assigned client under the direct tutorage of: William Jackson, Director of the SEIA Daniel James Scott, Associate Director of the SEIA Wayne Brass, SBDC Director, USFSP John Morrow, Entrepreneur in Residence, USFSP Through your hard work and the guidance you will receive from the individuals above, you will serve as a catalysis for moving your business from the idea stage to market. Your direct involvement will include several deliverables that will be provided to the Gazelle Lab client. These deliverables and the flow of your project are described below. Step 1: Become familiar with the consulting process, the industry of the client you will be working with, resources needed to expedite the process, specific deliverables required, and models that can be utilized to assist in the process. These activities will occur over the first two to three weeks of the semester. Step 2: Focus on a creative approach to move you through the process Nathan Schwagler, Creative in Residence, USFSP will lead this activity. This will occur in the third week of the semester. Step 3: Meet your assigned client and begin gathering background information. This will occur in the third week of the semester. Step 4: The first deliverable required of each team is to complete a financial worksheet (template is posted on BlackBoard) for the industry involved in this process. The actual worksheet should be completed by week four. The actual computations for the worksheet are relatively easy to accomplish the needed information (once the NAICS number is

3 identified) comes directly from Census database and is supported by the RMA (Risk Management Assessment) database. The real work will involve interpreting the results. This activity (worksheet) will be accomplished in the fourth week of the semester with interpretation in the fifth. Step 5: The second deliverable required is a complete industry and environmental trend analysis. This aspect forces the team to identify all of the potential opportunities and threats that may impact the business. Teams will begin work in the first week in collecting the information necessary to complete this element. It is expected to be complete by the seventh week of the semester. Step 6: The third deliverable for the course is to complete a prototype of the client s idea. A prototype in this sense is a tangible, visible representation of the idea. The form of the prototype can take many shapes and will be discussed throughout the semester. Completing the prototype will allow the client to clearly convey the concept of the idea. This aspect should be complete by week eight. Step 7: Understanding the achievable target market is critical for your client and is the fourth deliverable. This process will involve much more than just identifying a target market it will focus on just how reasonable is it to expect that the company can capture a certain level of that market. This analysis should be completed by week ten. Step 8: The final deliverable for the team is to develop an executive summary and pitch (slide cards) for the client. This will be drawn from the work you have accomplished during the entire project. This should be completed by week 12 to allow for sufficient leeway in getting the material to the client. Step 9: After consultation with the permanent consultants in the Gazelle Lab, it will be time to present your material to your client. A joint meeting of the client, the team, and Gazelle Lab personnel will be set up to deliver your collected material and pitch to the client. This will be done in the last two weeks of the semester. conducting a strategic analysis on that firm, completing a consulting report for the client, and presenting your findings to the firm in a formal presentation to the owner. Details of the project can be found in the Small Business Consulting Project Guidelines posted on Blackboard.

4 Ground Rules for the Written Assignments The project does not require a formal report each piece will be a stand-alone document. For the parts that are written, they should be double-spaced on regular 8 1/2 x 11 unlined typing paper. Each day an assignment is handed in after the due date, the grade will be reduced by 10%. After the end of the class period the paper was due will be one day late. Misspelled and mistyped words will be penalized by one point. Team Member Problems In the event that a team member is extremely uncooperative, that member may be dismissed from the group by a unanimous vote of the other members. Under such circumstances: the team must inform the instructor immediately, but not later than the 22 nd of February; and the member will be asked to drop the class. In addition, team members will evaluate the other team members. If there is a consistent negative rating assigned a team member the total team member points will be multiplied by this percentage and this will be the individual's score on team projects. Under no circumstance will this reduction be negotiable. (i.e. total team points 900; individual's peer evaluation average 70%; individual's points will be reduced by 270 points and the final grade would be a 63%). Attendance: Your attendance is expected at every class meeting. This type of course requires full participation in all areas for an accurate evaluation of performance. While attendance is not formally recognized as a graded activity, excessive absences will nevertheless adversely influence a student's final grade. The student will be required to provide proof that absences are" excused" after they exceed one absence. If the student accumulates two absences all must be excused or the student's grade will be lowered by 10 % of total possible points. Each additional unexcused absence will result in an additional 10 % reduction. There will be no exceptions!! Further, it is extremely rude and disrespectful to come in late for class. Therefore, the policy for this class is that two (2) late arrivals will result in one (1) absence recorded for your attendance. Grading Criteria Grade In this class, based upon the points earned, the following grades will be awarded: A 930 points or above A points

5 B points B points B points C points C points C points D points F 599 or below Grade Components: Financial Worksheet Industry and Environmental Analysis Prototype Market Analysis Executive Summary/Pitch Total Points 1000 points Tentative Schedule of Events Date Jan 11 th Jan 18 th Jan 25 th Feb 1 st Feb 8 th Feb 15 th Feb 22 nd Mar 1 st Mar 8 th Mar15 th Mar 22 nd Mar 29 th Apr 5 th Apr 12 th Apr 19 th Apr 26 th May 3 rd Coverage Introduction/team formation/project discussion Client Assigned Creativity guest lecture/meet your client First Deliverable Financial Worksheet Draft First Deliverable Financial Worksheet with Interpretation Second Deliverable External Analysis Third Deliverable--Prototype Fourth Deliverable Market Analysis Spring Break Fifth Deliverable Executive Summary/Pitch Client Presentation Wrap-Up/Client Presentation No Final Exam Other important dates: 1) Drop/Add/Fee Deadline (full refund of fess/no grade) January 14 th. 2) Graduation Application Deadline February 4 th. 3) Drop Deadline (no refund/ W grade assignment)--march 26 th.

6 Key Leadership Skills and Perspectives Addressed in This Course: Interpersonal and Communication Skills Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills Information Technology Skills Reflective Thinking and Experiential Learning Ethical and Social Consciousness Interpersonal and Communication Skills Group project; verbal discussions; presentation of oral and written assignments. Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills Group Project deliverables. Multicultural Competence Information Technology Skills Use of technology to complete research requirements for consulting project as well as PowerPoint presentations. Reflective Thinking and Experiential Learning Development of integrated consulting project. Ethical and Social Consciousness Concepts addressed throughout the process and consulting activities. Multicultural considerations Working with clients of various cultural backgrounds. [2] UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE OF BUSINESS SECTION Academic Dishonesty: See USF Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Disruption of Academic Process at Because of the University s commitment to academic integrity, plagiarism or cheating on course work or on examinations will result in penalties that may include a grade of F for the specific exam or course work and a grade of F or FF for the course. Any incident of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of the College. Definitions and punishment guidelines for Plagiarism, Cheating, and Student Disruption of the Academic Process may be found a the web address listed above. Students with Disabilities: Please notify your professor if you have a learning disability or require special assistance with this course. Confidential personal and learning assistance counseling are made available to students through the Division of Student Affairs. Contact R. Barry McDowell (mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu) for more information. Religious Holidays:

7 Students who must miss an examination due to a religious holiday should notify the professor during the first two weeks of class.