Chabot College
Fall, 2007
Course Outline for Business 26
SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Catalog Description:
26 - Small Business Management
3 units
Application of management principles to the selection, establishment, and operation of a small
business. Emphasis on the problems encountered by the small manufacturer or merchant and their
solutions. Strongly recommended: Business 1A or Business 7. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisites:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
describe the role of small business in our economic system;
explain advantages and disadvantages of small business ownership;
calculate financial ratios and interpret financial statements;
prepare an operating budget for a business;
develop marketing and human resource plans for a business;
identify small business management problems and recommend reasonable solutions;
develop a plan for the establishment of a new small business enterprise.
Course Content:
1. Definition and role of small business in the economy
2. Factors in business failure and success
a. personal qualifications
b. causes of business failure
c. prerequisites for success
d. functions and philosophy of management
3. Survey of small business opportunities
a. manufacturing
b. wholesale distribution
c. retail distribution
d. service businesses
e. franchises
4. Selection of business
a. acquisition of established business
b. justification of new enterprise
5. Preliminary planning
a. organization
b. capital requirements
c. legal considerations
d. location
e. physical facilities
f. policies
6. Operational planning
a. purchasing, inventory, and quality control
b. accounting methods, records and control
c. finance
d. pricing, turnover and profit
e. sales and sales promotion
f. credit and collections
Chabot College
Course Outline for Business 26, Page 2
Fall 2007
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Planning for the future
a. expansion
b. dissolution
Types of ownership
a. sole proprietorship
b. partnerships
c. corporations
Personnel management
a. recruitment
b. selection
c. training and development
d. compensation and benefits
e. leadership and motivation
Risk management
Marketing strategies
Social responsibility and ethics
The business plan (student project)
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lectures
Discussion
Case studies
Projects
Video cases
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1.
2.
Typical Assignments
a. Complete the “Am I an Entrepreneur?” quiz, and write a 2-page assessment of the
challenges you may face as an entrepreneur given your quiz results, and how you may be
able to overcome those challenges.
b. Visit the Small Business Administration website, and select one sample business plan to
evaluate. Critique this plan in a 2-page paper based on the following criteria: thoroughness,
credibility of plans, writing quality, and your willingness to invest in this business.
c. Develop a 10-15 page business plan for a small business of your choice.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Class participation
b. Examinations
c. Case studies
d. Business plan
e. Final examination
Textbook(s) Typical:
SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BEYOND, Timothy S. Hatten,
Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, STARTING AND OPERATING A SMALL BUSINESS, Steve Mariotti,
Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2007
Special Student Materials:
None
jn 09/07/06 (revised 10/17/06)
COBUS26