Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - Barcelona

Final Degree Project

• code 10302
• course 4
• term Semester 2
• type TF
• credits 9

Main language of instruction: Catalan

Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish

If the student is enrolled for the English track then classes for that subject will be taught in the same language and also in Catalan.

Head instructor

Dra. Laura ILZARBE - ilzarbel@uic.es

Office hours

Attention will be continuous through mail and application of TFG itself, both the coordinator and the tutor, and any necessary meeting for the sake of TFG 's success.

The subject FINAL DEGREE PROJECT of Business Administration and Management, 9 ECTS is scheduled for the second half of the course. Its main objective is making students integrating all the areas of the company, from the skills acquired and to overcome all the subjects of the programme degree.

The assessment of this subject is done with the development of tutorials, and the presentation and public exhibition of an original business plan. Thus, the final degree will begin with the selection, demarcation of a problem, need or opportunity detected. Students are encouraged to take the elective course EMPRENEDORIA, where they will have the opportunity to work the proposed Final Project idea from the very first semester.

Students will use the right materials for the analysis and synthesis of the business plan. The formal structure, the drafting and the level of originality and coherence must correspond to the standards of a business plan to be presented to an investor (that's the case of Entrepreneurship) or the Boss in the case of existing company (that's the case of Intrapreneurship).

Upon the completion of the course, there will be a prize award for best project of the promotion.

The enrolment period for the FINAL DEGREE PROJECT may be during the normal enrolment period in early September, or in January, within the 10 first days from the start of the second semester. However, of all those who have enrolled, only those who have completed 95% of degree credits will submit their project.

Students who enrol but do not complete 95% of passes cannot resit, and a fail will be shown on their transcript.

Incorporate all the areas of an organisation, based on the skills acquired during the programme by presenting a unique business project.

• 04 - To understand and know how to use financial terms within a business framework.
• 19 - To analyse quantitative financial variables and take them into account when making decisions.
• 22 - To be able to identify the nature and behaviour of producers, consumers and investors.
• 26 - To comprehend and use the basic concepts of marketing and the main sectorial policies and understand the commercial environment in which these companies operate.
• 32 - To acquire problem solving skills based on quantitative and qualitative information.
• 33 - To be able to search for, interpret and convey information.
• 39 - To acquire the ability to solve problems and make decisions based on relevant information, applying the appropriate methods and situating the problem within the organisation as a whole.
• 48 - To be able to identify the information needs in order to manage the main departments within organisations.
• 51 - To develop decision making skills.
• 52 - To develop interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
• 53 - To acquire the skills necessary to learn autonomously.
• 54 - To be able to express one’s ideas and formulate arguments in a logical and coherent way, both verbally and in writing.
• 64 - To be able to plan and organise one's work.
• 65 - To acquire the ability to put knowledge into practice.

- Students will be able to relate concepts with analysis and synthesis exercises.

- To develop decision-making skills.

- To develop interpersonal and teamwork skills.

- To acquire independent learning skills.

- To be able to express ideas and arguments in an orderly and consistent manner, orally or in writing.

- To establish time management mechanisms.

- To make arguments that support critical and self-critical reasoning.

- To acquire skills in the use of computer media and ICTs.

- To develop the ability to adapt to new situations.

- To analyse business behaviours and decisions in a business context and value them from an economic, social and ethical perspective.

- To plan and organise work.

- To acquire the ability to apply knowledge in practice.

- To acquire information processing tools.

For the preparation, presentation and evaluation of the final project, students must follow the criteria detailed below:

Content Guidance
i. Pay careful attention to presentation and writing, so that the text is easy to read and understandable for the reader.
ii. The work must be original and must not contain plagiarism.
iii. The work will be between 40 and 80 pages long (including footnotes, tables and figures) plus appendices. The focus should be on quality, not quantity. 
iv. We recommend the following structure:

1. Personal Motivations

2. Executive Summary

3. General Framework (where concrete activity is framed)

4. Vision (how the general framework is predicted 20 years from now)

5. Concrete Activity

6. Mission (how concrete activity will match with vision)

7. Values (that must be spread among members of the organisation)

8. Model V1.0 (first conceptualisation of final objective, secondary objectives and the actions to make them feasible)

9. Research (compare Model V1.0 to help avoid management opinions and base decisions on components of the added value chain)

10. Model V2.0 (second conceptualisation, adjusted according to research recommendations)

 11. Implications for Action Plan 

 12. Conclusions (what has been learned)

 13. Bibliography

Form Guidance

Regarding the format and wording, the work will meet the following standards:
The business plan (.pdf format) should be ready for printing with all pages incorporated into the same document: binding, index and all components.

The cover page should include at least the following information: company name, author and date of delivery.
Font Arial 11, Line spacing: 1.3.
The financial plan (format .xls) must also include all the numerical details and any comments necessary to understand the calculations carried out.

When one student has come up with an FDP idea, the FDP Coordinator will help them in an individual meeting to adjust the FDP idea , and define the title of each FDP so it fits well into the student’s CV.

The FDP Coordinator will then allocate to each student a tutor who is an expert in the FDP topic to coach and supervise closely the student’s work and progress. The FDP Coordinator will intervene when a doubt or problem arises which the tutor prefers to check for any reason.

Tutor's Duties:

1 - Approve the project idea with the Project Coordinator.

2 - Provide guidance, advice and support to the student during the project (one semester). Prepare the work plan in conjunction with the student for each meeting.

3 - Monitor the project by providing any indications considered appropriate to ensure that the objectives initially set are achieved on time.

4 - Suggest to the coordinator the assignment of specialists for specific questions during the project.

5 - To authorise, together with the coordinator, the presentation and defence of the FDP.

Student’s Obligations

The student must:

a) Prepare the work in accordance with the format and length set forth in this teaching guide.

b) Inform the tutor regularly about the progress of the project.

c) Structure the work in view of the objectives set.

d) Submit adequate work to the tutor and coordinator in a timely manner in each phase (pre-enrolment, presentation of theme, partial deliveries and after evaluation), making use of the available tools they consider most appropriate.

The project is completed under the supervision of a BAM degree lecturer who is anMark expert in the FDP topic, and who will monitor it and assess its outcome. The final mark will be composed of the following four criteria:

Ongoing Interest: 25%

Sector Adaptation: 25%

Project Rigour: 25%

FDP Defence: 25%

IMPORTANT: all four criteria must be passed individually (if one is failed, the whole FDP is failed).
 
The following elements will be assessed in the defence:

•   Quality of presentation: format, content, expression, etc.
•   Structure: how the presentation summarises all partial deliveries, in an integrated and coherent overview for a person who knows nothing about the project and is willing to invest.
•   Public exposure: rigour in meeting deadlines, clear communication, added value in terms of what is written, etc.
•   Q & A session: correctly answer the questions asked by the committee, demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the project. 

• Cómo realizar un estudio de mercado
• Pareras, L. (2008) Redactando el Plan de negocios I 
• Pareras, L. (2008) Redactando el Plan de negocios II
• Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y. (2011) Generación de modelos de negocio. Deusro, Barcelona
• Ejemplo BP español (Educator S.L)
• Ejemplo BP inglés (Business plan of an online store exclussively for cats)
• Lárazo, J. Guia complementaria Business Plan. Recursos didácticos.