Course Syllabus

 

HFT 4378: Entertainment Portfolio Management

Department of Tourism, Events & Attractions

Rosen College of Hospitality, University of Central Florida

 

Instructor:	Professor Arthur D. Sims, II, Esq.	Term:	SPG 21
Office:	Rosen College, Office # Lake Cay 200Q	Class Meeting Days:	Online Tu 1 pm
Office Phone:	407.903.8074	Class Meeting Hours:	Online Tu 1 pm
General Phone	407.903.8000	Class Location:	Online
E-Mail:	arthur.sims@ucf.edu	Lab Location:	Online
Website:	---UCF Web-Courses	Class Section:	0W61
Office Hours:	By appointment, online via Zoom TBA M.Tu 10-1 pm.	Class Code:	W

Catalog Description:

 

This course challenges the student to demonstrate expert knowledge across the curricula while building a real-life actionable entertainment business plan.  (3 credits)

 

Course Goal :

 

The course focuses on the development, design, and evaluation of an entertainment project, which includes the understanding of issues related to stage management.  Students are required to develop and design an entertainment project that will meet the standards and expectations of the entertainment industry.  The course serves as the capstone course for the Entertainment Management degree.

 

Prerequisite:

ALL Core Entertainment Management courses.

 

Learning Outcomes:

 

Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply all basic course principles in the drafting of a business plan for an entertainment project
• Define the importance of a business plan for an entertainment project
• Define the necessary components in drafting a business plan
• Analyze the business environment
• Determine the target audiences
• Analyze an entertainment business’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• Analyze the financial resources necessary to launch an entertainment project
• Create a business plan for an entertainment project

 

Format: 

 

Lecture with in-class review of assignments, projects, discussion, student presentations and additional application of textbook and course readings; Guest Speakers and in-field experiences.

Textbooks:

Professor will provide Case Studies, Handouts, and Hypotheticals

The Business of Entertainment (TBE) Edited by Robert C. Sickels Vols. 1-3. In Your Web Course Files **(Do Not Purchase! Digital Copy Provided.)

Also, assigned readings and videos from files in Webcourses

 

 

 

Assessments:

 

May include the following activities:

• Written assignments (papers and case study analysis and reports).
• Graded experiential discussions.
• Scenario analyses, Hypotheticals.
• Presentations demonstrating ability to analyze and communicate key data.
• Tests/examinations.
• Quizzes/Exams/Assignments/. All of which have a maximum possible point total of 20-100points each.

 

 

 

Grading Scheme: 

Grading Scale (%)	Letter Grade
100-94	A
<94-90	A-
<90-87	B+
<87-84	B
<84-80	B-
<80-77	C+
<77-74	C
<74-70	C-
<70-67	D+
<67-64	D
<64-61	D-
<61	F

 

 

Course Policies : (These are common policies to be formatted for different modalities.)

 

Final Exam Date and Time: The final exam/essay will be available May 4, 2021 at 10am until May 5 at 11:59 pm.

Tentative Dates for regular exams listed below.

 

Proposed Course Topics & Schedule:

 

	SUBJECT	ASSIGNMENT
Week 1-3	Welcome to the Business (Music, Film)	**TBE VOL 2, CHS. 1,2,3 AND 4, Assigned Module Files
Week 1-3	Creating and Building an Entertainment Business
Week 1-3	Identifying The Project
Week 4-7	Building the Creative Team	Television, TBE Vol 3, Ch 8-11
Week 4-7	Stage Manager vs. Production Manager
Week 4-7	Being Creative While Running An Operation
Week 8-10	Investing in Investors/Business Plan
Week 8-10	Marketing the Dream	Mid-term/Assignment
Week 8-10	Successes and Failures	TB Vol 1 Ch.1-3
Week 10	Corporate & Non-Profit Entertainment
Week 11	Building An Entertainment Portfolio: Identifying & Allocating Assets and Resources
Week 11	An Overview of the Business Plan
Week 12-14	Identify Market Forces Influencing Business Operations
Week 12-14	Conducting a SWOT analysis
Week 12-14	Future of Entertainment
	FINAL EXAM	5/4

 

 

 

Controversial Content: Since we will be studying entertainment marketing throughout history and into the digital era, there may be times when some of this material may include foul language, blood and gore, racial stereotypes, and sexist overtones.

 

Student Conduct: Cases of academic impropriety of any type will be dealt with in accordance with the Rules of Conduct and the Disciplinary Process for the University of Central Florida, as described in the latest edition of the UCF Golden Rule (goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu). Students are encouraged to obtain and read the UCF Golden Rule. It is assumed by the instructor that the student is familiar with this document. This booklet will serve as the guide to the administrative aspects of the course. Unacceptable conduct may result in a Z Designation on the student’s transcript.

 

 Academic Integrity:

According to Section 1, “Academic Misconduct” in UCF’s Rules of Conduct, students are prohibited from engaging in:

• Unauthorized assistance: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise unless specifically authorized by the instructor of record. The unauthorized possession of examination or course-related material also constitutes cheating.
• Communication to another through written, visual, electronic, or oral means: The presentation of material which has not been studied or learned, but rather was obtained through someone else’s efforts and used as part of an examination, course assignment, or project.
• Commercial Use of Academic Material: Selling of course material to another person, student, and/or uploading course material to a third-party vendor without authorization or without the express written permission of the university and the instructor. Course materials include but are not limited to class notes, Instructor’s Power-Points, course syllabi, tests, quizzes, labs, instruction sheets, homework, study guides, handouts, etc.
• Falsifying or misrepresenting the student’s own academic work.
• Plagiarism: Using or appropriating another’s work without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student’s own.
• Multiple Submissions: Submitting the same academic work for credit more than once without the express written permission of the instructor.
• Helping another violate academic behavior standards.

For more information about Academic Integrity, students may consult The Center for Academic Integrity.

For more information about plagiarism and misuse of sources, see “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices.” 

UCF Financial Aid Requirement: All instructors/faculty are required to document students’ academic activity at the beginning of each course. In order to document that you began this course, please complete the assigned activity by the end of the first week of classes or as soon as possible after adding the course. Failure to do so may result in a delay in the disbursement of our financial aid. This activity will be available from June 22, 2020 – July 31, 2020, but is due on June 26, 2020.

 

Copyright: This course contains copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this course and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder. Sharing copyrighted material (including answers for assignments) on public platforms or privately with other students will lead to an F for the entire course, for both distributors and receivers. This is necessary for multiple reasons:

1. to maintain the integrity of the course,
2. to maintain the integrity of education at the College,
3. to maintain the integrity of education at UCF,
4. to maintain the integrity of your degree for your peers, the general public, and potential employers.

 

Your compliance with the above requires you to keep the course content strictly confidential. Both distributors and receivers of copyrighted material will be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action.

 

Late Work and Make Up Policy: Late work is accepted at the instructor’s discretion and subject to a late grade penalty. Make up for missed exams or assignments can be provided depending on the legitimacy of your excuse, as determined by university policy.

 

Students who represent the university in an authorized event or activity (for example, student-athletes) and who are unable to meet a course deadline due to a conflict with that event must provide the instructor with documentation in advance to arrange a make-up. No penalty will be applied. For more information, see the UCF policy.

 

Religious Observances: Students must notify their instructor in advance if they intend to miss class for a religious observance. For more information, see the UCF policy.

 

Deployed Active Duty Military Students: Students who are deployed active duty military and/or National Guard personnel and require accommodation should contact their instructors as soon as possible after the semester begins and/or after they receive notification of deployment to make related arrangements.

 

Grades of "Incomplete": The current university policy concerning incomplete grades will be followed in this course. Incomplete grades are given only in situations where unexpected emergencies prevent a student from completing the course and the remaining work can be completed the next semester. Your instructor is the final authority on whether you qualify for an incomplete. Incomplete work must be finished by the end of the subsequent semester or the “I” will automatically be recorded as an “F” on your transcript.

 

Team Work Policy: Though the majority of the course is built upon individual assignments and performance, team work is encouraged during the simulation exercises. It is common for Managers in the hospitality industry to work in teams (or clusters) wherein various members discuss, analyze, and create plans/strategies. As such, teamwork is encouraged, when allowed. Assignments that are turned in for grades must show evidence of the student’s contribution to the team.

 

Knights E-Mail Address: UCF requires students to create and use a Knights E-Mail account for all university business. Only a Knights E-Mail address will be used for all university business, including class rosters, financial aid, advising, etc. There will be no other e-mail address available for university personnel to access. Thus, when your e-mail address is requested, please provide only your KM address: __@knights.ucf.edu.  

