Mgmt 582 Professor Cahill
University of Bridgeport
Trefz School of Business
MGMT 582-3W1
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Fall Session - 2014
Course Syllabus
Class Schedule:
August 27th – December 10th 2014
Meeting Days/Times: Wednesday 3:30-6:00 pm
Class Location:
Bridgeport Campus – Mandeville Hall - Room 320
Instructor:
Elena Cahill, JD
Department:
Graduate MBA program
Office:
Mandeville Hall Room 9 Lower Level
Phone:
203-576-2389
E-Mail:
ECahill@bridgeport.edu
Office Hours:
Monday 5:00-6:00; Tuesday 12:15-1:15; Wednesday 2:00-3:30
Intended Audience
Graduate Students at the University of Bridgeport in their last semester
Textbooks
Required
Entrepreneurship by Robert Hirsch, Michael Peters and Dean Shepherd: McGraw Hill
ISBN #9780078029196
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the primary tenets of
entrepreneurship and small business management. Successful entrepreneurs and small
business owners foster innovation, efficiency, creativity, financial planning and
steadfastness. Students will evaluate the different dynamics related to realizing progress
through the effective and efficient use of talent, structure, culture, methods, and
technology.
In addition to the required textbook students will perform research using academic and
industry journals as a way to evaluate the application of entrepreneurship and small
business management techniques in real settings of a chosen industry. Your research will
produce a business plan as a result.
1
Mgmt 582 Professor Cahill
This will be a fast paced course with a heavy reading load the first half of the
semester. The reading for the class must be completed prior to the class date.
Learning Objectives
 gain an appreciation for the timeless dimensions of entrepreneurship
 understand a business plan, its intent and purpose
 know the similarities and differences between leadership and management
 empathize with the challenges facing modern-day entrepreneurs
 appreciate the dynamics of sustaining effective small business management
 grasp the methods for choosing the appropriate organization structure
 describe the management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing
and controlling
 reconcile the gap between theory and practice in these topics
Teaching Method:
 This course combines a variety of teaching methods, with an emphasis on learning
from discussion, lecture, in-class participation, and real-world experiences and case
studies. One of the goals in this course is to improve your ability to learn from
experience and from your peers, which are critical to success in both academic and
practitioner environments.

Active participation and class discussion are very important to gaining a full and
comprehensive understanding of the topics, and each student is responsible for
coming to class prepared and ready to contribute. Class participation is your total
contribution to the learning environment. This reflects not only the frequency of
your contribution in class, but also their quality (ability to draw on course materials
and your own experience productively), ability to advance or sharpen in-class
discussion and debate, willingness to take risky or unpopular points of view, use of
logic, precision and evidence in making arguments), and the professionalism of your
conduct (attendance, punctuality, preparedness, and showing respect to all class
members and class contributions). Class attendance and participation are required
and factor into the course grade.
Assessment of Learning:
 In-class and Collaborative Business Plan Work
 We will work collaboratively on a variety of in-class activities, including business
plan writing, discussion of news and current events, problem solving and analytical
exercises, and relevant assessments pertaining to the topic of focus. I will provide
students with instructions, documents and resources that require advance
preparation, and any other materials that can be examined in a timely manner
during class (i.e., less than 15 minutes) will be distributed during class time for
“hands-on” practical work. Individual contributions each week will be factored into
the course participation grade, and this work cannot be made up.


Midterm and Final Exams
The midterm and final exams may consist of multiple choice, true/false, and short
answer questions. The final exam will be cumulative.
2
Mgmt 582 Professor Cahill





Course Evaluation and Grading:
Class Participation and Business Plan Section Review 25%
Business Plan
25%
Mid Term
25%
Final
25%
100%
 University of Bridgeport Grading Scale:
Numeric Grade
Letter Grade
Evaluation
Scale
Value
93
A
Excellent. Work of exceptional
quality
90-92
A87-89
B+
83-86
B
Above-average achievement.
80-82
B77-79
C+
73-76
C
Minimal achievement.
70-72
CBelow average.
67-69
D+
63-66
D
60-62
DLess than 60
F

Quality Points
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
.67
University of Bridgeport Academic Policies:
As a UB policy, it is expected that each student that attends one hour of
classroom instruction will require a minimum of two hours of out of class
student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester.
Special Accommodations: All efforts will be made to accommodate students with physical
disabilities or special needs.

Academic Honesty Standards: It is the students’ responsibility to familiarize himself
or herself with and adhere to the standards set forth in the policies on cheating and
plagiarism as defined in the UB Student Handbook.
 A high standard of ethical conduct is expected of students in their academic
activities. The University does not tolerate cheating in any form. This term is used
to include dishonest use of another individual's aid in preparation of written
assignments as well as during a classroom-testing period. The standard procedures
for the preparation of term papers and the like, as established by the English
Department, form the basis for decisions in cases of plagiarism (See Definition of
Plagiarism). The student must be familiar with those regulations. Disciplinary
3
Mgmt 582 Professor Cahill
action will be imposed, not only in cases of detected cheating, but also for
violations of such regulations mentioned above. In the latter, a violation of
the regulation without consideration of the motive involved will be
deemed sufficient cause of action. Instructors have the right to determine
the appropriate penalty for academic dishonesty in their own classes; generally,
however, such acts will result in a failing grade for the assignment and/or the
course as a whole. The penalty for subsequent acts of academic dishonesty may
include expulsion.
Definition of Plagiarism:
INTENTIONAL AS WELL AS UNINTENTIONAL FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE
SOURCES AS WELL AS THE USE OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SO-CALLED
"RESEARCH PAPERS" WITHOUT FULL RECOGNITION OF THE SOURCE. Students are
responsible for distinguishing clearly between their own facts, ideas and
conclusions and those of other sources. To use someone else's words, opinions, or
conclusions without giving them credit is plagiarism. Students must be able to
distinguish their own ideas, conclusions, discoveries, etc., from those read or heard.
My Rules:

