Business Plan Rubric
Business Plan Rubric
Business Plan Rubric
1. Students will be able to identify the principal concepts, theories, and practices in the functional areas of
business. (Business Functional Areas)
2. Students will be able to identify the relevant theories and principles associated with the economic
environment of business. (Economic Environment)
3. Students will be able to evaluate legal and ethical principles in business and apply them to organizational
decision making. (Legal/Ethical Principles)
4. Students will be able to apply business-related decision-support tools to the formulation of management
decisions. (Decision-Support Tools)
5. Students will be able to recognize and describe the global dimensions of business. (Global Dimensions)
6. Students will be able to construct coherent written forms of communication. (Written Communication Skills)
7. Students will be able to compose and present effective oral forms of communication. (Oral Communication
Skills)
8. Students will be able to demonstrate analytical and critical-thinking skills in the context of organizational
decision making. (Analytical/Critical-Thinking Skills)
9. Students will be able to identify and explain the interrelationships between business and its social and natural
environments and to apply them in a managerial context. (Social Responsibility/Sustainability)
10. Students will be able to integrate theory and practice in the business functional areas in the analysis of
organizational problems and challenges. (Integration Skills)
In order to assess these intended learning outcomes, the School of Management is using a comprehensive end-of-
program examination as one of its direct measures of student learning. The examination is used to assess intended
outcomes #1–#5. The school’s second direct measure of student learning is a comprehensive integrated business
plan that is administered in the capstone course. The business plan project is used to assess intended outcomes
#5–#10.
The evaluation rubric below can be used both for assigning a grade or mark to the business plan project in the
capstone course and for the purpose of program-level assessment based on the business plan, i.e., for assessing
the programmatic intended student learning outcomes in the BBA.
Student:
Evaluator:
Date:
For each of the business plan component areas (evaluation dimensions) identified below, use the evaluation rubric to assess
the student’s work by specifying a score based on the performance ratings and descriptors delineated in the rubric form and
supplying relevant comments in the space provided.
Executive Summary: This section should briefly summarize each section of the business plan. The executive summary should
provide an overview of the business and should outline and describe key points and issues.
Business Description: This section should provide a description of the business or idea, and should incorporate the following
elements:
Company’s Mission, Vision, Goals, and Objectives
Summary of Overall Strategic Direction
Reasons for Starting the Business
Description of Product or Service Offered
Business Model
Company’s Value Proposition
Industry Analysis: This section should provide a description and analysis of (i) the industry in which the company will be
operating, (ii) the target market, and (iii) the company’s major competitors. The section should incorporate descriptions and
analyses of the following elements:
Industry Size, Segments, and Maturity
Opportunities and Threats in the Industry, including Barriers to Entry
Major Competitors, including their Market Shares, Markets Served, Strategies Employed, and Expected Response to Entry
Overall Trends and Outlook for the Industry
Target Market and Consumer Demographics, including Market Niche in which the Company Will Operate
The Company’s Competitive Advantages and their Likely Impacts on its Success
Management Plan: This section should provide a description of the proposed organizational structure of the company and the
ways in which the company will be managed. The description should incorporate the following elements:
Form of Ownership and Reasons for Choice of Ownership Form
Organizational Structure/Chart
Qualifications, Experience, Expertise, and Roles of Members of the Management Team
Other Stakeholders (e.g., Board of Directors, Advisory Boards, etc.)
Professional Service Firms Providing Management Support (e.g., accounting, customer service, legal counsel, etc.)
Marketing Plan: This section should provide a description of the ways in which the company will market its good or service.
The description should incorporate the following elements:
Overall Marketing Strategy
Marketing Mix (Product, Pricing, Place, Promotion, Advertising, Distribution Channels, Media Usage, Public Relations,
Web/Social Media Presence, etc.)
Operational Plan: This section should provide a description of the resources and processes needed (i) for the day-to-day
functioning of the company and (ii) in order to support the company’s strategic goals and objectives. The description should
incorporate the following elements:
Human Resource Needs
Physical Facilities Requirements
Technological Resource Needs
Logistics and Supply Chain Management Plan
Implementation Timetables
Processes for Monitoring Progress
Financial Plan: This section should provide a description and analysis of both the initial and ongoing financing and financial
management of the company. The section should incorporate descriptions and analyses of the following elements:
Possible Sources of Initial Financing
Sales Forecasts
Income Projections
Pro-Forma Financial Statements
Break-Even Analysis
Capital Budget
Furthermore, in each business plan component area identified above, the student should also address (i) the relevant
international/global dimensions of business affecting that component area and (ii) the relevant principles and practices of
corporate social responsibility and sustainability relating to that component area.
For the purpose of program-level assessment, the School of Management has identified several learning outcomes that it
expects students to have achieved upon graduation from the BBA program.
For each of the intended student learning outcomes (ISLOs) identified below and based on student performance on the
business plan project, use the evaluation rubric to assess the extent to which the student achieved that outcome by specifying
a score based on the performance ratings and descriptors delineated in the rubric form and supplying relevant comments in
the space provided.
Global Dimensions: Students will be able to recognize and describe the global dimensions of business.
Written Communication Skills: Students will be able to construct coherent written forms of communication.
Oral Communication Skills: Students will be able to compose and present effective oral forms of communication.
Analytical/Critical-Thinking Skills: Students will be able to demonstrate analytical and critical-thinking skills in the context of
organizational decision making.