Course Syllabus
Course Name: Small Business Management
Course Number: MGMT 4166
A
study of entrepreneurship and small business management, planning, and
operations. The role of the small
business sector in our economy will be studied as well as the rewards and
disadvantages associated with small business operations. Financial controls and analysis will receive
special emphasis.
Pre-requisites/Co-requisites: Learning Support Reading, English,
Math (when required).
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the various forms of business organization (sole, proprietorships, partnerships, corporations) as they relate to the organization of a small business.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of entrepreneurship and the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the financial control processes available to help small businesses be successful.
4. Demonstrate an ability to apply financial control processes to small business operations.
College Policy on Class
Attendance: Courses
at
Instructors will keep
accurate attendance records and must report the individual number of absences
with midterm and final grades. Students whose number of unexcused absences is
more than twice the number of class meetings per week (the equivalent of two
weeks of instruction) will receive a grade of "F" for the course. Fewer absences than twice the number of class
meetings per week may result in grade penalties at the discretion of the
instructor. Specific attendance
requirements applying to labs, clinics, accelerated classes or Learning Support
will be adapted to the unique situation by the appropriate division. Final determination of what constitutes an
excused absence rests with the classroom instructor. In implementing this policy, faculty will not
include in a student's unexcused absences those absences incurred due to
authorized and approved college sponsored events (or in the case of
joint-enrollment students high-school sponsored events) in which the student
represents the institution as part of a group or under the direct supervision
of a faculty or staff member.
Whenever a student is
absent, whether for official or personal reasons, the student must assume
responsibility and provide notice to the instructor, preferably in advance, for
making arrangements for any assignments and class work missed because of the
absence. However, final approval for make up work remains with the individual
instructor. A student who stops
attending class without officially withdrawing from the course is subject to
this attendance policy and will receive a grade of "F" for the course.
At the beginning of each
semester, instructors will explain clearly to their students specific
attendance requirements (including possible penalties). Additionally, they will
publish the attendance policy on their syllabi and web-sites.
A student penalized for
excessive absences may appeal through the grade appeal process, as stated in
ABAC's college catalog and student handbook.
(Revised 7/28/05)
NOTE: Students are considered absent if not
present when their name is called as part of the roll. Absence from class will considered excused
only if such absence is a result of illness, certain family emergencies (to be
evaluated on a case-by-case basis) or participation in required
school-sponsored evolutions (such as field trips). (Doctors appointments, dentists
appointments, job interviews, etc. should be scheduled so as to not conflict
with scheduled classes.) Unusual
circumstances shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.
College Policy on Academic
Dishonesty: Because Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College has the dual responsibility of educating students and
helping them mature into worthy citizens who take their place in the larger
community, it has adopted a code for dealing with academic irregularities.
Academic irregularities include, but
are not limited to, giving or receiving of unauthorized assistance in the
preparation of any academic or clinical assignment; taking or attempting to
take, stealing, or otherwise obtaining in an unauthorized manner any material
pertaining to the education process; selling, giving, lending, or otherwise
furnishing to any person any question and/or answers to any examination known
to be scheduled at any subsequent date; fabricating, forging, or falsifying lab
or clinical results; plagiarism in any form related to themes, essays, term
papers, tests, and other assignments; breaching any confidentiality regarding
patient information.
Due Process for Academic Dishonesty
Cases
Step 1. When a faculty member suspects that a student has
engaged in academic dishonesty, the faculty member will call the student into a
private meeting in the faculty members office. (The division chair will be
notified of and will approve any action.)
Step 2. The faculty member will confront the student with the
evidence of dishonesty and/or academic irregularity. The faculty member and the
student will discuss the specifics of what occurred. If the student confesses
and accepts responsibility for academic dishonesty, then the faculty member
will ask the student to sign in his/her own handwriting, a statement which
makes clear that the student admits responsibility for the academic dishonesty.
The faculty member will then consult with the division chair. The faculty
member is then free to reprimand the student, to give a failing grade for the
assignment, or to require the student to resubmit the assignment in question.
With approval of the division chair, the faculty member can increase the
penalty up to and including a WF for the course if the incident(s) merit this
severe penalty.
Step
3. If the student refuses to sign a statement accepting responsibility for the
act(s) of academic dishonesty, then a full hearing on the matter must be held.
The faculty member and chair will document this incident and schedule a meeting
with the student. This information will be turned over to the Academic Dean,
who will make the determination of charges against the student and notify
him/her in writing. The charges will be mailed by the Academic Dean to the
student along with a notice to appear at a hearing, and, if the student wishes,
to bring witnesses. At least three days notice is necessary unless the student
waives the notice in writing.
