BUSI 101 Week 3 Group Research Paper Outline and References Example

Reviewed by Thomas Kerrigan, MBA, CPA · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 101 Week 3 sample shows the outline and reference page a group submits before writing its research paper, here on why small businesses fail and what improves their chances of survival. The outline states a thesis, then plans sections on how often new firms close, why closure is not always failure, the liabilities of newness and smallness, the roles of the founder's experience and starting capital, and the evidence on business planning, ending with recommendations for a new owner. Each point is tied to a peer-reviewed study, and the reference page lists nine of them. Liberty University BUSI 101 sets this 50-point BS in Business Administration outline in Module/Week 3, four modules/weeks before the 7-8 page final.

CourseBUSI 101 Introduction to Business (BUSI101)
Module/Week3
AssignmentGroup Research Paper Outline and References
Paper typeResearch paper outline and reference page
Lengthabout 430 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: an outline of the group research paper and a reference page with at least 7 scholarly peer-reviewed references, in current APA format
FormatAPA 7 student paper
Points50
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Business Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 3 in Liberty's published BUSI 101 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 101 Week 3

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Why Small Businesses Fail and What Improves Their Chances: Outline and References

 

[Student Name]

School of Business, Liberty University

BUSI 101: Introduction to Business

Group Research Paper: Outline and References

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

 

The outline is written as a group would submit it before drafting; every source listed is real and checkable.

Why this part earns its pointsThe thesis comes first so every section can be checked against it.
2

Why Small Businesses Fail and What Improves Their Chances: Outline and References

Thesis

Most new small businesses close within a decade, but closure is not always failure, and survival depends less on luck than on the founder's experience, adequate starting capital and planning that guides early action.

Outline

Why this part earns its pointsEach section names its purpose and the source that will carry it, so gaps show before drafting.
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I. Introduction

  • Purpose: show the size of the problem and state the thesis.
  • Opening example: a neighborhood restaurant that closes in its second year after a slow winter and an unexpected repair.
  • Define a small business using the textbook's criteria: independently owned, not dominant in its field and within size standards (Nickels et al., 2018).
  • Survival figures for new establishments from federal data, with roughly half closing within five years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.).
  • Thesis: survival depends on the founder's experience, adequate capital and planning that guides early action.

II. Closure Is Not the Same as Failure

  • About a third of businesses that closed were reported as successful at closing by their owners (Headd, 2003).
  • Why the distinction matters for how the paper reads survival statistics: tables that count every closure overstate genuine failure.
  • Reasons owners give for closing a sound business, such as retirement, sale or a better opportunity.

III. The Liabilities of Newness and Smallness

  • Death rates are highest in a firm's early years and fall as it ages (Freeman et al., 1983).
  • Small, new firms face higher risk than larger ones; human capital and size improve survival (Bruderl et al., 1992).
  • Apply both liabilities to the opening example: a new restaurant with little cash cushion.

IV. The Founder's Human and Financial Capital

  • Education, industry experience and starting capital predict survival and growth (Cooper et al., 1994).
  • How new firms are actually financed: heavy reliance on owners' funds and bank debt (Robb & Robinson, 2014).
  • Link to the course: forms of ownership and sources of small business financing in Nickels et al. (2018).
Why this part earns its pointsThe planning section presents the disagreement between studies instead of hiding it.
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V. Does Planning Help?

  • Planning improves new venture development by guiding early activities (Delmar & Shane, 2003).
  • Meta-analysis: planning helps performance modestly, more for established firms than new ones (Brinckmann et al., 2010).
  • Broader success factors across many studies, including market scanning and founder experience (Song et al., 2008).

VI. Recommendations for a New Owner

  • Gain industry experience before starting, even by working for someone else first.
  • Raise enough capital to survive the first two years, with a reserve for surprises.
  • Write a short plan and revise it as the market responds.
  • Set conditions in advance for when to close, so an exit does not become a loss.
  • Christian stewardship of resources: count the cost before building (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Luke 14:28-30).

