Certified Business Advisor® (CBA) Certificate

CBA® COURSE OBJECTIVES

MARKETING COURSE

The CBA Marketing course provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of marketing, including strategic planning and the marketing plan; marketing research, feasibility studies and the marketing plan; customer relationship marketing and understanding the consumer; segmentation, target marketing and positioning; product planning and development, pricing, distribution and promotion management including digital marketing.

These concepts are especially important for those hoping to help small businesses, as marketing is often a mystery to small business owner and managers. In today’s “white-water rapids” competitive environment, it is likely that your clients are operating in white water rapids. They need to make plans and implement them, while watching for rapidly occurring changes in competition, regulations and legislation, the economy, in society and in technology. Any plans they make almost certainly will not last as the environment changes and they adapt (or sink). A comprehensive understanding of marketing is essential to small business success.

This course is comprised of nine (9) sessions:

• SESSION 1: Introduction to Marketing
  This session provides an overall perspective on what marketing is, the processes it involves, and various philosophies of marketing.
• SESSION 2: Strategic Planning and the Marketing Plan
  Organizations cannot succeed without planning. And marketing plans must support the organization's Mission, Vision and Objectives.
  This session looks at strategic planning and mission, key marketing strategies, analysis necessary for such planning, and the basics of a marketing plan.
• SESSION 3: Marketing Research, Feasibility Studies, and Sales Forecasting
  Marketing thrive on information.
  It is needed to understand the environment, the consumer, the competition, the likelihood of a project's success and potential profitability, and to evaluate the organization's marketing efforts.
  This session delves into research for marketing action.
• SESSION 4: Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) and Consumer Behavior
  Marketing centers on consumers.
  Firms cannot succeed if they do not understand consumers fully and deeply and provide them with value and satisfaction.
  This session looks at how we accomplish these tasks.
• SESSION 5: Market Segmentation, Market Targeting and Positioning
  Organizations cannot be "all things, to all people (or to all businesses)."
  In almost all cases, both consumers (and businesses) have different needs, wants, and desires such that they cannot be satisfied by one offering.
  This session examines the ways in which marketers divide up the market into different interest groups (segments), select one or more segment to "target" with an appropriate marketing mix, and position the product or brand in the marketplace to appeal the target market.
• SESSION 6: Product Management
  Consumers seek solutions to problems and marketers help to solve those problems by the products and services they offer.
  This session looks at products and services (and how they differ in terms of marketing), the importance of customer service in providing value to the consumer, the process of developing "new" products/services, and the need to build a strong band.
• SESSION 7: Price Management
  Pricing the product or service is an important part of the marketing mix, as price is the only thing that generates revenue.
  This session exams price, costs, break-even analysis, and various approaches to setting and adjusting prices.
• SESSION 8: Place Management
  Products and services need to move from the providers to the consumers in a timely, efficient, and effective manner.
  This session discusses Channels of Distribution and Supply Chain Management with a focus on satisfying the goals of the channel members and the consumer.
• SESSION 9: Promotion Management
  We must be able to reach our target audience with information about our company, brands, and products.
  This is done using the Promotion element of the Marketing Mix, with a good understanding of our target market's values and media exposure habits, and our goals and objectives.
  This session exams those topics, with a special emphasis on Digital and Social Media Marketing

ACCOUNTING/FINANCE COURSE

The CBA Accounting and Finance course provides an overview of essential issues regarding the areas of accounting and finance. The objective of the course is to impart enough information and develop sufficient basic skill to allow the student to understand the impact that these subject matters have on the small business. After all, lack of an understanding of, or lack of financial information in general, represent major causes of business failure.

In this course the topics of business organization, accounting, tax, business planning, financial statement analysis and other specialized analytical techniques are covered. This course is one of the more quantitative courses that are in the course. The work in this course will require effort by the students to work out problems using basic mathematic skills and to learn more advanced analytical techniques based upon those skills.

This course is comprised of nine (9) sessions:

• SESSION 1: Business Entities
  An introduction into the way that business are organized and taxed.
• SESSION 2: Business Planning
  An examination of the business plan and its uses and purposes.
• SESSION 3: Financial Statements
  An introduction into the various types of financial statements, what's on them and what their use is.
• SESSION 4: Financial Statement Analysis
  How to use the information found in financial statements to understand a business.
• SESSION 5: Financial Projections and Cash Flow Analysis
  The basics on making financial projections.
• SESSION 6: Managerial Accounting
  Break even analysis and other forms of managerial marketing.
• SESSION 7: Sources of Financing
  Types of SBA programs available and a discussion of other sources of financing.
• SESSION 8: Cost of Capital and Capital Budgeting
  The basics on cost of capital and capital budgeting.
• SESSION 9: Valuation
  A review of the processes for valuing non-public, closely held firms.

HUMAN RESOURCES COURSE

The CBA Human Resources course offers a comprehensive review of major concepts in the area of human resource management. Particular focus is given to competitive advantage derived from improvement upon HR planning, selection, recruitment, training and compensation practices. Vignettes related to the hiring, management and termination of people in the workplace will be offered as a means to delve into topics from both a practical and theoretical perspective.

This course is comprised of seven (7) sessions:

• SESSION 1: Introduction to HRM (The changing HR environment; Legal issues in HRM)*
• SESSION 2: Affirmative action debate
• SESSION 3: Staffing (Recruitment, Selection)
• SESSION 4: eRecruiting debate
• SESSION 5: Ensuring positive performance (Training, Performance Management, Compensation)
• SESSION 6: Organized labor debate
• SESSION 7: Gender and pay debate

*In parentheses are the basic HRM topics covered by the typical HRM textbook.

GRADING INFORMATION

To pass each course, you will be required to have an overall average minimum grade of 80% and no session grade below 70% which is the usual level for a graduate course.

If you receive a grade of less than 70%, a retake exam is necessary and must be taken before you are allowed to take the next exam or continue to the next session or course.

If you receive multiple grades of 70% or above, but the grades do not average to 80% or above for the entire class, you will be required to retake each exam until the overall average is 80% or above before moving on to the next session or course.

This makes it easier for you to learn, understand, and retain the concepts being taught rather than waiting until completion of the program. It is also easier for you to increase your grade this way.

NOTE: Each participant will be allowed to retake one exam at no charge. If more than one retake is required, the CBA® candidate will need to register again for that course and pay the course registration fee of $500.

More information regarding grading can be found within the GUIDELINES section of the site.

CBA® TESTIMONIALS

"As an independent CPA operating a public accounting practice in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, I regularly receive phone calls from entrepreneurs who need assistance with startup, marketing, accounting and operational issues. In order to better position myself as a small business advisor to guide these small business clients, I recognized the need to become certified in this area. Since completing this program, I have more knowledge and confidence to consult with my small business clients in order to help them to run a successful business. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who provides consulting services to small businesses."

Linda A. Stortz, CPA, MAcc

Certified Business Advisor®
Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor
Seminole, Florida 
 

CBA® RESOURCE MATERIALS

HONOR PLEDGE

Download, complete and submit the CBA® Honor Pledge to Marilyn Bokrass at mbokrass@kent.edu.

View the CBA® Honor Pledge (.docx)

FERPA GRADE RELEASE FORM

Download, complete and submit the FERPA form to Marilyn Bokrass at mbokrass@kent.edu.

View the FERPA Grade Release Form (.pdf)