Step
4. If the student requests a hearing, the Academic Dean has the option of
hearing the case for administrative adjudication, convening a special hearing
panel including faculty and students, or of referring it to the Student Life
Hearing panel which handles all other disciplinary matters on campus. The
committee will provide its recommendation to the Academic Dean. The Student
Life Hearing Panel, when hearing cases of academic dishonesty, will include two
faculty members, two students (one of whom will be the SGA president and the
other an associate justice,) and the Director of Student Life, who oversees campus
discipline and the Code of Conduct. The Chief Justice of the SGA chairs the
panel. The Vice President for Student Affairs will serve as advisor to the
panel for all academic dishonesty cases. In general, the decision of the
Academic Dean or his/her designee will not be appealed to the Student Life
Hearing Panel. An appeal of the Deans decision will go directly to the
President who may choose to use the Student Life Hearing Panel to make a
recommendation to him.
Step 5. The student
has a right to appeal the decision of the hearing officer or hearing panel
within ten calendar days of the decision. The appeal will be to the President
or his designee. The Presidents decision is final. The President reserves the
right to review all disciplinary cases and the judgments made during the
process.
The Student Development Center is the
official office to provide disability services.
If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you
will need to contact Dr. Maggie Martin, Director of the Student Development
Center, for coordination of your academic accommodations. The SDC is located in the Branch Student
Center. Dr. Martins phone number is
(229) 391-5135, and her e-mail is mmartin@abac.edu. You may also visit her website at
http//www.abac.edu/mmartin.
CRN: 30602 PHONE: 391-4835
OFFICE: Conger Hall 217A E-mail Address: (edenham@abac.edu)
OFFICE HOURS: 10:00 11:00 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday, 11:00 12:00 Tuesday & Thursday & 1:30 3:00 p.m. Monday through
Thursday. Other times are available by
appointment.
TEXTBOOK: Katz & Green, Entrepreneurial Small Business, (2nd edition).
Dates of Interest:
Monday,
January 12, 2009, First day of class
Last
Day to drop w/out penalty: March 5, 4:30
p.m.
Last
day of classes: Saturday May 2, 2009
Holidays:
Martin
Luther King Birthday, January 19
Spring
Break: March 16 20, 2009
Assignment Due Dates: Article
1: January 30
Article
2: March 6
Article 3: April 6
Article 4: April
20
Business Plan:
April 27
Final Exam: Period 1, Monday, May 4 @ 8:00 a.m.
REQUIREMENTS
AND GRADING SYSTEM: This course will
assess a students skills in three areas: one is substantive information that
will be assessed through objective tests; the second is analytical skills that
will be assessed through case studies involving periodical summaries; and the
third is research skills that will be assessed through the development of a
hypothetical business plan for a business that you will choose and have and
approved by me. and approved by me. The grade you earn will depend on your
performance in these three areas.
A student may earn a maximum of 600 points in
this class. You will take 4 tests, one
for each unit in the course. Each test
will contain 25 multiple-choice questions and is worth 100 points each for a
total of 400 points. You will also need
to choose a business (retail, service, manufacturing, etc.), have it approved
by the instructor, research it, and write a business plan covering all aspects
of a small business startup. Type it or
use a word-processor and follow the format on the handout that will be provided
to you. The project will count for 100
points. Computer or printer problems
are not acceptable reasons for late reports!
In addition, each
student will be required to submit a summary of an article (current event)
pertaining to the subject matter in the unit currently being discussed for a
total of 4 summaries. Each article will
count for 25 points for a total of 100 points.
Students must show how the article pertains to the subject matter and
should be at least three pages long but normally no longer than
four. It is virtually impossible to
make a passing grade without acceptable article summaries!
GRADING SYSTEM: A=540-600, B=480-539, C=420-479, D=360-419, F=Below 359. A summary of the relative weights making up
the final course grade for all students follows:
Four Unit Tests
.
.
.400
Project
..100
Four Article Summaries
.100
Total
......600
Class Participation: I have provided a tentative schedule of daily
activities, topics to be covered, and assignments in this syllabus. I expect each student to come to class
prepared. That is, read the chapters
prior to class. We will analyze
actual cases and have class discussions pertaining to the subject matter and
every student will participate. While
student participation is subjective, active involvement in the topics under
review makes for a positive impression and will improve your grade.
