Small Business Management MGT 3806 Fall 2012 Fridays 6:00 8:50 p.m. Room: N614 Instructor: Greg Marsh Office Hours: Text: gregmarsh-uleth@hotmail.com By Appointment Canadian Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management: (8 th Ed.) (D. Wesley Balderson) McGraw Hill Ryerson ISBN 10-007000020-4 (Order through bookstore.uleth.ca) Prerequisites: None Course Description: This course provides an overview of the macro and micro factors that shape the environment within which the small business owner and manager operates. Common entrepreneurial issues will be presented, examined and discussed to provide you with fundamentals of Small Business Management. Credit hours: 3.0 Contact hours per week: 3-0-0 MGT 3806 Small Business Management Fall 2012 1
Overview of Course Content, Focus and Approach: Small businesses are a significant contributor to the Canadian economy. This course will explore small business in Canada, the important role it plays and the fundamental knowledge needed to start a small business venture. Method of Assessment: Midterm Exam 25 % Final Exam 30 % Group Project Plan 10 % Group Project Report 35 % TOTAL 100 % Examinations Exams can consist of short answer, essays and / or case questions. Class Project This will be a group or individual project that will focus on the creation of a business plan for a specific and viable small business venture. Details will be provided in the second class of the semester. Professionalism: Students are expected to act in a professional manner. Therefore points will not be awarded for professional behavior. Points however can be lost for unprofessional behavior. The following is a list of behaviors that are deemed to be unprofessional: Poor Attendance: Missing more than three hours of lecture (one class) Coming to class late (ten minutes into the class) more than once Leaving class early without acceptable excuse (pre-approved) Poor Attention in Class: Text messaging Having your cell phone ring in class (one excuse acceptable) Speaking on your cell phone in class or leaving class to speak or text Reading non-course-related material in class Excessive chatting with the person next to you MGT 3806 Small Business Management Fall 2012 2
Grading Scheme: Percent Mark Letter Grade Grade Points Percent Mark Letter Grade Grade Points 95-100 A+ 4.0 90-94 A 4.0 86-89 A- 3.7 82-85 B+ 3.3 78-81 B 3.0 74-77 B- 2.7 70-73 C+ 2.3 66-69 C 2.0 62-65 C- 1.7 58-61 D+ 1.3 50-57 D 1.0 0-49 F 0 Course Policies: 1. Prerequisites. It is the responsibility of students to check the prerequisites for courses before registration. If students are found to be registered in a course for which they do not have the prerequisites, and they have not received prior permission from the appropriate program chair, they can be de-registered. If this occurs after the drop/add date, tuition will not be refunded. 2. Examinations. Alternative arrangements for writing a missed exam may be made at the discretion of the instructor. Deferrals may only be granted in extenuating circumstances such as extreme illness or other serious circumstances beyond the student s control. Work commitments, holidays or traffic are not considered legitimate reasons for missing an exam. Students who fail to write final exams must provide satisfactory evidence of illness or extenuating circumstances AND must have the approval of the Dean for a makeup exam. For missed exams, a grade of F (0 marks) will be given. Deferred final exams can only be written at times set by the school and instructor. Please note that if a final exam deferral is granted, the date will be set by the instructor and department. Students who fail to write final exams must provide satisfactory evidence of illness or extenuating circumstances AND must have the approval of the Dean for a makeup exam. For missed exams, a grade of F (0 marks) will be given. 3. Exam policies: For security reasons, students may not leave the examination site during the first thirty (30) minutes nor enter after the first thirty (30) minutes. Data or internetenabled phones (i.e. Blackberry, I-Phone etc.), laptops or other electronic devices may not be used during examinations without prior approval of the instructor. Students, who are found to have an electronic device on their person or desk during an examination, could be in breach of the electronic devices policy, which could result in a 0 grade on the exam. Please see additional examination policies in the 2011/2012 University Calendar, page 86. MGT 3806 Small Business Management Fall 2012 3
4. Academic Dishonesty. In cases of academic misconduct, you will receive an F on the assignment and/or you will receive an F in the course. Students can find further information in the 2011-2012 Calendar. Ethical Conduct: The University s policies are described in the calendar and all students are expected to read and comply with them. Special care should be taken to understand and avoid the Academic Offenses of Plagiarism and Cheating listed in the Student Discipline Policy. Students will respect the basic standards of intellectual integrity, including, but not limited to, refraining from plagiarism, cheating or copying someone else s work. In addition, students are expected to take an active role in encouraging other members of the academic community to refrain from academic dishonesty, and are asked to advise the instructor if they are aware of any such violations. This provision applies to any work submitted as a group project. Plagiarism: to steal and pass off the ideas and words of another as one s own (Webster s). Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will automatically result in a zero grade for the submission. Any student caught plagiarizing may also be subject to additional University sanctions. For the current university policy on Cheating and Plagiarism, please consult University of Lethbridge calendar. The University of Lethbridge subscribes to a plagiarism detection service. Students may be required to submit their written work in electronic form for plagiarism checking. MGT 3806 Small Business Management Fall 2012 4
Class Schedule: Below is merely a tentative outline. Depending on how coverage of various issues progresses, we may spend more time on certain topics and less time on others. Date Topic Chapters September 7 th Overview of Small Business Management September 14 th The Role of Entrepreneurship and Small Business in Canada Discussion of the Group Project Chapter 1 September 21 st Small Business Decisions Evaluation of Business Opportunity Chapter 2 Chapter 3 September 28 th Organizing the Business Plan Buying a Business Chapter 4 Chapter 5 October 5 th Franchising Financing a Small Business Review - Midterm Exam Chapter 6 Chapter 7 October 12 th Midterm Exam # 1 - Chapters 1 7 October 19 th Marketing the Small Business (Part I) Chapter 8 October 26 th Marketing the Small Business (Part II) Chapter 8 November 2 nd November 9 th November 16 th Small Business and Electronic Commerce Financial Management Operations Management In-Class Time to work on Group Project Human Resources Management In-Class Time to work on Group Project Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 November 23 rd Tax Management Group Project Due (6:05 p.m.) Chapter 13 November 30 th Managing Growth Chapter 14 December 14 th Final Exam - Chapters 8 14 + Cumulative MGT 3806 Small Business Management Fall 2012 5