The table below illustrates the program of the courses included into the “Enterprise Growth training” module.
Each course is described according to UTIU standards, specifying its description, aims, contents, division according to courses in lessons and a further division of the lessons according to topics.
Course: Introduction to growth
The course aim is to illustrate the growth of an enterprise from different perspectives and by using case studies, introduce the product/market matrix and risk factors linked to growth.
· To help the entrepreneurs understand the concept of growth going beyond expansion and diversification
· To let the entrepreneurs see importance of ‘planned’ approach to growth as against ‘adhoc’ approach wherein one responds to business opportunities as they come by
· To let the entrepreneurs see the relevance of programme inputs to their own businesses.
to be defined
· Defining ‘growth’
· Types of growth
· What are the routes to growth
· Focus on ‘planned growth’
· Handouts for participants
o Process of planned growth’
o Copies of ‘Growth through Product / Market Development’
o Case: “From ‘Fabrication’ to ‘Thermostats’
· Slide
o Introduction to ‘Growth Programme’
o ‘Growth through product – market development’
o ‘Planned growth’
· Lesson 1: Introduction to growth
o Defining ‘growth’
o Types of growth
o What are the routes to growth
o Focus on ‘planned growth’
Course: Implications of growth
The course introduces to the preparation of growth/development profile by product/service development and taking into account the market giving a case study as basic work.
· To help the entrepreneurs understand the need to consider the implication (on current business) of following a particular route to growth
· To let the entrepreneurs realize that pursuing a given route to growth without close examination of the ‘implications’ could lead to loss of control over the business.
· To help the entrepreneurs realize that understanding implications of growth could be a convenient and effective approach to evaluate a given option to growth thereby making it possible for them to explore several options at a time.
to be defined
· The need to understand the impact of internal factors on growth plan
· Filling up ‘growth/change’ profile
· Handouts for participants
o Factors Influencing Change and Development
o Case study: ‘Excel Knitwear’
o Growth/change profile
· Slide
o Growth/change profile (blank)
o Growth/change profile (sample)
· Lesson 1: Implications of growth
o The need to understand the impact of internal factors on growth plan
o Filling up ‘growth/change’ profile
Course: Enterprise diagnosis – An overview
The course supplies participants with basic indicators needed to assess an enterprises performance and the elements to create a structure of enterprise diagnosis that can carry on a continuous and effective monitoring.
· To let the entrepreneurs understand that there is a need to go beyond turnover and profit figures to understand how well a business is performing.
· To let them understand the frame work for ‘Enterprise Diagnosis’ so that they can interact with the Business Counsellors on the same wavelength as a part of one-to-one counselling
to be defined
· Characteristics of a sound business venture
· Factors to be taken into account while examining the performance base of an enterprise and its potential to grow
· Handouts for participants
o Copies of slides
· Slides
o Approach to planned growth (repetition)
o Overview of growth process
o Basic elements of ‘performance audit’ and’ potential audit’
· Lesson 1: Enterprise diagnosis – An overview
o Characteristics of a sound business venture
o Factors to be taken into account while examining the performance base of an enterprise and its potential to grow
Course: Performance Audit – Finance
The course introduces participants to the methods of performance audit in terms of financial aspects, dealing with factors affecting cash and defining audit tools.
To help the participants understand the frame work for ‘Performance Audit’ from marketing angle so that they can interact with the Business Counsellors on the same wavelength as a part of one-to-one counselling.
to be defined
· Turnover, profits and liquidity
· ‘Contribution’
· Control systems
· Handouts for participants
o Performance audit - Finance
o Copies of slide
· Slide
o Basic elements of ‘Finance Audit’
· Lesson 1: Performance audit - Finance
o Turnover, profits and liquidity
o ‘Contribution’
o Control systems
Course: Performance Audit – Production
The course introduces participants to enterprise performance audit in terms of aspects related to production facing questions related to capacity utilisation, wastage and quality.
