23716 - Business Plan

Learning outcomes

The objective of this course is to understand and know how to structure a business plan. The course offers decision-making elements, tools and analysis techniques to analyze different scenarios and plan strategic decisions. At the end of the course the student is able to: - evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities; - understand the functions of the business plan; - carry out the competition analysis, the definition of the offering system and the marketing plan.

Course contents

Specific knowledge and skills to be achieved

This course draws on the literature about entrepreneurship, strategic management and innovation to provide a broad and critical understanding of the main issues related to the conceptualisation, development and management of business plans to exploit potential market opportunities, both in a start-up context up that of an existing business.

The course is designed to provide both theoretical and practical insights for effective business planning, both in terms of qualitative (e.g. value proposition) and quantitative (e.g. financial and economic planning) aspects.

At the end of the course, students will have achieved the following results and skills:

a) Knowledge and understanding

- Know the contents of an excellent business plan;

- Understand the functions of different types of business planning tools;

- Describe the key concepts and analytical tools for strategic planning.

b) Application of knowledge and understanding

- Structure and write a business plan;

- Analyze the market and competition;

- Define the value proposition;

- Define the organizational and supply chain configuration;

- Draw up financial and economic forecast plans.

c) Express judgements

- Evaluate the completeness of a business plan;

- Compare and evaluate different possible value propositions;

- Compare and evaluate different organizational and supply chain configurations;

- Evaluate the financial and economic sustainability of a project.

d) Communication

- Present own evaluation and analysis of ideas and projects, orally and in writing;

- Present a business idea effectively.

e) Lifelong learning skills

- Develop skills in collecting data relating to financial, economic and innovation performance at a company or regional level;

- Improve one's skills in the use of IT tools, such as electronic presentation, writing and calculation tools;

- Present own contribution and participate in the work of a diverse group.

 

Contents

The course will cover the following contents:

- The creation of value

- Market analysis

- Competitive analysis

- Definition of the organizational configuration and supply chain

- Evaluation of revenues, costs and profitability

- Evaluation of the financial structure and economic feasibility

- The lean start-up approach

- Pitching a business idea

The details about the contents provided in the course will be provided to students during the course.

Readings/Bibliography

ATTENDING STUDENTS

- C. Parolini, Pianificazione aziendale. Dall’idea al progetto imprenditoriale, Pearson Education, 2020 (3a edizione)

- Slides used during the lectures and additional mandatory teaching materials uploaded to the course online platform (see the syllabus on the "Virtuale" repository for details).

NON ATTENDING STUDENTS

- C. Parolini, Pianificazione aziendale. Dall’idea al progetto imprenditoriale, Pearson Education, 2020 (3a edizione)

- Slides used during the lectures and additional mandatory and optional teaching materials uploaded to the course online platform (see the syllabus on the "Virtuale" repository for details)

Teaching methods

The course includes different teaching and learning methodologies:

-Frontal lessons

- Flipped classroom

- Case studies

- Meetings with guests from the corporate world

- Exercises

- Teamwork

Effective learning during this course requires the active participation of students during lessons and in carrying out of practical activities, partly in class (e.g. analysis of case studies), partly at home (e.g. group work). For all activities, students can benefit from the supervision of the teacher or teaching tutor.

Assessment methods

ATTENDING STUDENTS

In line with the aims of the course, different assessment methods are used to evaluate the students’ achievement of different competences (please note that the specific methods employed during the course will be specified in the "Virtuale" repository after the course started):

• Group assignment
• Group presentation
• Individual participation to group work
• Written individual exam

 

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

In line with the aims of the course, the students’ achievement of different competences will be assessed through a written and oral individual exam.

 

For both attending and non-attending students, the assessment will take into account the extent of student’s preparation on the topics covered by the course and the use of an appropriate language. Students will pass the exam according to the following overall levels:

• Preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical skills that emerge only with the help of the teacher, expressed in an overall correct language (mark: 18-19);

• Preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and ability to autonomous analysis only on purely executive matters, expression in correct language (mark: 20-24);

• Preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make independent choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology (mark: 25-29);

• Exhaustive preparation on the topics covered in the course, ability to make independent choices of critical analysis and connection, full mastery of specific terminology and ability to argue and self-reflection (30-30L).

Teaching tools

- Slides used during the classes

- Magazine and newspaper articles, business plans, exercises, case studies

- Testimonies from companies

- Interaction with the teaching tutor

Office hours

See the website of Daniela Bolzani