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Here (and in the page history) you will find notes for the development of a course in small business planning. Eventually this page will become the course schedule itself.

31 Oct Update

1. Hillary has been given approval to develop and offer the course by the Academic Board of Otago Polytechnic.
2. NZTE have granted the Polytechnic copyrights to make derivatives of their business planning support material.
3. We are now obtaining editable digital copies of NZTE material, to begin work in developing a text that will assist our students to develop sustainable business plans.

26 Aug Meeting

1 - 2.30pm - D314</big>

Participants

• Leigh Blackall - Educational developer
• Hillary Jenkins - Tourism lecturer
• David McQuillan - Massage Therapy lecturer
• Brigid Casey - Business lecturer
• Samuel Mann - Software Engineering lecturer and sustainability
• Representative from NZTE TBA - advisor on support for business start ups
• Francisco Conejo - Marketing lecturer
• Dion Hyde - Hospitality lecturer
• Chamber of Commerce - Representative of the short courses based on NZTE
• Steve Henry - Central Otago via video link. Sustainability
• Anna Hughes - Otago Polytechnic sustainability

• • Need someone from TANZ

Background

Meeting to discuss 2 things:

1. The development of a standard small business management short course in Otago Polytechnic that can be used by any programme who's graduates may be interested in setting up a small business venture after they graduate
2. Basing that course on the NZTE book - Planning for Success, but extending the standard small business plan that NZTE use, into a business plan that meets a range of sustainability criteria - such as a triple bottom line accounting system.

I have been working primarily with Hillary Jenkins around the programme she manages called Diploma in Applied Travel and Tourism. In that programme is a course called Tourism Enterprises. After some consideration we thought that it might be fitting to run Tourism Enterprises as a course in small business planning and management, and to that end it could be a template course that other departments could use to prepare their students for planning and running a small business in their respective fields, post study.

As a basis for the course we are referring to the guide book put out by NZ Trade and Enterprise called Planning for success: Helping you develop your own business plan. In this book is information relating directly to a business plan template the people fill in at the back of the book or on the CD provided. It is our idea to develop teaching materials such as lectures, interviews, panels and case studies, to compliment this book by NZTE and that results in students having a complete business plan ready for implementing.

Additionally, we want the small business course and resulting business plan, to be a thing that prepares students for operating a sustainable business in terms of accounting for a triple bottom line instead of the single financial bottom line typical to most standard business plans. Our thinking is to take the NZTE book further, and try and devise an accounting spread sheet that will factor in ecological, social and economic considerations (a triple bottom line). How to do this we are not entirely sure...

So.. I am hoping to interest you in meeting together to discuss 2 things:

1. The development of a standard small business management short course in Otago Polytechnic that can be used by any programme who's graduates may be interested in setting up a small business venture after they graduate
2. Basing that course on the NZTE book - Planning for Success, but extending the standard small business plan that NZTE use, into a business plan that meets a range of sustainability criteria

If you are interested in helping, could you either add your name to the list of participants above, or email leighblackallATgmailDOTcom

Existing courses that might be further developed

• Strategic planning for small business
• NZTE Planning for Success
• TANZ Moodle based work (?) need to find out more about this!?
• Dip Biz 2006 Level 4 or 6
• NZTE Determine Whether your business idea will work
• Growing your business - Services
• Kickstart student mentoring, Audacious Business Competition,
• Escalator programme = NZTE
• Paul Alan BizInfo as a finishing lecture

• Awareness of sustainability
• Audit
• Vision
• Action plan

• Bob Willard
• Chris Young lectures in triple bottom line
• Ministry for environment triple bottom lines
• Sam's students to use business plans as data to develop software
• Brigid to alert Leigh when Audacious guest speakers come to talk as well as School Applied Business
• Leigh to email Tamara with a request to make derivative of handbook

Course Outline

Small Business Planning

SMS Code TT506001

Level 5 Credits 30

Total Learning Hours - 300

• Directed Learning hours 100
• Workplace or Practical Learning hours 50
• Self Directed Learning hours 150

Aims To develop an operational business plan for a small business

Learning Outcomes

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Examination of sustainable practice concepts as they apply to the operation of a small business 2. Apply product and service marketing concepts for a small business 3. Interpret financial and accounting information for a small business 4. Understand the concepts of a business plan in terms of financial and human resourcing 5. Identify opportunities which will determine the viability of a proposed product in the market place 6. Creation and completion of an operational business plan

Content

• Business profile – an overview of the business and the business plan.
• Marketing – market assessment, a long-term look at the business (strategic) plan and an action plan for the next 12 months (tactical plan)
• Human resource: planning, recruitment, motivation and retention.
• Financial planning – profit and loss forecast, cashflow forecast and balance sheet forecast. This section will be underpinned with the triple bottom line accounting concept.
• The potential use of e-commerce in your business.
• Building sustainable practice concepts into the planning of your business
• Attracting investment funds
• Planning for the future – long range planning (5 years)

Learning/Teaching Strategies/Methods

Lecturers/seminars, Practical workshops, Workbook, Business plan template, Case studies, Mentoring, Presentations, Industry visits, Work placement Case studies

Assessment:

• Operational Business Plan - 75% of final grade
• Presentation - 10% of final grade
• Assignment - 15% of final grade

Attendance Requirements: None

Completion requirements:

A business plan and concept must be completed and presented with supporting material in the form of a report. Student Reading List

• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Support materials
• Course web log
• Guest lecturer recordings

Complimentry Resources

NZQF

Level 5

• Apply marketing concepts within a small business
• Produce establishment plans for small business ventures
• Establish human resource needs of the small business operation
• Establish costs, prices, and conditions for providing products and/or services for a small business
• Manage financial resources for a small business enterprise