COURSE OUTLINE MBA 560 Small Business Management Fall 2015 Professor/Instructor: Frank Fenix Theuerkorn Telephone: (250)753-3245, ext. 2714 Office: B250/R430 Email: theuerkof@viu.ca Office Hours Monday/Wednesday 1:00-2:00pm & Tuesday 4:30pm - 5:30pm or by appointment MBA Program Faculty of Management
MBA 560 Small Business Management Table of Contents Purpose of this Course Outline...3 What is a learning Outcome?...3 Course Description...3 Course Objectives...4 Learning Outcomes...4 Knowledge and Understanding Skills and Objectives Reading List...5 Course Structure...6 Grading Scheme...6 Method of Evaluation...6 Standards and Academic Conduct...7 Academic Misconduct...8 Referencing...8 Schedule of Activities, Topics, Assignments and Readings...9 2
The Purpose of this Course Outline The purpose of this course outline is to provide you with information about class format, assignment details, contact details for teaching staff and information about learning resources. The aim is to provide sufficient information to enable you to study effectively. One of the functions of this course outline is to help you plan your workload by giving you sufficient information at the start of your studies. It is important to realise that the course outline is just one mechanism to help you with your studies and that you need to utilize the full range of support that is available at Vancouver Island University. You need to read the Student Handbook as well. Your main lines of support are as follows: Course Professor/Instructor Director, MBA Programs Dean, Faculty of Management What is a Learning Outcome? You will note below that this course outline specifies learning outcomes for the course. A learning outcome characterizes what it is that you are expected to have learned at the end of the course, if you have successfully completed it. Learning outcomes are specified in terms of what knowledge/understanding and skills you will have acquired. This will then tell you beforehand what the course aims to teach you and what it is that you need to learn in order to succeed. It is import to realize that the assignments for this course are designed to test your achievement of the stated learning outcomes. Course Description This course aims to provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of the context and range of management issues found in small businesses. It explores the importance of the small business sector in Canada and to the wider international economy. Students are not limited to propose businesses in Canada, but can be located anywhere in the world, but should be written in a context for an investor in Canada (i.e. Canadian Dollars, etc.) The course also introduces a range of techniques and knowledge relevant to the start of new business ventures and the effective management of a small business. 3
Learning Outcomes Provide students with a knowledge and understanding of: the broad theoretical underpinnings of the field of small business startups and management; the nature and economic significance of small businesses and the ways in which they differ from larger organizations at local, national and international levels; the unique managerial challenges faced by small businesses through their lifecycle. Successful students will have the ability to (skills and attributes): critically evaluate small business concepts, theories and patterns and their application to the field of small business management; understand the process, challenges, problems encountered and requirements related to developing and growing a small business; identify variations in managing the small business based on size, sector, domestic and international context. Reading Lists Testing will be based on the recommended text. Recommended Textbook: Kaplan, Jack and Warren, Anthony Patterns of Entrepreneurship Management. 4 th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Other Publications and Sources of Information: Scarborough, Norman M., Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. 7 th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall. Skinner, James R. (2003), Business Plan Business Reality, Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall 4
Course Structure Important Note: Due to the logistics of this semester, this directed studies course will begin on the 2nd week of the semester on 14-September, 2014. For clarity, please review the schedule at the end of this outline. This is a directed studies course, so there are no regular scheduled course lectures. Students should arrange to speak with me at the start of the semester to understand the logistics of this course. T the instructor is available during posted office hours or by appointment. There are three scheduled class meetings that students will be required to attend. Date Time Activity Week 4 TBD Midterm Week 5 TBD Pitch Week 7 TBD Final There is an online website for this course that the student needs to access for the successful completion of this directed studies course. The website contains all resources, i.e. this outline, reading & video links, assignment instructions & uploads, etc. The website is located at: http://web.viu.ca/theuerkof/mba560 Grading Scheme A+ 90 100% B+ 76 79% C+ 64 67% D Referrals A 85 89% B 72 75% C 60 63% F <55 Failure A- 80 84% B- 68 71% C- 55 59% Method of Evaluation Activity Participation Weight Due Date Midterm Individual 15% TBD - Week 4 Feasibility Analysis Individual 30% Fri., Oct 17 Venture Pitch (Presentation) Individual 10% Week 5 Final Individual 15% TBD - Week 7 Business Plan Analysis Individual 30% Fri., Oct 30 100% Venture Pitch (individual) EVERY student will pitch an idea for a business plan to the instructor. The pitch will be further developed for the feasibility analysis. This venture pitch is short with a maximum of 60 seconds and questions after your pitch. Presentations that exceed this 5
