ENTREPRENEURSHIP BUSN 1330 3 Semester Hours COURSE INFORMATION Course Description: This course explores the strategies necessary to start and operate a business. Topics may include development of a business plan and strategies in marketing, management, finance, accounting, customer service, and operations. Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Explain what entrepreneurs do and how they fit into free enterprise economies. 2. Describe the components of the business plan and explain its various purposes. 3. Articulate the core beliefs, mission, and vision of a business opportunity and analyze the competitive advantage. 4. Explain the importance of market research and describe various market segments for positioning a business. 5. Develop the appropriate marketing mix and marketing plan. 6. Describe smart selling and effective customer service. 7. Discuss the management of start-up, fixed, and variable costs. 8. Explain how to use financial statements to guide a business and the importance of cash flow management. 9. Identify sources of capital for a business and compare debt and equity financing. 10. Describe how to deal with legal issues and manage risk. 11. Discuss how to manage suppliers and inventory and the key factors in the location decision and facilities design. 12. Describe appropriate management, leadership, and ethical practices. 13. Explain how franchising, licensing, and harvesting can be used to profit from the business s brand(s). Prerequisites and/or Co-requisites: BUSN 1305 (formerly BUS 1210) or permission of the Business and Technology Department chair. Course Outline/Topics: 1. Entrepreneurs Recognize Pathways 2. The Business Plan: Road Map to Success 3. Creating Business from Opportunity 4. Exploring Your Market 5. Developing the Right Marketing Mix and Plan 6. Smart Selling and Effective Customer Service 7. Understanding and Managing Start-Up, Fixed, and Variable Costs 8. Using Financial Statements to Guide a Business 9. Cash Flow and Taxes 10. Financing Strategy and Tactics 11. Addressing Legal Issues and Managing Risk 12. Operating for Success
BUSN 1330 Online Course Syllabus, Page 2 13. Management, Leadership, and Ethical Practices 14. Franchising, Licensing, and Harvesting: Cashing in Your Brand Special Course Requirements: No special course requirements. TEXTBOOKS, SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Required Textbook(s): Entrepreneurship: Starting and Operating a Small Business, 4 th edition. Steve Mariotti and Caroline Glackin. Prentice Hall, 2016. ISBN-10: 0133934454. ISBN-13: 9780133934458 The Motlow College bookstore may be accessed at www.motlow.bkstr.com. Supplementary Materials: No supplementary materials are required. Hardware/Software Requirements: For best results, use Internet Explorer as your web browser. Additional help to check your computer system can be found online on the D2L page by clicking on Please click here for a System Check before you login. Students are required to use the Respondus LockDown Browser to take unit exams. This lockdown browser may be downloaded to the student s computer, or tests may be completed on a Motlow campus computer with the lockdown browser already downloaded. Instructions for downloading the browser to the student s computer are available in the course. All written documents submitted through the Dropbox must be created with Microsoft Word and/or Microsoft PowerPoint. INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Instructor information is found in the Getting Started section of the Course Content. ASSESSMENT AND GRADING Students will be assessed through unit tests, chapter quizzes, class participation in discussions, and creation of a business plan with an accompanying PowerPoint presentation. The unit tests cover three to four chapters per test. Quizzes are provided for each chapter. Students may use textbooks and Lecture Notes while taking the unit tests and chapter quizzes. However, format of the tests/quizzes and time allotment for tests/quizzes do not allow the student to be successful without thorough preparation as if for a closed-book exam. Students are required to use the Respondus LockDown Browser to take unit exams. This lockdown browser may be downloaded to the student s computer, or tests may be completed on a Motlow campus computer with the lockdown browser already downloaded. Instructions for downloading the browser to the student s computer are available in the course. Make-up tests may be taken only by permission of the instructor, which must be received prior to the originally scheduled exam time.
