MKT3006 Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMED)

MKT	3006	78078	2, 2008	EXT	Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMED)	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOBUS
Academic org:	FOB004
Student contribution band:	3A
ASCED code:	080301

Staffing
Requisites
Other requisites
Rationale
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Reference materials
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Graham Young
Moderator: Ray Gordon

REQUISITES

Pre-requisite: ACC1101 and MKT1001

OTHER REQUISITES

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to USQConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/business/aboutfob.htm>.

RATIONALE

This course is designed to enable students to gain practical insights into the unique managerial challenges associated with starting, managing and growing a small to medium sized enterprise (SME). While the SME sector is of vital significance to all economies in terms of employment levels and contribution to gross national products, it nevertheless continues to be characterised by high failure rates and unsatisfactory performance levels. This course, directed as it is towards professionals, intending entrepreneurs and owners and managers of SMEs, seeks to ultimately improve overall success rates and performance levels in the sector.

SYNOPSIS

This course addresses the three critical areas within the `history' of an SME. These include development and planning, management and implementation and business future. In the development and planning section, students will be asked to address all issues which contribute to the writing of an appropriate business plan. In the management and implementation section issues relating to the successful implementation of the business plan and on-going functional management tasks will be addressed. Finally, the business future section will examine issues which impact upon the future direction of the SME, including impacts of environmental factors and growth aspirations. Throughout the course, students will be required to continually apply the concepts and principles to their selected SME case enterprises. Reference will also be made to many other SMEs to provide as wide a context mix as possible.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item/s that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective is/are shown in parentheses after each objective. On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

provide a definition of a SME within the Australian context (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
identify and contrast how a SME differs from a large business (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
discuss the differences found amongst SMEs elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
list and appraise the key factors that typically contribute to the ongoing success of a SME (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
list and appraise the key factors that typically cause SMEs to fail (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
define and describe the personal characteristics of entrepreneurs (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
list and describe the components of a comprehensive business plan for SME (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
apply the processes for evaluating the viability of businesses and business concepts (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
construct an effective business plan for a SME (Assignment 1, Assignment 2).

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	Module 1: SME definitions and characteristics	16.50
2.	Module 2: Comparing and analysing business options	16.50
3.	Module 3: Preparing a business plan	16.50
4.	Module 4: Managing key functions	16.50
5.	Module 5: Managing growth	16.50
6.	Module 6: Contemporary issues in small business and entrepreneurship	17.50

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Schaper, M & Volery, T 2007, Entrepreneurship and small business, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.
(2nd Pacific Rim edition)

Summers, J & Smith, B 2006, Communication skills handbook: how to succeed in written and oral communication, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Allen, KR 2007, Growing and managing a small business: an entrepreneurial perspective, 2nd edn, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts.

Corman, J & Lussier, RN 1996, Small business management: a planning approach, Irwin, Chicago, Illinois.

Hatten, TS 2006, Small business management: entrepreneurship and beyond, 3rd edn, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts.

Hisrich, RD & Peters, MP 1995, Entrepreneurship: starting, developing and managing a new enterprise, 3rd edn, Irwin, Chicago, Illinois.

Hodgetts, RM & Kuratko, DF 2008, Small business management: essential tools and skills for entrepreneurial success, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Lattimore, R et al 1997, 2. Summary of findings, A portrait of Australian business, Industry Commission/Department of Industry, Science and Tourism, Canberra, ACT.

Longenecker, JG, Moore, CW & Petty, JW 2000, Small business management: an entrepreneurial emphasis, 11th edn, South-Western College, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Megginson, WL, Byrd, MJ, Scott, CR & Megginson, LC 1997, Small business management: an entrepreneur's guide to success, 2nd edn, Irwin, Chicago, Illinois.

Meredith, GG 1993, Small business management in Australia, 4th edn, McGraw-Hill, Sydney, New South Wales.

Reynolds, W, Williams, A & Savage, W 2000, Your own business: a practical guide to success, 3rd edn, Nelson, Melbourne, Victoria.

Thorpe, P 1994, Small business street smarts: a guide to starting and running a successful small business in Australia, The Advertising Department, Broadway, New South Wales.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Assessment	80.00
Private Study	85.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description		Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date
ASSIGNMENT 1		30.00	30.00	25 Aug 2008
ASSIGNMENT 2		70.00	70.00	31 Oct 2008

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
If you are an international student in Australia, you are advised to attend all classes at your campus. For all other students, there are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without prior approval of the examiner, then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
There is no examination in this course.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Not applicable.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Student Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene university regulations. These regulations can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm>. Students should also read the Faculty of Business Policies and Procedures which can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/business/aboutfob.htm>.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

1.	Assignments: (i) The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the examiner. (ii) Students must retain a copy of each assignment submitted for assessment. This must be produced within 24 hours if required by the examiner. (iii) In accordance with university policy, the examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances. (iv) The examiner will normally only accept assignments which are electronically submitted through the USQ Study Desk for this course. Students who are unable to meet this submission requirement should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate alternative arrangements.
2.	Text books: Please note that it is the responsibility of the student to acquire a copy of the text book as soon as their enrolment in the course has been confirmed. Extensions will not be granted on the basis of the student not having a copy of the text, if the text is available from the USQ Bookshop.
3.	Course weightings: Course weightings of topics should not be interpreted as applying to the number of marks allocated to assessment.
4.	Word count in assignments: Students must put the 'word count' for their assignment on the front page of the assignment. The word count is the number of words in the body of the assignment report and does not include the title, executive summary, list of references or appendices. To grade an assignment a marker does not need to read more words than the word limit of the assignment.

This version produced 15 Oct 2008.