length will have points deducted from their grade. Students are to schedule a time with the instructor to present the pitch before the due date. This is the responsibility of the student and NOT the instructor to arrange. Feasibility Analysis (individual) Identifying an opportunity is the primary step for an entrepreneur. However, understanding whether the venture is viable is something an entrepreneur needs to determine. Each Student is to develop a feasibility analysis on a proposed venture in a written format as outlined in Chapter 4 of the text and a template exists on the course website. Business Plan Analysis (individual) Student will individually evaluate a business plan as an investor to help gain the student insight in analyzing a business case from the perspective of an investor. The ultimate goal of this assignment is for the student to develop a recommendation of whether to fund the venture or decline funding. The student is to write a recommendation to senior management and should be less than 1500 words. The format will be provided on the website. Tests (individual) There will be two tests in this course to assess the materials delivered in the course. The tests are not comprehensive and only cover half of the course, so the midterm covers the first half and the final covers the last half. Standards and Academic Conduct Assignments must be submitted by the online link in course website by the indicated due dates. DO NOT email me your work as I will NOT grade it if submitted by any means other than through the Desire2Learn course website! Use a title page for assignments and create your report as a PDF file and include all items in that single file (i.e. title page, graphics, etc.) The MBA/MScIB Student Handbook details the standards and regulations for the program. The following additional detail applicable to this course is provided below. Subject to Section 3.3.1: o Late assignments will be penalized and occur a 10% penalty per day to a maximum of 3 days (including weekends) at which a failing grade will be given. o Missed tests will be awarded a failing grade. Assignments must be free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Grades will be lower for assignments containing such errors. Extensions will be granted only on medical or compassionate grounds and will not be granted because of work or other commitments. Requests for extensions 6
must be made in writing to the professor prior to the due date. Medical certificates or other evidence must be attached and must contain information that justifies the extension sought. Free riders are individuals who coast on or use the efforts of others. It can be a problem in academic settings when teamwork is submitted for credit. Therefore, it is important that each group member makes effective contributions to the assignment. The teamwork assignment must include a statement, signed by all group members, to acknowledge that each team member has contributed equally. Ensure your understanding of Section 6: Academic Integrity and Misconduct. Academic Misconduct Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to: giving or receiving information during any quiz, test or exam; using unauthorized sources of information during any test or exam; and plagiarizing the work of another person. More details on this topic are set out in the Student Conduct Policy on pages 34 and 35 of Malaspina University College s 2005-2007 Calendar and a full version of this policy can be viewed on the internet at http://www.viu.ca/policies/policy.asp?rdpolicynumber=99.01. No electronic dictionaries will be allowed in exams / tests / quizzes. Only the following approved calculators may be used in exams / tests / quizzes. Texas Instrument Sharp Hewlett Packard BAII Plus, BAII, BA35 EL-733A 10B No other materials will be allowed apart from a pen/pencil unless specifically approved by the faculty member. Referencing Faculty of Management (Business) requires the APA style of referencing for academic papers. Resources for using APA are available from the VIU Writing Centre (Library, Room 474). You can find their hours of operation and access to online student resources (including tutorials and a printable Quick Guide) at: http://sites.viu.ca/writingcentre/. Note: Wikipedia is not an acceptable source and must not be used. 7
All references will be assessed for their quality. It is expected that scholarly, peer reviewed journals, professional or trade journals, and text books will provide the primary sources used in student work. Consultant or personal web pages should not be used as a substitute for reading and referencing original source documents. Schedule of Activities, Topics, Assignments and Readings Week beginning: Required Reading Assignments Week 1: Sep 14 Chapters 1, 2 Week 2: Sep 21 Chapters 3, 4 Week 3: Sep 28 Chapters 5, 6 Week 4: Oct 05 Chapters 11, 12 Midterm (on chapters 1-6) Week 5: Oct 12 Chapters 9, 10 Week 6: Oct 19 Chapters 7, 8 Venture Pitch Feasibility Analysis Week 7: Oct 26 Chapters 13 Business Plan Analysis Final (on chapters 7-13) 8