BUSN 1330 Online Course Syllabus, Page 3 Final course grade will be calculated as follows: average of unit tests will count 50% of the final course grade; quiz average will count 10% of the final course grade; business plan will count 25% of the final course grade; and class discussion participation will count 15% of the final course grade. In order to receive a grade in the course, the business plan and accompanying PowerPoint presentation must be submitted. Final course letter grade will be assigned by the following scale: A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = below 60 ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS Students will create a business plan for creating a new service business. This assignment will include submitting the business plan document in the Dropbox and posting a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the business plan in Discussions. Additionally, questions will be presented on several chapters for class discussion in the Discussions feature. CLASS PARTICIPATION Log in to the course a minimum of 3 times per week. It only takes a few minutes to check Email and Discussions. Important information that could help with the course material may be missed if students do not check in regularly, at least 3 times per week. Discussions is designed for public posting of information; all students see the postings in Discussions. Different topics have been created in Discussions for specific purposes. Please post comments and questions in the appropriate topic. Questions about the course material should be posted in the "Questions on Course/Course Material" forum of Discussions. Other students may have the same question, and other students may have the answer or solution. Students should help each other by using Discussions to answer other students questions. Students should not wait for the instructor to answer a student's question. Private messages to the instructor or to other students should be sent through "Email." Do not post private messages in Discussions.
BUSN 1330 Online Course Syllabus, Page 4 PUNCTUALITY Important dates are posted in the Calendar, and reminders will be posted in News Items and/or in Discussions. Chapter quizzes may be completed at any time until the final date for completion of the unit test covering the chapter. Chapter discussions may be completed at any time until the first day the unit test for that chapter is available. Deadline dates for discussion assignments will not be extended; therefore, late discussion assignments will not be accepted. The business plan may be submitted late, up to one week after the due date. However, five points will be deducted for each day the assignment is submitted late. COURSE GROUND RULES Read, read, read everything posted in this online course. Read all Email messages, all Discussions postings, all Lecture Notes, etc. Read the assigned chapters in the required textbook. Complete the assignments and participate in the Discussions on appropriate chapters. Meet all deadlines for completing the chapter quizzes and unit tests, for submitting assignments, and for participating in the chapter discussions. Students are expected to abide by the following honor code: Quizzes and tests must be taken by the student without any outside help from other people. Students will not divulge the content of online quizzes and tests to others, whether or not the other people are current, past, or prospective students and whether or not the other people are enrolled in this course. All work submitted (papers, completed forms, projects, etc.) by the student must be his or her own work, using only that assistance from others allowed by the instructor. GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNICATIONS Email: Always include a subject line. Remember, without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Please be considerate of others feelings and be careful in wording your emails. Use standard fonts. Do not send extremely large attachments without prior permission. Use standard formatting unless necessary to complete an assignment or special communication. Respect the privacy of other class members.
BUSN 1330 Online Course Syllabus, Page 5 Discussions: Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Try to maintain threads by using the Reply button rather than starting a new topic. Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of others ideas. Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before responding. When applicable, be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks. Be positive and constructive in group discussions. Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner. Web Resources: Web Resources: Any web resources, web sites, etc. that might assist students with course content or requirements may be accessed through the Course Content. Motlow College provides live, personalized, online learning assistance through Smarthinking, which can be accessed at the following website: http://www.mscc.edu/smarthinking.aspx. LIBRARY The Clayton-Glass Library at Motlow College is available to all students enrolled at the college. Links to library materials, e.g., electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and library support services, are available at www.mscc.edu/library/index.aspx. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the Director of Disabled Services and Minority Affairs. If you have a documented disability, you can arrange for accommodations by contacting the Office of Disability Services at 931.393.1765 or by e-mail at shood@mscc.edu. Students needing academic accommodations are required to register with Disability Services and provide required disability related documentation. Although you may request an accommodation at any time, it is recommended you do so at the beginning of the semester. The Office of Disability Services is strongly committed to the needs of students with disabilities. SYLLABUS CHANGES The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are required during the term, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communications and by posting both the notification and the nature of the change(s) in News Items and Discussions.
BUSN 1330 Online Course Syllabus, Page 6 TECHNICAL SUPPORT If you are having problems logging into your course, timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the MSCC Technology Help Desk at 1-800-654-4877 (toll free), Ext. #1510, or email the Help Desk at D2LHelp@mscc.edu.