BUSI 452 ADVANCED ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COURSE SYLLABUS
MM 410 Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Instructor: Dr.
Robert Singh
Office Hours: MM 628
Tuesday mornings by appointment
Contact Info: 443-885-3433
(office) rsingh@morgan.edu
(e-mail preferred)
Class Website: www.morgan-ces.org/singh/
Required Prereqs: BUAD 351
(FIN 343, MKTG 331, MGMT 324)
Required Text: Hisrich, R. D., Peters, M. P., & Shepherd, D. A. (2008). Entrepreneurship,
7th ed,
Recommended
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. How to recognize a business opportunity, and initiate the business
plan process.
2. The interrelationships between the business functions
(e.g., finance, marketing, management, human resources, and accounting) and
their importance to recognizing opportunities, exploiting opportunities, and
managing entrepreneurial ventures.
3. To know sources of financing, both debt and equity;
obtaining financing; and structuring deals.
4. The problems and rewards of being an entrepreneur, and
the central role social networks play in supporting entrepreneurial activity.
5. The powers of managerial judgment and how to assess
business risk and create results-oriented action plans.
6. The elements and processes of developing a business
plan and pursuing entrepreneurial career alternatives.
WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE
1.
Evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities.
2.
Prepare a business plan.
3.
Prepare a market analysis to support the business plan.
4. Prepare financial statements to support the business plan.
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES
A variety of teaching techniques will be used in this
class which include lectures, case studies, class discussions, reading and
writing assignments, and team activities (both in class and outside
class). Guest speakers may also be used.
Entrepreneurship is all
about making choices. Entrepreneurs face
choices in various functional areas every day, and through this course, it is
my hope that you will gain an appreciation for the issues facing these
individuals.
To be successful in
anything requires commitment, effort, time management, and responsibility and I
expect these of my students. Your
learning in this course will depend on your preparation and active involvement
in class activities. I cannot make you
learn. Learning is an active process
that requires that you read, pay attention, study and always be prepared for
class this is up to you. For every
1 hour of class time, I expect that you need at least 2-3 hours of prep time
outside of class to be successful.
It is vital that every
class member agree to contribute to a free-wheeling exchange of ideas to
improve our collective understanding of the application of course
concepts. Usually during these exchanges
there are no wrong answers unless course concepts are being incorrectly
applied, or you fail to explore key elements/assumptions during your
discussion.
POLICIES
Pre-Requisites
If you
do not have the pre-req classes, do not sign up for
this class. Even if you are signed up
and are currently registered, you can be dropped from the schedule if you do
not have the pre-reqs.
Attendance
This course makes extensive use of in-class
activities/discussions. Attendance is
critical and will be taken regularly. If
you do not have a doctors excuse or some other legitimate written excuse I do
not want to hear it. Written excuses are
due the next class after a missed class.
Class will start on time be punctual.
Also, to be in attendance means that you are prepared to learn and not
being disruptive or sleeping in class. Frequent
absences, tardiness, or unpreparedness to learn will
lower your final grade.
Assignments
·
All assignments
must be typed, unless otherwise noted.
·
Assignments are
due at the beginning of class.
You may take a penalty for not turning in an assignment at the beginning
of class.
·
Late assignments
will be penalized (at least one full letter grade) and may not be accepted
without prior authorization. You will
know due dates well in advance and should complete work on time.
General
·
Turn off your
cell phones, pagers, etc.
·
Active
participation is important. Quality of
participation will weigh heavily in determining borderline grades.
·
Extensive
extraneous talking or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. It is unprofessional and inconsiderate of
your peers and in extreme cases, I will ask students to leave the class.
·
I do not listen
to excuses (e.g., why you were late or missed class, why you missed an
assignment).
·
It is up to you
to stay up to date with the course. If
you miss classes, be sure to talk to your peers. Also, if you miss an exam, you must contact
me within 48 hours so that we can discuss your situation. If you do not contact me, I will likely give
you a zero for the missed exam. All late
assignments are penalized and 48 hours after the due date you are likely to get
a zero.
·
Losing your
assignment or disk, or saying that your disk was corrupted by a computer is not
a legitimate excuse for turning in an assignment late. I strongly recommend you keep backup copies
of your disk and hard copies of your work.
·
Plagiarism/academic
dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated and may result in a failing grade
or worse. Do your own work and do not
test me on this.
·
My door is always
open to discuss your grade, class performance, suggestions for improvements, or
any other professional issues. Feel free
to come during office hours or set up an appointment.
·
Please note that
I do not negotiate grades. Whatever
you earn is what you will get for a final grade without exception. If you are a BUAD major, you must get a C
or higher to have it count toward graduation.
I take grading very seriously and have never changed a final grade.
COURSE-BASED ASSESSMENT TOOLS
1.
Exams.
2.
Assignments related to the preparation of a business
plan.
3.
Business plan.
GRADING
SPECIFICS
Business Plan
Proposal* 0%
Four Written Plan
Assignments 20%
Plan
Presentation Assignment 5%
Business
Plan Presentation 10%
Business
Plan 20%
First
Exam 17%
Second
Exam 17%
Class
Participation and Attendance 11%
* The Business
Plan Proposal must be turned in and approved to receive a final grade.
Final grades will be based on a 10-point scale (90-100%=A, 80-89%=B, etc.); however, there may be a curve that moves grades up. There is no curve downward.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS
Business Plan
The major project in
this class will be a business plan.
