Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development

(1) ACCT102 or ACIS102 (2) 45 points of 200-level MGMT, MKTG or MSCI (or 30 points of 200-level MGMT, MKTG or MSCI and 15 points of 200-level ECON)

BSAD305, BSAD314

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Bob Hamilton

Guest Lecturer

Glen Senior (CEO The Small Business Company)

Assessment

This course uses three forms of assessment: case studies, a business plan, and a final exam.

Case study reports
There are three case studies to be analysed and submitted at the start of the class on the day they are due. Note these due dates are: 29 July; 12 September; and 3 October. You must hand in reports on any two of these for marking. If you hand in three, the two best marks will be used to compute your final grade. Case studies must be individual work. The case study assignment questions are set out in the timetabled section below. You may find these questions rather general, but this is intentional. You have to provide the clarity.

The marking criteria for case study reports are:
• Does it have depth and accuracy, including understanding and appropriate application of course content?
• Are key issues identified quickly? Are all assumptions, conclusions and recommendations adequately justified?
• Does the analysis ‘add value’? Would the client be happy to pay commercial rates for your advice?
• Are clarity, good style, and professionalism evident?
• Does it conform to specified length, deadlines and other instructions?

Very low marks, if any, would be awarded to an ‘analysis’ that just described the problems evident in the case study; ignored key information, e.g., financial data; and then advised that the business hire a consultant to work on their problems!

Maximum assignment length is 1200-1500 words (say 3-4 pages) excluding financial appendices.  Be brief and use bullet points when you can. Always reference sources of material that you use. Professionalism is expected. You must assume that you are producing this work for a real client – you could be in this position quite soon. This is what the marker will be looking for.

Business Plan
Assume on leaving university that you are going to be self-employed. You are to prepare a business plan for a new business of your own. A plan for the significant development of an existing small business may be acceptable but must be approved in advance by the Course Co-ordinator. Every plan must contain a detailed monthly cash flow covering the first 18 months of the new business. You can work on these plans in pairs if this is appropriate but with the understanding that each member of a pair will get the same mark. There is no disadvantage in working on your own: the marking will take into account the number of hours available. There is also no penalty in producing a plan for a business that is shown not to be sufficiently viable. The business plans however must develop a business to a scale that could potentially sustain the founder(s). Small-scale 'hobby' businesses operating part-time will not be sufficient unless expansion is included as part of the plan. Here is a summary of the Business Plan marking guidelines, which will be expanded upon in lectures:

Business Plan Marking Schedule
These guidelines are a summary of what we are looking for in a complete and accurate answer. Grades will be assessed based on achieving excellence in these areas, acknowledging that not all business ideas will need to cover all of these points (as some may not be relevant). This is also not an exhaustive list – some businesses will need to include topics relevant just to that business.

The business plan overall
Is a well presented and written document that clearly communicates the business idea, which can be understood by someone from outside the industry. The reason for the business plan is stated up front. Key elements relevant to the business idea from the website  AND the lectures are covered in depth where relevant.

The business
The compelling benefits are explained and justified. The route to market and how the target market(s) will be secured is realistic. There is a demonstrated knowledge of the marketplace and who the customer is and how they buy.

Financial
Projected income is credible, defensible and consistent with the business plan as a whole. Financial forecasts are provided in as much detail as needed, demonstrating an ability of the company to generate cash flow and sustainability. Timescales, break-even projections, expected returns on investment and recouping of initial investment are outlined and defensible.

An 18 month cash flow must be included, which is realistic and well researched. Sales projections can be justified and expenses are practical and relevant.  

Maximum word length for the Business Plan is 3000 words (say 10 pages) excluding financial and other appendices. The due date is 5pm Friday 14 October. Hand-in to the Department of Management office on Level 4 Law Building.

Final examination
The course also has a final exam at a time that will be published at the beginning of the semester. This will involve essay style answers and there will be a choice of questions, as there has been in previous years. The final examination may not cover all the course content: this will be made clear once the course is underway. The course does vary from year to year depending on who is teaching on it, so the final exam can also vary.

Grading
Marks are not normally standardised in this course. Grading follows the Department of Management's Academic Policies for Undergraduate Courses. Cut-points used to convert marks to final grades may vary slightly and therefore 50% may not translate into a passing grade.

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

Carter, Sara. , Jones-Evans, Dylan; Enterprise and small business : principles, practice and policy ; 2nd ed; FT Prentice Hall, 2006.

The course textbook is Enterprise and Small Business – Principles, Practice and Policy (2nd edition, 2006) edited by S. Carter and D. Jones-Evans. Copies are in stock in the University Bookshop. It is essential that you have access to this book as it forms an integral part of the course. Several copies are on restricted loan from the Central Library. There is also a Course Handbook containing case studies and related material.  Lecture notes, some audio lectures and other materials will be posted directly on to the course LEARN sites. Please get familiar with this and check it regularly.

Notes

Departmental Academic Policies
If you require a hard copy of this document, please ask the course co-ordinator. The Department assumes that you have read this document. You should also read the “Information related to courses and assessment” on page 32 of the Enrolment Handbook 2011 (also in UC Calendar under “General Course and Examination Regulations”).

Dishonest Practice
The University of Canterbury considers cheating and plagiarism to be serious acts of dishonesty.  All assessed work must be your own individual work unless specifically stated otherwise in the assessment guidelines. Material quoted from any other source must be clearly acknowledged. You must not copy the work of another person (student or published work) in any assessment including examinations, tests and assignments. Any person, who is found to have copied someone else's work, or to have allowed their work to be copied, will receive a fail grade for that piece of assessment and may face disciplinary action which may lead to a fine, community service or exclusion from the university.

IMPORTANT: Where there are concerns regarding the authorship of written course work, a student can be required to provide a formal, oral explanation of the content of their work.

Coversheets - Group and Individual

Indicative Fees

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.