MNE2601/101/0/2025
Tutorial Letter 101/3/2025
Introduction to Entrepreneurship and
Small Business Management
MNE2601
Semesters 1 and 2
Department of Applied Management
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module
website, MNE2601-2025-S1/S2, as well as your group website.
Note: This is a fully online module, therefore it is available only on myUnisa.
BARCODE
CONTENTS
Page
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 3
2. MODULE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Outcomes ....................................................................................................................................... 4
3. CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ............................................................................................ 5
4. CONTACT DETAILS ...................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 Lecturer ........................................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 Department ..................................................................................................................................... 5
4.3 University ........................................................................................................................................ 5
5. RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 6
5.1 Prescribed book .............................................................................................................................. 6
5.2 Library services and resources……………………………………………………………………………6
6. STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................. 7
6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme ................................................................................ 7
6.2 Using recognition of prior learning (RPL) to apply for a module credit within a qualification. ......... 8
7. STUDY PLAN ................................................................................................................................ .9
8. HOW TO STUDY ONLINE ............................................................................................................ .9
9. ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 10
9.1 Submission of assessments ......................................................................................................... 10
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY .......................................................................................................... 12
10.1 Plagiarism ..................................................................................................................................... 12
10.2 Cheating ....................................................................................................................................... 13
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES ................................................................................... 13
12. IN CLOSING ................................................................................................................................. 13
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MNE2601/101/3/2025
Dear Student
1 INTRODUCTION
We have pleasure in welcoming you to this module, Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Small
Business Management (MNE2601), and trust that you will find it a rewarding and an interesting
area of study. We will do our best to make your studies in this module successful. You will
succeed if you start studying early in the semester and complete the assessments properly.
In this tutorial letter, you will find the assessment criteria, as well as instructions on the
preparation and submission of the assessments. The tutorial letter also provides all the
information you need about the prescribed study material and other resources, and how to
obtain it. Please study this information carefully and make sure that you obtain the prescribed
material as soon as possible. A section on general and administrative information about this
module has also been included in this tutorial letter.
Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution. The
comprehensiveness of our curricula is encapsulated in a range of offerings, from strictly
vocational to strictly academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa's "openness" and its
distance e-learning character mean that many students who may not otherwise have had an
opportunity to enrol for higher education are able to register at Unisa. Our CODeL character
implies that our programmes are carefully planned and structured to ensure success for all
students, ranging from those who are underprepared but have potential to those that are
sufficiently prepared for higher education.
Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the university.
Unisa's commitment to serve humanity and shape futures, combined with a clear appreciation
of our location on the African continent, means that Unisa's graduates have the following
distinctive graduate qualities:
• They are independent, resilient, responsible, and caring citizens who can fulfil and serve
in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities.
• They have a critical understanding of their location on the African continent, with its
histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts.
• They are able to analyse and evaluate critically the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-increasing
information and data flows and competing worldviews.
• They can apply their discipline-specific knowledge competently, ethically and creatively
to solve real-life problems.
• They are aware of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential.
Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and complete
the learning activities for this module. Visit the website for MNE2601 on myUnisa
frequently. The website for your module is MNE2601-25-S1/S2. You are encouraged to
log on to the module site on myUnisa regularly (i.e. at least twice per week).
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We wish you success in your studies!
2 MODULE OVERVIEW
2.1 Purpose
Those of you who have completed this module successfully will possess graduate attributes that
are necessary to understand the uniqueness of the relationship between entrepreneurship and a
small business and, through sound managerial governance and entrepreneurial practices and
innovation, increase the odds that your own business organisation will continue from generation
to generation, contributing to job creation and economic wealth and growth. An additional purpose
is to empower you to investigate alternative routes to start a business and to understand the
uniqueness of the relationship between the family and its business. You will gain knowledge on
how to develop your business idea into an opportunity that can be exploited by providing a
successful product or service in the emerging economies.
2.2 Outcomes
For this module, you will have to master the following outcomes:
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the introduction to
entrepreneurship and small business management in emerging markets, including an
understanding of the types and characteristics of entrepreneurs and how entrepreneurship
contributes to the economy.
