72896 - Business Plan

Learning outcomes

One of the most exciting and satisfying activities in business is to start a new venture. In this course students will learn how to prepare a comprehensive strategy for launching a new business. The vehicle for achieving this is the preparation of a business plan based on an opportunity that students have selected. Upon completion of this course students will:

• Learn what is a business plan, its elements, and how do they fit together.

• Know why and when you need to write a business plan.

• Experience the difficult, but essential, process that all entrepreneurs go through when they plan their new venture

 

Course contents

This course will aim at 1) completing a business development project; 2) investigating some of the management challenges facing entrepreneurial companies and 3) gaining insight and perspectives from guest speakers on various areas of entrepreneurship and starting a business.

The goal of this course in brief is:

1.     To teach you some tools useful in constructing, using, and critiquing development plans for entrepreneurial businesses.

2. To allow you to gain hands-on experience in business planning through conducting a comprehensive analysis and venture development plan for a local entrepreneurial business.

3. To give you practice in thinking about the emergence and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities

4. For all of us to enjoy ourselves and relish the renaissance opportunities of entrepreneurship

 

Readings/Bibliography

For students who attend : material provided by the instructor.

 

For students who do not attend :

1) The Smart Entrepreneur: How To Build For A Successful Business,Bart Clarysse, Sabrina Kiefer

2) Reading list and slides provided by the instructor

Teaching methods

The most effective way to understand the entrepreneurial process is to take a hands-on approach. In this course students are expected to interact with the business community, be able to work effectively in teams, and be active participants in classroom discussions. Strong written and oral skills greatly facilitate success in starting a new venture. Those individuals that can effectively communicate their ideas will have an advantage over those that cannot. As such, the assignments in the course center on written and oral presentations.

We will often break class into two sections, with outside speakers for at least one of the sections, or time for team meetings. Several classes will have “stand up” sessions where team members will present a portion of their plan.

Assessment methods

Students who attend :  The final mark will be based on the quality of the project work developed by each students in collaboration with his group members

Students who do not attend : questions based on the two books indicated above

Teaching tools

Lectures

Analysis of business plans

Guest speakers

Field practice

Office hours

See the website of Simone Ferriani