Eberhardt School of Business

Manage and Operate a Real Online Business

Applied Entrepreneurship: Growing a Niche Brand Business, is a course in which Eberhardt undergraduates and MBA students have real world responsibility for running an online business. This isn’t a business simulation, a hypothetical business planning competition, or a one-shot one-semester project, it’s a chance to learn by running and growing an ongoing $100,000 web business.

California Cedar Products has established the opportunity which is taught by Professor Mike Canniff. Students will be responsible for running CalCedar’s online pencil businesses with its marketing division, California Republic Stationers, at Pencils.com. The Web site markets its own brand of pencils and complementary stationery products through both online and traditional wholesale and retail distribution channels. The site employs web 2.0 technologies, including an array of social networking tools in order to build consumer traffic and loyalty to California Republic Stationers brands as well as sales on Pencils.com & eBay store purchases. While Students will be responsible for running the operational, day-to-day aspects of the online business, they will also lead, manage, and focus on new initiatives to grow the business in the long-term.