The Free Micro-eMBA for Businesses

Sections of this topic

    Free Micro-eMBA for Business — Program You Can Provide

    © Copyright Carter
    McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC
    .

    Complete, Free Business Development Program

    • As a free, self-paced program for entrepreneurs to develop
      a business organization.
    • As a free, self-paced program to better understand basic
      systems and practices in business.
    • Organizations to promptly provide a business and management
      development program.

    If You Want to Do the Program

    • There is no enrollment needed. Just pick the modules that
      you want to do, and start them.
    • If you are using the program to start a business, do all
      the modules in the order listed in the program.
    • There is no certification or degree — the program is entirely
      for your learning. See the links below.

    If Your Organization Wants to Provide the Program

    • Organizations can provide this program. Directions are provided
      below.
    • Those organizations might evaluate learners’ results and
      issue certifications, if they choose.
    • For more information, see the links below.

    If You Are Focusing on Nonprofits

    See Free Nonprofit Micro-eMBA(SM).


    Table of Contents

    Who

    Who Can Benefit from Program
    Results for Learners and Their Organizations
    Nature of Learners Who Will — and Won’t
    — Thrive in this Program

    What

    Program Design and Format of Learning Modules
    Links to Learning Modules

    How

    Cost of Program and Time to Complete
    It

    Please Tell Others About This Program!
    Providing Program Requires Little in Resources
    and Expertise — Here’s How!

    Program Not to Be Used Primarily to
    Generate Profits

    How Do I Get Started?


    Who Can Benefit From Program

    • Highly motivated learners who:
      – Wish to understand key principles, concepts and terms in business
      – Have limited time and / or money
      – Prefer to manage, schedule and locate their own learning experiences
      – Prefer highly practical results from programs
    • Leaders and managers:
      – Seeking guidance to understand business, start a business organization
      or to firm up the foundation of an already established organization
    • Service providers (associations, training centers,
      etc.)
      – That wish to offer highly accessible and practical professional
      and organization development programs in their areas
    • Middle managers or entry-level personnel
      – Who desire highly accessible and adaptable means to professional
      development for advancement in their careers
    • Consultants who
      – Desire better understanding of business and organizations,
      their systems and practices, in order to provide more effective
      services to clients
      – Wish to establish stronger credibility with clients by understanding
      the world of managers and leaders in the workplace

    Results for Learners and Their Organizations

    Personal and Organizational Outcomes (knowledge, skills and
    abilities)

    Basic understanding and skills about:

    • Self-directed learning and self-management (in preparation
      for completing this program)
    • Feasibility analysis during considerations to start a business
    • Common structures, systems, cultures and life cycles
    • Roles and functions of chief executive officer and board
      of directors
    • Building and operating a board of directors (in the case
      of corporations)
    • Basic, critical skills in management and leadership in order
      to plan, organize, lead and coordinate activities in an organization
    • Strategic analysis, planning and implementation
    • Marketing, including market research and analysis, pricing,
      competitive analysis, production, distribution, sales and customer
      service
    • Financial management, including basics of bookkeeping, cash
      management, financial reporting and analysis
    • Staffing and supervising employees, including job definition,
      recruiting, hiring, performance management and personnel policies
    • Business ethics, including practical guidelines for managing
      ethics, roles and responsibilities, codes of ethics, codes of
      conduct, policies, resolving ethical dilemmas and training of
      employees
    • (Outcomes from each module are listed near the top of each
      module.)

    Program Outputs (tangible results)

    Learners in the program produce the following results:

    • Job description of chief executive officer
    • Management and leadership training plans
    • Complete resources to equip board members
    • Training plan and materials to train the board
    • Strategic plan
    • Operating budgets
    • Product marketing analysis
    • Public and media relations plan
    • Sales plan
    • Advertising and promotions plan
    • Financial reports and analysis
    • Customer service plan
    • Policies for staffing and supervising employees
    • Policies and codes to guide toward highly ethical behavior
      in the workplace
    • Substantial cost savings from continued access to free, complete,
      online materials for personal, professional and organizational
      development

    Note that the recurring processes that produce the above items
    are at least as important — if not more important — than the
    items themselves. This program carefully guides the learner through
    those processes.


    Nature of Learners Who Will — and Won’t — Thrive in this
    Program

    Who Will Thrive

    This highly accessible and practical program is particularly
    useful for highly motivated learners who:

    1. Trust their own ability to manage and carry out their own
      learning
    2. Understand that in learning, you don’t always get what you
      pay for — but you get out what you put in
    3. Prefer practical results (along with powerful outcomes) from
      a program, e.g., results such as plans, policies and procedures,
      job descriptions, financial statements, etc.
    4. Who cannot afford to pay the rapidly increasing costs of
      tuition and materials
    5. Who are geographically remote from educational facilities
    6. Prefer to schedule and locate their own learning experiences
    7. Can see the value of self-directed, “homeschooled”
      learning with the support of peers in an atmosphere of trust
      and confidentiality
    8. Prefer to share ongoing ideas, materials and support among
      peers
    9. Lastly, learners will thrive in this state-of-the-art program
      if they have a sense of adventure about new experiences and the
      patience for learning new ways of doing things

