2020/2021 Semester 2
ABDM3574 ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Guideline for Writing Business Plan
Refer to Coursework Specification for assessment criteria.
You should utilize knowledge and skills you have learned in other subjects (e.g.
marketing, accounting, finance etc.) in completing this business plan.
Be consistent and logical from beginning to end. Every section in the business plan is
interconnected.
Always refer to your mission if you are lost.
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OUTLINE FOR BUSINESS PLAN
- COVER PAGE
TAR UC logo/name
Faculty of Accountancy, Finance & Business
Course Code & Title:
Program and tutorial class
Title of the assignment & Name of the business
Name and ID numbers of all members
Name of lecturer and tutor
Submission Date
- PROJECT ASSESSEMENT EVALUATION - refer to Coursework Appendix.
- PLAGIARISM DECLARATION (Duly signed) – refer to Coursework Appendix.
- FULL TURNITIN REPORT
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (no numbering)
- A short overview/summary of the business plan; simple, precise, interesting; important info to
let readers know.
- 1 page is enough.
- Should only be written upon completion of the entire business plan writing.
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- BODY OF CONTENT-
1. COMPANY DESCRIPTION (Numbering starts here)
1.1 General description of business/Introduction of company
- A short & concise paragraph introducing the company, i.e. company name, any special
meaning of the name, when it is established, company history (if applicable), type of ownership,
where you get the business idea from etc.
1.2 Products or Services
-Brief description of products/services offered.
1.3 Vision
- What the company aims to achieve or aspired to become in long term (e.g. to be market leader,
to be the most trustable name in the industry etc.)
1.4 Mission
- What the company believes is its responsibility towards stakeholders (e.g. McDonald's mission:
To be our customers' favorite place and way to eat and drink)
1.5 Objectives
- Objectives in short-term and must fulfill S.M.A.R.T criteria, i.e. Specific, Measurable,
Achievable/Attainable, Realistic/Relevant, Timely/Time-bound (e.g. To achieve annual sales
of at least RM3 million in 2020-2021; To gain 10% market share within the first 3 years of
operation; To open 5 outlets in Malaysia by 2022 etc.)
1.6 Profile of Founders & Company Ownership Structure
- Profile pictures of all founders
- Brief role of the founders (qualification, experience etc.)
- Organization chart.
2. BUSINESS IDEA AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS
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2.1 Idea Generation
- Discuss the source of business idea and inspiration.
2.2 Opportunity Analysis
- Discuss method used to identify opportunity: observing a trend, solving a problem or finding a
gap in marketplace.
- Discuss the opportunity found with support of real economic, market or research data.
- Analyze the opportunity based on the FOUR essential qualities: Attractiveness, Durability,
Timeliness, Anchored in a feasible product or service.
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3. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
3.1 Descriptive Analysis of the Industry
Describe the following:
- Current industry/market size
- Industry growth over the past five years - in percentage.
- Current industry concentration - analyzed based on distribution of brand share among the top 3
brands/companies in the industry.
*Note that industry/market size refers to the aggregate sales revenue or units of a wide scope of
related products, i.e. car or automotive industry refers to the industry of not only sedan car but
also SUV, minivan, truck etc. The industry would also include the companies that produce
accessories and equipment for various type of cars, even the distribution and repair services for
cars.
Analysis must be supported by real data obtained from valid sources such as Passport
(TAR UC Intranet online database), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Ministry of Finance
(MOF), Department of Statistic, The World Bank, Nielsen Malaysia etc.
Citation of sources must be done based on Harvard Referencing System.
Insert table/graph/chart/diagram IF necessary.
All the table/graph/chart/diagram MUST have complete title:
- Table Table 2.1: XXXXX; Table 2.2: XXXXX
- Graph/chart/diagram Figure 2.1: XXXXX; Figure 2.2: XXXXX
DO NOT just copy and paste the table/graph/chart/diagram from the sources.
3.2 PEST Analysis
- refer to lecture notes
3.3 Competitor Analysis
- Identify 3-4 close competitors to your proposed business, analyse their strength and weaknesses
in various aspects.
- Provide a background summary of the identified competitors.
- Rank your company against the competitors in the various competitive factors as in a
Competitive Analysis Grid shown in the figure below:
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- Summarize your findings based on the grid table. Elaborate your competitive advantages
against these competitors.
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4. MARKET ANALYSIS
4.1 Market Segmentation
- Explain how the company segments the market (e.g. based on what factors). You decide how
many factors and what factors to be used in segmentation. Factors used must be relevant.
- Refer to lecture note for the segmentation factors.
- Example:
1) Product Category: A-segment car, B-segment car
2) Geographical Factor: Penang state – describe the segment (e.g. population size)
3) Consumer Group
i) Demographic factor
- Gender: Female consumer
- Age group: 25 – 45 years old
ii) Psychographic feature
- Health consciousness
- Intensity of trend following
iii) Behavioural descriptor
- Willingness to spend
- Diet pattern
4.2 Target Market Segment
- Based on market segmentation, identify your specific target market segment.
