23716 - BUSINESS PLAN

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

This laboratory provides the analytical tools and concepts for effectively preparing a business plan for service organizations. The laboratory examines the objectives and structure of the business plan, including the marketing plan and competitive strategy, the operations, organizational structure and the financial plan of the new service activity. Students will actively participate and be trained to the preparation of business plans.

Contenuti

This course introduces the key concepts, tools, and principles for developing business idea for new and already existing on the market companies during their growth process.

For the students the course will be a real look for understanding the approach and the process that business development requires.

While previous knowledge of concepts related to finance, accounting, marketing, operations, or sales is desirable, no prior knowledge or experience in developing-reviewing business model is needed.

During the course, the used approach will be active and based on the experiential learning so students will be asked to actively engage in class conversations and discussions as well as to work in group.

This course will expose students to the critical theoretical and practical aspects concerning to the main following topics:

• Factors that are common to successful firms and the business plan
• Development of new business idea or audit an existing business idea: the Business Model Canva
• Market analysis and recognition of key trends (i.e. digital, new technologies, business globalization,..)
• Executive summary, mission, vision, and company business model
• Product and/or service plan
• Marketing plan
• Management plan
• Operating plan
• Financial plan

The previous contents may be slightly modified according to the progress of the class.

 

Testi/Bibliografia

• Teaching material prepared by the Professor (lecture slides, readings, and case studies) will be uploaded on Virtuale and will be part of the program for both attending and non attending students;

• Selected chapters from the text book "Successful business plan. Secrets and strategies" (5th edition onwards) by Rhonda Abrams. The list of the selected chapters will be available on Virtuale. 

Non-attending students: they will have to prepare the examination using both the selected chapters from the text book above as well as the readings, cases and other material uploaded on Virtuale.

The Student is considered an attending student if he-she has a minimum of 70% class attendance rate and an actively participation in the class activities and the group assignments.

Metodi didattici

• Classical teaching;
• In class group lab sessions on real business case;

• for class attendants’ students: business plan group project. Students will work in teams with the goal to produce a Business Plan based on the ideas defined during the in-class lesson 2 (November, the 22^nd). During the same lesson, we will create groups, will identify members and group leader of each group. Each BP group will be submitted by email (mailto:cristina.baldi8@unibo.it) within the deadline of January 2024, the 15th by 12pm Italian time.

During the lessons it will be taken the presence of students and due to the practical approach of the course, for attending students it is important to be in class on time (please check time table lessons for the details)

The business plan project will be graded and for students with 70% class attendance rate, it will be the final course valuation (please see the point “Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento” for more valuation details)

•  The course approach creatively and effectively incorporates active learning strategies into teaching.

• In this course focused on active learning, teacher is invested in students’ success, and students are truly engaged in the learning process, they grapple with the course material by working collaboratively on problems and are constantly processing what they are learning in this course is active experiential learning (i.e., learning by doing).

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

• Attending students (with min 70% class attendance rate)

  Class participation: 20% of final grade It is assessed the pro-active attendance to lectures and the participation to the discussion of assigned questions to cases and readings.

  Business Plan group project submission: 80% of final grade Students will work in teams with the goal to produce a Business Plan based on the ideas defined by the in-class lesson n. 2 (November, the 22nd).

  Business Plan group project to submit: a short document (max 10 pages, Times New Roman 11, line spacing 1, standard margins) in which there are summarized and explained the main sections of the business plan concerning the assigned and developed idea by following the instructions shared in class.

  Business Plan group project submission deadline: Each group will have to submit the BP project by email (mailto:cristina.baldi8@unibo.it) within the deadline of January 2024, the 15th by 12pm Italian time.

The grading of the project work score is as follows:

• 28-30L project correct, exhaustive, complex, which highlights the complete mastery of the topics covered in the course and a consistent execution ability with any minor inaccuracies;
• 24-27 project not entirely correct and/or incomplete, from which emerges an appreciable degree of knowledge of the topics covered in the course and a good ability of execution;
• 18-23 projects with significant methodological inaccuracies or significant analytical imperfections, which show just sufficient ability of execution;
• 0-17 project inadequate for method setting and/or data analysis and result.

The final grade is based on deep knowledge of the theories, analytical concepts and applications included in the teaching materials and slides.

There are no differences for Erasmus students.

Please note that students who are involved in a BP group project, if at the end of the course they won’t reach a min rate of 70% class attendance , they will have to take the exam as Non-Attending students (for more details please see the point “Non-attending students”).

• Non-attending students:

Assessment will be 100% by written exam

The exam includes three open questions (theoretical or practical) that will cover the different topics managed in the course. 

Each question will be evaluated in the range of 0-10 points.

The exam final grade will correspond to the total score reached by each of the three question.

The final grade is based on deep knowledge of the theories, analytical concepts and applications included in the teaching materials and slides.

The grading of the answers' score is as follows:

• 9-10: answer correct, exhaustive, complex, which highlights the complete mastery of the topics covered in the course and a consistent execution ability with any minor inaccuracies;
• 7-8: answer not entirely correct and/or incomplete, from which emerges an appreciable degree of knowledge of the topics covered in the course and a good ability of execution;
• 6: answer with significant methodological or theoretical inaccuracies or significant analytical imperfections, which show just sufficient ability of execution;
• 0-5: answer inadequate or wrong.
  

Additional laude can be given when the three answers score is 10, and the overall exam shows an excellent theoretical knowledge and a practical ability.

 

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Teaching material prepared by the Professor (lecture slides, readings, case studies) and uploaded on Virtuale.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Cristina Baldi