Spring 2009

It is a story! Makes an argument and conservatively predicts the future

Or : It is the process of examining the

environment, setting goals, explaining objectives and mapping out a plan to achieve these goals and objectives

A business growth plan is the articulation and explanation of why your chosen strategy makes sense, what resources you will need to implement the strategy, who will make up the team that will have the vision and leadership to execute the strategy and what path you will follow to achieve your growth objectives.

It will also answer the following questions about your company

Who are you? What do you do? What is your business model

How do you make money Who is your customer What problem do you solve How do you solve it better, faster and/or

cheaper than your competitors

How do your customers pay you? How loyal are they? How should you grow? Why is the strategy that you have chosen

better than others that may be available? What do you need to implement the

growth strategy selected? How crowded is the market? Who are your

current customers as well as likely future customers?

What vehicles ( and at what costs ) will you use to sell the customer your product or service? Why are they the best vehicles?

What market research have you done to be sure that anyone wants to buy this product or service at this price – or at all ?

Does your company modify the way business is being done in your industry (as a change agent) or is this more of a fad or trend?

It is critical to your company’s success and its ability to raise capital and sustain growth

Not even the most savvy investor or the most veteran entrepreneur can predict with certainty which strategies will work and which won’t, but the better the analysis the better the chances that most goals set forth in the business plan will be achieved.

A well written business plan doesn’t oversell the good, undersell the bad or ignore the ugly!

Business planner should acknowledge that growth and success are moving targets, risk is constantly moving and can be minimized by anticipating as many future circumstances as possible that will affect the company’s objectives.

Who uses a business plan? A. Established companies B. Emerging companies

i.e. A company operating for several years will need to draft a plan to raise the necessary capital to reach the next stage in its development.

In any instance the business growth plan should be prepared with the assistance of a financial consultant, an investment banker and the internal management team and should be thoroughly vetted by attorneys and accountants.

Term Paper Participation Quizzes

Final Term Paper 60 %Article Review

10% Article

Presentation 10%General Class

Participation 10% Bonus 10%

Department of Business AdministrationBusiness PlanningInstructor: Payman Shafieee-Mail: pshafiee@live.com40 Hours: Sundays 5:30 – 8:30Room number: 310Administrative matters The final grade is calculated from 3 elements: in-class participation (30%), term paper (60%),

and Quizzes (10%). There will be no final exam for this course In-Class Participation This course intends to promote in-class discussion by students. Accordingly, 30% of the grade will be

determined by the quality of your participation. This will be distributed between general class participation (10%) and one in-class presentation and written article review (20%).

Quizzes (your bonus)There will be a maximum of 6 unannounced quizzes given at the beginning of some classes. Each quiz

will cover the material discussed in the immediate previous class with few questions from other former chapters. Quizzes are bonuses! You can earn complete mark from this section by demonstrating knowledge over the subject. There will be no grade but only pass or fail for this component

Article reviewsTwo page Article review, 10%. Presentation 10% 1.       Write a summary report on the assigned article, Present the article in class (10 - 30 minutes) 2.       Analyse the article's key points 3.       Demonstrate through understanding of the article and explain the business terminology used in

the paper4.       Explain how the article’s key areas and our subject “Business Planning” are tied. A clear picture of

their association must be drawnAttendanceAttendance is taken at the beginning of every class. We strongly recommend you to attend all classes;

however there is no grade for attendance. Please remember that school regulations do not allow for more than 3 legitimate classes missed during one semester 

Term Paper Participation Quizzes

Final Term Paper 60 %Article Review

10% Article

Presentation 10%General Class

Participation 10% Bonus 10%

Term paper must cover:1.       [1]Executive summary; i.e. identify, business goals and objectives               2.       SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)3.       Discuss customer needs4.       Financial plan; indicate source and cost of finance to provide liquidity and profitability5.       External Environment; community profiles, Business standards and trends, mission

and laws6.       Production/Services and distribution plan7.       Market analysis and Marketing plan; identify best marketing and promotion strategies;

market exposure 8.       Capitalization; Stakeholders are identified; analyse their interest, and contribution 9.       Risks; potential threats are identified and at least one risk management strategy is

specified10.   Operations plan; human resources, staffing11.   Specialist services and sources of advice are identified and cost must be considered in

accordance with available resources (n.3)12.   Monitoring and evaluating plan implementation13.   Exit strategy; develop a contingency plan to address the top two possible areas of non

conformance to plan14.   Identify an alternative business plan; point out advantages and disadvantages of the

alternative plan and explain why your plan is more plausible than the alternative              

Term Paper Participation Quizzes

Final Term Paper 60 %Article Review

10% Article

Presentation 10%General Class

Participation 10% Bonus 10%