Diploma in Business Planning for Open Markets and Entrepreneurship Online and Classroom Course

Aim: The main is to engage in entrepreneurship and venture(s) that are needed for a business plan to be successful.

The course was developed at the Distance Learning Centre of the Riga Technical University (Latvia) in co-operation with the “Cable and Wireless College (Great Britain) and Tartu University (Estonia).

Requirements: minimum: SSSCE/WASC/GCE O/Level or Equivalent

The distance learning course is designed for people who:

• Are in anyway engaged in entrepreneurship and want their venture(s) to be successful
• Realize that good business planning can be a decisive tool for gaining success in competitive situations
• People who, because their heavy workload cannot attend a full-time course.
• These could be:
  • private entrepreneurs;
  • junior or middle management;
  • people who are contemplating going into business
  • people who have acquired property (a house, land etc.) and want to utilize it in a profitable way without sustaining losses.
• High school leavers/graduates for academic progression.

Why you may need the course

You will need a business plan in most of the following situations:

• If you require a loan from a bank;
• If you are about to acquire a manufacturing facility from a leasing company;
• If you have conceived a business idea and you want to attract funds from prospective business partners to implement your idea;
• If you seek to obtain funds from a support programme;
• If you simply want to plan your enterprise’s activities for the forthcoming years.
• If you are looking for post-diploma academic admission in Higher educational institution.

Course Structure

This is Blended Learning – mixed teaching-learning approach method.

Face-to-Face teaching-learning:

• The Study Forum will be main point of contact during the course, enabling close co-operation between learner and tutor.
• The course is opened with a seminar where all participants have the opportunity to meet one another and are introduced to the course tutors.
• During the seminar, learners become acquainted with the course content, the order of learning and the technology that will be used.

Online Teaching-Learning:

• The distance learning course approach designed to be completed through approximately 40 hours of independent study normally completed within a six-week period.
• This means that the learner will be expected to devote approximately 6-7 hours each week to study.
• While studying, consultations and discussions are provided for in the course Study Forum, i.e., in a specially prepared Internet website platform (course.mii.lv).

Duration: Total of 10 weeks (1-week holiday inclusive):

• 1-week face-to-face teaching-learning.
• 6 weeks online teaching-learning.
• 1-week Business Project Plan writing (Thesis) for presentation and Defense.
• 1-week Easter holiday.
• Last week for graduation and Diploma presentation (Face-to-Face).