Course Outline (view as calendar)

January 22 :: Introduction and Business Basics

• Introduction to course
• Class syllabus and book
• Here is a link to the Business Department Student Orientation where you can explore how becoming a Business major may benefit you. http://bit.ly/MCBusinessOrientation

• Chapter 1: The Foundations of Business

  1. Introduction
  2. Getting Down to Business
  3. What Is Economics?
  4. Perfect Competition and Supply and Demand
  5. Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly, and Monopoly
  6. Measuring the Health of the Economy
  7. Government’s Role in Managing the Economy

January 29 :: Business Ethics

• Chapter 2: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

  1. Misgoverning Corporations: An Overview
  2. The Individual Approach to Ethics
  3. Identifying Ethical Issues
  4. The Organizational Approach to Ethics
  5. Corporate Social Responsibility
  6. Environmentalism
  7. Stages of Corporate Responsibility
• Resume part 1: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

February 5 :: Business in a Global Environment

• Chapter 3: Business in a Global Environment

  1. The Globalization of Business
  2. Opportunities in International Business
  3. The Global Business Environment
  4. Trade Controls
  5. Reducing International Trade Barriers
  6. Preparing for a Career in International Business
• Group project initial proposal: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

February 12 :: Business Ownership and Entrepreneurship

• Chapter 4: Selecting a Form of Business Ownership

  1. Factors to Consider
  2. Sole Proprietorship
  3. Partnership
  4. Corporation
  5. Other Types of Business Ownership
  6. Mergers and Acquisitions

• Chapter 5: The Challenges of Starting a Business

  1. What Is an Entrepreneur?
  2. The Importance of Small Business to the U.S. Economy
  3. What Industries Are Small Businesses In?
  4. Advantages and Disadvantages of Business Ownership
  5. Starting a Business
  6. The Business Plan
  7. How to Succeed in Managing a Business
• Resume Part 2: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

February 19 :: Test #1 and Business Management Principles

• Test #1 (Chapters 1- 5) on Monday

• Chapter 6: Managing for Business Success

  1. What Do Managers Do?
  2. Planning
  3. Organizing
  4. Directing
  5. Controlling
  6. Managerial Skills
• Group project presentation plan: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

February 26 :: Business Operations Management

• Chapter 11: Operations Management in Manufacturing and Service Industries

  1. Operations Management in Manufacturing
  2. Facility Layouts
  3. Managing the Production Process in a Manufacturing Company
  4. Graphical Tools: PERT and Gantt Charts
  5. The Technology of Goods Production
  6. Operations Management for Service Providers
  7. Producing for Quality
• Group project paper: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

March 5 :: Group Project Presentations

• Group presentations all week

March 12 :: Spring Recess

March 19 :: Business Human Resources and Teamwork

• Chapter 7: Recruiting, Motivating, and Keeping Quality Employees

  1. Human Resource Management
  2. Developing Employees
  3. Motivating Employees
  4. What Makes a Great Place to Work?
  5. Performance Appraisal
  6. Labor Unions

• Chapter 8: Teamwork and Communications

  1. The Team and the Organization
  2. Why Teamwork Works
  3. The Team and Its Members
  4. The Business of Communication
  5. Communication Channels
  6. Forms of Communication
• Case Study Assigned

March 26 :: Business Marketing

• Chapter 9: Marketing: Providing Value to Customers

  1. What Is Marketing?
  2. The Marketing Mix
  3. Pricing a Product
  4. Placing a Product
  5. Promoting a Product
  6. Interacting with Your Customers
  7. The Product Life Cycle
  8. The Marketing Environment
  9. Careers in Marketing
• Case study proposal: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

April 2 :: Business Product Design and Development

• Chapter 10: Product Design and Development

  1. What Is a Product?
  2. Where Do Product Ideas Come From?
  3. Identifying Business Opportunities
  4. Forecasting Demand
  5. Breakeven Analysis
  6. Product Development
  7. Protecting Your Idea

April 9 :: Test #2 and Business Accounting

• Test #2 (chpts. 11 - 13) on Monday

• Chapter 12: The Role of Accounting in Business

  1. The Role of Accounting
  2. Understanding Financial Statements
  3. Accrual Accounting
  4. Financial Statement Analysis
  5. The Profession: Ethics and Opportunities
• Case study outline: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

April 16 :: Business and Personal Finance

• Chapter 13: Managing Financial Resources

  1. The Functions of Money
  2. Financial Institutions
  3. The Federal Reserve System
  4. The Role of the Financial Manager
  5. Understanding Securities Markets
  6. Financing the Going Concern
  7. Careers in Finance

• Chapter 14: Personal Finances

  1. Financial Planning
  2. Time Is Money
  3. The Financial Planning Process
  4. A House Is Not a Piggy Bank: A Few Lessons from the Subprime Crisis

April 23 :: Business IT and the Legal and Regulatory Environment

• Chapter 15: Managing Information and Technology

  1. Data versus Information
  2. Managing Data
  3. Types of Information Systems
  4. Computer Networks and Cloud Computing
  5. Data Communications Networks
  6. Security Issues in Electronic Communication
  7. Careers in Information Management

• Chapter 16: The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business

  1. Law and the Legal System
  2. Criminal versus Civil Law
  3. Negligence Torts
  4. Product Liability
  5. Some Principles of Public Law
• Case study paper: due by Friday at 9:00 a.m. on Blackboard

April 30 :: Case Study Presentations

• Case study presentations all week

May-07/09 :: Test #3

• Test #3 (Chapters 12 - 16) [class meets at scheduled exam time for the final test - see calendar for details]