Course Outline and Schedule

Week 1 :: Introduction and Economic & Business Foundations

• Introduction to course
• Class syllabus, book and web sites
• 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

  • The Nature of Business
  • Understanding the Business Environment
  • How Business and Economics Work
  • Macroeconomics: The Big Picture
  • Achieving Macroeconomic Goals
  • Microeconomics: Zeroing in on Businesses and Consumers
  • Competing in a Free Market
  • Trends in the Business Environment and Competition

Week 2 :: Class Projects & Business Ethics

• Introduction to individual and group projects

• Chapter 2: Making Ethical Decisions and Managing a Socially Responsible Business

  • Understanding Business Ethics
  • How Organizations Influence Ethical Conduct
  • Managing a Socially Responsible Business
  • Responsibilities to Stakeholders
  • Trends in Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

Week 3 :: Global Business & Types of Ownership

• Chapter 3: Competing in the Global Marketplace

  • Global Trade in the United States
  • Why Nations Trade
  • Barriers to Trade
  • Fostering Global Trade
  • International Economic Communities
  • Participating in the Global Marketplace
  • Threats and Opportunities in the Global Marketplace
  • The Impact of Multinational Corporations
  • Trends in Global Competition

• Chapter 4: Forms of Business Ownership

  • Going It Alone: Sole Proprietorships
  • Partnerships: Sharing the Load
  • Corporations: Limiting Your Liability
  • Specialized Forms of Business Organization
  • Franchising: A Popular Trend
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Trends in Business Ownership
• Case Study: proposal due

Week 4 :: Entrepreneurship

• Chapter 5: Entrepreneurship: Starting and Managing Your Own Business

  • Entrepreneurship Today
  • Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
  • Small Business: Driving America's Growth
  • Ready, Set, Start Your Own Business
  • Managing a Small Business
  • Small Business, Large Impact
  • The Small Business Administration
  • Trends in Entrepreneurship and Small-Business Ownership
• Group Project: proposal due

Week 5 :: Test #1 & Leadership

• Chapter 6: Management and Leadership in Today's Organizations

  • The Role of Management
  • Planning
  • Organizing
  • Leading, Guiding, and Motivating Others
  • Controlling
  • Managerial Roles
  • Managerial Skills
  • Trends in Management and Leadership
• Test #1 chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on-line all week

Week 6 :: Organizational Structure & Business Analytics

• Chapter 7: Designing Organizational Structures

  • Building Organizational Structures
  • Contemporary Structures
  • Using Teams to Enhance Motivation and Performance
  • Authority—Establishing Organizational Relationships
  • Degree of Centralization
  • Organizational Design Considerations
  • The Informal Organization
  • Trends in Organizational Structure

• Business Analytics

• Case Study: paper due

Week 7 :: Individual Presentations

• Individual Case Study Presentations

Week 8 :: Human Resources

• Chapter 8: Managing Human Resources and Labor Relations

  • Achieving High Performance through Human Resources Management
  • Employee Recruitment
  • Employee Selection
  • Employee Training and Development
  • Performance Planning and Evaluation
  • Employee Compensation and Benefits
  • The Labor Relations Process
  • Managing Grievances and Conflicts
  • Legal Environment of Human Resources and Labor Relations
  • Trends in Human Resource Management and Labor Relations

Week 9 :: Employee Motivation & Operations Management

• Chapter 9: Motivating Employees

  • Early Theories of Motivation
  • The Hawthorne Studies
  • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
  • McGregor's Theories X and Y
  • Herzberg's Motivator-Hygiene Theory
  • Contemporary Views on Motivation
  • From Motivation Theory to Application
  • Trends in Employee Motivation

• Chapter 10: Achieving World-Class Operations Management

  • Production and Operations Management—An Overview
  • The Production Process: How Do We Make It?
  • Location, Location, Location: Where Do We Make It?
  • Pulling It Together: Resource Planning
  • Production and Operations Control
  • Looking for a Better Way: Improving Production and Operations
  • Transforming the Factory Floor with Technology
  • Trends in Production and Operations Management
• Resume Assignment: SAPC due

Week 10 :: Test #2 & Marketing Product and Price

• Chapter 11: Creating Products and Pricing Strategies to Meet Customers' Needs

• The Marketing Concept
• Creating a Marketing Strategy
• Developing a Marketing Mix
• Buyer Behavior
• Market Segmentation
• What Is a Product?
• Creating Products That Deliver Value
• The Product Life Cycle
• Pricing Strategies and Future Trends
• Trends in Developing Products and Pricing
• Test #2 chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and Business Analytics on-line all week
• Group Project: project plan due

Week 11 :: Marketing Placement and Promotion

• Chapter 12: Distributing and Promoting Products and Services

  • The Nature and Functions of Distribution (Place)
  • Wholesaling
  • The Competitive World of Retailing
  • Using Supply Chain Management to Increase Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction
  • Promotion Strategy
  • The Huge Impact of Advertising
  • The Importance of Personal Selling
  • Sales Promotion
  • Public Relations Helps Build Goodwill
  • Trends in Social Media
  • Trends in E-Commerce
• Resume Assignment: advertisement, cover letter, and resume due

Week 12 :: Accounting

• Chapter 14: Using Financial Information and Accounting

  • Accounting: More than Numbers
  • The Accounting Profession
  • Basic Accounting Procedures
  • The Balance Sheet
  • The Income Statement
  • The Statement of Cash Flows
  • Analyzing Financial Statements
  • Trends in Accounting
• Group Project: plan for presentation due

Week 13 :: Information Technology

• Chapter 13: Using Technology to Manage Information

  • Transforming Businesses through Information
  • Linking Up: Computer Networks
  • Management Information Systems
  • Technology Management and Planning
  • Protecting Computers and Information
  • Trends in Information Technology
• Group Project: investor summary (group paper) due

Week 14 :: Group Presentations

• Group Presentations

• Group Project: evaluations due on the following Monday

Week 15 :: Business and Personal Finance

• Chapter 15: Understanding Money and Financial Institutions

  • Show Me the Money
  • The Federal Reserve System
  • U:S: Financial Institutions
  • Insuring Bank Deposits
  • International Banking
  • Trends in Financial Institutions

• Chapter 16: Understanding Financial Management and Securities Markets

  • The Role of Finance and the Financial Manager
  • How Organizations Use Funds
  • Obtaining Short-Term Financing
  • Raising Long-Term Financing
  • Equity Financing
  • Securities Markets
  • Buying and Selling at Securities Exchanges
  • Trends in Financial Management and Securities Markets

Week 16 :: Final Exam

• Test # chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 - see syllabus for test times