    Who Will Not Thrive

    Perhaps the best way to convey the nature of people who won’t
    thrive in this program is to point out certain myths about learning
    that many of us have come to believe over the years. This program
    will not be appealing to people who tend to believe (consciously
    or unconsciously) that:

    1. The prettier the content and materials, the more valid the
      content and materials
    2. The more expensive the program, the more learning that will
      be accomplished (the fallacy of “executive-level pricing”)
    3. The more books and binders in the program, the more learning
      in the program
    4. Program certification and diplomas represent guaranteed learning
      that was accomplished by participants in the program
    5. Learning occurs primarily in a classroom
    6. Educators can always manage learners’ learning better than
      the learners themselves

    Program Design and Format of Learning Modules

    Arrangement of Modules — From Building Basics to Organizational
    Fitness Test

    The program includes 10, online learning modules. Modules are “courses”
    through which learners progress in the program. Materials and activities for
    learning are tightly integrated with each other across various modules in the
    program. A listing of the learning modules is included in the section Links
    to Learning Modules
    , which directs learners through the learning modules.
    Note that learners can choose to complete modules according to their own needs,
    as well.

    Learners Can Start Anywhere in the Program

    The program can be highly useful to learners regardless of
    the order in which they go through the modules in the program.
    Learning modules are arranged generally in the order needed
    to develop an organization from the ground up. Learners who are
    going through the program primarily as a form of training and
    development can proceed in a sequential fashion through the Links to Learning Modules,
    and in each module address the a) topics for discussion and reflection
    and the b) activities to build systems and practices.

    Note that the activities required to build and manage a healthy
    organization are usually very cyclical and highly integrated in nature — for example,
    product planning often produces learning that, in turn, polishes
    previous strategic planning activities. Therefore, learners are
    guided to revisit certain portions of various learning modules
    at various points in the program.

    Format of Each Learning Module

    Learning modules (other than the first and last) have the following
    format:

    • Introduction — explains how the module fits into the program and
      the overall process of business and organization development
    • Outcomes — lists the new knowledge, skills, practices and systems
      that learns will accomplish from completing that module
    • Specific Materials for Review — references specific and free materials
      for review and study; these are needed to respond to all suggested topics
      for discussion and reflection and to the learning activities required to build
      basic systems and practices
    • Specific Topics and Questions for Reflection and Discussion — highlights
      key concepts to understand about the overall topic of the learning module
    • Specific Activities to Build Systems and Practices — guides the
      learner to develop the basic systems and practices to successfully build and
      manage the organization
    • Assessments — helps the learner measure and / or evaluate extent
      of application of that topic to the learner’s organization
    • Tracking Open Action Items — guides the learner throughout the program
      to consistently record and track any incomplete action items remaining from
      the current and previous learning modules
    • Reminders to Learners — some modules pose miscellaneous reminders
      for learners to ensure they’re using information and skills from previous
      learning modules




    Links to Learning Modules

    NOTE: Various modules include optional sections about boards of directors.
    This applies primarily to business organizations that are formed as corporations.
    These sections can be skipped by learners who are not interested specifically
    in boards of directors.

    Each of the following modules suggests specific materials for
    review, specific topics and questions for discussion and reflection,
    and specific activities to develop basic systems and practices.
    Various modules also include assessments and guidelines to record
    and monitor action items from current and previous learning modules.

    Module
    1: Program Orientation — Getting the Most from This Program

    • Gain Guidelines for You to Get Most from Program
    • Learn Tips to Improve Reading and Studying Skills
    • Access Extensive Free, Online Resources for You
    • Design Your Best Approach to Program

    Module
    2: Starting and Understanding Your Organization

    • Decide if You Are an Entrepreneur
    • Answer: You Have Right Planning and Financial Skills?
    • Answer: What Human Resources Will You Need?
    • Articulate Your First Products and Markets
    • Verify If Those Markets Really Exist
    • Identify Best Approaches to Pricing
    • Answer: How Much Money Will You Need?
    • Draft Your First Strategic and/or Business Plan

    Module
    3: Role of Chief Executive Officer

    • Learn What a Chief Executive Officer Is
    • Understand Major Functions of CEO
    • Understand Core Knowledge and Skills for CEO Role
    • Be Prepared for Building Your Board
    • Set Basis for Strong Board-Staff Relationships
    • Avoid “Founder’s Syndrome”

    Module
    4: Building Basic Skills in Management and Leadership

    Gain Basic Skills in:

    1. Problem Solving and Decision Making
    2. Planning
    3. Delegation
    4. Internal Communications
    5. Meeting Management
    6. Managing Yourself

    Optional:

    1. Review Advanced Topics in Management and Leadership
    2. Design Your Management and Leadership Development Plans

    Module
    5: Building and Maintaining an Effective Board of Directors (for corporations)

    • Understand Roles and Responsibilities of a Board
    • Adopt Board Policies
    • Build Board Committees
    • Recruit New Board Members
    • Ensure Strong Participation of Board Members
    • Prepare for Board and CEO Evaluations
    • Build Board Calendar to Schedule All Operations
    • Organize a Board Manual
    • Train Board Members
    • Assess the Health of Your Board Practices