To help the participants understand the frame work for ‘Performance Audit’ from ‘production’ angle so that they can interact with the Business Counsellors on the same wavelength as a part of one-to-one counselling.
to be defined
· Basic elements of production audit
· Capacity utilization and productivity- Extent and constraints
· Wastage
· Quality
· Locating problem areas
· Handouts for participants
o Performance audit – Production
o Suggested queries for performance audit - Production
o Copies of slides
· Slides
o Basic elements of ‘Production Audit’
· Lesson 1: Perfomance audit - Production
o Basic elements of production audit
o Capacity utilization and productivity- Extent and constraints
o Wastage
o Quality
o Locating problem areas
Course: Performance Audit – Marketing
The course introduces participants to the methods of enterprise performance audit in terms of aspects related to marketing, facing question linked to the characteristics of the product, competitive advantage, price policy and distribution.
To help the participants understand the frame work for ‘Performance Audit’ from ‘marketing’ angle so that they can interact with the Business Counsellors on the same wavelength as a part of one-to-one counselling.
to be defined
· Basic elements of ‘Marketing Audit’
· Extent of understanding of customers and its reflection on product features
· Extent of understanding of competitors and accordingly developing competitive edge
· Factors influencing pricing
· Handouts for participants
o Performance audit – Marketing
o Copies of slides
· Slides
o Basic elements of ‘Production Audit’
o Understanding customers and competitors
o Sources of competitive edge
o Product-customer linkages
o Factors influencing pricing
o Factors influencing choice of distribution channels
o Market programme
· Lesson 1: Performance audit - Marketing
o Basic elements of ‘Marketing Audit’
o Extent of understanding of customers and its reflection on product features
o Extent of understanding of competitors and accordingly developing competitive edge
o Factors influencing pricing
Course: Potential audit
The course introduces participants to the methods of the enterprise potential audit and, by a path involving also the contents of the three previous courses, stimulate them to structure a more effective business plan.
· To facilitate effective interaction between the Business Counsellor and the entrepreneur in the process of Potential audit by letting the entrepreneurs understand the nature of and need to explore various aspects of the business that determine its potential for growth / change.
· To equip the entrepreneurs with a framework for analysis of the potential that their business have for growth so that they are enthused to formulate growth plans or validate the growth plan if they have one.
· Performance Audit – Finance
· Performance Audit – Production
· Performance Audit – Marketing
· Basic elements of ‘Potential Audit’
· Entrepreneurial base:
o - Awareness of entrepreneurial competencies
o - Hard skills
o - Management style
o - Vision
· Resource base: Infrastructure, material resources, financial and manpower resources
· Experience base
· Handouts for participants
o A frame work for understanding the growth potential of a Business
o Comprehensive list of queries for ‘potential audit’
o Copies of slides
· Slides
o Basic elements of ‘Potential Audit’
o Entrepreneurial base
o Entrepreneurial competencies
o Resource base
o Experience base
· Lesson 1: Potential Audit
o Basic elements of ‘Potential Audit’
o Entrepreneurial base
· Lesson 2: External and internal resources
o External resources: Infrastructure, material resources, financial and manpower resources
o Internal resources: experience
Course: Assessing Growth Plans
The aim of this course is to establish a relationship between performance and potential audit and growth plans, planned growth and development.
· To let the entrepreneurs appreciate the importance of Performance and Potential Audit as a means to generate data to assess growth plans
· To provide a framework for assessing growth plans so that the interaction between counsellor and the entrepreneurs on this issue will be meaningful.
to be defined
· Relook at growth / change profile
· Reiterate the need to relate Performance Audit and Potential Audit as a precursor to formulation of to growth plans
· Provide a checklist for evaluation of business ideas
· Handouts for participants
o Check list for evaluation of business ideas
o Case study: Universal Cargo Company (without ‘solutions’)
· Slides
o ‘Planned growth’
o Growth/change profile
o Routes to growth
o Steps in pursuing growth
o Snap investigation of business ideas
· Lesson 1: Assessing Growth Plans
o Relook at growth / change profile
· Lesson 2: Performance audit and growth plans
o Performance Audit and Potential Audit as a precursor to formulation of to growth plans
Course: Entrepreneurial Competency – Self Analysis and development process
The course aims at stimulating analysis on the skills acquired during the study cycle and on their enhancement, starting from a self-assessment process.
To let the participants know where they stand with respect of various entrepreneurial competencies.
to be defined
· Helping the participants assess their level of entrepreneurial competencies
· Sources of developing competencies
· Approach to strengthening the competencies
· Self rating questionnaire
· Slide and handout on ‘competence development process’
· Lesson 1: Entrepreneurial Competency – Self Analysis and development process
o Sources of developing competencies
o Approach to strengthening the competencies
Course: Entrepreneurial Competencies: Systematic Planning
The course is based on play a role game in which each participants plays the role of company producing boats with the aim of learning systematic planning activities by means of simulations.
· To help the participants understand the approach to and importance of Systematic Planning
· To illustrate various aspects of entrepreneurial behaviour such as:
o Seeking challenge (Self-confidence)
o Concern for quality
o Taking personal responsibility for success or failure
o Ability to cope with stress
o Information seeking
o Efficiency Orientation
to be defined
· Systematic planning approaches
· “Boat making” rule game
· Slides
o Process of systematic planning
· Handouts for participants
o Instruction sheet
o Boat making exercise data record sheet
o Approach to systematic planning
· Lesson 1: Entrepreneurial Competencies: Systematic Planning
o Approach to systematic planning: game statement, rules, context, timing, reporting.
Course: Entrepreneurial Competency - Concern for Quality, Efficiency Orientation and Innovation
This course takes into account the previously learnt entrepreneurial competences to enable learners to use them in the entreprise in field of quality, efficiency and innovation. Participants will be asked to carry on classical team-based cognitive exercises to stimulate the generation of new ideas.
1. To enable the participant understand that:
o It is possible to improve upon a given product
o It is possible to improve upon a given process/a facet of work involving managing of a venture, and
o That to bring about such improvements, there is a necessity to generate new ideas (hence innovation)
2. To illustrate the point that it is necessary to generate new ideas in order to do things faster, cheaper or with fewer resources (i.e. efficiency orientation)
to be defined
· Systematic steps for innovation
· Brainstorming
· Exercise
· Handouts for participants
o A brief for the exercise
o Brainstorming chart
o Note on innovation
· Slide
o Systematic steps to innovation
· Lesson 1: Entrepreneurial Competency - Concern for Quality, Efficiency Orientation and Innovation
o Systematic steps to innovation
o Brainstorming
o Exercise
Course: Entrepreneurial Competencies: Persuasion and use of Influence Strategies
During this course the participants will be asked to reconstruct real or imaginary situations in which they felt in trouble and then take part in role game in which they will face influencing dynamics.
· To let the participants understand:
o That there are always some less controllable factors in the sphere of work of an entrepreneur
o That when an entrepreneur encounters a situation on whose outcome has little control, he may experience a variety of negative feelings and stress that may reduce his ability to respond effectively
o That such less controllable situations could be handled through sue of a variety of strategies to influence others ad persuade them to do what he wants them to
to be defined
· ‘Role play’ on approaches to persuade a banker to sanction term loan for a small venture
· Influencing strategies
· Handouts for participants
o 'Role brief" of a hypothetical situation where an entrepreneur approaches the Branch Manager of a Bank for loan
o Note on persuasion and use of influence strategies
· Slide
o Starting point for persuasion
o Stages in applying influence strategies
· Lesson 1: Entrepreneurial Competencies: Persuasion and use of Influence Strategies
o ‘Role play’ on approaches to persuade a banker to sanction term loan for a small venture
o Influencing strategies