Short Overview
The main questions that the program will address are:
- How can I assess the health/sustainability of my business?
- How do others evaluate my business?
- Is franchising a viable option?
- Which legal form aligns best with our business activity?
- How does managing a family business differ, and what aspects demand attention?
- How do I organize work to achieve optimal results in my business?
- How to effectively manage the company's human resources?
Globally, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of businesses, contributing to about 60-70% of total employment. While many of us learn business models and practices from larger, well-known companies, also known as “best practices”, in reality SMEs constitute the most dynamic part of most economies globally and they face unique challenges compared to their larger counterparts. The program aims to equip participants with the fundamental knowledge needed to successfully manage small and medium-sized, possibly family businesses. The program is designed for individuals from various scientific and professional backgrounds who are interested in exploring and developing the skills necessary for the successful management of SMEs.
Learning Goals
Upon completion of the program, trainees should be able to:
- Define SMEs and grasp the challenges and difficulties in their management, both in the Greek and international markets.
- Apply the key tools of a feasibility study.
- Assess the comprehensiveness of a business plan and recommend improvements and additions to business plans under evaluation.
- Identify efficiency issues and risks in the management of family businesses.
- Conduct a realistic evaluation of proposals for franchising cooperation.
- Understand the organizational structure of an existing business and propose structural improvements with the goal of maximizing efficiency.
- Organize and implement procedures for staffing, training/development, and remuneration of employees in their own business.
Program Value
The program offers a well-suited knowledge foundation for the successful management of an SME and a family business, with a focus on sustainability, evaluation, effectiveness, risks, and proposals for franchising cooperations.
There is a significant need for training individuals managing SMEs, especially those in non-urban settings. This program aims to tackle the specific administrative challenges these enterprises face. The potential of a distance learning program to fulfill the above objective is evident.
Teaching Material
The cost includes the provision of the book that is mandatory to attend the program and will be shared among all participants: Scarborough N. (2018). Entrepreneurship and Management of Small and Medium Enterprises. Athens, M. Parikos Publications (ION).
Special Technical Requirements
The program uses the eLearning educational method: learning takes place purely asynchronously (that is, on days and hours that serve the trainee, without mandatory attendance at a specific time or day), exclusively remotely (using a special educational platform via the internet from the trainee's area) and using digital educational tools such as video lectures, interactive self-assessment exercises, and other elearning tools that ensure effective and flexible individual self-learning. The program's training material becomes available at specific time periods, based on the training path followed, and then remains available on the training platform without restrictions throughout the duration of the program.
Evaluation Method And Final Grade Computation
Assessment is based on self-assessment exercises at the end of each unit and a final exam with true-false questions and a short justification. Successful completion of the program and conferral of the training certificate requires a final grade of at least 50%.