Course Title: Develop and implement a business plan

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2012

Course Code: BUSM6247C

Course Title: Develop and implement a business plan

School: 650T TAFE Business

Campus: City Campus

Program: C6091 - Advanced Diploma of Advertising

Course Contact : Graham Airey

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 5473

Course Contact Email:graham.airey@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Alain Grossbard

alain.grossbard@rmit.eu.au

99255522

Steve Marchesin

steve.marchesin@rmit.edu.au

Nominal Hours: 60

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

None

Course Description

This course covers the skills and knowledge required to develop a strategic business for a small independent organization or for a department in a large organization. The course will inform students of the components that make up a business plan, how to implement it and how to monitor and evaluate the different parts of the plan when it is in operation. Much of the course focus will be on business planning for a typical everyday company or organization, or advising client businesses on the business plan relevancy.

If you are undertaking this course in Melbourne from semester 2, 2012 onward your class will be held in a device-equipped teaching space. Each student group will have access to a laptop. It is however recommended that you have access to a mobile computing device to allow greater flexibility in terms of where you can work on campus both in and outside class times.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

BSBMGT617A Develop and implement a business plan

Element:

1. Prepare strategic plan

2. Implement the business plan

3. Monitor the business plan

Performance Criteria:

1.1. Review and evaluate pre-existing strategic, business and operational plan, if available
1.2. Analyse and interpret business vision, mission, values and objectives
1.3. Consult with key stakeholders
1.4. Review market requirements for the product or service, profile customer needs and research pricing options
1.5. Develop performance objectives and measures through consultation with key stakeholders
1.6. Identify financial, human and physical resource requirements for the business
1.7. Consider any permits or licences that may be required for new activity
1.8. Write business plan

2.1. Communicate business plan to all relevant parties and ensure understanding of performance requirements and timeframes
2.2. Ensure skilled labour is available to implement plan
2.3. Test performance measurement systems and refine, if necessary
2.4. Ensure timely reports on all key aspects of the business are available, user-friendly and balanced in terms of financial and non-financial performance
2.5. Report system failures, product failures and variances to the business plan as they occur

3.1. Analyse performance reports against planned objectives
3.2. Review performance indicators and refine if necessary
3.3. Ensure groups and individuals contributing to under-performance are coached, and provide training where appropriate
3.4. Review system processes and work methods regularly as part of continuous improvement


Learning Outcomes



Details of Learning Activities

Divided into self-paced activities (e.g. Blackboard) and group delivery activities (e.g. Classroom) that will be required to enable students to undertake the assessment and achieve the learning outcomes. Also includes weekly breakdown of activities that incorporates a Program Induction in Week 1 and a Course Induction in Week 2 (standard for all courses).

A range of learning activities are planned for this course including self-paced and collaborative classroom based activities.
The self-paced activities will be delivered thought various technology platforms and include your contribution to wikis and discussion threads, reflective journals, quizzes and interactive sessions.
The collaborative classroom based activities will include group discussion, group problem solving activities and opportunities to practice your skills in a simulated/real workplace environment.
You are expected to participate and contribute in all scheduled learning activities


