Rochester Institute of Technology COURSE INFO SHEET This Course Information Sheet is subject to change depending on the progress

s of the course ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------COURSE TITLE: Applying Business Tech SECTION: 0102-325INSTRUCTOR: Robert Spinelli, M.B.A. Work Phone: 244-1518 & Cell: 734-8043 E-MAIL: rspinelli@saunders.rit.edu or rjspin@frontiernet.net CLASS MEETS: T/TH 4-5:50 Bldg. 12, Room 3135 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Communicating With Me: You can reach me by a number of different wayssee above. I will get back to as soon as possible. My frontiernet email is usually the quickest way to get a response. OFFICE HOURS: By appointment ONLY

How to succeed in this class: Do all your assignments and do them well. Contribute fully on the group project. Attend and participate in class

Course Description: In this course, students learn to take a business idea from inception to launch. It covers the major steps involved in commercializing a new product or service with the help of in-depth understanding of key business processes and cutting-edge e-business technologies. Topics covered include idea generation, basic business plan development, computer based market analysis, preparation for business idea implementation, and e-commerce website development. (Not for students that have completed the 0102260, 0112-275 and 0112-280 sequence. For transfer students only) Course Objectives Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to Identify and apply creative methods for idea generation Evaluate business opportunities Develop and present a short comprehensive business solution Develop an implementation plan (marketing, project management, operations, etc.) to launch the new business idea Research and identify the key technologies impacting the proposed new product or service Develop e-commerce website to support the new business processes Analyze the impact of e-commerce and other technology on current and future business.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Text: BUSN, 4th edition, By Marce Kelly, Jim McGowen, South-Western Cengage Learning, Florence, Ky, 2012 Cases in Entrepreneurship, By Eric Morse, Ronald Mitchell, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, Ca. 2006

EVALUATION, GRADING, and additional INFORMATION Attendance Policy: Value: 100 points

Please Read Carefully. Review this Attendance Policy several times during this quarter. Attending all Classes is MANDATORY. I AM VERY STRICT IN THIS AREA. The reasons for my strict attendance policy are: (1) this is a business course, and as in business, you are also required to show up to my class on time and to be productive, and (2) this course has a team component. I cannot have a student affecting other team members grades because he or she chooses not to show up to class or shows up late to class. Almost all of the classes will require students to meet in their teams to discuss the team project, including the first class. There are 10-classes (10-wks) Plus finals week. Students are expected to attend all classes. Attendance is just as important in an academic setting as it is in a work setting. Treat your attendance and punctuality in my class just as you would treat punctuality and attendance at an important board meeting at work or in a professional setting. Attendance is recorded for every class. Attendance and Participation does impact your grade!

Homework (Case Studies):

Value: 100 points

20 each

A. Each case will be at least two (2) pages (2-full pagesnot 1-7/8 pages) but no more than four (4) pages in length (not including the reference page). All papers are to be written in Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, or 2010. Follow requirements A-F. Feel free to use double-sided printing for all of your papers. B. One (1) inch margins maximum for the top and bottom and one (1) inch margins maximum for the right and left. The standard business paper size is 8-1/2 x 11. C. I do not need a formal title page or table of contents. Please place your name and the title of the case on the first line. Although not required, headers and sub-headers would be a good idea. It helps me understand your paper. The format of each mini paper is: double spaced, one inch margins on all four sides, and 11 or 12 point Times Roman or Arial font. D. You will be using your textbook and a minimum of 3 (three) academic sources to write your case study. You are required to cite the textbook, as well as all academic and non-academic sources used in the paper. (Non-academic sources may be added) In addition, you must have a reference page that lists your sources. Only list sources cited within the paper.

You will use the APA citation format and is also part of the Office 2007 software. In addition to the 3 (three) academic sources (The textbook + 2-other academic sources), you may also use non-academic sources for the mini papers. You are also expected to have a minimum of 3 (three) citations per page; it improves your writing. E. Remember, these case studies are business papers. Do not use first person (I, we, me, etc.) or contractions (cant, dont, etc.). Do not start sentences with and, but, or because. That said I want YOUR professional analysis of what should have or could have been done to improve results. F. Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation count.

75% for Content 25% for the Case Study Form Content: Well thought out arguments/discussions/analysis. I want to see some critical thinking. Feel free to agree or disagree with your findings, the companys position, the professor, or the author(s) text or article. I want you to defend your position. If you defend your position, discussions, etc., you should do well. Form: Make sure you follow the guidelines stated in A-F. Proper form is an important part of writing a paper. Poor paper set-up, grammar, sentence structure, the use of first person, improper APA citation format, etc, weakens the paper.

