Course Title: Family Business and Entrepreneurship

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Family Business and Entrepreneurship

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BUSM4053

City Campus

Undergraduate

630H Management

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 1 2014,
Sem 1 2015,
Sem 1 2017

BUSM4171

RMIT University Vietnam

Undergraduate

630H Management

Face-to-Face

 Viet1 2011,
Viet2 2011,
Viet3 2011,
Viet1 2012,
Viet2 2012,
Viet3 2012,
Viet1 2013,
Viet2 2013,
Viet3 2013,
Viet1 2014,
Viet2 2014,
Viet3 2014,
Viet1 2015,
Viet2 2015,
Viet3 2015,
Viet1 2017,
Viet3 2017

Course Coordinator: Dr Nthati Rametse

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 5498

Course Coordinator Email: nthati.rameste@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Buidling 80, Level 8

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

While there are no prerequisites for this course, we strongly recommend that you first complete BUSM1311 The Entrepreneurial Process as this course assumes knowledge of the foundation principles of entrepreneurship.


Course Description

This course provides you with a framework for learning and understanding the nature, importance, and uniqueness of family business. Family businesses are characterized by distinct core competencies that can result in unique competitive advantage and special challenges that threaten their continuity. The challenges are primarily the result of issues created by the interaction and overlap of family, management, and ownership — particularly where owning families wish to perpetuate their influence and/or control from generation to generation. Family businesses are an aspect, and the end result, of entrepreneurship. The key challenge for family business leaders is how to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive in subsequent generations. This course explores and analyses family business continuity challenges and best management, family, and governance practices for leading family-owned businesses.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

-


On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  1. Critically analyse the special characteristics, strengths and weaknesses within family businesses to determine the extent of their success.
  2. Identify and manage the behavioural, operational, and strategic issues that are prevalent in family business.
  3. Collaborate to synthesise the effects of family culture on the business in terms of the values and dynamics of strategic and business planning.
  4. Apply the concepts that distinguish the unique relationship between entrepreneurship and family businesses.
  5. Apply a personal approach to analyse the challenges of family business succession.


Overview of Learning Activities

In this course you will be encouraged to be an active learner. Your learning will be supported through various in-class and online activities comprising individual and group work. These may include quizzes; assignments; prescribed readings; sourcing, researching and analysing specific information; solving problems; conducting presentations; producing written work and collaborating with peers on set tasks or projects.


Overview of Learning Resources

Various learning resources are available online through MyRMIT Studies\Blackboard. In addition to topic notes; assessment details and a study schedule you may also be provided with links to relevant online information; readings; audio and video clips and communication tools to facilitate collaboration with your peers and to share information.

Resources are also available online through RMIT Library databases and other facilities. If you require assistance with the RMIT library facilities contact the Business Liaison Librarian for your school. Contact details for Business Liaison Librarians are located online on the RMIT Library website.

Additional resources and/or sources to assist your learning will be identified by your course coordinator will be made available to you as required during the teaching period.


Overview of Assessment

The assessment tasks, their weighting and the course learning outcomes to which they are aligned are as follows:

Assessment Task 1: 10%
Linked CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment Task 2: 40%
Linked CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment Task 3: 50%
Linked CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Feedback will be provided throughout the semester in class and/or in online forums through individual and group feedback on practical exercises and by individual consultation.