BUSI 660 -- Small Business Management
General
- Graduate; 2nd year
- 100 learners; teams of 5
- 20 hours per learner
- Dates set by experience
- Educators assign learners to projects
Preferred companies
- 10/6 project matches
- Canada
- Academic experience
- Small to medium enterprise
- Any
Categories
Skills
Project timeline
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October 22, 2023Experience start
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October 22, 2023Client Interview
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December 17, 2023Final Presentation
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December 17, 2023Experience end
Timeline
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October 22, 2023Experience start
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October 22, 2023Client Interview
Client Interview to be conducted live, either through an interactive class session or 1:1 with an instructor with a list of questions compiled from student responses.
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December 17, 2023Final Presentation
The teams will create an initial proposal and a final report based on client needs and present their recommendations in the final week of their term.
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December 17, 2023Experience end
Overview
- Details
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Students will work with a small business (client) throughout the term (10-week term) and will do the following:
1. Organizational diagnosis
2. Needs Assessment for Company
3. Mock Consulting Proposal
4. Final Project & PPT
How companies will benefit:
This course (BUSI 660) is a capstone project/exit course for the UCW MBA students - meaning, the small business will get to work with the final term MBA students. Students already had diverse academic and professional experiences before joining the MBA program. Now, they are just one step (term) away from earning an MBA degree. The small business, in working with the MBA students, will be able to utilize and access fresh perspectives for dealing with business challenges. Students, in teams, will deliver Market & Industry Analyses, various frameworks, such as Jobs to be Done, SWOT Analysis, etc. Similarly, students will also get valuable first-hand and real-world experiences by working with the small business.
- Learner skills
- Digital marketing, Business consulting, Marketing strategy, Data analysis, Research
- Deliverables
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Students will work with the small business throughout the Fall 2023 term (a 10-week long term) and will provide the following deliverables:
(1) project proposal as well as the small business' needs, (2) revised proposal, and (3) final project report and presentation.
Instructions to the potential client (small business owner):
1. The business should be a legally registered and ongoing small business. A new business is fine.
2. The business should be based in Canada.
3. The business owner should be willing to work with at least 4 five student groups (around six or seven students per group) throughout the duration of the term. Communication could be done virtually.
4. The business owner, or an experienced representative should be willing to spend an hour per week speaking with students, responding to their queries, etc. The expectation would be for these contact hours to happen virtually, but in-person options are available as well.
5. If the business owner agrees to the points mentioned above, the business owner will have an initial virtual meeting through a video call with the course instructor. The course instructor will discuss the details of the course, expectations, etc., and will answer any questions or concerns of the business owner. NOTE: The deliverables are negotiable and hope to align for maximum synergy between the company and student team.
Project Examples
1. Project proposal, (i.e. Needs Analysis) (group project): Students will be working in groups, and based on the organizational diagnosis they conduct as well as the needs of the small business, will write a proposal for the business including a range of solutions & strategic pathways for the business to consider.
2. Revised proposal (i.e. Consultative Recommendations) (group project): Students will finalize the proposal by incorporating feedback from the small business owner and the course instructor, as well as additional research they have compiled.
3. Final project report and presentation (group project): Students will submit their final written report and will present that to the client as well as to the instructor. Again, the points of emphasis, will focus on data-backed solutions and a 360° analysis, provided by the team, on three strategic pathways that the Capstone team believes that the Business should consider.
Additional company criteria
Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:
The business owner is willing to communicate with the Professor and respond to their queries with a reasonable turnaround time.
How is your Project relevant to this Small Business Management course?
Be available for a quick phone/virtual call with the instructor to initiate your relationship and confirm your scope is an appropriate fit for the course.
The business is a legally registered and ongoing small business.