Course Syllabus

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Course Syllabus

 

BUS 20

Introduction to Business

 

 

 

 

 

Course Description

 

This course is a survey of business principles, problems, practices and procedures. Student will learn through readings, discussions, quizzes, and assignments related to the nature of business, ownership, recruitment and training of personnel, labor-management relations, production and distribution of goods, competition, profits, transportation, finance, government, business relations and the interaction of business with society.

 

Students participate in the class through discussion questions and responses, and through writing assignments and quizzes utilizing the Canvas Learning Portal.  The week one discussion question is posted in this syllabus, all other discussion questions will be posted in the Canvas Learning portal on Monday of each week and students must make an initial post to the week’s question by Wednesday of each week.  Additionally each student must provide responses to at least two other posts from other students throughout the week.  These responses must be completed by Sunday of each week. 

 

The writing assignments are outlined in this syllabus and must be completed and submitted by Sunday of each week.    All discussions questions, writing assignments and exams will be submitted via the Canvas Learning portal provided by Cabrillo College.

 

Students must also submit a total of four news report/blog entries, as well as eight responses to the entries of other students, by the conclusion of the course.

 

Instructor Policies

 

Instructor Information

 

Dave Hood

dahood@cabrillo.edu

831-917-4028  - Cell

 

Instructor Availability

 

The best way to contact me is via my Cabrillo email.  I endeavor to respond to all emails within a business day.  You are welcome to call my cell between 7am and 7pm.

 

Late Assignments

All work is due on the scheduled date at 11:59 PM (posted in Canvas unless an exception has been noted), unless other arrangements have been made with the instructor. Any work submitted after the due date will be penalized 10% of possible points for each day they are late. Assignments more than 5 days late will not be accepted.

Written Assessments

All papers, unless otherwise noted, are to be typed, proofread, and spell-checked prior to submission. . All papers are to be formatted according to APA guidelines. Written work is graded for content, organization, style, grammar, and formatting. The instructor will provide a grading matrix for written work.

Papers.  All papers will be graded on content and writing consistency as follows:

  • Content (60-80%). The paper should address the subject as defined in the syllabus. 
  • Organization (10-20%): Concepts and arguments presented in the paper should be logically organized and presented. 
  • Mechanics and Writing Standard (10-20%) The paper should reflect proper use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling and should be free of typographical errors.  Papers must adhere to APA style requirements where specified in the assignment.

 

News Report/Blog Entries

 

Students are required to submit four brief summaries (200-300 words) of relevant news stories or blog posts throughout the 8 week session.  The summary should describe how the story/post is relevant to the week’s chapter assignment or Instructor’s posts/comments.  Additionally, students must post at least eight comments to news/blog posts of other students.

 

Feedback

Students will receive feedback via Canvas on all work submitted no more than seven days after submission. Any exceptions will be noted in the syllabus. Please post your assignments in the Assignments section of Canvas as Word documents to assure I will be able to provide feedback in the document.

 

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is a serious academic violation and can significantly impact a student’s success.  Essentially, plagiarism is presenting someone else words or ideas as your own.  The most common form of plagiarism is failure to provide proper citations and references to another authors work or to one own work which is presented for a different purpose.  The most egregious form of plagiarism is presenting someone else work as your own.  Minor occurrences of plagiarism will receive credit reductions, egregious plagiarism with result in no credit for the assignment, and the incident will be reported as an academic violation. 

 

Grading Scale 

 

Grade

A

B

C

D

F

Percentage

90-100

80-89

70-79

60-69

60>

 

Weekly Point Values

 

 

 

 

Course Materials

 

Ferrell,O. C., Hirt, Geoffrey A., Ferrell, Linda (2010). M: Business (5th/e). McGraw-Hill.  There are two choices:   ISBN:   9781259896804 (online version of book plus “Connect”) OR ISBN:   9781259867514 (hardcopy of book plus “Connect”)

 

 

 

Week One

 

The nature and purpose of business

 

  • Explain the  basis purpose of business
  • Compare and contrast the nature of business to the basic purpose
  • Explain how the nature of business has changed over the last 50 years

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart Modules

 

  • Read Ch. 1&2 of M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

  1. Weekly Quiz
    • Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal. There are 20 question and a time limit of 30 minutes.  You earn 20 points for completing the quiz.

