CEFE TRAINING PROGRAMS

BUSINESS COURSES

New Business Creation Course (NBC)

The NBC is a 15-day (120 hours) course meant for business start-ups or potential entrepreneurs. The course is designed to stimulate and motivate enterprising behavior to persons who are planning to start a business. The course is conducted using simulated real-life business situations which the participants have to undergo and experience for themselves. From these simulated experiences, participants are then given inputs on concepts and theories related to the session being discussed - as a means to reaffirm and validate such experiences.

A very important feature of the course is the development of a business plan which the training participants themselves have to prepare. The participants have to gather for themselves the data and information needed in the development of the plan. The business plan is designed in such a way that it passes the standards of financing institutions - whether government agencies or private commercial banks. The functional areas of business management on marketing, production/technical, organization and management and finance are dealt with systematically and methodically. Senior bank officers are called in after the preparation of the marketing plan and production plan to give their assessment of the completeness of the data presented and the validity of the analysis made. After all the component plans have been completed, the same bank officers are invited to comment on the viability of the business plans that the trainees prepared.

In the event that the training participants decide to avail of loan or financial assistance, they may pursue further discussions and negotiations with the same bank officers who helped in the viability assessment stage of their business plans.

The EEC is meant for already existing entrepreneurs who want to expand their business in scope or in volume and who require support for adequately designing the business plan and for acquiring skills to properly conceive a feasible business expansion or diversification project.

Conducted for a period of 10 days (80 hours), the EEC uses mainly the action learning methodology and adult learning process. It employs various forms of simulated real-life business situations upon which the participants are expected to make business decisions just like in a real business environment. Entrepreneurs attending the course will learn important tolls and techniques in enterprise diagnostics which will help them assess their existing business operations.

The participants are also expected to develop a business plan for their planned expansion or diversification projects. The functional areas of business management - marketing, production/technical, organization and management and finance are tackled in systematic and methodical manner within the course duration. Senior bank officers are also invited to render their viability opinion on the business plans prepared by the entrepreneurs themselves.

The Business Expenses and Savings Training (BEST) Game is one of the training instruments being promoted under the CEDP-CEFE Program. It is a training instrument most suited for micro-enterprises (i.e., business activities whose operating capital and transactions are much lower than the "small business" category). It is a reality-based business game in which the participants have an opportunity to experience how businesses operate in real life. It aims to teach basic business skills through the playing of a game. It is played competitively in a simulated business environment and it has definite outcomes in terms of profits and savings. The learning comes from the real-life content of the game and the interaction among the participants and the trainer/facilitator during and after the playing.

The objective of the BEST game is to give participants in the training seminar the opportunity to experience the effects of their business decisions in a simulated business environment.

It has three sequential modules. Each module has learning objectives set at a higher level than the previous one. In each module the participants are divided into three teams which compete with each other.

MODULE 1: Introducing the Basic Business Cycle

The module is designed to enable participants to learn:

• the basic business cycle
• how to plan the best use of capital for conflicting demands
• how to maintain a positive cash flow
• the importance of keeping records

In this module, each team runs a processing/manufacturing business. The business activities, such as planning, family spending, buying for business, making the product and selling, take place in four weekly cycles. Each activity takes place on an assigned day in each week and the facilitator directs the business events and life events. Life events represent real life dilemmas for entrepreneurs such as unexpected family expenses, special offers for materials, changes in market, etc. The objective of each team is to make a profit at the end of the month.

MODULE 2: Understanding Demand and Supply

This module is designed to enable participants to learn about:

• estimating the market size and demand
• planning production and purchases to meet the demand
• costing to help in negotiating prices
• record-keeping to help financial planning and keeping track of credit sales
• business planning to maintain a positive cash flow and manage credit

In this module, two teams become manufacturing/processing businesses competing with each other and one team becomes a retailer competing with another store ("managed" by one facilitator). The facilitator’s store buys a fixed quantity at a fixed price each week. The retailer buys stock from the manufacturers which it sells to the local market. The demand in the local market expands or shrinks according to when the people get their salaries. The manufacturers can sell to the retailer and/or to unknown buyers represented by the facilitator on credit thus risking non-payment of debt.

MODULE 3: Reaching Your Customer and Improving Your Business

This module is designed to expose entrepreneurs to a wider range of real-life business management situations. In this module, two teams run manufacturing/processing businesses and one team runs a retailing business. The manufacturers make two products. The retailer can reach the market by using 4Ps (price, product, place & promotion) and plans accordingly. The manufacturer teams negotiate orders and prices with the retailer. All three teams are dependent on each other for the success of their business just as in real life. In order to succeed, each team needs to make buying and selling decisions involving costing principles, control their stock, keep proper records and use the records to plan cash flows. Module 3 can be played three times so that each team is given a chance to experience being the retailer. During each subsequent play, the trainer may introduce different events which emphasizes different aspects of business management techniques.

The APW is an orientation course for decision makers representing government enterprise promotion offices, non-government organizations (NGOs) and university-based community extension offices who are interested to promote CEFE programs and activities for their own organizations and clientele.

Conducted for a period of three (3) days or 24 hours, the course offers a comprehensive overview of the CEFE methodology and its programs and services. Participants undergo the sessions and activities just like in a CEFE course in order for them to know and feel what is like to go through the actual CEFE training courses.

The EOW is a one-day or eight hour workshop which is meant to orient potential participants of a CEFE training course. It is like a "taste test" workshop for people wanting to attend the CEFE full courses for potential entrepreneurs (i.e., NBC) and existing entrepreneurs (i.e., EEC).