Local Case on Business Creation –Assignment Guideline (10 points)

This individual assignment is an opportunity for the students to work with a local entrepreneur to
familiarize themselves with issues related to starting a new venture in local industry. Each student is
required to create a case on business creation after interacting with a local entrepreneur. All information is
to be collected from primary source, i.e., from the life experiences of an individual working in the local
industry; this primary source can be supplemented with information from secondary sources, if available.
When secondary sources are used, references (in the business press, Internet sites, company document,
etc.) should be provided.

The firm may be based in any city of Bangladesh or in special circumstances; a student may work on a
foreign company that has some form of connection with Bangladesh. Emphasis should be given to the
following issues – Business Environment, the marketing plan, the business strategy, raising of risk
capital and business model canvas of the business. Highlight or put extra emphasis anything novel in
your case – e.g., rapidity of growth, success in the face of overwhelming obstacles, the personal
characteristics of the founder, an unusual method of market entry or financing, unique aspect in location,
et cetera.

The suggested length of the case is approximately 1200-1500 words; not including references,
appendices. The case should, at least, cover the following areas:

1) Brief background about the firm (e.g., age, size, products, markets).
2) A personal story from the founder(s) about how they conceived the idea of venture formation, issues
related to raising capital, career choice issues and cultural influence.
3) Critical success factors (an analysis from the information available to assess the factors that
contributed to success or ongoing challenges of the business).
4) List your secondary sources of information with complete references or URLs as appropriate.
5) Appendices (Attach as much supplementary information as you can either in printed format -in the
case of published material)
6) A scanned copy of the business card and/or formal contact information of the founder(s) so they can
be contacted if needed.

Key evaluation criteria include:

 The level of detail information from primary sources
 The thoroughness with which the case is researched (make sure to reference the sources, including
any web sites)
 Analysis of the critical episodes and drivers of the entrepreneurial decision
 The novelty, interest, and creativity of the case
 Quality of presentation
- Clear and concise
- Designed to fit within page-limit
- Logically structured
- Free of errors
 Local Business Interview Questions
1. Business profile:
 Name of the business:
 Industry:
 Number of employees:
 Starting date of the business:
 Name of the entrepreneur:
 Age:
 Educational background:

2. Intension of the business (what was the idea behind starting the business):

3. Past experience (education or working):

4. Amount of initial capital:

5. Did you do any research on the market and the customers before starting the business?

6. Have you crossed the break-even point? If yes, when?

7. What is the specialty of the product since there are lots of other companies in this field?

8. Did you have a business plan before starting your business? What did you consider in your business
plan? (Environmental, competitor, industry, market, organizational, financial, operational analysis)

9. What were the sources of your business plan?

10. Did you have a formal or informal business plan? What was the duration of the business plan?

11. Have you made any significant or partial changes in your business plan after starting your business
operations? If yes, what are those changes?

12. What were the mistakes you think you have done initially since you started your business? How did
you resolve the problems? And what were the problems you could not resolve? What did you learn from
your mistakes?

13. What do you think are common obstacles the Bangladeshi entrepreneurs face while starting and
running a business locally?

14. How did you recognize the business opportunity? Which of these variables contributed in your
successful opportunity recognition and how?
a) Education
b) Experience (personal or work)
c) Willingness/ strong intension
d) Networking

Did any other factor contributed in your opportunity recognition?