Entrepreneurship

Gain entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to start or grow a business with this course. Learn to assess opportunity, plan and manage risk to become successful

Course Code: BBS204
Fee Code: S3
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment
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Develop and realise your own abilities.

People become entrepreneurs for many reasons. Some want to escape a stifling career, or transition from an unrewarding job. Others want to be at home but still earn an income. Others want to pursue a personal dream, have more control over their creativity or destiny.

Entrepreneurship can be exciting, but running your own business is difficult. In fact, many companies started by entrepreneurs go out of business. This can be due to poor planning, lack of business knowledge or entrepreneurial characteristics and choosing the wrong business or incompatible staff.

Often the skills required to be a great entrepreneur such as having an abililty to 'think outside the square' and to capitalise on opportunities are different to those required to efficiently manage the day to day running of a business. Recognising your limitations and filling gaps in expertise by outsourcing, training or hiring complementary personnel are part of being a successful entrepreneur.

This course provides a practical foundation on which to build your entrepreneurial skills and experience.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

  1. Scope & Nature of Entrepreneurship
    • What is a Entrepreneur
    • Types of Entrepreneurs
    • Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Success
    • Sources for Business Ideas
    • Intrepreneurs
    • Ethics
    • Entrepreneurial Process
  2. Is Entrepreneurship Right for You
    • Reasons for Becoming an Entrepreneur
    • Skills Needed by Entrepreneurs
    • Determining How Suited You are to Being an Entrepreneur
  3. Assessing opportunities
    • Questions To Consider
    • Assessing Opportunities
    • Entrepreneurial Lifecycles (Opportunity Recognition, Opportunity Focussing, Resource Commitment, Market Entry, Full Launch and Growth, Maturity and Expansion, Liquidity Event)
  4. The Role of Market Research
    • Obtain, Analyse, and Interpret the information necessary
    • Who Will Buy Your Products and/or Services
    • What Do They Want
    • Market Research Steps
    • Types of Market Research (Market Research, Product Research, Promotions Research, Sales Research, Company Research)
    • Gathering Data (Primary Data, Secondary Data)
    • What Needs Research (Physical Attributes, Behavioural Characteristics of Customers, Identifying Best Prospects)
    • The Research Process
    • Statistics
    • Researching Competitors
    • Tracking Trends
    • Staying Ahead of Trends
    • Questionnaires
  5. Intellectual Property
    • Copyright
    • Contract Law
    • Public Domain
    • Right to Privacy
    • Law & the Internet
    • Electronic Publishing
    • Patents
    • Designs
    • Trademarks
  6. Legal & Ethical Concerns
    • Types of Business (Sole Trader, Partnership, Private Limited Companies, Public Limited Companies)
    • Terminology
    • Legal Obligations
  7. Operating a Business
    • Goals and Objectives
    • Resources –Premises, Equipment, etc
    • Stock & Suppliers
    • Identifying Business Functions
    • Thinking About Expenses & Costs
    • Dealing with Fluctuations in Demand
  8. The Business and Financial Plan
    • What is a Business Plan
    • Venture Capital
    • Forcasting
    • Setting Goals
    • Policies
    • Scheduling
    • Budgeting
    • Developing Procedures
    • What to include in a Business Plan
  9. Marketing
    • Gathering Information
    • Identifying Key Issues
    • Developing Strategies and Actions
    • Market Opportunity Analysis
    • Determine a Target Market
    • Engineer a Target Market
    • Market Objectives
  10. Launching a Venture
    • Launching
    • Start Up Assistance
    • Being Prepared for Change
    • Prepare Contingency Plans in Advance
    • Using Assets Well
    • Think Laterally
    • Core Business Focus
    • Taking Calculated Risks

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

  • Discuss the concept of entrepreneurship and identify the effect entrepreneurs can have on the economy.
  • Identify requirements to become a successful entrepreneur.
  • Clarify personal expectations, values, skills and experience.
  • Identify methods of investigating business opportunities that are in line with personal and business interests and values.
  • Discuss the importance of market research in order to understand potential customer requirements and market needs for a product and/or service.
  • Explain the legal and ethical aspects of ownership of ideas, designs, etc.
  • Explain and have the knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations affecting entrepreneurs.
  • Identify and explain all factors and costs that need to be considered in starting up and managing a venture.
  • Explain the essential elements of a business plan and the importance of financial planning.
  • Explain the key concepts of marketing to enable the student to develop and plan marketing strategies relevant to his or her entrepreneurial venture.
  • Describe various means available that can be used to launch and publicise a new venture.

Do You Have What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurs try to identify and meet a need for a product or service. Entrepreneurs come from all types of backgrounds, may be of any age, and create all kinds of businesses.  Some own tiny craft shops, while others own huge construction companies.  Entrepreneurs try to identify the needs of the marketplace and to meet those needs by supplying a service or product.  When they succeed, their businesses flourish and the profits go to them.  When they fail, their companies decline and they may have to go out of business.

Stand Out from the Crowd!

Entrepreneurship is a process of looking at things in such a way as to make solutions to problems and perceived needs.  Such as, is this idea feasible? Will this idea work?

It is also the willingness to take risks involved with the starting and managing of a business.  It is also the qualities needed to function effectively in a business, profit-making context, that is, the ability to identify business opportunities and make deals.   Entrepreneurship also refers to the ability to take risks on your own initiative and be able to work in a cost effective way to make a profit. 

