Module details for Entrepreneurship and Business Start-up

Description

This module introduces students the skills and knowledge needed to launch a small business successfully. This module defines and helps students acquire the personal and professional skills needed in order to develop a professional career and/or to succeed as entrepreneurs in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Aims

The aim of this Module is to provide the student with : The opportunity to: 1. To raise awareness of self-employment as a career option. 2. Understand and analyse the role of the entrepreneur in the process of business start-up and development. 3. Develop and practice the skills necessary to operate effectively as entrepreneurs in the small business sector.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module the student should be able to:

1.  Reflect on the skills and qualities they possess and analyse how these relate to the skills and qualities associated with successful entrepreneurs;

2.  Understand the skills and approaches the entrepreneur brings to the process of value creation;

3.  Design a simple business plan which demonstrates the commercial viability of a proposed small business start-up

Indicative Content

1 What makes an entrepreneur?

An introduction to entrepreneurship and an analysis of the skills and qualities associated with successful entrepreneurs

2 Business Ideas

Strategies for generating successful business ideas

3 Environmental scanning

Identifying a good business idea and the future direction of our organisation

4 Business Plans

Developing a credible business plan that includes evaluating business ideas Assessing risk and uncertainty; identifying potential customers, markets and market segments; assessing operations, USP and competition; price vs quality & profits.

5 Getting finance

Presenting the business idea; different potential sources of finance

Teaching and Learning Work Loads