Course detail

Business Development Assessment

FP-BBDAEAcad. year: 2021/2022

Business development presents ideas, initiatives, and activities to drive business forward and improve existing performance and effectiveness of small company. This includes increasing revenue, expanding business growth, increasing profitability by building strategic partnerships and taking strategic business decisions such as selling a business or selling franchise rights. Business appraisal can help identify business growth and development opportunities or, on the contrary, lead to the finding that some parts of the business do not work or that there is a lack of alignment between the company's internal environment and the outside environment.
One of the biggest challenges in running a small business is when it comes to objectively assessing how a business is going. The assessment of business development provides a fair and impartial view, which is necessary when deciding on strategic decisions about the direction of further business or performing an analysis of gaps and needs in the operation of the company and its goals.

Business development activities cover a variety of functions and areas, including sales, marketing, project management, product management, and supplier management. Networks, negotiations, partnerships and cost-saving efforts are also involved. All these different areas and activities are managed and aligned with business development goals.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

6

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

Ing. Veronika Bumberová, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Management (ÚM)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Knowledge - the student knows the issues of life cycles of organizations that define the position of enterprises at a certain stage, knows and defines the various stages of the diagnostic process and their application, defines and critically selects appropriate intervention methods and techniques that can be used and applied in selected situations, knows the principles of development business entity relations with interested interest groups.
Skills - the student acquires and processes relevant information from the organization environment, evaluates the potential of the company development in relation to possible cooperation with partners and investors in the environment, elaborates potential directions of development of the company and elaborates them into concrete interventions and links them to the company's goals. to solve problems, to contribute constructively to problem-solving and decision-making, to conduct a discussion to solve the problem and to find solutions, effectively use teamwork and apply management and leadership principles.
Competence - the student is able to comprehensively evaluate the current functioning of the company, decides on the selection of the most suitable analyzes, methods and approaches for data collection, is able to identify problems and challenges related to the management of the company, decides and chooses appropriate interventions based on feedback of information diagnosis, selects and implements the best Interventions for change with regard to the goals of a small company, proposes steps, actions and activities, including their transfer into practice, interprets the results of analyzes and information, evaluates the impacts of development interventions, creates and develops a team for complex business development project solutions.

Prerequisites

This course is directly connected to the module of Competitiness and Communication of Small company in analyses used and assessing the development potential of the company.
An important part of the process of business assesment is collecting and analyzing data both inside and outside the company, so it is essential that students have the knowledge and skills of Applied Analytical Statistics and Market Research.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course will use different forms of learning approaches, which will be evaluated as active participation in the processing of tasks and team discussions to meet the conditions. Teaching at lectures is based on students' active listening, but especially in the form of team discussions on selected topics given by the lecturers whose aim is to critically evaluate management approaches and principles of business development and evaluate the broader context of business environment development and their impact on entrepreneurial activity.
Teaching at seminars takes the form of individual and team solutions, including team discussions representing group interaction. Teaching at the exercises requires teamwork and team discussions with the teacher and other members, which will be held at the seminars every week. Participation in team discussions deepens the understanding of small business organizational development. Students acquire the necessary skills and competencies in the form of communication at the owner or manager level in the company, communication in the team to solve complex projects. Students train the ability to solve problems and challenges, critically analyze and evaluate specific approaches and apply them in the context of their own business, formulate and present their ideas clearly.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

The student must complete and meet three criteria, which are interrelated and form individual points outputs within the overall evaluation. During the course, the student must actively participate in solutions and team discussions in case studies, workshops and the subsequent processing and presentation of the final semester project.
Case studies and workshops (40%) - will take place in the form of elaboration and discussion at practical exercises and lectures.
Semester project (40%) - will be implemented through team processing of the final project and its presentation to all team members (an exception can be granted based on an individual assessment of the needs and interests of the student by the lecturer).
Written test (20%) - evaluation of the student's individual level of knowledge and his orientation and overview in the given issue.