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question

 

  • Complete a self-introductory paragraph that includes you name, student and work status (full/part time), your area of study and your personal plans for success. Also provide a summary of your perception of the purpose and value of business.  Comment on changes you have observed in the organization, leadership and management of businesses.  Are these positive or negative changes?  This response is due by Wednesday of Week 1.
  • After posting your response you will be able to observe other class members posts. Provided at least two responses to other classmates’ responses.  Your responses should be substantive (50 -100 words) and indicate your understanding of your classmates post.  Regardless whether you agree or disagree with you classmates posts please keep your response courteous and professional.
  1.   News Report/BLOG (Optional)
  • You have the option of submitting a News Report/BLOG entry this week, you may also provide a response to other students’ posts. 
  • A total of four News Reports and eight responses must be submitted during the entire course
  • No more than one news report may be submitted each week

Week Two

 

International Business/Business Formation

 

  • Explain the differences in the three basis business structure
  • Assess the importance as well as the challenges of international businesses

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart

 

  • Read Ch. 3 & 4 of M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

  1. Weekly Quiz
    • Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal. There are 20 question for a total of 20 possible points.  There is a time limit of 30 minutes.

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question

 

  • Prepare a 100 – 200 word response to the discussion question posted and the beginning of the week. This response is due by Wednesday of Week 2.
  • Prepare substantive responses to a minimum of two of your classmate’s responses. Your responses may be supportive or contradictory, but in either case justify your response and provide appropriate citations where necessary.  These responses are due by the end of week 2.

 

Week Three

 

Entrepreneurship/Management

 

  • Assess the different roles managers play in an organization
  • Evaluate the Five Functions of Management
  • Understand how small businesses are started

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart

 

  • Read Ch 5 & 6 0ff M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

  1. Weekly Quiz
    • Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal. There are 20 question for a total of 20 possible points.  There is a time limit of 30 minutes.

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question
    • Prepare a 100 – 200 word response to the discussion question posted and the beginning of the week. This response is due by Wednesday of Week 3
    • Prepare substantive responses to a minimum of two of your classmate’s responses. Your responses may be supportive or contradictory, but in either case justify your response and provide appropriate citations where necessary.  These responses are due by the end of week 3.

 

  1. Writing Assignment: Forming a Business

 

  • Assume you are forming a business to provide an innovative product or service. Prepare a 700 -1050 word paper that addresses the following:
    • Product Name and description
    • Major features of the product
    • Primary Target Market (who would want this and why)
    • Amount of funding necessary to start this business
    • Type of business structure for the business (why is this the best type of structure)
    • Primary stakeholders of the business
  • This assignment is due by the end of week 3
  1.   News Report/BLOG (Optional)
  • You have the option of submitting a News Report/BLOG entry this week, you may also provide a response to other students’ posts. 
  • A total of four News Reports and eight responses must be submitted during the entire course
  • No more than one news report may be submitted each week

Week Four

 

Management

 

  • Assess the various ways control is structured within an organization
  • Evaluate methods of planning within a business

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart

 

  • Read Ch. 7-8 of M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

  1. Weekly Quiz
    • Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal. There are 20 question for a total of 20 possible points.  There is a time limit of 30 minutes.

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question
    • Prepare a 100 – 200 word response to the discussion question posted and the beginning of the week. This response is due by Wednesday of Week 4
    • Prepare substantive responses to a minimum of two of your classmate’s responses. Your responses may be supportive or contradictory, but in either case justify your response and provide appropriate citations where necessary.  These responses are due by the end of week 4.

 

  1. Writing Assignment: Functions of Management

 

  • Prepare a 700-1,050-word paper assessing the various role you as a manager play in addressing the five functions of management in the business you defined in week 3. Address how a managers role is affected by the following factors:
  • Globalization
  • Ethics and Social Responsibility
  • Economic trends and conditions

 

  • This assignment is due by the end of week 4
  1.   News Report/BLOG (Optional)
  • You have the option of submitting a News Report/BLOG entry this week, you may also provide a response to other students’ posts. 
  • A total of four News Reports and eight responses must be submitted during the entire course
  • No more than one news report may be submitted each week

Week Five

 

Managing the Human Side of Business

 

  • Understand the importance of motivation in an organization
  • Understand the nature of managing human resources

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart

 

  • Read Ch. 9-10 of M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

  1. Weekly Quiz

Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal.  There are 20 question for a total of 20 possible points.  There is a time limit of 30 minutes

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question

 