LIBRARY RESOURCES: GIL is
the name of the online catalog for the ABAC library. It can be used to locate books owned by
Baldwin Library. From GIL you may also
link to GALILEO, other library catalogs, and the Baldwin Library Web Page. Application forms for activation of your ABAC
library number are available on the ABAC web page and at the library. I encourage you to use the library to locate
books and supplementary materials for this course.
ATTENDANCE AND LATENESS: You are expected to be on time for
class. I will take attendance during the
first few minutes of class, make whatever announcements are appropriate, and
quickly review material from the previous class meeting. At that point, I will shut the door. If you are tardy, it is your responsibility
to verify your inclusion on the daily roll at the end of that class. If you are late for more than three classes,
I will revoke the opportunity to be counted present and the school unexcused
absences policy will apply. Other than
the three tardies, unexcused absences will include the following:
1.
Coming
more than five minutes late.
2.
Leaving
before class is completed.
3.
Leaving
and returning to class. This is very
disruptive and will not be tolerated. If
you have a problem, take care of it before class.
4.
Sleeping
during class.
5.
Disruptive
talking during class.
6.
Use
of cell phones in any manner during class. (Repeated violations of this policy
may result in dismissal from class or other options.)
7.
Total
absence from class.
8.
Any
other behavior deemed disruptive by the instructor.
TESTING POLICY: The day each test
is given is clearly marked on the course calendar. YOU ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE THE TEST IN CLASS
WITH YOUR CLASSMATES. PRIOR APPROVAL IS
NEEDED TO CHANGE THIS POLICY. ALL EXCUSED
ABSENCES FOR TESTS MUST BE APPROVED BY ME BEFORE
THE DAY OF THE TEST. Students who
miss scheduled examinations will not be allowed to take a make-up examination
without a valid and compelling excuse. Unless one is hospitalized, or has
documentation of a serious problem, there will be no make-up examinations. These rules are designed to give every
student virtually the same testing conditions and opportunities. Students
with at least two recorded unexcused absences will not be allowed to take any make-up
examinations. Furthermore, students arriving more than 15
minutes late (or after the first student has turned in the exam and exited the
room, whichever comes first) will not be allowed to take the examination. Turn off all cell phones prior to class. Any student using or referring to a cell
phone during an examination will be dismissed with a grade of zero for that
examination.
WITHDRAWAL
POLICY: If you fail to meet the attendance policy,
you are subject to being withdrawn from the course at the discretion of the
instructor. If you determine during the
course of the semester that you will not be able to successfully fulfill the
requirements for this course, you may withdraw yourself. The mid-term deadline for withdrawal without
academic penalty is March 5, 2009, 4:30 p.m.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND STUDENT BEHAVIOR: The free and open exchange of ideas is vital
to the pursuit of learning. Each student
is strongly encouraged to participate in class. In any classroom situation that
includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing
viewpoints. These differences enhance
the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors
alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics,
students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the
instructor. Any student that exhibits
disruptive behavior and inhibits the learning process will be asked to leave
and if necessary escorted from ABAC premises.
Further disruptions will result in the withdrawal of the student and
removal from class rolls.
You are encouraged to express your opinions
in the outside assignments, however keep in mind this is a business class, and
we will conduct ourselves as future business leaders. Business professionals do not use vulgar
language in conducting business and neither do we. Therefore, the use of vulgar language in
written assignments is not acceptable.
Hats or caps will not be worn in my
classroom. Furthermore, the use of tobacco
products of any kind will not be permitted.
In addition, eat breakfast before class not during.
STUDENT PRIVACY: The federal
government requires that student privacy be preserved, thus the posting of
grades, even by the last four digits of the social security number is
forbidden. All communication will remain
between the instructor and the student, and the instructor will not be able to
share details of the student's performance with parents, spouses, etc.
ELECTRONIC AND COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT
USE: Turn off all pagers and cell phones prior
to class! It is very disruptive for a student to
continuously refer to a cell phone, compose text messages, or check messages
while I am conducting class. Unless you
have a bona fide emergency, your cell phones should be turned off prior to
class and placed somewhere other than your desktop. If you have a bona fide emergency, please see
me before class. I also find the use of
personal tape recorders to be disruptive; therefore, do not use them without
obtaining permission from me.
CONTACTING
THE INSTRUCTOR: It
is far more preferable to speak to me before
you have a problem, than it is to pick up the pieces afterwards! To that end, I keep regular office hours with
other times available by appointment.
Furthermore, I check my e-mail regularly. I
urge you to contact me with any problems you may be having regarding completing
this course before the problem becomes insurmountable.