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of how to conduct a feasibility study and be able to
identify elements that are unique to emerging economies.
• Demonstrate an ability to evaluate, select and apply appropriate methods, procedures or
techniques to show awareness of the challenges associated with starting a small business
in an emerging economy.
• Evaluate different sources of information and apply well-developed processes of analysing
the requirements of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
• Demonstrate an understanding of different forms of knowledge, schools of thought and
forms of explanation to explore strategic planning in a small business environment.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical complications of dilemmas involved in
decisions and actions within an organisational context to examine ethics, governance and
sustainability in entrepreneurship and small business management in an emerging
economy.
• Demonstrate an ability to evaluate, select and apply appropriate methods, procedures and
techniques relating to financing and to be aware of the nature of financing and the sources
of finance available to an entrepreneur within an emerging market context.
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• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of how to overcome obstacles in small business
management and be able to grow a small business in an emerging economy.
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of concepts and methods of other
ways to start a business, namely through franchising and buying an existing business.
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the structure of a family business.
• Identify elements that are unique to emerging economies.
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of social entrepreneurship as another
form of entrepreneurship and its importance in an emerging economy.
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter that places curriculum transformation high on
the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation includes student-centred
scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment practices, the scholarship of
teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies and philosophies. All of these
will be phased in at both programme and module levels, so you will notice a marked change in
the teaching and learning strategy implemented by Unisa, together with the way in which the
content is conceptualised in your modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during
your studies at Unisa within the framework of transformation.
4 CONTACT DETAILS
4.1 Lecturer
The primary lecturer for this module is Ms WT Sami.
Department: Applied Management
Telephone: 012 429 2624
E-mail: samiwt@[Link]
4.2 Department
You can contact the Department of Applied Management as follows:
Telephone number: 012 429 4696
E-mail: dam@[Link]
4.3 University
Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
[Link]
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Please include your student number in all correspondence with the university.
5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book
The prescribed book for this module is listed below. It is advisable to obtain a copy as it will assist
you in completing your assessments:
Chiloane-Tsoka, GE. 2020. Entrepreneurship and small business management: an emerging
economies perspective. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
5.2 Library services and resources
The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources and has made numerous
library guides available at [Link]
Recommended guides:
• For brief information on the library, go to [Link]
• For more detailed library information, go to
[Link]
• For Frequently Asked Questions, go to
[Link]
• For research support and services, such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's Literature Search Request (on your research topic)
service, go to [Link]
services/Research-support
• For library training for undergraduate students, go to
[Link]
• For Lending Services, go
to [Link]
services
• For Services for Postgraduate Students, go to
[Link]
• For Support and Services for Students with Disabilities, go to
[Link]
special-needs
• For library technology support, go to [Link]
• For finding and using library resources and tools, go to
[Link]
• For an A–Z list of library databases, go to [Link]
Important contact information:
• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services – Lib-
help@[Link]
• General library-related queries – Library-enquiries@[Link]
• Queries related to library fines and payments – Library-fines@[Link]
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students – libr-ill@[Link]
• Literature Search Service – Lib-search@[Link]
• Social media channels – Facebook: UnisaLibrary; X or Twitter: @UnisaLibrary
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To view the Unisa Library orientation video, please click here Unisa Library and Information
Services Video_1_1 (2).mp4
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa at [Link]/brochures/studies
This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through Unisa.
If you need assistance concerning the myModules system, you are welcome to use the following
contact details:
• Toll-free landline – 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules.)
• E-mail – mymodule22@[Link] or myUnisaHelp@[Link]
You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to
access module content, how to view Announcements for modules, how to submit your
assessments and how to participate in Discussion Forum activities by visiting [Link]
[Link]/course/[Link]?id=32130
Registered Unisa students receive a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account.
Please claim your e-mail account immediately after registering at Unisa by following this
link: [Link]
[Link]
Note that it can take up to 24 hours for your account to be activated after you have claimed it.
Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official correspondence
between you and the university, and it will remain your official primary e-mail address on record
at Unisa.
You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.
