Course Description

A practical study in the dynamics of establishing, funding, and managing a small new enterprise, or acquiring an existing business using case studies, practical exercises, and class instruction. For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale:

This course is for any student seeking to start his/her own business, buy an existing business, or purchase a franchise. In any business, there is a risk. The goal is to help the student minimize these risks and give him/her the best opportunity for success. Please consult Liberty University for details on the requirements for this course.

Measurable Learning Results:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Conduct a feasibility analysis prior to investing additional time and resources until a market niche is found and is large enough to meet the entrepreneur’s needs.
2. Create an actionable business plan that is capable of attracting investment.
3. Evaluate franchise opportunities.
4. Build a marketing plan.
5. Evaluate the role of e-commerce
6. Determine the mix of debt and equity financing for a business
7. Correlate small business management principles of project management to historical biblical events

Course Assignment:

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in Module/Week 1.

Discussion Board Forums (4)

The student will participate in 4 Discussion Board Forums.

• Each discussion will consist of a 500-word thread and a minimum of two 250-word replies.
• The Discussion Board Forums are based on a chapter topic.
• Outside research will be required for the thread.
• The instructor is looking for substantial, thoughtful, and critical discussions.
• Topics must be posted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday and threads must be posted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the assigned module/week.
• Replies must be posted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the following module/week, except for Discussion Board Forum 4 Replies, which are due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday of Module/Week 8.
• Additional requirements and clarifications are available in the assignment instructions and the instructor’s weekly announcements/emails.

Feasibility Analysis – Group Project:

The group will write a 5 to 7-page Feasibility Analysis plus a financial spreadsheet for a business that it would like to study or consider creating. The goal is to understand if there is a market for the product or service before additional resources are expended. Assuming a market niche is found, this analysis will be foundational to building the business plan. The paper should be written in APA format. For more information, read chapter 4 in the textbook, assignment instructions, and announcements/emails.

Individual sections of this assignment are due to the group by 11:59 p.m. on Monday of Module/Week 2. This assignment is due to the instructor by 11:59 p.m. on Monday of Module/Week 3. Additional requirements and clarifications are available in the assignment instructions and the instructor’s weekly announcements/emails.

Business Plan – Group Project

Beginning with the knowledge gained during the Feasibility Analysis, the group will create a Business Plan. The plan should be high enough in quality to be able to receive financing. The business plan will be a PowerPoint presentation consisting of 6 to 10 slides covering the Executive Summary, Vision and Mission Statement, Business Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Financial Page – 10K format, and Sources.

Individual sections of this assignment are due to the group by 11:59 p.m. on Monday of Module/Week 5. The Business Plan is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 6. Additional requirements and clarifications are available in the assignment instructions and the instructor’s weekly announcements/emails.

Total Quizzes (4)

• There will be 4 quizzes during this course. The quizzes will consist of 25 multiple-choice and true/false questions.
• The student will have a 1-hour time limit. The quizzes are open-book/open-notes.
• Each quiz must be completed by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the assigned module/week, except for Quiz 4, which must be completed by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday of Module/Week 8.