  • Prepare a 100 – 200 word response to the discussion question posted and the beginning of the week. This response is due by Wednesday of Week 5
  • Prepare substantive responses to a minimum of two of your classmate’s responses. Your responses may be supportive or contradictory, but in either case justify your response and provide appropriate citations where necessary.  These responses are due by the end of week 5.
  1.   News Report/BLOG (Optional)
  • You have the option of submitting a News Report/BLOG entry this week, you may also provide a response to other students’ posts. 
  • A total of four News Reports and eight responses must be submitted during the entire course
  • No more than one news report may be submitted each week

Week Six

 

Marketing

 

  • Evaluate the importance of understand customers and markets
  • Understand the role of the Marketing MIx

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart

 

  • Read Ch. 11-12 of M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

  1. Weekly Quiz

Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal.  There are 20 question for a total of 20 possible points.  There is a time limit of 30 minutes

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question

 

  • Prepare a 100 – 200 word response to the discussion question posted and the beginning of the week. This response is due by Wednesday of Week 6
  • Prepare substantive responses to a minimum of two of your classmate’s responses. Your responses may be supportive or contradictory, but in either case justify your response and provide appropriate citations where necessary.  These responses are due by the end of week 6.
  1.   News Report/BLOG (Optional)
  • You have the option of submitting a News Report/BLOG entry this week, you may also provide a response to other students’ posts. 
  • A total of four News Reports and eight responses must be submitted during the entire course
  • No more than one news report may be submitted each week

Week Seven

 

Digital Marketing/Financial Statements

  • Understand the three components of financial statements
  • Understand the role of digital marketing and social networking

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart

 

  • Read Ch. 13-14 of M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

 

  1. Weekly Quiz

Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal.  There are 20 question for a total of 20 possible points.  There is a time limit of 30 minutes

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question

 

  • Prepare a 100 – 200 word response to the discussion question posted and the beginning of the week. This response is due by Wednesday of Week 7
  • Prepare substantive responses to a minimum of two of your classmate’s responses. Your responses may be supportive or contradictory, but in either case justify your response and provide appropriate citations where necessary.  These responses are due by the end of week 7.

 

  1. Writing Assignment: Marketing Paper
  • Consider the business and product/services you identified in week 3. Prepare a 700- to 1050 word paper that addresses the Marketing Mix as it applies to this product or service.
    • How do you define the product to obtain the most appeal to the target market?
    • How do you go about getting the product or service to the customer? What distribution methods or channel are the best?
    • How do you go about setting a price for the product or service?
    • What is the best approach for promoting your product? Why?
  • This assignment is due by the end of week 7
  1.   News Report/BLOG (Optional)
  • You have the option of submitting a News Report/BLOG entry this week, you may also provide a response to other students’ posts. 
  • A total of four News Reports and eight responses must be submitted during the entire course
  • No more than one news report may be submitted each week

Week Eight

 

Finance and Accounting

 

  • Understand the roles of finance and accounting in an organization
  • Understand the basic accounting equation and how it relates to the organizations use of funds

 

Course Assignments

 

  1. Readings and Learnsmart

 

  • Read Ch. 15-16 of M: Business
  • Complete Learnsmart Modules

 

  1. Weekly Quiz

Complete the weekly quiz available from the Canvas Learning portal.  There are 20 question for a total of 20 possible points.  There is a time limit of 30 minutes

 

  1. Class Participation: Discussion Question
    • Prepare a 100 – 200 word response to the discussion question posted and the beginning of the week. This response is due by Wednesday of Week 8
    • Prepare substantive responses to a minimum of two of your classmate’s responses. Your responses may be supportive or contradictory, but in either case justify your response and provide appropriate citations where necessary.  These responses are due by the end of week 8.

 

  1. Writing Assignment: Accounting and Finance

 

  • Imagine the business you identified in Week 2 has grown significantly and needs a major amount of cash to expand its growth. .Prepare a 700 -1050 paper that addresses the following:
    • What type of funding would be most appropriate to fund this growth? What type of securities would be involved?
    • What potential risks and challenges are associated with this funding option?

 

  • This assignment is due by the end of week 8.
  1.   News Report/BLOG (Optional)
  • You have the option of submitting a News Report/BLOG entry this week, you may also provide a response to other students’ posts. 
  • A total of four News Reports and eight responses must be submitted during the entire course
  • No more than one news report may be submitted each week

Course Summary:

Date Details Due