- Justify the choice of your target market segment- the advantages of this segment of market
compared with others.
4.3 Customer’s needs and wants
- Analyze target market customers’ needs and wants or behaviours (e.g. preferences, spending
behavior, purchasing power etc.).
- May conduct a market survey (optional).
- Additionally, you can refer to any market research reports available online (e.g. reports by
Nielsen Malaysia) for supportive information.
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5. MARKETING PLAN
5.1 Overall market positioning strategy
- Discuss the overall market positioning of your business and product, i.e. the market image you
want to project to target customer.
- Consider crafting a tag line to illustrate the core value of your venture or product.
5.2 Marketing Mix (4Ps or 7Ps) strategy
- You may decide for yourself if 4P or 7P marketing mix is more appropriate for your business
plan.
- As a general guideline, 4P is suitable for most product businesses, whereas 7P provides a more
comprehensive picture of service businesses.
- For Extended Marketing Mix – People, Process, Physical Evidence, refer to lecture note.
5.2.1 Product (The FIRST “P” must be Product)
- General description of your product / service. Focus on the strategy, i.e. how your product /
service will fulfill target market needs and wants.
5.2.2 Price (The SECOND “P” must be Price)
- Describe the pricing strategy use, e.g. cost-based or value-based pricing. Refer to lecture note
for details.
- Justify your choice of pricing strategy.
- Provide details of suggested prices.
5.2.3 Promotion
- Explain the promotional tools or activities (e.g. advertising, public relations, social media etc).
- Justify your choice of strategy - based on result from buyer behavior analysis.
- Provide details of your promotional activities. I.e., if advertise on newspaper, which newspaper
will you choose and why; for how long the advertisement will be published; what kind of
message do you plan to deliver through the advertisement etc.
- Consider the cost of suggested promotional activities and reflect the cost in financial projection
section accordingly.
5.2.4 Place (Distribution)
- Which distribution channel to be used (sell direct vs sell through intermediaries).
- Justify your choice of strategy - based on result from buyer behavior analysis and cost
efficiency rationale.
- Provide details of your distribution/place strategy:
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If selling through intermediaries, which channel will you choose and why; how wide is
the coverage of your channel; what kind of arrangement will you have the intermediaries
etc.
If it’s a service business, describe the proposed location(s) of your outlet(s). Discuss in
detail the advantages of choosing the proposed location(s).
* Extend your subsections if you intend to discuss extended marketing mix.
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6. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / SERVICE OPERATION PLAN
6.1 Description and design of product/service
- Describe the ACTUAL PRODUCT (i.e. includes the features, design, functionality,
packaging, warranty etc.), what is so special/unique about the product. In case of service
business, describe the experiential features of services offered.
- Virtual prototype/ drawing/ product design/ floor plan/ layout etc. to be included here OR in
Appendix.
6.2 Analysis of quality
- Justify your choice of product design based on result from customer needs and wants analysis.
6.3 Production and preparation
- Explain the steps to produce or prepare the main product(s) of your firm. Use diagram / flow
chart to enhance your explanation.
- In case of service-oriented business, discuss the service operation flow comprehensively.
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7. FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
- All figures MUST be logical, reasonable, and consistent
- Take into account of all income and expenses incurred from all aspect of business operations.
7.1 Start-up Budget
- Sources of funds.
- Uses of funds.
- Example of Start-up Budget:
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- Provide assumptions/breakdown of costs and revenues that lead to the financial projections.
- Example of Financial Assumptions:
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7.2 Pro Forma Income Statement
- 2 years side-by-side; use the knowledge and format your learn in other accounting subjects
(e.g. Introduction to Accounting, Fundamental of Accounting, Financial Accounting, Business
Accounting etc.)
- Example of Pro Forma Income Statement:
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7.3 Pro Forma Cash Flows Statement
- 2 years side-by-side; use the knowledge and format you learn in other accounting subjects (e.g.
Introduction to Accounting, Fundamental of Accounting, Financial Accounting, Business
Accounting etc.).
- Example of Pro Forma Cash Flows Statement (simplified version):
7.4 Pro Forma Balance Sheet (Numbering ends here)
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- 2 years side-by-side; use the knowledge and format you learn in other accounting subjects (e.g.
Introduction to Accounting, Fundamental of Accounting, Financial Accounting, Business
Accounting etc.).
- Example of Pro Forma Balance Sheet:
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8. REFERENCES
- List down all sources of references, including journal article, external database, official
corporate or NGO webpages, business magazines, news media, government statement etc.
- Format your references according to Harvard Referencing System. Refer to the referencing
guideline in TARC intranet.
- Arrange all references in alphabetical order.
9. APPENDICES
- Include any information that will help reader to further understand the content of your write up.
- Information may include data of any form, e.g. articles, diagram, graphs, table, maps, drawing
etc.
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