COURSE SYLLABUS

MATERIALS:

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:

Ferrell, O.C., Geoffrey Hirt, Linda Ferrell.  Business: A Changing World, 5th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2006.
ISBN: 0-07-297358-7

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works Word Processor,
Netscape or Microsoft Internet Browser,
WWW access. See the Web Course Orientation for more details.

PURPOSE OF COURSE:

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the many facets of the private enterprise system and of the businesses that operate within it. Since it is the first course in business, Introduction to Business is not going to teach you "everything you always wanted to know about business but were too afraid to ask." It is anticipated, though, that through your experiences in this course, you will gain a better understanding of what private enterprise is all about and what is included in each of the several academic areas of study in business at Harford and other institutions of higher education. It is hoped that this improved understanding will increase your appreciation of the private enterprise system and will assist you in planning both your academic program and future career.

GOALS OF THE COURSE:

In order to achieve the purpose as stated, the following goals have been set for your learning experiences in this course. This course should:

• acquaint you with the private enterprise system--the foundation upon which American business is built;
• acquaint you with the American economic system and contrast it to other possibilities;
• acquaint you with the aspects involved with starting a business;
• acquaint you with the various functional areas of business-- accounting, finance, management, and marketing--and how these areas are interrelated by means of information systems;
• acquaint you with the nation's security markets--a dynamic part of your everyday life;
• stimulate you to think about how you are affected by the business system and how you might someday fit into that system;
• acquaint you with the language of business.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Completion of each lesson's learning activities.
• Completion of evaluation criteria as assigned by the instructor.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

The final grade will be determined by a composite evaluation of the student's performance on exams (70%), chapter assignments and other activities (30%).  Chapter assignments usually include: Check Your Progress, Get Involved and Build Your Skills assignments.  Other activities may include quizzes, Web reports or cases, participation in assigned web-chat activities and discussions and/or book reports or article summaries. Instructor will inform students of the point values assigned to each of the above mentioned exercises.

GRADING:

Exams  (5 @ 100 points each)                          70% of grade
Chapter assignments and other activities        30% of grade

While the WebCT gradebook helps the student maintain a record of  graded assignments and points,  the official records are maintained by the course instructor.

A - 90%  of weighted points
B - 80%         "
C - 70%         "
D - 60%         "
F - 59 and below

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS:

Not available.

COURSE OUTLINE

Unit 1
The Dynamics of Business & Economics
The Legal & Regulatory Environment

Business, Ethics, & Social Responsibility

Business in a Borderless World

Unit 2
Options for Organizing Business

Small Business, Entrepreneurship, & Franchising

Unit 3
Managerial Decision Making

Organization, Teamwork, & Communication

Production & Operations Management

Unit 4
Motivating the Work Force

Managing Human Resources

Unit 5

Customer-Driven Marketing
Dimensions of Marketing Strategy

Unit 6

Money and the Financial System

Accounting & Financial Statements

Financial Management & Securities Markets

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