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Plymouth State University
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Plymouth, NH 03264-1595
Background and Overview
Through the Small Business Institute® (SBI) program, university students throughout the United States participate in hands-on learning experiences by conducting field case studies and providing consulting services to local small business owners. The SBI program uses senior-level undergraduate or graduate-level students, under faculty supervision, to provide business consulting and technical assistance to a small business client.
The Small Business Institute Directors' Association (SBIDA) has served as the coordinating body of the SBI program since its inception. The SBIDA’s primary role has been to serve as the intermediary between the participating schools and the Small Business Administration (SBA), the primary funding agency through 1995. The SBIDA has been responsible for negotiating the Statement of Work and other contractual agreements between the SBI schools and the SBA, developing policies and procedures for the program, and maintaining quality assurance for the SBI projects.
In 1996, the SBI program became independent of the SBA. The SBIDA continues to serve as the coordinating body for the SBI schools, and oversees quality assurance, program operations, and policy development for the SBI program. The SBIDA also holds the trademark for The Small Business Institute®. To remain eligible to use the name, participating educational institutions must maintain at least one membership annually in the SBIDA and must agree to adhere to the strict program guidelines. Purpose of SBI
Purpose of the SBI
The purpose of the SBI program is to provide high quality business consulting to small business clients requesting assistance, while providing an extraordinary learning experience for university students through the field case consulting model. Studies conducted on hypothetical businesses are not within the scope of this program. Hypothetical cases are defined as textbook or imagined businesses or business situations.
Business consulting consists of direct contact between the student team and the client, detailed analysis of the client's business and research. The end product is a case/project plan tailored to the individual client's need. The assessment and recommendations are based on sound business management principles. In evaluating the merit of each case/project report, SBI directors and case supervisors will be guided by the client's actual business needs. It is understood that sound analysis of a business may not always yield a positive outlook to the client; however, the goal of this program is to improve the economic health of client businesses whenever possible.
When SBI teams engage in special community/economic development projects, the intended client is often an entity other than a small business person. These special project clients may include local governments, chambers of commerce, non-profit organizations, or local merchants' associations. Examples of special projects include, but are not limited to, research on developing business opportunities in international trade, innovation research, technology commercialization, incubator facilities and franchising.
