Course Syllabus

Business Economics & Entrepreneurship

Rm 136

Office Hours 7:30-8:30 M-F or MON 2:30-3:00

vinae@wellesleyps.org

This course is designed to help students evaluate the business skills and commitment necessary to successfully operate an entrepreneurial venture while reviewing the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. Students will learn about themselves, their decisions, and their goals to determine how entrepreneurship can play a role in their lives. Students will be introduced to the concepts of entrepreneurship from an economic perspective.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

discuss examples of current entrepreneurs, their companies, and their importance to the US and global economies
research and evaluate the personal attributes and skills that characterize the “successful” entrepreneur
identify and assess sources of support for small businesses and entrepreneurs
identify the critical factors used to identify opportunities and other business start-up ideas
apply basic knowledge in determining forms of ownership, functions of finance/accounting, marketing decisions, legal, operational, human resource/general management skills that are necessary to successfully launch and operate a successful new venture
identify the critical concepts of business planning that help create, capture, share and deliver value
construct the following: (1) Feasibility study (2) Prototype (3) Patent (if applicable) (4) Business plan (5) Pitch deck

Required Texts

Laverty, M, Littel, C., (2020). Entrepreneurship. OpenStax.https://openstax.org/books/entrepreneurship/pages/1-introduction

Gitman, L. J., McDaniel, C., et al (2018). Introduction to business. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/introduction-business/pages/1-introduction

**Additional chapters will be introduced from selected textbooks

Course Content:

Unit 1 What is Entrepreneurship? What is Economics?

Unit 2 Free Enterprise in the US

Unit 3 Demand

Unit 4 Supply

Unit 5 Market-Clearing Price

Unit 6 Consumers, Savers & Investors

Unit 7 Free Enterprise

Unit 8 Financing a Business

Unit 9 Production & Productivity

Unit 10 The US Labor Force

Unit 11 Competition

Unit 12 Government and US Econ

Unit 13 Financial Institutions

Unit 14 Economic Stability

FINAL EXAM PROJECT: Students will have to prepare a business plan for a new venture as a part of a group project/team context. Students will assume different roles within a startup and write up the appropriate sections of the business plan.

Your plan should include:

(1) Executive Summary (5 points)

(2) Management and Organization Plan (5 points)

(3) Product/Service Plan (5 points)

(4) Marketing Plan (10 points)

(5) Financial Plan (15 points)

(6) Operating and Control Systems Plan (5 points)

(7) Growth Plan (5 points)

Appendices should include the pitch deck slides of the presentation

**Please, keep in mind that the profitability, the accuracy of financial projections, originality, and the feasibility of the business model are the key in developing a successful business plan.

Other topics Investigated in this course:

- The role of entrepreneurship and small business
- The Small Business Decisions
- Personality characteristics of successful entrepreneurs
- Individual assessment of interests, skills, and personality traits
- Advantages and disadvantages of small business ownership
- Evaluation of a New Business Opportunity
- Critical factors for success
- Sources of ideas for new ventures
- Researching the opportunities
- Developing the Business Plan

Behavior Expectations

Expected behavior: [1] You are here to learn. [2] Your classmates are here to learn. [3] Real, meaningful learning is hard work. Your classroom behavior should reflect these three assumptions.

Thus, the ultimate test of anything you do in our class is: Does it help you and your classmates learn?

Here are some implications of this test: Any technology is welcome in my classroom if you are using it to learn. Conversely, using it for purposes other than learning is inappropriate. I expect that you will monitor yourself but I reserve the right to intervene and limit options when and if necessary.

Grading Policy

Every assignment counts equally toward your grade. Regardless of whether an assignment is a project, test, quiz, analysis paper, presentation, homework assignment, or other classwork, each assignment is worth the same weight within the term.

There are no separate weighting categories for tests, projects, papers, or other types of assignments. If it is assigned and graded, it counts equally. Every assignment matters, so consistent effort throughout the term is essential.

How Your Grades Are Calculated

Your term and year-end grades are calculated as follows:

Period	Weight
Quarter 1 (Q1)	22%
Quarter 2 (Q2)	22%

Quarter 3 (Q3)	22%
Quarter 4 (Q4)	22%
Exam 1 (E1)	12%
Total	100%

Bottom line: Within each quarter, all assignments are weighted equally. Your final year-end grade is then calculated using the percentages above.

One assignment = one grade. Every assignment counts.

AI USAGE POLICY

District accommodations (DCAP) are available to all students, and in the 26-27 school year, WHS is committed to moving this forward with fidelity. While some accommodations can be offered at the moment, others require advanced notice. For example: Extended time on an in-class assessment is a collaborative decision made by the teacher, student, and family to meet individual student needs. The WHS guideline is up to 25% extra time. This accommodation relies on proactive student communication prior to the date of the assessment. The student and teacher must establish how the accommodation will be provided.

Connections to Standards:

COMMON CORE CONNECTIONS

NATIONAL STANDARDS

WHS Business Dept Rubrics