Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship Syllabus

Teacher: Mr. Saks

Email: michael.saks@woodbridge.k12.nj.us

Semester 1: BLOCK 1

WHAT IS THIS CLASS?

The "Entrepreneurship" course for high school seniors in New Jersey provides students with a comprehensive introduction to starting and managing a business. I am a firm believer that being an entrepreneur is NOT for everyone, it is a skill that only a certain subset of individuals have. This class will allow you to see if you are one of those individuals through our various projects, presentations, assignments etc. Throughout this course, each student will be challenged to work both individually, and as a group, to complete their assignments using knowledge gained from previous classes and out-of-school experiences. This class is NOT about getting the “right answer” or following directions to a tea. Instead, this class will emphasize uniqueness and thinking “outside of the box”. To become a successful entrepreneur, you must be a risk-taker, you must be able to see opportunity where others see nothing… which is why critical thinking will be engrained in every assignment we do. This class will consist of many in-class presentations, public speaking, and class debates/discussions, all 3 being characteristics necessary to succeed in today’s business world. By the end of this class, each one of you will know if being an entrepreneur is something you would be successful at because like I said in the beginning of this paragraph, BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!

Simple Terms: How to start a successful business in today’s world.

PARENT/CONTACT INFO:

Ø  EMAIL: michael.saks@woodbridge.k12.nj.us

Ø  Parent-Teacher conferences

ABSENT POLICY:

Ø  COMMUNICATE WITH ME!

Ø  Students are given extra time equaling the amount of absent days to make-up work before being considered “late”. 2 days absent= 2 days to makeup ALL missed work.

Ø  Students should communicate with me prior to a known absence such as a family wedding, vacation, or funeral. Students who communicate ahead of time will always be given ample time to make-up work versus students who do not

COURSE OVERVIEW: 5 units (18 weeks)

**The below schedule is an outline and may be slightly altered as the semester progresses**

Ø  Introduction Week ~ Week 1

1)    Chapter 1: Inspirational Entrepreneur PowerPoint

Ø  UNIT 1 ~ Week 2

1)    Chapter 1: What makes a good entrepreneur? ESSAY

2)    Chapter 2: Recognizing Opportunity

3)    Chapter 3: Global Opportunities

Ø  UNIT 2 ~ Weeks 6-8

1)    Chapter 1: Feasibility and Business Planning

2)    Chapter 2: Market Analysis

3)    Chapter 3: Types of Business Ownership

4)    Chapter 4: The Legal Environment

Ø  UNIT 3 ~ Weeks 9-10

1)    Chapter 1: Why do Businesses Fail?

2)    Chapter 2: Financials

3)    Chapter 3: Combination of Business and Financial Excellence

Ø  UNIT 4 ~ Weeks 11-13

1)    Chapter 1: The Marketing Plan

2)    Chapter 2: The Price Strategy

3)    Chapter 3: The Promotion Strategy

4)    Chapter 4: Developing and Implementing the Promotion Strategy

Ø  UNIT 5 ~ Weeks 14-17

1)    Chapter 1: Preparing and Planning to Manage

2)    Chapter 2: Production Management and Distribution

3)    Chapter 3: Managing Operations and Staffing

4)    Chapter 4: Managing HR (Human Resources)

Ø  Week 18 ~ FINAL PROJECT

!!IMPORTANT!!

As of right now, I do NOT plan on giving any graded quizzes or tests because I want this to be a project-based course. However, at the end of our 2nd Major project, I will be determining if the projects are being taken seriously and successful teaching you all the necessary information. If I think not, Major 3 will be a test!

GRADING: 4 sections

Ø  15%: Behavior and Participation

-   This grade is determined by a student’s participation and behavior throughout the semester.  Examples of how students lose participation points include…

o   Consistent phone use when not permitted

o   Consistently leaving the classroom for extended periods of time

o   Disrupting a classmates presentation

o   Being a net-negative to our overall class-environment

Ø  15%: Classwork (minor assignments)

Ø  50%: Major Assignments  (Projects/Tests)

-   On paper (no computers)

-   Anyone caught cheating receives an automatic ZERO (no makeups)

Ø  20%: “Entrepreneurship Team Game”

-   Each student will be receiving a grade every 2 weeks based on their participation in our “team game” at the beginning of each class.

MR. SAKS’ CLASS RULES:

1) RESPECT: Respect is a 2-way street. I will show you the upmost respect as students and human beings… until you disrespect me.

2)    HONESTY: I will 100% believe and trust my students… until I am lied to once, than the trust is broken and unrepairable.

3) BATHROOM POLICY:

-       Once per period

-       One student out at a time

-       Cannot go during first/last 10 minutes of class

-       CANNOT GO DURING EXAMS: Everyone is given the chance to use the bathroom before starting an exam. The only way around this rule is for a parent to contact me. An ensuing meeting will then be had between myself and your parent to determine what will be done.

4) CELL PHONE POLICY:

-       You should NOT be using your phone unless I have given permission.

-       As stated in the Grading section of this syllabus… students who are consistently using their phone when not permitted will see a large drop in their final grade (participation=15%).

-       Since you are all young adults, you will be treated as such… so I will not be taking phones as long as you all act your age (don’t be an IPad kid).

-       Taking pictures/videos of others, including Mr. Saks, will result in me taking your phone AND being sent to the office. DON’T BE WEIRD!

5) HOMEWORK POLICY:

-       There is NO assigned homework in this class. I will always give you more than enough time to finish your work during class. However, students who choose not to take advantage of this time will be expected to complete the work at home.

-       I understand that many of you have very busy lives with job, sports, clubs, and all the personal stuff that each of you are going through, which is why I don’t like to give homework… so if  you respect my time than I will respect yours.

CHEATING POLICY:

Ø  Cheating on exams/projects/assignments will result in automatic ZERO and a call home. THIS INCLUDES COPYING A FRIENDS WORKSHEET!

Ø  3 Reasons not to cheat in my class:

1)    You will get caught (if you wanna try me than be my guest, I’m just letting you know what’ll happen)

2)    Children who cheat throughout school are far more likely to cheat in other aspects of their life (jobs/relationships/athletics)

3)   

It is one of the very few ways that you can get on my PERMANENT BAD SIDE!

EXTRA HELP:

Ø  For any students who are in need of extra help, have questions, or you just need to talk to me about something important… I will be available for extra help after school on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the entire semester.

6) Please let me know AT LEAST one day in advance so that I can make sure to have my schedule open!

Ø  DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT! I understand that many of you are too proud to ask for extra help, which I get. However, as a teacher I assume that students who actively seek extra help have a genuine care for their grade and my class, which reflects in the participation grade.

USING A.I./PLAGARISM:

Ø  Using someone else’s work and passing it off as your own work = Plagiarism

Ø  Any student caught using AI in ANY WAY in my class will receive an automatic zero. Students who are caught using it twice will not be able to get anything higher than a C.

Students caught using it 3 times will receive an automatic F… THERE WILL NEVER BE A TIME WHEN USING AI IS OKAY IN MY CLASS.

Ø  Similar to the cheating… if you wanna try me, go for it.

Ø  All of your writing assignments are put through multiple A.I. detectors. If you don’t believe, ask my students from last semester.

IF YOU HAVEANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ME… PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK!