Program Overview

Writing Business Plans

Objectives

This course offers participants the opportunity to learn to develop and evaluate business plans. The course is built on the knowledge already acquired by a student of the Master in Management and it simulates an entrepreneurial experience. Students are required to develop business plans for two different start-ups: one for a manufacturing company and the other in a services company.

Contents

• Business plan
• Business planning
• Entrepreneurship and strategic management
• Market analysis and marketing planning
• Market forecast
• Competitive analysis
• Product system design and competitive advantage creation and defence
• Firm structure design
• Organisation design
• Make, Buy and connect decisions
• Competitive-advantage based alliances
• Financial simulation
• How to evaluate the business plan

Teaching Approach

This course is based on a learning-by-doing approach. Students will work in groups on the two business plans and will evaluate their peers' business plans. Time pressure is part of the teaching approach, as well as the ability of organizing group activities. Tutorial classes will help groups to focus their efforts and in dealing with methodological issues.

Grading

The grade is 100% based on the business plan prepared during the course.

Suggested Readings

• How to write a business plan (McKinsey)
• Business Plan Hand Book, Thompson Gale

Program

• Master of Arts in Economics and Communication in Public Management and Policy, Elective course, Specialization in Communication and Public Management, 2nd year
• Master of Science in Economics in Management, Elective course, Track in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2nd year

Course Information

• Semester: Autumn
• Academic Year:
• ECTS: 3.0
• Language: English

Campus

• Campus Lugano
• Campus Mendrisio
• Campus Bellinzona