Enterprise Education Training Manual

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Introduction:

This curriculum was produced to assist the instructor in the delivery of an introductory course designed to expose students to general business concepts, in some cases, possibly for the first time. Basics of Business is designed for 16 hours of classroom activities and contains eight lessons of instruction.
Each instructional area (except Lesson 3) includes a lesson plan, information sheets, assignments, testing material, and answers to assignments and tests/quizzes. Lessons can be divided into more than one class period and test material can be given in a series of quizzes. To facilitate effective class-time management, a Curriculum Guide has been incorporated into this introduction.
In addition, the instructor is encouraged to supplement the instructional areas of this curriculum with those materials, activities, and teaching methods that will assist in achieving the stated purpose of each lesson.
Furthermore, this curriculum was developed with the viewpoint that the responsibility for learning requires a joint effort on the part of the student and the instructor. This successful learning partnership guarantees that maximum results will be obtained from the course.
Finally, the instructor is reminded that the ultimate goal of this course is for the student to gain a basic understanding of fundamental business principles that, in turn, stimulates a desire to develop entrepreneurial traits and skills. Accordingly, it is recommended that the Basics of Business course be presented in the context of being the first of several steps in the process of entrepreneurial training.

Course Description

This Basics of Business course is designed to introduce the student to fundamental business concepts, including what it means to be an entrepreneur. The course will explore what it means to organize, manage, market, and be productive in business, as well as emphasize the importance of: understanding how financial institutions (banks) operate; communicating effectively in a business environment; and, knowing how to make and adhere to a budget. Upon completion of the course, the student should have a basic knowledge of these areas, which then sets the foundation for the subsequent development of entrepreneurial traits and skills.

Course Lesson Overview:

A. What Is An Entrepreneur? Incentives/Risks Attitudes/Skills Profit/Loss Setting Goals	B. Organizing A New Business Resources Needed/Start-Up Costs Decision-Making at the Start Types of business organizations	C. Effective Communication In Business Listening as a Communication Skill Communicating Without Speaking	D. Managing A Small Business Day-To-Day Decision-Making Hiring Employees Reviewing Applications/Interviewing Applicants
E. Production Methods And Productivity Unit vs. Mass Production Calculating Productivity Management Impact on Productivity	F. Marketing A New Business Marketing Activities Setting a Price Selecting/Identifying Advertising Strategies Selling and Salesmanship	G. Making A Budget Making a Business Budget Making a Personal Budget	H. Banks And Banking Benefits of Using a Bank Loan Requirements Calculating Interest Savings Account/Current Account

Acknowledgments

This curriculum was prepared by former Peace Corps volunteer David M. Ronan, for the Vocational Technical Training Unit at the Belize Ministry of Education.

Assisting in the development of this curriculum were:

Laura Flores - Vocational Technical Training Unit, Belize Ministry of Education
Randy Levy - Peace Corps Volunteer