This semester a full class of students (25-35) will be working in groups of 4-6 members. They will apply their knowledge in marketing to help your organization seize a marketing opportunity, develop a strategic marketing plan, or solve a current marketing challenge. The students will use marketing research, strategy, digital promotional tools, and marketing best practices to create a report and presentation.

Our graduate-level MBA students at University Canada West are eager to partner with small businesses to provide strategic insights and solutions. In this capstone course, teams of 4-6 students apply their analytical skills and experiential learning to tackle real-world business challenges. By collaborating with industry professionals, students aim to deliver actionable strategies that can enhance business operations, improve market positioning, and drive growth.

Students will work with a small business (client) throughout the term and will deliver the following: 1. Organizational diagnosis 2. Project proposal 3. Revised proposal 4. Final project report and presentation How companies will benefit: This course (BUSI 660 - Small Business Management) is a capstone project/exit course for the UCW MBA students - meaning, the small business will get to work with the final term MBA students. Students already have diverse academic and professional experiences before joining the MBA program. Now, they are just one step (term) away from earning an MBA degree. It will be a great opportunity for the small business to work with the MBA students who will actively engage with and contribute to the small business from diagnosis of the problems/challenges to writing a proposal to executing a final project report and presentation.

The MBA students are in a capstone project-based course, designed for students in the final term of their MBA program. The course has a strong analytical, applied, and experiential orientation. Students work in groups of 4-5 to focus on a challenge/opportunity for the business. The students' process - and ultimate deliverable will include a current analysis of the business, problem or opportunity identification, research (as applicable), recommended solutions/strategy with implementation plan, budget and finally, risk identification and mitigation strategies (again, as applicable). The project can be for a Canadian business of any size, however enterprises run by solo-preneurs would probably not provide the necessary scope.