What am I Looking For When Reviewing Your Case Studies? Critical thinking: Analyze, critique, compare & contrast, agree or disagree, or defend your position These mini papers are your papers and you may write them in any fashion as long as you follow the Content and Mini-Paper Form guidelines that are listed above.

In-Class Chapter Exams:

Value: 200 points

2 (two) exams

100 each

There will be 2 (two) in-class exams given throughout the quarter. The exams are not cumulative. Each exam will be given at the beginning of the class. The exams will test your understanding of the readings and lectures. You will need to read the textbook and attend class to perform well on the exams. Team Business Solution & Presentation Project: Value: 100 points

Each student will be on a new business solution team. Depending on the size of the class, there will be three to four students on the team. This project will offer each student experiences that he or she can use in the workforce. Each team will present the identify a company with a business technology issue and develop a cost effective solution for that company. This will be presented in class by utilizing PowerPoint and basic verbal presentation skills. o Formal Written Business Solution 20-25+ pages excluding title page, table of contents, and appendix pages o A Power Point Presentation, which will include between 10-15 slides. The oral presentation will be between 10-15 minutes

In order to have a successful Business Solution, students will have to work on this plan in class and outside of class I will be happy to look at a teams progress as students work on the Business Solution. Feel free to show me your progress as many times as you wish for my feedback and guidance

Once teams are formed, start delegating. Determine who is going to do what and when deliverables are due to facilitate this project. Your team will not do well if your team does not start working on this project as soon as possible (by the second week). As mentioned earlier, I will be more than happy to look at your progress in class, so make sure you ask for my feedback every class. My goal is to help each team earn at least an 85% on the Business Plan. If you address the required components (in detail) of the Business Plan, ask for my feedback often, make the additions or changes as indicated by me, then every team should be able to earn at least an 85% on the Business Plan. Briefly, here are some general requirements. 1. Students must choose a real business need technology solutions 2. The business should be located in the Rochester, NY area. 3. The solution needs a cost benefit analysis and can be implemented within 6 months. 4. Students should choose a business that is easily researched, meaning secondary research. The scope of this course will not permit primary research. 5. Students will have to prove that their business plan is viable and likely to succeed in years one to three. Oral Presentation: The PowerPoint slide presentation information should come from the teams paper. The team presentation will be between 10-15 minutes in length. Students are required to wear business attire when presenting (see last page). The team members must give the professor a hard copy of the PowerPoint presentation Slides at the beginning of their groups oral presentation. I only require a black and white copy printed with 6-slides per page.

Student Evaluations: (Students do not see this grade)) Each student will evaluate themselves and each other as to how they performed on the team. Only I see these evaluations, which allows students to be honest about their own contribution to the team paper and oral presentation, as well as other team members contributions. Professor Evaluations: (Students do not see this grade)) I will also evaluate each students team participation based on observations and feedback from other team members. For the most part, unless I observe any major problems within the team, I will give each student the same grade that he or she received from the other team members. Again, only I will see these evaluations. Special Note: Although there will be some time set aside in class to discuss and work on your project, each student is expected to work on his or her section(s) outside of class to develop a successful team effort.

Evaluation/Grading Recap: Case Studies: In-Class Exams: Team Business Solution: Attendance/Participation Total: 20% 40% 20% 20% 100%

Grading A = 90 100 B = 80 - 89 C = 70 - 79 D = 60 = 69 F = <60

Special Note: I do not believe in grade inflation. A final grade of a 79.999 (Infinity) % is a C and an 80.0% is a B. I hope this example will help you understand my grading policy.

Topics, Assignments, and Tracking Calendar Lectures and Team Work Chapter 1 & 2 and Work in Groups Chapter 3 &4 and Work in Groups Chapter 5 & 6 and Work in Groups Chapters 7 & 8 and Work in Groups Chapter 9 and Work in Groups

Dates Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Exam Week 11

Deliverables

Case Study 1 Venture Creation

Case Study 2 Venture Opportunities Speaker

Exam 1: Chapters 1-9 Speaker Case Study 3 Planning & Finance Case Study 4 Venture Set Up Speaker Exam 2: Chapters 11-16 Case Study 5 Venture Start Up Group Oral Presentations, Business Solution due demonstrating technology, justification, cost benefit analysis. ROI Business dress required Chapter 11 & 12 and Work in Groups Chapter 13 & 14 and Work in Groups Chapter 15 &16 and Work in Groups Work in Groups