VII. Conclusion

  • Restate the thesis and the strongest evidence.
  • Note limits: survival data mix voluntary and involuntary closures, and many studies come from particular countries or periods.
  • Close by returning to the opening example and what might have changed its outcome.
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References

Brinckmann, J., Grichnik, D., & Kapsa, D. (2010). Should entrepreneurs plan or just storm the castle? A meta-analysis on contextual factors impacting the business planning-performance relationship in small firms. Journal of Business Venturing, 25(1), 24-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.10.007

Bruderl, J., Preisendorfer, P., & Ziegler, R. (1992). Survival chances of newly founded business organizations. American Sociological Review, 57(2), 227-242. https://doi.org/10.2307/2096207

Cooper, A. C., Gimeno-Gascon, F. J., & Woo, C. Y. (1994). Initial human and financial capital as predictors of new venture performance. Journal of Business Venturing, 9(5), 371-395. https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-9026(94)90013-2

Delmar, F., & Shane, S. (2003). Does business planning facilitate the development of new ventures? Strategic Management Journal, 24(12), 1165-1185. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.349

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Freeman, J., Carroll, G. R., & Hannan, M. T. (1983). The liability of newness: Age dependence in organizational death rates. American Sociological Review, 48(5), 692-710. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094928

Headd, B. (2003). Redefining business success: Distinguishing between closure and failure. Small Business Economics, 21(1), 51-61. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024433630958

Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., & McHugh, S. M. (2018). Understanding business (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Robb, A. M., & Robinson, D. T. (2014). The capital structure decisions of new firms. The Review of Financial Studies, 27(1), 153-179. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhs072

Song, M., Podoynitsyna, K., van der Bij, H., & Halman, J. I. M. (2008). Success factors in new ventures: A meta-analysis. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 25(1), 7-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5885.2007.00280.x

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Business employment dynamics: Establishment age and survival data.

What the BUSI 101 Week 3 instructions ask

The group research paper in BUSI 101 unfolds in three steps, and this is the second. Each group chose a topic from the instructor's list in Module/Week 1; in Module/Week 3, one member submits an outline and a reference page on the group's behalf. The reference page must include at least seven scholarly, peer-reviewed references in current APA format, and the outline should show how the group plans to organize the 7-8 page final paper due in Module/Week 7. The same module/week brings the Forum 2 thread, Connect Assignment 3 and chapters 5 and 6 of Nickels et al., so groups that divide the research early finish more easily.

How this BUSI 101 Week 3 example is built

The sample outline opens with a thesis and a one-line purpose for each section, so the group knows what every part of the paper must do. The order runs from how common closure is, through why it happens, to what an owner can do about it. Each bullet names the source that will support it, which lets the group check that every major claim has evidence before drafting starts. A section on business planning presents a disagreement between studies instead of hiding it, and the recommendations section links each suggestion to a finding. The reference page lists nine peer-reviewed sources in alphabetical order, two more than required, plus the textbook and the Bible.

BUSI 101 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go

The outline and references are graded on whether the reference page includes at least seven scholarly, peer-reviewed sources formatted in current APA style and whether the outline gives a clear, logical plan for the paper on the chosen topic. Instructors look for a thesis, sections that follow from it and sources that match the claims they will support. Magazine pieces, encyclopedia entries and ordinary web pages fall outside the count of seven, however useful they may be. Formatting errors in the reference list, such as missing DOIs, wrong capitalization or entries out of alphabetical order, cost points because APA format is part of what this step assesses. A thesis that the sources can actually support is worth more than an ambitious one they cannot.

BUSI 101 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost points

Agree on a thesis as a group before anyone writes the outline, because every section should serve it. Search the Jerry Falwell Library databases with the peer-reviewed filter on, and read at least the abstract of each source so you know what it found. Assign one source or more to each outline point. Include a section that addresses evidence against your thesis, since that makes the final paper stronger. Format the reference page in APA style with hanging indents and DOIs, and alphabetize it. Have one member check the whole submission before the group's designated person submits it. Keep a shared document of sources so members do not duplicate each other's searches.

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BUSI 101 Week 3 questions, answered

What is the BUSI 101 Group Research Paper Outline and References?

The 50-point step due in Module/Week 3: one group member submits an outline of the planned paper and a reference page listing at least seven scholarly, peer-reviewed sources in APA format.

Where can I find a free BUSI 101 Week 3 sample paper?

Here is a full BUSI 101 Week 3 outline and reference page for a group paper on why small businesses fail and how they survive.

What percentage of small businesses fail?

Federal establishment data show that about a fifth of new business establishments close within their first year and roughly half within five years, though not every closure is a failure.

Does a business plan help a new business survive?

Studies disagree: one meta-analysis found planning improves performance modestly, especially for established small firms, while other research found its value comes from organizing early activities.

What else is due in BUSI 101 Module/Week 3?

Students also post the second forum's thread and finish Connect Assignment 3 while reading Nickels et al.'s fifth and sixth chapters on ownership and entrepreneurship. with a presentation.

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