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An Index to Cornell's
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The Small Business Management Workshop
What is the Workshop? The Small Business Management Workshop is a program that links Cornell business students and local businesses. Undergraduates enrolled in this course spend the fall semester working with the owners and leaders of local businesses and not-for-profits on a focused problem, issue or challenge that is important to the organization. Students have weekly meetings with their clients and present a written and oral report of their findings at the end of the 14 weeks. During the semester, student teams of 2 participate in workshops focused on activities related to the project and also meet regularly with a faculty member to discuss their work. What’s involved for the business owner or not-for-profit leader? Someone from the course staff meets with potential clients (owners and leaders) during the summer and works to outline a project focus. Owners are asked to articulate possible projects of urgent importance to the business. Examples include: feasibility studies, strategic marketing plans, and cost/benefit studies. During the 14 weeks of the Workshop, owners are asked to meet weekly (at an agreed upon regular time) with students. At the end of the workshop, owners are invited to an oral presentation and a reception. No monetary contribution is required from the owner/leader. Who are the students? The students must apply for admission to the Workshop. They are upper level undergraduates in the business and management major at Cornell. To be accepted, the students must show evidence of analytic skills, training in market research, a desire to work in a real world setting, and a commitment to working in a team environment. How are businesses/not-for-profits selected? Every year we send out a letter of invitation to members of the Ithaca Chamber of Commerce and also send applications to people who have (through various channels) indicated an interest in the program. . Most of the time we have about three times as many applicants as we can accept. We strive to match committed business owners with students that have appropriate skills. One of the most important criteria is the commitment of the owner to meet routinely with the students and to provide the orientation and resources needed to complete the project. At the time of the initial summer meeting with the business owner with a course staff member, we tape a 2-3 minute video clip to show students. The matching process occurs in the first week of September and all businesses are notified by September 10. How do I get involved? If you are interested in participating, please contact Professor Deborah Streeter by
e-mail (dhs4@cornell.edu) or call Tammy Meeks
(255-1582) for an application form. |
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