Course Syllabus

Syllabus for MGT465-701 Spring 2022

CRN:               25749

Time:               MW 1:25-2:15

Location:         MCoB 208

Catalog Description: How new businesses are organized and planned. Objectives are

1. Understand the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of entrepreneurs
2. Creating and organizing opportunities for new ventures
3. Planning resources to convert those opportunities into businesses

Students work in teams (or alone) to develop a business plan for a new venture they have chosen.

Your Professor

Thomas E. Nelson, PhD

Director, Melton Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

University of South Alabama, Mitchell College of Business

5811 USA Drive South, Room 116

Mobile AL 36688

(251) 341-3861

ThomasNelson@SouthAlabama.edu

You may contact me by email or call my office. If you choose to call please do not leave a message. I rarely check voice mails because almost always about my car’s extended warranty. Office hours are 10-5 Tuesdays and 4-5 on Wednesdays. Appointments are available outside of these times. Just send me a few times to pick from by email and I will return a calendar invite. My office is large enough for social distancing, but if you prefer I’ll be happy to meet via Zoom.

Course Objectives

1. Demonstrate competency in business idea generation
2. Conduct useful primary and secondary research to determine business idea
   1. Feasibility
   2. Desirability
   3. Viability
   4. Practicality
3. Assemble research into a professional business plan
4. Competently present business plan
5. Gain working knowledge of other methods of business idea organization
6. Demonstrate a general understanding of topics relevant to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship

Course Materials

1. How to Start a Startup (can be found on com)
2. Entrepreneurship textbook (available at com)
3. LivePlan software (license available from Palo Alto Software)
4. PitchVantage
5. Other materials as assigned

Class Attendance Policy

Class attendance is mandatory and will be taken in the first minute of class. If you arrive late you will not be counted present. We have only 30 sessions together, and one or two of them will be cancelled due to other academic obligations, such as the Association of Private Enterprise Education’s annual conference in March. In addition the occasional class may be forced to start late due to my activities on the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council. I will attempt to keep these interruptions to a minimum, and provide alternate learning opportunities. Each unexcused absence will be a 1% deduction in your final grade. Absences are generally unexcused. You have the schedule of the class as of the first day of class. If you schedule a job interview or other necessary activity during class time you should be prepared to take the penalty. University exceptions are listed below.

1. Students attending authorized off-campus functions or required activities shall be excused by the responsible University official through the Office of Academic Affairs. In case of doubt, instructors may consult these lists in that office. Work missed as a result of these excused absences may be made up.
2. Students who are verified as having an illness or a need to self-quarantine because of symptoms or exposure can request an excused absence. These requests will be routed through the Dean of Students and faculty will receive a letter by email notifying them of the excused absence, although, to protect the student’s confidentiality, the details of the illness or exposure will not be provided. As the length of time will differ based on individual circumstances, a follow-up letter will be sent by the Dean of Students to the faculty member at the end of the excused period (i.e., after the appropriate self-quarantine period ends).

Other potentially excused absences are death in the immediate family, jury duty, birth of a child (yours), and personal emergencies. Proof will be required, and is at my discretion.

Course and Teacher Evaluation

Please take course and instructor evaluation seriously. I use the comments and suggestions you make to make the classes I offer better from semester to semester. In addition, I try to make myself a better instructor using those tools. When the time comes to evaluate me and/or the course, be honest and helpful. Your effort will be taken seriously. Nothing you say on an evaluation will ever affect your grade in any of my classes.

Grading

Grading is 90% for an A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C, 60% for a D. Lower than that will fail. Attendance is PENALTY ONLY. That means that there are no points for attendance, just penalties for absence. The amount of points in this class varies from semester to semester, but you can expect about the following.

Quizzes                                                           300

Homework & Other Assignments                   0-500

Business Plan                                                 1,000

Business Plan Presentation                            300

Extra Credit                                                     0-300

The following things can modify your grade. You may challenge the modifications on the business plan before you begin. It is unlikely you will change my mind, but I will listen and consider any argument you have.

Absences (1 free)                                           1% per absence (from final total)

Business plan in food & beverage                  Max Grade B

Business plan in ‘sin industry’            Max Grade B

Business is unethical                                      10% penalty

Business is illegal                                            15% penalty

Course Schedule

Schedule is tentative and will change periodically throughout the semester.