Business 55
Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Course Overview and Syllabus

Fall 2008 / 5 Units

Top     Course Description     Learning Outcomes     Advisories     Materials     Requirements

Lesson Plan     Tips for Success     Grading     Academic Integrity      Dropping     Support
    
Instructor: Michele Fritz
Instructor Email Address: fritzmichele at deanza.edu  (Please note that Michele has one "L".  Also, you may receive a reply from another email account, but this is the account that I check most frequently so please use it.)
Telephone: (408) 864-8615 (Please use email for urgent messages.)
Faculty Web Site:  http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/fritz/       My web site contains many tools and resources for students.
Office: F-51J, which is near the Forum building on campus in Cupertino, CA.
Office Hours: Mondays through Thursdays from 10:30-11:30 AM (PST). Online Fridays.

Course Description: 

This course provides students with an introduction to the potential and pitfalls of Entrepreneurship.  Students will learn about the various methods for starting up, managing and financing a new venture.  Students will get a chance to evaluate real world business plans and videos of entrepreneurs.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, student should be able to:

Advisories:

English Writing 100B & Reading 100 (or Language Arts 100), or English as a 2nd Language 172 & 173.

Materials:

All of the required materials for this course may be purchased at the De Anza Bookstore.  The phone numbers for the bookstore are (408) 864-8907 or (408) 864-8949. Online ordering is available via the Bookstore Home Page (Note: All links in this document open in a new window).
Top     Course Description     Learning Outcomes     Advisories     Materials     Requirements
Lesson Plan     Tips for Success     Grading    Academic Integrity      Dropping     Support     

Requirements:

Extra Credit Essay Rubric
Criteria I'm impressed! A successful start!  Every bit of extra
credit helps!
Professionalism Writing is clear and easy to read, containing proper grammar and punctuation. (2 points) Writing is generally clear but contains some grammatical errors or typos. (1 point) Writing is difficult to understand.
(0 points)
Specifics and Level of Detail provided Essay contains 5-6 specific and elaborated examples of how the student will implement course concepts into his/her planned business. (5-6 points) Contains 3-4 specific and elaborated examples of how the student will implement course concepts into his/her planned business. (3-4 points) Contains 1-2 specific and elaborated examples of how the student will implement course concepts into his/her planned  business. (1-2 points)


Discussion Rubric - All Criteria Listed Have Equal Importance
Criteria A Level work B Level Work C Level Work
Completeness All questions posed in the assignment are fully answered and explained or justified.  All directions have been followed. All questions posed in the assignment are fully answered but explanations may be brief or some of the directions were not followed. Some of the assigned questions are skipped or ignored.
Originality Adds two or more significantly new ideas to the chosen discussion topic and demonstrates that the discussion has been reviewed prior to posting. Adds one new idea to the chosen discussion topic and demonstrates that the discussion has been reviewed. Enhances or further explains an idea that has already been mentioned in the chosen discussion topic.
Timeliness Posts fully in the discussion by the deadline. Posts up to a week after the deadline. Posts later in the course.
Professionalism Writing is clear and easy to read. Posts are written in a professional manner with proper grammar and punctuation. Posts are generally clear but may contain occasional grammatical errors or typos. Posts may be difficult to understand due to grammatical and stylistic problems.

Top     Course Description     Learning Outcomes     Advisories     Materials     Requirements
Lesson Plan     Tips for Success     Grading    Academic Integrity     Dropping     Support    

Lesson Plan:
Dates
Lessons
Week 1
Course Orientation; What is Entrepreneurship? 
Week 2
Starting a Business
Week 3
Planning and the Opportunity
Week 4
Marketing and Promoting Your Business
Week 5
Products, Pricing, and Place
Week 6
Midterm Exam; Operations Management
Week 7
Managing Human Resources
Week 8
Basic Accounting for Small Business
Week 9
Happiness is Cash Flow
Week 10
Financial Management and Risk
Week 11
Legal Issues and the Challenges of Success
Week 12
Final Exam due Tuesday.

Tips for Success:

There are many ways that you can demonstrate your understanding of course concepts in this class.  I hope that you enjoy the flexibility of the course design, and I welcome your input.  Here are some of the ways that you can boost your performance in this class.  Please take advantage of them!

Grading:

Grades will be assigned to students based on the total points earned in the course. You may access your final grades in Catalyst by the weekend after the final exam. After that, look on the web at http://www.deanza.edu/my or through the Star System (408)-777-9394 or (650) 917-0509.  

Academic Integrity: 

Students who plagiarize, submit the work of others as their own, or cheat on exams will receive an F in the course and will be reported to college authorities.  For more information, see the Student Handbook Powerpoint presentation on Academic Integrity.

Dropping:

Please note:   I will drop students who have not logged on and completed assignments by the end of the first two weeks, and those who have not completed the midterm exam (or emailed me regarding an emergency) by the due date for that exam.  Other than that, students are responsible for submitting the appropriate form to drop or withdraw from the course.  If you mean to drop the course but do not submit the appropriate form, you can expect to see a grade for the course on your transcript!  The drop procedures is as follows. (There is no other online or telephone method for doing a drop after the first two weeks of class.)
  1.  Download and fill out a form from the De Anza web site at: http://www.deanza.edu/registration/Drop.pdf
  2.  Fax it to Admissions & Records at (408) 864-8329 before the deadline in the 8th week of class.

Support:

Help with Course Content Email me Mondays through Fridays.  (24 hour turnaround is typical except over the weekend.)
Technical Support
(24 X 7):
Toll-free phone: 1-866-518-3953
Web Site URL: Posted on https://catalyst.deanza.edu
Distance Learning Center 
(Administrative Support)
Home Page: http://distance.deanza.fhda.edu  
(Hours of operation are posted on the page entitled "About the Distance Learning Center.)
Phone: (408) 864-8969

Top     Course Description     Learning Outcomes     Advisories     Materials     Requirements

Lesson Plan    Tips for Success      Grading     Academic Integrity     Dropping     Support