Studies in Small Enterprise

Course aim

To describe and analyse the characteristics of small enterprises (SE) and the types of skills, knowledge and assistance needed by the successful SE manager-owner.

Course content

• The SE sector in Australia: definitions, statistics, contribution to the economy and Society.
• The SE owner-manager: enterprise, entrepreneurship, requirements for success.
• SE management: life cycle of the SE, requirements in administrative management, information and finances; networking.
• Problems and failure: resource poverty, causes of failure.
• Assistance: government policy, role of the accountant, banker, others.
• Start-up process: feasibility report. 
• Financing the SE: start-up, development, maturity.
• Financial management and control: cash flow and profit, assessment of profitability and liquidity; investment decisions; strategic planning.
• Analysis and assessment of performance: industry benchmarks, role of computer. 
• Business plan: preparation and monitoring, relation to the budget system.

Textbook(s)

Peacock R W 2004, Understanding Small Business: Practice, Theory and Research, 2, Scarman Publishing , Adelaide

Prerequisite(s)

36 units of Division of Business courses

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Component	Duration
INTERNAL, CITY WEST
Seminar	3 hours x 13 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

5 x Research Essays (20% each)

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 3)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.