Students must complete a business plan on either a real business or one
that the student is interested in pursuing.
I would request that the financial requirement for the business be under
$1 million, unless you get prior approval from me. You may work on this individually, or in
groups of up to three students. No group
will be allowed to have more than three members, so do not ask. If you do work in a group, then it is your
responsibility to resolve any issues that come up between group members. All group members will get the same grade, so
choose group members wisely. The basic
outline of the plan will be discussed in class.
More information will be given throughout the semester.
Business Plan Proposal
For each proposed
business plan (individual or group), you must submit a one page summary
outlining the scope of the business plan.
The purpose is to provide a clear picture of the business. You will not receive a grade on your business
plan if you do not submit a business plan proposal. More information will be given later in the
semester.
Written Plan Assignments and Presentation
During the course of the semester you or your group will have an opportunity to present and discuss elements of your plan. These developmental assignments will essentially be draft sections within your final business plan and my comments and class discussion should be used to improve your plan. You may want/need to change all or some of your plan element(s) before turning in your final plan. Note: I often grade these assignments easier than I grade the final plan due to the fact that in some ways they are draft sections. Thus, it is likely that you will need to make changes to these sections based on my comments before turning in your final plan. At the end of the semester, each group/individual will present the business plan to the class. The presentation will run for 5-10 minutes. More details will be provided about each of the individual assignments and the class presentation later in the semester.
Two Exams
There will be two exams based primarily on the textbook. The exams will be closed book/notes and consist of true/false, multiple choice, short answer questions. Please keep up with all of the reading not only is it important for the exams, it will greatly facilitate better class discussion.
Class Participation and Attendance
Do not miss, come to class late, or leave class early on a regular basis! Attendance is worth 5 percent of your final grade and participation will count for 6 percent. You will be allowed 2 free passes on attendance, after those you will lose points if you do not have a written excuse. Coming late (after attendance has been taken) or leaving early will result in a deduction (at least 1/4 of an absence). If you miss most of a class, you may be counted as absent. Coming in and walking out after I have taken role does not count as being in attendance. If you miss more than 11 classes, you will get a 0 for attendance. Your participation grade will be a subjective score assigned by the instructor based on your demonstrated preparation for discussion and active participation in class throughout the course of the semester. Also note that if you sleep, read outside materials, or are disruptive in class, I do not consider you in attendance.
BUAD 452
ADVANCED ENTREPRENEURSHIP
(Subject
to Change)
|
WEEK |
DATE |
TOPICS
TO BE COVERED - READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS |
ITEM
DUE |
|
1 |
1/25 |
Course Introduction, Chapter 1 Discussion Opportunities and Entrepreneurs Assignment: Consider Opportunities and Entrepreneurs |
|
|
2 |
2/1 |
Discussion Chapters 2-3 Assignment: Business Plan Proposal |
|
|
3 |
2/8 |
Discussion Chapters 5- 6
Assignment: Assignment #1 |
|
|
4 |
2/15 |
Discussion Chapters 6, 7 |
Business Plan Proposal |
|
5 |
2/22 |
Discussion Chapter 8 Assignment: Study for First Exam Assignment: Assignment #2 |
Assignment #1 |
|
6 |
3/1 |
FIRST EXAM (CHAPTERS 1-3, 5-8) GOOD LUCK!!! Discussion Business Plan |
FIRST EXAM |
|
7 |
3/8 |
Discussion Chapters 9-10 Assignment: Assignment #3 |
|
|
8 |
3/15 |
Discussion Chapters 11-12
|
Assignment #2 |
|
9 |
3/22 |
SPRING BREAK NO CLASSES |
|
|
10 |
3/29 |
Discussion Chapters 13-14 Discussion Financial Projections Assignment: Assignment #4 |
Assignment #3 |
|
11 |
4/5 |
Discussion Chapter 14 Discussion Financial Projections |
|
|
12 |
4/12 |
Discussion Chapters 15-16 |
Assignment #4 |
|
13 |
4/19 |
Catch Up If Necessary Review for Second Exam SECOND EXAM (CHAPTERS 9-16) GOOD LUCK!!! |
SECOND EXAM |
|
14 |
4/26 |
Discussion Chapter 17, Business Plan Business Plan Presentations MUST BE DONE BY GRADUATING SENIORS |
Business Plan Presentation Slides and Final Plan (GRADUATING SENIORS) |
|
15 |
5/3 |
Business Plan Presentations (NON-GRADUATING STUDENTS) Discussion Record Keeping, E-commerce |
Business Plan Presentation Slides and Final Plan (NON-GRAD STUDENTS) |
|
16 |
5/10 |
Last Class Catch up on any chapters Course Wrap-up |
|
|
17 |
5/12 5/19 |
FINALS WEEK GOOD LUCK!!! NO FINAL EXAM FOR THIS CLASS |
|
NOTES:
1. I
will give you the specific dates for all assignments and exams well in advance
of each due date.
2. We
will generally follow the schedule above; however, it is likely that there will
be some changes resulting from weather, guest speakers, discussions related to
breaking news stories and cases, and/or other factors. It is possible that we may need to cut one or
more chapters as the semester goes on. I
will keep you up-to-date of any changes.
Any changes to the grading requirements will be given in writing.
3. There
will be some differences between graduating seniors and non-graduating students
at the end of the semester. All materials
for graduating seniors must be in by