VUSSC/Mauritius BC/Entrepreneurship Curriculum outline

NOTE: This page is used to achieve consensus on the curriculum outline. Once the content online is agreed, the actual content development for this course is linked from the Entrepreneuship Content Page

Possible Levels for Course Development

• Degree
• Associate Degree
• Diploma
• Certificate

Level Selected for Development: Post-Secondary Certificate

Please note:

• Over time we can develop several modules in Entrepreneurship/ Managing your Business at the certificate level and these can be pulled by institutions in varying combinations to create their own unique programmes or to be integrated in existing programmes
• There may be varying levels for certificate and diploma programmes (e.g. Certificate I or certificate II or advanced certificate or advanced diploma etc.). Since this may be interpreted differently from country to country, we are recommending that the content we develop in this first project be pitched at the general certificate level.
• Institutions in member countries, based on their local industry standards etc., can then customize this content by upgrading it etc. to the required level and specific context.
• In this first phase of content development, study units covering core areas of Entrepreneurship will be our focus.
• These core modules will be prerequisites for other modules within this course or can be integrated into other Entrepreneurship/ Managing your Business certificate level courses or upgraded to be included in Diploma, Associate Degree or even Degree level programmes.

Course Aims

The aim of the course is:

To enable students to acquire competence in the exercise of the occupation and to carry out the functions, tasks and activities of the occupation at the level required for entry into the job market; To help students integrate into professional life by giving them general knowledge of the job market as well as an understanding of the specific context of the selected occupation; To foster learners’ personal growth and encourage continuing professional development; To provide for the future job mobility of the learners by helping them acquire career-management skills.

Entry Requirements

Applicants should:

1. Have passed your country’s equivalent of 5 GCE O’Level subjects including English Language; Or
2. Have work experience or other practical experience / qualifications relevant to the course; Or
3. Have fulfilled the requirements as specified by the providing institution in your country

Prerequisites: None

Learner Exit Profile

On completion of the program, the participant will be able to:

• identify and select an appropriate business idea
• develop a business plan
• market his product or service
• determine pricing of products and services
• keep good business records
• provide quality customer service
• effectively select and manage staff
• communicate effectively with all business stakeholders

Course Outline for Entrepreneurship/Managing your Business

Units:

1. Starting Up a Business
2. Planning for the Business
3. Marketing the Business- Faalafi and Brinda
4. Pricing the Product or Service-Faalafi
5. Business Records- Cheryl
6. Selling and the Customer-Stanley
7. Business Staffing and Leadership -Cheryl and Brinda
8. Business Communication-Stanley

Concepts

• Empowerment
• Creativity and Innovation
• Resource Mobilisation
• Marketing & Research
• Risks management
• Networking/Clustering
• Knowledge Management and Globalisation

What will we be developing?

• 5 notional hours of the unit VUSSC/Content/Entrepreneurship/Starting Up a Business which will be the 1st module of the course Managing your Business and 5 notional hours of the 2nd module VUSSC/Content/Entrepreneurship/Planning for the Business

Proposed format of the Course

The course will be available in print format (printable versions on the VUSSC online content repository however there may be downloadable multimedia files/resources as well e.g. audio clips, video clips etc.). Eventually there will be an interactive multimedia online version which can be integrated in a Learning Management System of your choice.

Module Objectives

Upon completion of this programme, you will be able to:

1. Understand the concepts of business and entrepreneurship.
2. Compare the potential of different business ideas
3. Know the basic legal requirements for launching a small business.
4. Perform SWOT analyses and applying them to your competitors, your own business and even yourself
5. Analyse the environment for designing the marketing mix and marketing strategies
6. Develop good book-keeping practices
7. Acquire appropriate resources for your business needs
8. Anticipate and relate to your customers needs more accurately
9. Develop sharp skills to compile your business plan to your advantage

Topics developed by the team in Mauritius)

Managing my Business

Unit 1: Starting Up a Business

• Introduction
• Objectives
• What is Business Management?
• What is meant by Entrepreneurship?
  • Who is an Entrepreneur?
  • What is an Enterprise?
• What are the different business types?
• How is a business idea developed?
• What Factors Influence the Business?
  • Cultural Factors
  • Economic Factors
  • Political Factors
  • Environmental Factors
• The importance of a business in a country
• Summary

Unit 2: Planning for the Business

• Introduction
• Learning Objectives
• Legal requirements for your type of business
• Opportunities in your environments
• Competition (SWOT Analysis)
• Supply and Demand
• The Market
• Funding for the enterprise
• The Business plan
• Summary

Unit 3: Marketing the Business

• Introduction
• Learning Objectives
• The nature of the Maket plan
• Characteristics of a Market Plan
• Steps in preparing the Market plan
  • Defining the business situation
  • Defining Target Market/Opportunities and Threats
  • Considering the Strength and Weaknesses
  • Establish Goals and Objectives
• Defining Marketing Strategy and Action Programmes
  • Product or Services
  • Pricing
  • Promotion
  • Place
• Coordination of the Planning Process
• Summary

Unit 4: Pricing the Product or Service
Unit 5: Business Records
Unit 6: Selling and the Customer
Unit 7: Business Staffing
Unit 8: Business Communication

Teaching /Learning Strategies (Activities)

1. Case studies / scenarios
2. Simulations
3. Reflections
4. Quizzes

Assessment Strategies

• Self-assessment quizzes
• Assignments to Facilitators