BE867-7-SP-CO:
Developing Business Plans
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Inactive
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
10
04 October 2018
Requisites for this module
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MODULE OUTLINE
This module will enable students to acquire critical, practical and transferable skills associated with the development of sustainable business plans for new ventures. The course focuses on the four stages of development of an effective and practical business plan - causation and ideas generation; articulation and development; consolidation and implementation; and evaluation and obligation. The module is practical in scope and character and is concerned with enabling students to both develop and examine critically entrepreneurial ideas from inception to fruition. The course will help develop learning skills with which to formulate clear and coherent ideas about planning for people, technologies, markets, finance, the environment, ethics and sustainability, and then examining the plan from different perspectives of the entrepreneur, the investor, the customer and the wider community.
MODULE AIMS
The main aim of this module is to enable students to obtain a critical and practical understanding of the importance of effective business plans and the business planning process with which to construct realistic business plans. The acquisition of relevant knowledge, technical skills, and critical appreciation of the planning process from ideas generation and creativity to pitching for funding will help to achieve this aim.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. Obtain a critical understanding of the principles of business plans and the business planning process and be able to construct a robust business plan for a new venture;
2. Demonstrate a critical ability to generate new ideas and evaluate their market proposition from a sustainable business perspective, using techniques of forecasting, risk analysis, cash flow discounting, etc;
3. Explore critically in the context of the planning process different forms of venture finance, venture capital, business angels, equity markets, banks, government grants, internal resources, etc. for different projects and what applies to the specific venture in question together with the ability to pitch for funding to different sources;
4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principles of markets for specific business activities, the marketing strategies of the selected business proposition, and the contextual and conceptual issues related to marketing for creative and innovative organisations;
5. Obtain a thorough grounding in developing cash flow forecasts, profit forecasts, risk analysis, breakeven analysis together with scenario building and exit strategy planning;
6. Evaluate critically the business plan from a responsible, ethical business plan perspective.
MODULE SYLLABUS
Definitions, Concepts and Theories:
1. Business Plans and Business Planning
2. Markets and Marketing
3. Venture Finance, Risk and Uncertainty Evaluation
4. Ethics and Sustainability
Developmental and Operational Issues:
1. People and teams
2. Ideas Generation and Causation
3. Articulation and development of the business idea;
4. Entrepreneurial marketing and market analysis
5. Customers and reach
6. Technology and Resource Planning
7. Cash Flow and Profit Forecasting; break even and analysis Internationalisation
8. Ethical and sustainability evaluation
ASSESSMENT
Assessments for this module take the form of a comprehensive, written business plan together with a presentation.
The individual business plan will be based on the content of the lectures. 30% of the assessment is covered by an oral presentation and 70% is covered by a written business plan (3000 words).
No information available.
No information available.
No additional information available.
Lectures
Seminars
Analysis and discussion of case studies
Analysis and discussion of journal articles
Class exercises
Group work
Tutorials
Signposting to other support
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Jay Mitra, email: jmitra@essex.ac.uk.
Jay Mitra
Email: jmitra (non Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk)
Tel: 8390 (non Essex users should add 01702-32 to the beginning of this number)
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No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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