Students with an individual study plan (ISP) are required to complete two activities, namely the elaboration of a semester project and the implementation of a written test. The student submits (in the form of an email with a scan or ISP document) a confirmation to the lecturer at the beginning of the current semester.

Course curriculum

Week 1 - Introduction - conditions, evaluation and time schedule of the course. Relevance of the issue and definition of the concept of (z) evaluation of business development, proactive vs. reactive, planned vs. emergent approach to the issue.
Week 2 - Life cycle models - biological concept of development, pyramid of organizational development, recognition of growth pains, different relationships with stakeholders in different phases of the life cycle.
Week 3 - Internal and external context as a stimulus for development - open systems model, alignment of strategic orientation and structural elements.
Week 4 - Business development model: planning - implementation - execution - evaluation. Diagnostic analysis at the organization level, collection and analysis of diagnostic information and evaluation. An overview of analytical-research and evaluation methods used in the planning and decision-making process.
Week 5 - Design and implementation - technical-structural interventions, interventions in human resources management, process interventions, strategic change interventions and more. Implementation and action planning.
Week 6 - Evaluation - measurement and effectiveness of interventions, measuring the development intervention of the organization as a feedback loop.
Week 7 - Project preparation time - (based on ongoing individual or team consultation with the lecturer)
Week 8 - Project presentation and feedback
Week 9 - Project presentation and feedback
Week 10 - Written exam

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The learning outcomes of the course is to connect and practical use the students' knowledge and skills gathering during their studies from managerial-economic areas with a comprehensive evaluation of the functioning of a small company. Through tool of Business Development Assessment, students will be able to identify issues and challenges related to the further direction of their activities and the consequent need for changes made both inside and outside the enterprise. Students diagnose the current functioning of the company and propose appropriate interventions with a view to further direction or improvement of current performance and efficiency.
The subject does not address the start-up phase or the preparation of a business plan for starting a business. Students can apply knowledge and skills in the area of multi-functional project teams responsible for organizational development related to the preparation and implementation of changes in larger enterprises, or as external consultants.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Attendance at lectures is not controlled and mandatory. Participation in practical exercises is controlled, but due to the ongoing situation, participation is not mandatory or otherwise evaluated. The control of individual activities is performed in the form of evaluation of the quality of continuously generated outputs and student participation in the processing of individual, team tasks and discussions. If the student's medical condition does not allow him to participate in the seminars, it is possible to elaborate the ongoing activities and submit them to the lecturer (by prior arrangement).

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Cummings Thomas and Worley Christopher. Organization Development and Change. 10th edition. Cengage Learning. 2014. 832 p. ISBN 1305143035. (EN)
Flamholtz, E. G., Randle, Y. Growing Pains: Building Sustainably Successful Organizations. 5th edition. John Wiley & Sons. 2016. 400 p. ISBN 1118916425. (EN)
Flamholtz, E. Randle, Y. Leading Strategic Change: Bridging Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press. 2008. ISBN 1139471775. (EN)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BAK-E Bachelor's

    branch BAK-ESBD , 3 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

  • Programme BAK-ESBD Bachelor's 3 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

20 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Ing. Veronika Bumberová, Ph.D.

Syllabus

The teaching at lectures has the character of basic principles and theory of the discipline. However, a group discussion on selected topics given by the lecturers aims to critically evaluate management approaches and principles of business development to evaluate the broader context of business environment development and their impact on business.

Exercise

10 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Ing. Veronika Bumberová, Ph.D.

Syllabus

The teaching at seminars takes the form of individual and team solutions, including team discussions representing group interaction. Teaching at the exercises requires teamwork and team discussions with the teacher and other members, which will be held at the seminars every week. Students train the ability to solve problems and challenges, critically analyze and evaluate specific approaches and apply them in the context of their own business, formulate and present their ideas clearly. The seminar is focused on practical mastery of the subject matter discussed at lectures.