The
following is a TENTATIVE schedule. It is
the students responsibility to stay abreast of any changes and additional
announcements that may be announced in class from time to time.
WEEK CHAPTER TOPIC/ACTIVITIES
1 Introductions,
getting acquainted, and executing the contract
1 Small Business: Its Opportunities and Rewards
2 Small Business Ethics:
A Key to Long-Term Success
2 January 19, 2009 MLK Birthday, No Class
3 Small Business Entrepreneurs: Characteristics and Competencies
4 Small
Business Ideas: Creativity, Opportunity, and Feasibility
3 January 30, 2009: First Article Due
4 Small Business Ideas: Creativity, Opportunity, and
Feasibility
5 Small Business Entry: Paths to a Part-Time Entrepreneurship
4 5 Small Business Entry: Paths to a Part-Time Entrepreneurship
6 Small Business Entry: Paths to Full-Time Entrepreneurship
Exam 1: Chapters
1-6
5 7 Small Business Strategies: Imitation with a Twist
8 Business Plans: Seeing Audiences and Your Business Clearly
6 8 Business Plans: Seeing Audiences and Your Business Clearly
9 Small Business Marketing: Product and Pricing Strategies
7 10 Small Business Promotion: Capturing the Eyes of your Market
11 Small Business Distribution and Location
8 March 6, 2009: Second Article Due
11 Small Business Distribution and Location
12 Marketing Plans: Saying How Youll Get Sales
Exam
2: Chapters 7-12
9 13 Small Business Accounting: Projecting and Evaluating Performance
14 Cash: Lifeblood of the Business
10 Spring
Break No Class
11 14 Cash:
Lifeblood of the Business
15 Small Business Finance: Using Equity, Debt, and Gifts
12 16 Small Business Finance: Using Equity, Debt, and Gifts
17 Small Business Protection: Risk Management and Insurance
13 April
6: Third Article Due
17 Small Business Protection: Risk Management and Insurance
Exam 3: Chapters
13-17
14 18 Legal Issues: Recognizing Your Small Business Needs
15 April 20, 2009: Fourth Article Due
19 Human Resource Management: Small Business Considerations
16 April 27, 2009 Research Project Due
20 Achieving Success in the Small Business
Final Exam: Period 1, Monday, May 4 @ 8:00 a.m.
FORMAT FOR PERIODICAL SUMMARY
7. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other quality factors (poor print quality, etc.) will account for 10% of grade.
Note: Wikipedia, your textbook,
law school websites, or government websites are not acceptable sources. Furthermore, this is an analysis of an actual
current event, not an essay, therefore you must find an acceptable article and
analyze it critically as it applies to this course.
Periodical Format Example
Intro: identify the subject. Example:
Summary: Bruce Weinstein, PhD asks the question If
Its Legal, Its Ethical
Right? In an article in Business Week, October 15, 2007, Dr. Weinstein asks this
question regarding a TV crew allowing a woman to drive while drunk when they
were filming a reality show regarding alcoholism. (Finish
the summary)
How does it relate? In this case, he echoes the point regarding
the law being the minimum standard and the ethical requirements are from a
higher authority and he asks further questions. (Expand this point)
Citations: According to Dr. Weinstein, we should not limit our involvement in what benefits just us, but to be fully human, get involved, and go beyond what the law allows.
Other citations: In fact, simply being an observer, you are ethically ..around us.(Weinstein)
Conclusion: Give me your thoughts on this issue. In my opinion, reality shows push the ethical envelope. They encourage cheating, lying, and unethical behavior. I agree with Dr. Weinstein that we have a moral obligation to get involved. (Elaborate further)
MGMT 4166 SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
RESEARCH PROJECT FORMAT
Using the Sample
Business Plan in Chapter 8, Appendix B of your text as a guide, develop a
business plan for a hypothetical business selling a product or service. Assume that I am your banker and you must
convince me to approve a loan to finance your business.
This project
is worth 100 points. While the majority
of your grade on this paper will come from the content, points may be deducted
for errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Other quality factors such as printing
quality will also be considered.
At a minimum,
the plan must include the following:
1.
Title
page
2.
Table
of Contents
3.
Executive
Summary
4.
Concept
History and Background
5.
Goals
and Objectives
6.
Marketing
Plan
7.
Legal
Requirements
8.
Form
of Ownership
9.
Organization,
Management, and Staffing Plan
10. Special Considerations
11. Industry Analysis
We will spend
some time on developing business plans throughout the semester. We will discuss all the facets of a business
plan from making the decision to how the business is run. I highly recommend you start on the project
with our first discussion on making the decision to own your own business.