SCBUS 424: Special Topics in Science and Business

Course Description

This capstone-project workshop addresses the formulation of firm-wide strategic plans (e.g., business cases, marketing plans, strategic plans) for science and technology-based start-ups and traditional firms. It provides a framework for developing and implementing business strategies and the related documentation that fits a firm's environment, human resources, markets, managerial styles, and organization. This course involves significant group work under the supervision of a Science and Business instructor. A written report and seminar presentation are required. A special capstone project is also required.

Department Consent Required
Prereq: SCBUS 123, 223, 323 and 423

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to develop and effectively communicate business ideas and plans related to companies in the science and technology based industry sectors.

At the end of this course, you will be able to

• Develop business ideas and plans.

• Communicate business ideas and plans orally and in writing

• Prepare documents such as business, strategic, marketing plans etc. for actual science or technology based companies.

Projects

The capstone projects must be on real world business issues and challenges that are faced by science and technology based companies or sectors. You or your group can propose the topic you want to work on for possible approval, select a topic from problem bank created by the Course Coordinator or use a topic proposed by one of the listed supervisors. You are required to meet with your project supervisor at least once a week through the term.

Groups

In this capstone course, you will embark on a substantial project, either as an individual or in a group consisting of two to five students. These projects will reflect the knowledge and skills you've gained from the Science and Business Workshops you've completed thus far. Your project will be guided and supervised by a dedicated lecturer from the Science and Business program, chosen from the list of available supervisors. It's important to note that each lecturer will oversee a maximum of two projects, except for the Course Coordinator, who may supervise up to four or more projects.

To ensure that all interested students can participate in this course, there will be a total of eight available projects. Groups should ideally comprise at least two members but no more than five members. In cases where your group has fewer than five members, we reserve the right to assign additional students to your group to reach a membership of five. This allocation ensures that we can accommodate as many students as possible in the course. The finalization of group selection will occur by the end of the third week of classes. Therefore, it's crucial to initiate discussions regarding both topic selection and group composition with the course coordinator as early as possible.

If you already have a supervisor and potential group members in mind, we strongly encourage you to reach out to them promptly and communicate your intentions in your letter of interest.

Conversely, if you find yourself without a specific supervisor, group members, or a chosen topic and have submitted a letter of interest, rest assured that we will assign you to a group and a supervisor by the end of the third week of classes. Our aim is to provide every student with an opportunity to engage fully in this capstone experience, regardless of their initial circumstances.