Teaching Schedule


Wk 1 Components of the course and assessments requirements
Wk 2 Course Introduction
An overview of what is a Business Plan.
Wk 3 Develop business plan. Understanding the Business Plan An overview of why you do a business plan, how you do it, when you do it and the components that are contained in the plan.
Wk 4 Develop business plan. The Business Profile Gaining an understanding of how you profile a business in terms of its activity, ownership structure, business name, legal requirements, location, objectives and market entry strategy.
Wk 5 Develop business plan. The Marketing Plan Summarizing the components of The Marketing Concept (pre-requisite learning).
How The Marketing Plan impacts the overall Business Plan
Wk 6 Develop business plan 
The Production Plan What does the business intend to produce and what is the plan for that production?
Wk 7 Develop business plan
Monitor performance
The Production Plan How the Production Plan impacts the overall Business Plan.
Wk 8 Develop business plan
The Purchasing Plan What is a Purchasing Plan?
How the Purchasing Plan impacts on the overall Business Plan.
Wk 9 Develop business plan
Monitor performance The Personnel Plan
What is a Personnel Plan?
How the Personnel Plan impacts on the overall Business Plan.
Wk 10 Develop business plan
Monitor performance
Respond to performance data The Financial Plan
What is a Financial Plan?
How the financial Plan impacts on the overall Business Plan
Wk 11 Develop business plan
Monitor performance
Respond to performance data The Completed Business Plan
Review the progressive construction of student Business Plans
Wk 12 Develop business plan
Monitor performance
Respond to performance data PRE-PLAN ASSESSMENT ‘THINK-TANK’ SESSION
Wk 13 Develop business plan
Monitor performance
Respond to performance data The Completed Business Plan
Review the progressive construction of student Business Plans
WK 14 Develop business plan
Monitor performance
Respond to performance data The Completed Business Plan Review the progressive construction of students’ Business Plans
Wk 15 Develop business plan
Monitor Performance
Respond to performance data Assignment work in computer Lab.
BUSINESS PLAN REPORT & PRESENTATIONS DUE
Wk 16 Develop business plan
Business Plan Overview BUSINESS PLAN PRESENTATIONS
Wk 17 Student Resubmission
Wk 18


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References

Birt Ian (2010), Writing Your Plan for Small Business Success, Pearson Education Australia


Other Resources


Overview of Assessment

1. PRE-PLAN ASSESSMENT – (worth 30%)

Students will sit a 90 minute pre-plan individual ‘think tank’ in week 9. This session will consist of 6 questions that require 6 short essay ‘overview’ summaries of approximately 100 words each covering the five sub-plans that make up a completed business plan and a general question about the objective of a business plan in the operation of a small to medium sized business, or a departmental plan in a large organization. This session will be a closed book exercise and cover chapters 1 through 8 in the prescribed text – ‘Writing Your Plan for Small Business Success’ - from which information to provide ‘overview’ summaries can be sought. Each summary will attract a mark out of 5 and the combined total will be the pre-plan assessment mark. The overall objective of the pre-plan session is to ensure individual students are competent in their understanding of basic components of a business plan prior to forming into pairs for the major assignment.

2. MAJOR ASSIGNMENT – BUSINESS PLAN (worth 70%)

Students will form into pairs for the major assignment. Each pairing will choose a real life company and come up with a hypothetical subsidiary operation and write a business plan for that organization using the five sample plans provided in the prescribed text and class notes as a guide. The assignment will be professionally presented as a ‘boardroom document’ to be presented to the parent company covering all aspects of the proposed business plan. The ‘boardroom document’ will cover 55% of the assessment task and 15% will cover an in- class presentation summarizing the proposal.
 


Assessment Tasks

Assessment 1 Pre-Plan Assessment

Students will sit a 12 minute pre-plan ‘think tank’ in week 12. This session will consist of questions covering the five sub-plans that make up a completed business plan and a general question about the objective of your business plan in the operation of a small to medium sized business. This session will be a closed book exercise and cover chapters 1 through 8 from the text – ‘Writing Your Plan for Small Business Success’ - from which information to provide ‘overview’ summaries can be sought.
Each question will attract a mark out of 5 and the combined total will be the pre-plan assessment mark.
The overall objective of the pre-plan session is to ensure individual students are competent in their understanding of basic components of a business plan prior to developing their major business plan assignment.

Assessment 2 Short tests covering lectures and activities/workshops In-class

Individual activities

Students complete number of activities and workshops that will be assessed via a final test in class.

Assessment 3 Major Assignment – Develop a Business Plan

Report Due Date: Week 15
Group Interviews: Week 15 & 16.

Group-based (groups of 3)
Length: 1800 - 2000
Group Interviews: 10 minutes

Aim: This assignment requires you to develop a comprehensive business plan of a proposed company of your choice to show you can comprehend the requirements is setting up a business.

Students must meet at least 3 times and provide Meeting Minutes to the teacher outlining items discussed and action agreed for preparation of joint report. Class time will be used for meetings if time permits. Student must also complete a peer review form and give it to the teacher.


Assessment Matrix

Course Overview: Access Course Overview