There are many opportunities for entrepreneurs in each type of business.  Manufacturing businesses actually produce the products they sell.  Using resources and supplies, they create everything from automobiles to paper.  Wholesaling businesses sell products to people other than the final customer. Retailing businesses sell products directly to the people who use or consume them. Service businesses sell services rather than products.  They include hotels, hairdressers and repair shops. Entrepreneurship benefits the economy by filling unmet needs and increasing productivity. It also benefits the economy by providing employment to local inhabitants, paying taxes to government and council and often buying materials from other local businesses, which circulates money around the geographical area. In many cases, the most successful entrepreneurs started businesses that are today large corporations.

OPPORTUNITIES

The world is full of opportunities for entrepreneurs. Some take existing businesses and turn them into something bigger. Some start new enterprises from the ground up.

As you study this course, opportunities will arise. It is important to not get ahead of yourself though. You are rarely going to miss an opportunity of a lifetime, just because you waited to complete your studies. You will however have a decreased chance of success if you attempt something before you are prepared properly.

  

THE WORLD IS CHANGING – AND SO IS EDUCATION

Flexible Study

Choose how you study, where you study, what you study, how much you study, and when you study.

  • Work fast or slow –you choose the intensity of study

  • Start, pause or restart according to changing demands of work, family or lifestyle.

  • Mix and match modules so you only study what you want or need to learn - Customise your own learning program by bundling 100 hour modules. Discounts are provided for combining modules int his way

  • Options in assignments allow you to focus on things with greater interest to you.

  • Study electronically (online or using a CD); or using printed notes.

  • Use (or don’t use) supplementary services for extra learning want –unlimited access to tutors,  an online student room, social media, bookstore, etc

  • Orientation video and student Manual at the start of your course will provide a clear guide to how you can study and get all sorts of support no matter where you live.

Why Distance Education is Better

Classroom based education today is in crisis. Funding is under pressure, teachers are often stressed and increasingly, text books that were the back bone of courses in the past are becoming unavailable as electronic publishing impacts on the print media industry.

These pressures (and others) have resulted in the quality of classroom education diminishing. At the same time, technological advances have been allowing distance education to get better and better every year.

ACS started in 1979, and by 1982 was using computer technology to write and print courses. We have developed our school alongside a global technological revolution; adopting and applying new technologies to distance education as those technologies have emerged. Our experience has taught us how to deliver education in the most effective way, using modern technology; and allowed us to build a reputation that sets our graduates apart in the global marketplace.  

  • Too many courses today are stuck in the past; giving graduates qualifications (often accredited), but leaving them with out of date skills and often unemployed.

  • Too many students commence courses with their sights on a job that exists when they start studying, but not recognising the fact that industries are changing so fast that by the time they finish studies, their job prospects may be completely different (The job they started out chasing might not even exist by the time they finish studying).

Fantastic Opportunities

This fast changing world of ours can be unsettling for some. We all prefer to set our sights on a long term goal, and achieve it. The reality is that the ability to live that way is diminishing every year that passes.

You have two choices in your education –

  • One is to ignore the changes underway in our world; and hope that studying something that has worked in the past, will work for you in the future.

  • The other is to recognise that that there will be unforeseen opportunities in the future, and then prepare yourself as best you can to capitalize on those opportunities. 

Graduate Outcomes

  • Being prepared to capitalize on future opportunities in your field of study.

  • Awareness of the subject and the industry

  • Understanding of how to use what is learnt in real life situations

  • Ability to communicate with greater confidence and accuracy

  • Capacity to solve problems related to this subject

 

ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans.
We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).


What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email (admin@acs.edu.au) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.


What if I change my mind?

Please get in touch with studentservices@acs.edu.au if you would like to be removed from our mail list.

If you would like ACS Distance Education to delete your information at any time (whether you are a customer or a prospective customer), please contact our privacy officer and we will process this ( admin@acs.edu.au ).

If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

John Mason

Writer, Manager, Teacher and Businessman with over 40 years interenational experience covering Education, Publishing, Leisure Management, Education, and Horticulture. He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner.
John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over seventy books and of over two thousand magazine articles.

Denise Hodges

Promotions Manager for ABC retail, Fitness Programmer/Instructor, Small Business Owner, Marketing Coordinator (Laserpoint). Over 20 years varied experienced in business and marketing. More recently Denise studied naturopathy to share her passion for health and wellness. Denise has an Adv.Dip.Bus., Dip. Clothing Design, Adv.Dip.Naturopathy (completing).

Kate Gibson

Kate has 12 years experience as a marketing advisor and experience as a project manager. Kate has traveled and worked in a variety of locations including London, New Zealand and Australia. Kate has a B.Soc.Sc, Post-Grad. Dip. Org Behaviour (HR).





Tutors

Meet some of the tutors that guide the students through this course.

Sarah Pirecki

A passionate advocate for animal health and welfare. Sarah completed a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience majoring in Animal Health and Disease and is currently completing a Diploma of Project Management. She has a wide range of experience working in agricultural settings, veterinary nursing, assistance dog raising, and animal education.

Tracey Jones

Tracey has over 20 years experience within the psychology and social work field, particularly working with people with learning disabilities. She is also qualified as a teacher and now teaches psychology and social work related subjects.

She is a book reviewer for the British Journal of Social Work. Tracey has also written a text book on Psychology and has had several short stories published.

Nicola Stewart

Nicola worked in publishing before changing direction to teach Anatomy, Physiology and various complementary therapies in the UK’s post-compulsory sector for 16 years. She is the published author of 10 books, plus a range of magazine articles and has also ghost-written across a number of genres. When she is not working for ACS, she provides specialist literacy tuition for children with dyslexia.

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