MGT 353: Evaluating New Business Opportunities

Course Description

This course will focus on on identifying and evaluating ideas and market need for new business opportunities, as well as evaluating those ideas to determine their marketability and business potential. The course uses several new business venture analysis models. Students will come up with a business idea abd conduct a feasibility study for it. Additionally, the course covers the startup lifecycle from idea recognition to entry strategy, growth, and exit. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

ENG 101: English Composition 1
ENG 102: English Composition 2

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

After successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

Assess market trends
Determine market needs
Identify new business opportunities
Evaluate feasibility of new business opportunity
Demonstrate evaluation process by developing strategy for new business opportunity

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Points	Weight
Discussion Boards (25 pts, Weeks 1-8)	200	20%
Written Assignments (100 pts, Weeks 1,5,7)	300	30%
Feasibility Study Project (100 pts, Weeks 2,3,4,6)	400	40%
Feasibility Study Presentation (100 pts, Week 8)	100	10%
Total	1000	100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

Allen, Kathleen. Launching New Ventures. 8th edition, South-Western. Cengage, 2020. Digital Text

Additional Resources

Additional readings, resources, videos and web articles will be posted in the course content section of the course.

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1	Understanding Entrepreneurship and Market trends/analysis Readings: Chapters 1-3 BizBuySell SBA ASBDC	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit written assignment
2	1-2	Entrepreneurial Opportunity Readings: Chapters 4-5 Forbes, "2014 Marketing Trends You Probably Haven't Heard " CMO, "Slide Show: Top 11 Marketing Trends For 2014" Entrepreneur, "25 Essential Entrepreneur Resources"	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit part of the Feasibility Study Project
3	1-4	Feasibility Analysis: Market Readings: Chapters 6-7 BEA BLS Forbes, "The Top 7 Online Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2014"	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit part of the Feasibility Study Project
4	1-4	Feasibility Analysis: Business Readings: Chapters 8-10 Forbes, "6 Top Crowdfunding Websites: Which One Is Right For Your Project?" Entrepreneur, Business Calculators Center Go Forth Institute, Business Calculators SBA,"Choose your business structure"	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit part of the Feasibility Study Project
5	1-4	New Business Opportunity Development Readings: Chapters 11-13 BSR BSR Insight \| How Business Can Build an Inclusive Economy Fox Small Business Center, Social Responsibility No Longer Optional For Businesses	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit written assignment
6	1-5	Financing of New Opportunities Readings: Chapters 14-15 Forbes, "4 Great Tips For Finding Funding For Your Startup" Entrepreneur, "How Can I Fund a New Business Idea Without Crowdfunding?" Entrepreneur, "Young Female Entrepreneurs' Advice on Securing Funding"	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit part of the Feasibility Study Project
7	1-5	New Business venture growth strategy Readings: Chapters 16-17 Entrepreneur, "Build Your Management Team" 1000 Ventures, Venture Management Hartford Business School, New Venture Competititon: Success Stories	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Submit written assignment
8	1-5	New Business venture exit strategy Readings: NFIB, "Is a merger right for your business?" Entrepreneur, "Time to Get Out? Why Now is a Good Time to Sell Your Business." Wall Street Journal, "Ways to Cash Out of Your Business"	Read assigned chapters Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture material Complete Feasibility Study Presentation Complete course evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.