Development of Business Plans

Course Outline

The focus of the course is on operational concerns: enterprise, foundation and organization of an enterprise, obligations of the enterprise, financing and economic management, co-operatives and their problems, marketing planning, operations sand logistics strategy, product and service development, human resources management. Students’ aim is to develop a complete business plans. In this process they get familiar wit h financing of start-ups (venture capital, business angels etc.), the use of terms and tools, and the development of the relevant reports, development of business collaborations, IPR management, and brand management.

The course is the second part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program of the University of Thessaly. The objective of the program is to develop the entrepreneurial and innovation skills of the students and to encourage them to view the creation of businesses as a livelihood option, while developing their perception of the various obstacles. A mixture of different educational tools is used: team working, speeches by invited - mainly young - entrepreneurs and work with experienced mentors, site visits to innovative businesses, support of student teams through specialized guides and tools and team coaching and hosting of events and competitions. During the program students are expected to organize themselves in teams (simulating a real start-up endeavor) and present their ideas and plans in writing as well as to defend them orally.