Late class arrivals and absences: Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each
class and students who arrive late will have their lateness documented. Three late
arrivals will convert into one class absence. Three class absences will result in a 10point deduction of your course participation grade. Advise me in advance of
anticipated conflicts. If you know you will be missing a class in which an assignment
is due, advise me by e-mail and submit the assignment to me or bring it to the
School of Business office prior to class to receive credit.

Inappropriate behavior: I will ask you to leave the class if you are disruptive,
including but not limited to texting, surfing the Web, demonstrating a disrespectful
attitude, or excessive talking. I encourage an environment of mutual respect and
courtesy.

Late assignment submissions: Late assignments, projects and papers will have 10
points deducted per day. No work will be accepted after one week beyond the due
date, and a grade of zero will be recorded. Extenuating circumstances may be
considered, and must be discussed with the professor as soon as possible.

Invest in a stapler. Any written work that is not stapled will not be accepted. No
folded corners, no paper clips, and no loose pages will be accepted. Hard copy
research paper submissions must be provided to the professor in addition to
electronic research paper submissions.

This course requires both an oral and written presentation of a business plan.
Research is an important component of this class and it allows you the
opportunity to integrate your interests with the course theories. You will be
required to complete and present a full business plan.
4
Mgmt 582 Professor Cahill

The assignment which will be written, should be typed and meet the
minimum requirement for content and length. All assignments should be
printed, stapled, paginated, and include a title, the student’s name and
student number, the course name and section, and the type of assignment. All
papers should use 12-point font, be double-spaced, and utilize a formal writing
style. Writing is very important in any business environment and can make the
difference in your ability to succeed in your career. These skills are also
transferable to any discipline and vocation you choose to explore. Responding
quickly and succinctly to assertions will also help you develop necessary skills in
today’s time-sensitive culture.

The Presentation should include a final slide with references and be printed in
gray scale that contains six slides per page. Each slide should have a heading. Try
to stay consistent (a.k.a. parallelism) within each slide. In other words, if your
first statement is a proper sentence, then keep using sentences for the remainder of
the slide and use proper punctuation. If you use bullets and start with verbs, then
continue to use bullets and verbs for the remainder of the slide.

Most students enjoy hearing what other students have researched, which is one of
the reasons I will often ask you to share your research with the class. Although
public speaking still ranks as one of the most feared things in this world (along
with death) it is a necessary skill in most vocations, and honing your skills in an
academic setting is far better than waiting for your speaking debut when your job
is on the line. When presenting, please do not read the slides verbatim. Try to
paraphrase your points and give the audience some insight into the important
points in each slide. Please try to end your presentation by restating the primary
problem and then stating your position, which may include your conclusion, a
recommendation, or request for approval/funding etc.
5
Mgmt 582 Professor Cahill
6
Course Schedule:
Note: I reserve the right to modify the course schedule at any
time, and will announce any changes to the class appropriately.
ALL MATERIALS MUST BE READ BEFORE THE CLASS IT IS SCHEDULED FOR
EXCEPT CLASS 1
Classes
8/27
9/3
9/10
9/17
9/24
10/1
Topic
Part 1-The Entrepreneurial Perspective:
Entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurship mind set,
Corporate entrepreneurship, Generating and
Exploiting New Ideas
Part 2- From Idea to Opportunity
Creativity and Business Ideas, Identify and Analyze
Domestic and International Opportunities, Protecting
the Idea and Other Legal Issues
Part 3 -The Business Plan,
Starting the Venture, The Marketing Plan, The
Organizational Plan, The Financial Plan
Part 4- Funding the Venture
Sources of Capital, Informal Risk Capital, Venture
Capital, and Going Public
Part 5 – Launching Growing and Ending the Venture
Strategies for Growth, Accessing Resources,
Succession Planning and Harvesting and Ending the
Venture
Cases 1-8
10/8
Midterm Review and Discuss and choose business
plan topic, organize groups, and discuss preparation
10/15
MIDTERM
10/22
Prepare the Business and Industry Profile, Goals and
Objectives
10/29
Prepare the Business Strategy and Description of
Products and Services
11/5
Prepare the Marketing: Strategy, Claims, and
Customer Interest
11/12
Readings & Assignments Due
Chapter 1, 2, 3 Pages 1-82
Chapter 4, 5, 6 Pages 84-176
Chapter 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Pages 178-288
Chapter 11,12 Pages 289-354
Chapter 13, 14, 15 Pages 355-440
Pages 443-487
Chapters
Prepare the Plan of Operation
11/19
Prepare the Financials: Balance Sheet, Financial
Statement, Projections for 2 years, Cash Flow and
Prepare the End- Exit Strategy
12/3
Business Plan Presentations
12/10
FINAL
-
Mgmt 582 Professor Cahill
7