Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "BUS 305"
COURSE NAME: "Introduction to Entrepreneurship"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2015

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Silvia Pulino
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
OFFICE HOURS: W: 11.00 am - 3.00pm or by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course examines the entrepreneurial process, from recognizing opportunity to planning, organizing and growing a new venture. We will highlight innovation and its methods and applications on business opportunity analysis. Topics covered also include significance, status, problems, and requirements of entrepreneurial businesses. Students will have the opportunity to identify a business opportunity and develop the idea to the point of being start-up ready.This course will serve as a foundation for students who might want to own a business, and it is meant to be accessible also for non-business majors.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Thinking entrepreneurially: mindset, motivation and behavior. Creativity, Opportunity, and Feasibility. Research and Validation. Value Proposition. Business Model. Marketing Strategy. Testing Key Assumptions. Funding the Venture. Pitching the Idea. Building and Growing the Company.

Course content will include materials related to identifying and analyzing market opportunities, evaluating resources required to exploit market opportunities, and launching a new venture. This process will be assessed mainly from the perspective of an individual entrepreneur.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At macro level, after successful completion of the course the student will be able to identify new business opportunities and take the first steps towards implementing a business idea.

Specifically, students will apply their learning through a variety of activities designed to test their ability to:

· Generate innovative business ideas

· Systematically evaluate business ideas and feasibility studies

· Understand key elements of a successful strategy

· Conduct an industry analysis

· Conduct a PEST analysis

· Perform a competitive analysis

· Recognize the importance of business plans and learn what the key building blocks are

· Define a working business model

· Strategically position a new venture

· Formulate and deliver a persuasive elevator pitch

· Understand the pillars of a good marketing strategy

· Forecast sales

· Preparing budgeted financial statements for the first three years of the venture

· Identify the key legal aspects of starting a new business

· Understand key aspects of human resource management in new ventures

Additionally, the course activities will help students perfect a selection of transferrable skills, including:

· Business writing (industry analysis, competitive analysis)

· IT skills: cloud computing and modeling using excel spreadsheets (Google docs, mandatory Computer Lab, preparation of forecast financial statements)

· Oral presentation (brief presentations, elevator pitch)

· Presentation tools (Powerpoint or Prezi for final presentation)

· Project Management and team work (work in teams throughout the semester)

Research (research on industry and competitors)

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Entrepreneurial Small Business	Katz and Green	third edition, McGraw Hill International Edition	ISBN 9780071220941

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments
Disciplined Entrepreneurship	Bill Aulet	Wiley	ISBN 978-1-118-69228-8
Crossing the Chasm	Geoffrey A. Moore	Collins Business	978-0-06-051712-0	HF5439.H54M66

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Class attendance, preparation and participation	The class participation grade will reflect preparation, attendance and quality and frequency of participation. Class preparation will require students to read all the assigned material and to explore the guiding questions provided in Moodle. Class participation will help students understand the material better and build confidence in public speaking. In each class, I will ask a student to make a brief presentation of the material s/he prepared, but all students are encouraged to participate in almost every class at least once and if possible more than once, actively engaging in the debate. The instructor may also indicate university open lectures that are relevant to the course; students are expected to attend such lectures (unless there is a scheduling clash with another course) as part of their class participation activities. Participation to these activities will enhance the class participation grade. Students will be evaluated on preparation, participation and interaction with other students. In particular, students are expected to read all the assigned material, engage with the assigned questions, bring to class evidence of their study in the form of notes, and participate in the general class discussion.	20%
Business Idea	Students will submit a Business Idea and will present it to the class. The written paper will be a 2-3 page report, the presentation should last no more than 3 minutes. Guidelines for the Business Idea will be provided on Moodle.	10%
Elevator Pitch Competition	Towards the end of the semester students will make a formal, 2-minute elevator pitch for their business idea, participating to the university-wide Elevator Pitch Competition. They will present individually and will be graded on innovation, thoroughness, presentation and persuasiveness.	10%
Start-up Portfolio	By the end of the second week students will organize themselves into groups (see section below) to develop their business idea in detail. Throughout the semester they will work on the individual pieces needed to develop a business plan; these pieces will be collected under the Start-up Portfolio, and they include: - Value Proposition - PEST analysis - 5-Force analysis - Competitive map - End user profile - End user persona - Business Model Canvas - Marketing Plan (executive summary) - Sales forecast - Financial summary The portfolio will be graded on a stand-alone basis. The paper grade may be modified upwards or downwards for each student in the team depending on individual commitment and effort. A bonus will be given to papers that show consistency in quality and style, representing a homogeneous effort rather than the compilation of several individual components.	40%
Group Presentation	In lieu of a final exam, students will present their business idea to an (imaginary) group of potential investors. The assumption will be that investors have already seen the 2-minute pitch and want to hear more, in a 10-minute presentation. Performance will be judged on the basis of content, visual support, delivery and fielding of questions.	20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for th
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are expected to come to class and to arrive on time.

Absences: students are allowed up to 3 absences during the semester.

Tardiness: students arriving more than 5 minutes late for class will be marked as absence (though they may stay and follow the lesson).

Persistent absence or tardiness usually precludes satisfactory performance in the course, and will result in a lower class participation grade. In any case, students are responsible for all material covered by the syllabus and/or discussed in class, whether or not they are actually present.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS

NOTE: This table is merely indicative. The definitive schedule is the one on MOODLE.

Class		Date	Topic	Material / Preparation
PART I – OPPORTUNITY
THINKING ENTREPRENEURIALLY
1			Introduction
2			Mindset Motivation Behaviour
CREATIVITY, OPPORTUNITY AND FEASIBILITY
3			Generating business ideas Value proposition
4			Assessing feasibility Key metrics
RESEARCH AND VALIDATION
5			Industry conditions Industry status
6			Industry analysis
7			Macroeconomic change PEST analysis
8			Competitive landscape Competitor analysis
PART II – PREPARING THE FOUNDATIONS OF A BUSINESS PLAN
9			Need and solution Scalability
10			Understanding the customer
11			Defining the strategy
12			Designing the Business Model
THE MARKETING STRATEGY
13			Positioning
14			Product brief Pricing
15			Product brief Pricing
16			Channels Promotion
17			Channels Promotion
18			Forecasting sales
19			Testing key assumptions Minimum Viable Product Proving that “the dog will eat the food”
FUNDING THE NEW VENTURE
20			Introduction to financial statements
21			Assessment of financial needs
22			Proforma financial statements
23			Proforma financial statements
24			Sources of funding
25			Pitching the idea
26			Pitching the idea
BUILDING THE COMPANY
			THANKSGIVING
27			Legal form Organizational structure HRM
28			Operations / Logistics IT / Web The Business Plan
exam		TBD	FINAL PRESENTATIONS
NOTE:	Gray cells indicate classes that may be sacrificed or compressed to accommodate Guest Speakers from the entrepreneurial community.