Mr. Beamon - Room 103

Abstract

Entrepreneurship provides an understanding of the critical role played by entrepreneurs in the national and global economy. Students learn skills, characteristics, and techniques found in successful entrepreneurs. Building on concepts, the Entrepreneurship curriculum approaches student learning experimentally by encouraging students to evaluate, develop, and work with the business ideas they already have or those they conceive during the course.
Expected Student Outcomes/Objectives

Students explore the steps necessary to starting a business, including: analyzing the market, financing, forms of organization, operational issues, regulations, and the financial risks of starting a business. Students examine ethical issues, risks, returns, and other aspects of entrepreneurship.
Among the learning goals clearly defined in this course are the following:

●Identify the important steps in the preparation of a business plan

● Explain the role of competitive advantage in marketing a new business

● Develop a risk assessment plan for a new venture

● List the sources of funding for a new venture

● Create a projected income statement for a new venture

● Explain how government regulations can affect small businesses

● Describe the roles of a board of directors and a board of advisors

● Identify solutions to ethical dilemmas concerning business issues and social responsibility in business

● Describe the role of partnerships, franchises, mergers, and acquisitions in growing a business

Description of Activities

In the Entrepreneurship course students develop business ideas and create elevator pitches and form teams to work on the ideas with the most potential. Teams research and develop target market segments for their projects and present their research report findings in the form of a poster. They are introduced to the project presentation template, which they will use throughout project development.

Students analyze their ideas by performing SWOT and cost-benefit analyses and by developing a feasibility report. They review and discuss a business plan example and work within project teams to organize their projects and assign tasks. Teams create company logos to communicate the benefits of their product or service to the targeted audience. They create profiles of the “ideal customer” and create a marketing strategy and marketing mix as part of the marketing plans that will go into their business plans.

Teams develop plans for identifying and mitigating business risks. Students identify several key types of business risks, including product risks, business model risks, market risks, and more. They identify and prioritize the risks to their unique business and draft a risk assessment for inclusion in their business plan. They learn about types of and sources for start-up funding. Teams research their start-up needs, draft a projection of their needed start-up and operating capital, and develop a projected income statement. Then they write a plan for how their business would obtain funding, how much they will need as start-up capital, how much operating capital, and the plan for becoming profitable and paying back any loans.

Teams develop codes of ethics for their new businesses and incorporate them into their business plans. Students finalize their business plans and exchange feedback. Then they develop a presentation to accompany their oral presentation of their business plans. Finally, they present their business plans orally using their PowerPoint presentations as support.

Students will be evaluated on their work on each element of the project over the course of the lessons, as well as on their final work in the business plan. Each team member will be required to display evidence of contribution to the project to ensure collaboration and individual work completed.

Culminating Activity and/or Assessment

Students will produce a business plan describing a business opportunity and how they would implement it. The report will include:

●An executive summary describing the business model

●A competitive analysis describing how the business idea is unique and why it will succeed

●A marketing plan describing the target market, competitors, and distribution strategy

●A development plan describing the legal structure for the business, any hiring or changes over a year, and description of operations and management

●A description of the financial situation detailing the starting assets of the company, how startup funding will be obtained and what it will be used for, and a projected income statement for the first months of business

●A risk assessment of the major risks that could cause the business to fail

●Any additional supporting documents that are assigned for enrichment, such as business collateral, ethics or mission statement, risk strategy or sample contracts

●A five- to eight-minute oral presentation pitching their business plan to an invited audience, using a PowerPoint presentation as a visual aid

Productive discussion is very much encouraged in class. Most learning will occur through active discussion rather than passive listening. Participation is key. There will be some classroom lectures but thoughtful questions and discussion is welcomed. Many students learn by doing. In this course, the students will have the opportunity to work in a project-based learning environment.

Many of the assignments will be done and turned in online. You will create an account and profile. Through this I will communicate assignments, quizzes, projects, etc. Therefore, if you are absent you can log in to see if there are any assignments due.

In conjunction with the culminating project, students will be graded on quizzes, tests, class work, class participation, homework, and online assignments. Students are expected to follow school and class rules (see classroom expectations and rules attachment). Extra help is available after school, during study hall, or lunch by appointment only.

Grading:

•Participation (class discussion, folders, daily “Do Now”, behavior) 10%

•Class work, Homework, Online Assignments 40%

•Tests, Quizzes, and Projects 50%

Course Outline

Week 1-2: Unit 1: Getting Started

Lesson 1: Course Introduction

Lesson 2: Characteristics of Entrepreneurs

Weeks 3-7: Unit 2: Assessing New Business Ideas

Lesson 3: Generating Good Ideas

Lesson 4: Establishing Your Market

Lesson 5: Preparing an Effective Business Plan

Weeks 8-18: Unit 3: Business Operations and Administration

Lesson 6: The Role of Marketing

Lesson 7: Managing Business Risk

Lesson 8: Legal Issues

Lesson 9: Funding an Entrepreneurial Venture

Lesson 10: Ethics for Entrepreneurs

Lesson 11: Planning for the Future

Weeks 19-20: Unit 4: Course Closure

Lesson 13: Review, Final Exam, Project Presentation