    Module
    6: Developing Your Strategic Plan

    • Understand the Strategic Planning Process
    • Draft Your Mission, Vision and Values Statements
    • Conduct Basic Strategic Analysis
    • Set Strategic Direction
    • Conduct Action Planning
    • Draft an Operating Budget
    • Write and Communicate Your Plan
    • Monitor and Evaluate Your Strategic Plan
    • Evaluate Your Strategic Planning Practices

    Module
    7: Marketing Your Products/Services and Promoting Your Organization

    • Conduct Basic Market Analysis for Each Product
    • Draft Your Public and Media Relations Plan
    • Draft Your Sales Plan
    • Draft Your Advertising and Promotions Plan
    • Draft Your Marketing and Promotions Plans

    Module
    8: Managing Finances in Your Organization

    • Learn Basics of Bookkeeping and Finances
    • Understand Budgeting and Deviation Analysis
    • Understand Basic Cash Management Practices
    • Recognize Major Financial Statements
    • Know Basics of Financial Analysis
    • Evaluate Your Financial Management Practices

    Module
    9: Staffing and Supervising Your Employees

    Supervising Staff, Including How to:

    1. Define New Job Roles
    2. Recruit Job Candidates
    3. Screen Applicants
    4. Orient New Employees
    5. Delegate to Employees
    6. Ensure Strong Performance
    7. Fire Employees
    8. Compile Personnel Policies and Samples
    9. Evaluate Your Supervisory Practices

    Module
    10: Managing Ethics in the Workplace

    Set Up Systems to Manage Ethics, Including:

    1. What is Business Ethics?
    2. Myths About Business Ethics
    3. 10 Benefits of Managing Ethics
    4. Ethics Management System
    5. 8 Guidelines for Managing Ethics
    6. 6 Key Roles and Responsibilities
    7. Codes of Ethics
    8. Codes of Conduct
    9. Ethics Policies and Procedures
    10. Resolving Ethical Dilemmas
    11. Conduct Ethics Training

    OPTIONAL: Module 11: Conducting Complete Fitness
    Test of Your Business


    Cost of Program and Time to Complete It

    Program Costs

    The cost of the program depends very much on how the learner
    chooses to go through the program. If the learner chooses to go
    through the program on their own (rather than, for example, as
    part of a group of learners sponsored by a local service provider),
    the program is entirely free. Otherwise, program costs are determined
    by the local service provider who sponsors the program.

    Time to Complete Program

    Learners can go through all of the modules in the program or
    they can choose their own set of modules and how those modules
    will be completed. Consequently, the amount of time to complete
    the program depends very much on how the learner chooses to go
    through the program. The more time and energy that learners invest
    in the program, the more they will learn and accomplish for their
    organizations and careers.

    Many of the learning activities in this program are activities
    that organizational leaders and managers should do in the workplace
    anyway to develop a healthy organization. Consequently, time to
    conduct these learning activities in the program should not be
    viewed only as “time in the program”; rather, this program
    helps learners turn their organizations and careers into “learning
    labs” where they get things done — and learn at the same
    time.

    As a very rough estimate, learners can spend anywhere from
    10-40 hours in each module — again this amount of time depends
    very much on how thorough learners are in reviewing learning materials
    and conducting activities to deepen and enrich that learning.

    Certain modules include more learning activities than others.
    Therefore, the program sponsor and learners may choose to dedicate
    more than one meeting for these modules. For more information,
    Suggested Number of Meetings Per Learning Module
    in Here’s How to Provide the Program.


    Please Tell Others About This Program!

    • The vast majority of small- to medium-sized businesses have
      very limited time and money — yet the majority of these businesses
      still do not tap the vast reserve of free resources available
      on the Internet and Web! Please help spread the word!
    • Please print out this program flyer and place copies appropriately
      around your business community.
    • If you know of service providers who will see value in providing
      this nature of program, please tell them. You might suggest they
      read the program description at “https://management.org/freebusinesstraining/program-description.htm
    • If you’re a service provider to businesses and communities,
      please consider offering this program as a service in your area.

    Thank you!!!


    Providing the Program Requires Little in Resources and Expertise
    — Here’s How!

    Providing the program in your area requires little in resources
    and expertise. See Here’s How to Provide the Program.

    Within certain limits, I can also work with you to customize
    the program to suit your needs, if needed. For example, you may
    want to modify certain topics.


    Program Not to Be Used Primarily to Generate Profits

    This program was developed on a pro bono basis as a service
    to the management, training and development communities. The study
    materials for the program are contained in the Free Management Library, also developed as
    a pro bono service. Because of the pro bono nature of the program
    and its resources, the program should not be used primarily
    to generate profits. Specifically, any fees to learners to
    participate in this program should be no more than the very low
    costs incurred to provide and operate the program.


    How Do I Get Started?

    Begin proceeding through the modules by referencing the Links to Learning Modules.


    For the Category of Personal Development:

    To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
    want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
    Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

    Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
    selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

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