6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme
Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is
also true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open
distance and e-learning institution, which is very different from face-to-face/contact education
institutions. It is a mega university, and all its programmes are offered through either blended
learning or fully online learning. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time
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students additional/extended support to help them navigate the Unisa teaching and learning
journey seamlessly and with as few difficulties as possible.
Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme has been specially designed to provide you with
prompt and helpful information about the services that the institution offers and how you can
access this information.
The following FYE services are currently offered:
FYE Website Email Support
[Link]/FYE fye@[Link]
FYE1500
Post-
myUnisa; Study
Registration Referrals to Skills; Academic &
Orientation other support Digital Literacies,
services etc.
(e.g. counselling;
reading & writing
workshops)
To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication
from the SRU: Student Retention Unit, please check your myLife inbox regularly.
6.2 Using recognition of prior learning (RPL) to apply for a module credit within a
qualification
Now that you are a registered student, you are advised to familiarise yourself with the
learning outcomes for the module or modules you have chosen. If you have been exposed
to those learning outcomes for three years or more – either through work experience or
some other form of involvement – you can apply to be exempted from completing
assessments and writing examinations in that/those module/s. As part of your application
for this exemption, you will be required to compile a portfolio of evidence substantiating
how your experience is equivalent to the learning outcomes. The diagram below shows
the steps involved in obtaining recognition of prior learning (RPL) for a module credit:
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MNE2601/101/3/2025
For more information on the process, RPL fees and the contact details of your college RPL
coordinator, visit the Unisa website: [Link]/rpl
7. STUDY PLAN
We encourage you to draw up a study plan for the module at the beginning of the semester.
This will depend on your schedule as well as the other commitments you have. When you have
drawn up your study plan, it is important to adhere to it.
8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE
Studying fully online modules differs completely from studying some of your other modules at
Unisa.
• All your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed to be
delivered online on myUnisa.
• All your assessments must be submitted online. This means that you will do all your
activities and submit all your assessments on myUnisa. In other words, you may NOT post
your assessments to Unisa using the South African Post Office.
• All communication between you and the university happens online. Lecturers will
communicate with you via e-mail and SMS, as well as the tools on myUnisa. You can also
use all these platforms to ask questions and contact your lecturers.
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9. ASSESSMENT
9.1 Submission of assessments
• As a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), Unisa is moving
towards becoming a fully online institution. You will therefore see that all your study
material, assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will take
place online. To facilitate this, we use myUnisa as our virtual campus.
• The myUnisa virtual campus offers students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be completed.
Together, myUnisa and myModules form an online system that is used to administer,
document and deliver educational material to students and support engagement between
Unisa students and the academics.
• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via [Link] Click on the myModules
2025 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are registered for.
• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to
ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from using the myModules learning
management system. Please access the Announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information to be shared with
you.
• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, you will
see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message you will
see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete. Some
assessments may be in the form of multiple-choice questions, some may be tests and
others may be written assessments, while some may be forum discussions. All
assessments must be completed on the assessment shells available on the respective
module platforms.
• To complete quiz assessments, log on to the module site where you need to complete the
assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 01, Assessment 02, etc).
There will be a date recorded there telling you when the assessment will open for you.
Once the assessment has been opened, access the quiz online and complete it within the
time available to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter
(Tutorial Letter 101) and are made available online only. You must therefore access and
complete the quiz online where it was created.
• It is not advisable to use a cellphone to complete quizzes. Rather use a desktop computer,
tablet or laptop when completing the quizzes. Students who use cellphones find it difficult
to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle to navigate
between questions and complete the quizzes successfully. In addition, cellphones are
more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than are other devices. Therefore, if
possible, please do not use a cellphone for this assessment type.
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• For written assessments, note the due date by which your work must be submitted. Ensure
that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the assessment. Click on
the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on myModules. You will then be
able to upload your written assessment on the myModules site for the modules that you
are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double-check that you have selected the
correct file for uploading. Remember, no marks can be allocated for incorrectly submitted
assessments.
Types of assignments
All assignments are defined as either optional, mandatory, compulsory or elective.
• Elective assignments
- If not submitted, you get no mark for this item.
- The best of the required submissions will count.
• Mandatory assignments
- If not submitted, you get no mark for this item.
