MHR 308
1
Summer 2002
Course Evaluation
What will you take away from this course?
Skills, abilities, and techniques for creating a business plan. In-depth resources for putting together a business plan. Skills to enable me to write a business plan and to start up a business. I feel confident to write my own business plan one day instead of having to hire someone to do it for me. The business plan and the marketing plan. I learned how to put a good working business plan together. How to create a business plan—how to create a concept and determine at the end if it will indeed work in the future. I will know how to build a business plan—a well-written one. The technique for writing a business plan and the editing process that is necessary to get it right. The proper way to prepare and present a business plan. Better understanding, perspective, and knowledge. A better understanding of what needs to be examined to start a business. The research and knowledge gained not only about the business plan, but also about the nightclub industry. I [now] understand how difficult it can be to produce a business plan. A much broader perspective on starting my own business in the future. [Learning] the process of making a business plan. Knowledge of how to start a company and know how to create a business and where to look for money. The knowledge necessary to put together an actual business plan. I [now] know what is involved in a business plan. There’s a LOT more to a business plan than I expected! I actually learned more about financial matters doing this plan than I learned in accounting! The experience of writing a good business plan. Other. The ability to organize business ideas and concepts into writing while elaborating on them. Taking findings and putting them into a suitable form for presentations. The ability to work with others. It takes a considerable amount of time to prepare one. The books and software!(2) Business-writing experience!! That a business plan is a lot of work.
What did you like most about the course?
Feedback from the class and the professor. I liked that we were able to turn in rough drafts and present without being graded throughout the quarter—the feedback we got was very helpful in completing our business plan. Presentation and project evaluation and feedback was a class effort. Definitely the feedback on all work each time it was completed. Feedback from the professor. The feedback from the class when we gave presentations on each section of the business plan—and the presentations were not so formal so it relieved a lot of the anxiety. Feedback. The professor was always available and always had comments that made your project better. I liked presenting the plan and getting feedback; I enjoyed hearing other people present also. The communication between the students and the professor. Working in a group. Working together with the group to come up with ideas for our business. I liked working with my group—they were fun and I learned a lot from them. [It was] very interesting to see all team members’ creative side. Interaction amongst the group. Working with a group. The students [provided] a lot of good ideas; [the] teamwork [was] a really great experience. I also liked the group time after the class—it gave us a chance to talk about our project when all group members are present. The ability to work together as a team. Activities were worthwhile. Learning what should go into a business plan. Researching something that I actually had an interest in. I liked almost everything, especially our finished product, even though it might not be the best, but we worked hard on it. I actually liked doing the business plan because it will be useful in my future. Developing a business. Business plan. Putting ideas to words and on paper—trying to sell your ideas. Putting our own ideas in. Real business-plan scenarios. The marketing research, and knowing that I completed a business plan. Coming up with a business. Fun and enjoyment. I enjoyed listening to the creative business ideas of individuals and groups in the class, while having the ability [freedom] to state my own. It was fun and I felt I gained a lot of knowledge on business. I enjoyed my time taking this course—I learned a lot of new stuff, both regarding the business plan [and about] teamwork.
MHR 308
2
Summer 2002
Class structure. I liked that the class was structured to help partially complete the business plan by the end of the quarter. Guest speaker. The lack of tests—I feel that I learned more in this class even though there were no tests. I enjoyed the mini-lectures with the handouts. Pressure. I liked the pressure—I tend to do better when I’m under pressure.
What would you like to see changed if you were taking the course again?
Clarify assignments. [Spend] more time explaining what is needed for each assignment and presentation. [You] should explain more about what’s expected in assignments; when [you are] too vague, we don’t know what to do and when we get points deducted from our assignments, it’s not very fair. [You] should be a little clearer on some of the assignments. The directions should be clearer. More detailed instructions or assignment outline. Perhaps more of an understanding of the layout of the actual plan. Everything explained a little more clearly. Have specific expectations that students can understand all the work assigned. An outline of what is expected in the business plan given to students earlier. Have fewer presentations. I thought that the structure of the course was good; however, perhaps it’s not necessary to have so many presentations—they were helpful, but required a lot of group meeting time. No presentations after Labor Day. [Fewer] presentations. Cut out some components. Remove the entrepreneurship interview—I had a hard time finding someone [to interview.] Focus more on writing the business plan—some speakers bore me. Some of the guest speakers didn’t have information that pertained to our project. Give us more. [Need] a defined schedule/calendar for workload [SCA: One was provided!] [Need] a more basic business-plan model [SCA: One was provided!] More examples of business plans [SCA: Six were available for perusal at any time in my office—very few students came and looked at them!] No books/software. Lower cost for books and software, especially when you can’t sell them back to the bookstore. The software and text was a waste of money. No books—the professor’s mini-lectures were much more helpful. Give us more time. I would like to have [had] more time because writing a business plan in such a short period is not sufficient to have a quality one. The term was [too] short to learn all the concepts completely. A lot of work for a 308 class—[fewer] papers due and [fewer] presentations. [Need] more time for revisions on certain parts of the paper with feedback. More time to do research! Base group membership on meeting time. [The way] groups were formed—I think the group should be formed on agreed-upon meeting times because one of my group members was always late or sometimes did not show up for the meeting because she had to work [SCA: this was the principal criterion for forming groups!]. Consider a different format. Instead of [having] six different groups getting different ideas, [have] the whole class vote on one idea [and] the groups do different sections of the business plan.
What advice would you give students taking this course in the future?
How to do well in the class. [You] need to be on top of all the research and assignments. There is a lot to cover in one course so [it’s] very important to know what is due next and what’s upcoming. Have a lot of free time to do the business plan—it’s not something you can leave until the last minute. Start the research early. It’s a lot of work—if the things don’t get done on time, you’ll have trouble. Back all your assumptions up with explanations and facts. [Be prepared to do] a lot of research. [Learn] to be specific. Go to class. Do not hesitate to start right away. Prepare for a large amount of your time and energy [to be] put forward. Make sure everyone agrees on your concept, and don’t leave everything until the end. [Be prepared to] work hard. Be ready to work!! Set aside time to work hard and be ready for a lot of research. Think in-depth about your business before you decide what venture you’re going into. Talk to the professor [often]. Don’t slack off! Make sure you understand your financials. Be open to learning. Walk into this course with an open mind and try your best, because it is indeed a splendid learning experience. The professor is not expecting perfection because he is aware of the fact that students are taking
MHR 308
3
Summer 2002
their first shot at a business plan. Be as open as you can. Leave room for improvement, and keep contact with the professor. If anyone wants to learn and enjoy a business-plan class, take this course. Starting a business? Take the course. Take this course if you are planning to, or think you would want to, start up a business. To start your own business, take this class. It’s a lot of work but well worth it if you’re thinking of starting your own business; it makes you realize it’s not as easy as you thought. Stay motivated and interested in seeing the success of the planned business. Get in a good group. It’s a good class that can be a lot of fun if you have the right group (pick fun and dedicated people to be in your group). Find good group members. Work hard and contribute all you can in a group. Don’t buy the book or software. Don’t buy the software and text; [instead,] ask a lot of questions. Don’t buy the book and software.
Any other comments?
Overall, this was a very helpful course. I will definitely take the research and new knowledge I have gained from this course with me when I start my innovation I actually benefited from this course and gained some useful knowledge. Had a great time! Learned a new meaning to thinking outside the circle. Learned a lot… Overall, [this was] a good class. Great class! I would like to start my own business one day—this class helped me realize some of the things I need. Have students give more comments, suggestions, [and] improvements on ideas. This will definitely help me in the future. You are a great prof. Great class and great feedback.