CDAE 267 Strategic Planning for Agricultural and Resource Entrepreneurs
Course Coordinator: Dr. Chyi-lyi (Kathleen) Liang
103 C Morrill Hall Phone 656-0754
E-mail CLIANG@zoo.uvm.edu
Office hour: Wednesday
9am to 11am
Thursday
2pm to 3pm
By
appointment
Guest Lecturer: Dr.
Paul Dunn, The
(318) 3421224, dunn@ulm.edu
Other resources:
Ms. Trina Maggie, Librarian in Bailey Howe Library, tmagi@zoo.uvm.edu
Mr. Scott Schaffer, Librarian in Bailey Howe Library, sschaffe@zoo.uvm.edu
Prerequisites: Senior Standing, Agricultural and Resource Entrepreneurship major or minor, or instructor permission
Course Objectives:
By the time you complete this course, you should:
Course Structure:
The course will consist of several parts:
1. Lectures:
There will be several lectures associated with various
Business concepts in this course. All of the lectures are designed to apply the
fundamental knowledge and skills learned from pre-requisite courses. Our
lectures will focus on creativity, motivation, and critical thinking; i.e. not
only to show you how to apply your current knowledge relating to agriculture
and resource industries, but also provide you the opportunities to develop a
decision making process which can be applied in any real world situation.
2. Library Research:
There will be scheduled sessions for Library Research relating to Marketing, Operation, and Finance. These research sessions are designed to help familiarize you with the information/data that can be obtained through various sources.
3. Presentation:
There are several presentations for everyone to participate in this course. Please check your schedule for the time of the presentation. Specific topics of the presentations will be assigned in classes. You are required to wear appropriate business attire for the presentation. The purposes of the presentation include:
§ To practice personal and communication skills
§ To exercise knowledge and training in entrepreneurship contents
§ To exchange ideas and information with colleagues
§ To improve your own business ideas and business plan
There will be three short presentations as progress reports, five minutes for each team.
During the final exam period you will have an opportunity to
defend your final proposal before a mock loan committee. Each team will have 10
minutes to present its plan. The Loan
Committee will ask you questions regarding your plan. You should come dressed in appropriate business attire.
4. Business Plan
Students will be required to put together a business plan
for a real or hypothetical business relating to Agriculture or Resource
Industries. It must be done in teams
of three people. All work submitted
must be typed -- conforming to the usual standards of grammar and
spelling. All data sources must be
referenced as in any research project. A substantial portion of your grade will
depend on the quality and thoroughness of the research that supports your plan.
The following conditions are definitely required:
(1) Business
concept must directly relate to Agriculture and Resources Industries. Do not design Bar or any generic eating and drinking establishments. Do not design generic hotel, motel, Bed &
Breakfast, or any other non-specific lodging establishment.
(2) You must explain why your business idea is
innovative, creative, and exciting to every team member.
(3) Franchises are forbidden.
(4) You must use EXCEL to construct financial statements as your original work.
(5) Using professional consultants or commercial packages to design the business plans, to write the plans, or to collect any data, will be treated as “cheating”.
To help us give you meaningful and constructive feedback throughout the semester, we require you to submit written drafts of your plan in various sections, and as a consolidated plan.
5.
Journals
Please keep a personal journal as well as a team journal detailing dates, times, work activities and accomplishments relating to this course and your project. The instructor sometimes assigns specific topics for you to write about in your journals. The due date of the journal will be announced in classes. The journal can also be used as a “reflection” of the course. All information in your journal will be kept confidential.
6.
Real Entrepreneurs
Each team is required to work with a real entrepreneur. You need to find an entrepreneur who will be willing to work with you throughout the entire semester. This entrepreneur will serve as your mentor in the process of completing the business plan. Each team should get feedback and comments from this entrepreneur throughout the entire process. This entrepreneur should be invited to participate in all the activities and presentations, especially the final presentation. The entrepreneur will not decide any part of the grades, however.
Grades: grades are
assigned to individuals and the TEAM.
Members in one team may or may not share identical grades in the
semester. Each team will be evaluated by
instructors, professional audience, and most importantly, peers.
Professional manner 30%
o All the assignments are due on time
Attend all classes and meetings on time
o Maintain a meaningful personal journal and
a meaningful team journal
o Thorough evaluation for individuals and teams
(Each individual will receive a grade based on the average
of instructors’ evaluations and peer evaluations)
o Be respectful to peers and instructors all the time
Always show enthusiasm and willingness to learn
Interact with peers and instructors in a positive attitude
all the time
Presentation (individual section presentation 5%, Mock presentation 10%,
Final presentation 15%) 30%
· Appropriate business attire
· Professional and constructive approach
· Presentation style and clearness
· Creativity and innovation
· Team effort and understanding the concepts
· Questions and answers
Business plan 40%
k Drafts 10%
k Final plan 30%
Total 100%
Class Policies:
1)
All
the assignments and drafts must be turned in by the due time
Everyone has the
same time and the same chance to accomplish the assignments.
Learning time management
is the most important process in this course.
When using the
computer, please be aware of the virus or any potential risks.
Try your best to
finish all the assignments on time.
a) If
any emergency happens, must contact Dr. Liang before the due date and turn in a
written report
b) If the instructor does not receive any notice
ahead of the due date, the instructor will not accept any late assignment and
will assign an F to the late assignment.
c) There is no opportunity to makeup missing
assignments
2) No
make-up presentation
a) If
any emergency happens, must contact Dr. Liang before the presentation time and
turn in written report
b) If
the instructor does not receive any notice before the presentation date, the
team that misses the presentation will
receive an F for that presentation
3) Please be professional and respectful
whenever and wherever you are
a) Please
be quiet if you come in late. Please let
Dr. Liang know if you need to leave early, then sit closer to the door
b) Please
always raise your hand first if you have any questions
c) Please
respect everyone’s learning space and ability
d) Please always show professional manner and
respect your fellow students, audience, and instructors
e) Please turn off your Cell Phone when classes
are in session. The entire class will decide the consequences for the person
who violates this rule.
4) If
you cheat, copy assignments, or violate the College Code of Conduct for any
inappropriate behavior, the instructors will report to the Dean’s Office and
the Judicial Affair Office immediately.
5) Each student is totally responsible for
her/his own work and her/his own grade
You must do your best to EARN your grade in a
sufficient time period
a)
Please ask questions whenever you feel that you are behind
b)
Please let Dr. Liang know that you are struggling or feeling confused
immediately
6) All the other regulations follow the university handbook.