• Optional assignments
• - You are encouraged to complete the optional assignments so that you benefit from
the learning.
• Compulsory assignments
- If not submitted, the result on your academic record will be “Absent”.
I. Elective assignments
a. You are given a choice of which assignments within an identified group to submit; only
the best result/s, the number of which is specified in advance, will contribute towards
the year/semester mark.
b. Elective assignments must be grouped into an elective group.
c. For you to select which assignment/s to submit, the elective assignments must be
grouped together. For such an elective group, relevant information must be provided to
you, such as how many of the assignments must be submitted and how many of
the assignment marks should be combined to form the year/semester mark.
d. The selection criteria define how marks received for assignments in an elective group
are to be combined to form the year/semester mark. Three different criteria may be
used for calculating the year/semester mark:
• The best mark should be used.
• If you submit fewer than the required number of assignments per group, or no
assignment in a group, you will be awarded a mark of 0%.
• 0% is awarded to all non-submitted or unmarked assessments. A best mark is
then calculated from all the qualifying items submitted.
II. Mandatory assignments
a. Mandatory assignments contribute to the year/semester mark.
b. If you fail to submit a mandatory assignment, no mark is awarded and the
year/semester mark is calculated accordingly. You will therefore forfeit the marks
attached to this assignment when the final mark for the module is calculated.
III. Optional assignments
You are encouraged to complete the optional assignments so that you benefit from the
learning.
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9.2 The assessments for 2025
Details of the assessments for MNE2601 will be available on the module site.
9.3 Invigilation/proctoring
Since 2020, Unisa has conducted all its assessments online. Given the stringent requirements
imposed by professional bodies, as well as the increased solicitation of Unisa’s students by third
parties attempting to assist them unlawfully with the completion of assessments and
examinations, the university is obliged to assure its assessment integrity by using various
proctoring tools: Turnitin, Moodle Proctoring, the Invigilator app and IRIS Invigilation. These tools
authenticate the student’s identity and flag suspicious behaviour to ensure the credibility of
students’ responses during assessments. The description below is for your benefit as you may
encounter any of or all these tools in your registered modules:
Turnitin is plagiarism software that facilitates checks for originality in students’ submissions
against internal and external sources. Turnitin assists in identifying academic fraud and
ghostwriting. Students are expected to submit typed responses when using the Turnitin software.
The Moodle Proctoring tool is facial recognition software that authenticates students’ identities
during their quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a student’s mobile or laptop camera.
Students must ensure that their camera is activated in their browser settings prior to starting their
assessments.
The Invigilator app is a mobile application-based service that verifies the identity of an
assessment participant. The Invigilator app detects student dishonesty by proxy and ensures that
the assessment participant is the registered student. This invigilation tool requires students to
download the app from the Google Play Store (Android devices), the Huawei AppGallery (Huawei
devices) or the Apple App Store (Apple devices) on their camera-enabled mobile devices prior
to their assessment.
The IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during assessment and provides
for both manual and automated facial verification. It can record and review a student’s
assessment session and it flags suspicious behaviour by the student for review by an academic
administrator. The IRIS software requires installation on students’ webcam-enabled laptop
devices.
Students who are identified and flagged for suspicious or dishonest behaviour arising from the
invigilation and proctoring reports will be referred to the Student Disciplinary Office for formal
disciplinary proceedings.
Note: Refer to your module assessment information on your myModule sites to determine which
proctoring or invigilation tool will be used for your formative and summative assessments.
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:
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• copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging that source
• failing to include references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information
• paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another
student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work
• using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information
• submitting corrupt or irrelevant files in contravention of examination guidelines
• buying completed answers from so-called tutors or internet sites (i.e. contract cheating)
For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
[Link]
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES
The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.
If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact me (Ms WT Sami at samiwt@[Link] ) to discuss the
assistance that you need.
12. IN CLOSING
Do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail if you are experiencing problems with the content of this
tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module.
We wish you an enjoyable journey through the learning material and trust that you will complete
the module successfully.
Ms WT Sami – lecturer for MNE2601
Department of Applied Management
©
Unisa 2025
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