 

FERPA and Privacy: Students’ educational records are considered confidential. Under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), student records are confidential and protected. Under most circumstances student records will not be released without their written and signed consent. However, some directory information may be released to third parties without students’ prior consent unless a written request to restrict this is on file. You can learn more about student rights to privacy at http://www.registrar.ucf.edu/ferpa/welcome.

 

Course Accessibility Statement: The University of Central Florida is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who need disability-related access in this course should contact the professor as soon as possible. Students should also connect with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) <http://sas.sdes.ucf.edu/> (Ferrell Commons 185, sas@ucf.edu, phone 407-823-2371). Through Student Accessibility Services, a Course Accessibility Letter may be created and sent to professors, which informs faculty of potential access and accommodations that might be reasonable. Determining reasonable access and accommodations requires consideration of the course design, course learning objectives and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student.

 

(For face-to-face or mixed-mode courses)

Campus Safety Statement: Emergencies on campus are rare, but if one should arise during class, everyone needs to work together. Students should be aware of their surroundings and familiar with some basic safety and security concepts.

 

• In case of an emergency, dial 911 for assistance.
• Every UCF classroom contains an emergency procedure guide posted on a wall near the door. Students should make a note of the guide’s physical location and review the online version at http://emergency.ucf.edu/emergency_guide.html.
• Students should know the evacuation routes from each of their classrooms and have a plan for finding safety in case of an emergency.
• If there is a medical emergency during class, students may need to access a first-aid kit or AED (Automated External Defibrillator). To learn where those are located, see http://www.ehs.ucf.edu/workplacesafety.html (click on link from menu on left).
• To stay informed about emergency situations, students can sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to ucf.edu and logging in. Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on the Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”
• Students with special needs related to emergency situations should speak with their instructors outside of class.
• To learn about how to manage an active-shooter situation on campus or elsewhere, consider viewing this video.

 

(For online courses)

Campus Safety Statement: Though most emergency situations are primarily relevant to courses that meet in person, such incidents can also impact online students, either when they are on or near campus to participate in other courses or activities or when their course work is affected by off-campus emergencies. The following policies apply to courses in online modalities.

 

• To stay informed about emergency situations, students can sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to ucf.edu and logging in. Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on the Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”
• Students with special needs related to emergency situations should speak with their instructors outside of class.

 

University-Wide Face Covering Policy for Common Spaces and Face-to-Face Classes

To protect members of our community, everyone is required to wear a facial covering inside all common spaces including classrooms (https://policies.ucf.edu/documents/PolicyEmergencyCOVIDReturnPolicy.pdf). Students who choose not to wear facial coverings will be asked to leave the classroom by the instructor. If they refuse to leave the classroom or put on a facial covering, they may be considered disruptive (please see the Golden Rule for student behavior expectations). Faculty have the right to cancel class if the safety and well-being of class members are in jeopardy. Students will be responsible for the material that would have been covered in class as provided by the instructor.

Notifications in Case of Changes to Course Modality

Depending on the course of the pandemic during the semester, the university may make changes to the way classes are offered. If that happens, please look for announcements or messages in Webcourses@UCF or Knights email about changes specific to this course.

COVID-19 and Illness Notification

Students who believe they may have a COVID-19 diagnosis should contact UCF Student Health Services (407-823-2509) so proper contact tracing procedures can take place.

Students should not come to campus if they are ill, are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID, or if anyone living in their residence has tested positive or is sick with COVID-19 symptoms. CDC guidance for COVID-19 symptoms is located here: (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html)

Students should contact their instructor(s) as soon as possible if they miss class for any illness reason to discuss reasonable adjustments that might need to be made. When possible, students should contact their instructor(s) before missing class.

In Case of Faculty Illness

If the instructor falls ill during the semester, there may be changes to this course, including having a backup instructor take over the course. Please look for announcements or mail in Webcourses@UCF or Knights email for any alterations to this course.

Course Accessibility and Disability COVID-19 Supplemental Statement

Accommodations may need to be added or adjusted should this course shift from an on-campus to a remote format. Students with disabilities should speak with their instructor and should contact sas@ucf.edu to discuss specific accommodations for this or other courses.