Introduction to Business – BUS 100

Prerequisite: None

Quarter: Summer, 2008

Meeting Days/Time: Online
Asynchronous/Synchronous
Instructor: Dr. Michelle T. Ross
Instructor Phone: 760-484-4288
Instructor E-mail:
michelle.ross@strayer.edu
Instructor Office
Hours/Location: Virtual office
hours – Mondays and
Wednesdays 7-8 PM (EST)
Academic Office Phone Number:
1-877-540-1733

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL
( including all mandatory software)
Griffin, R.W., & Ebert, R.J. (2006). Introduction to business (8th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Provides a foundation in business operations through a survey of major business functions

(management, production, marketing, finance and accounting, human resource management,
and various support functions). Offers an overview of business organizations and the business
environment, strategic planning, international business, and quality assurance.

II. EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon the successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
a. Describe the basic types of economic systems, the elements of private enterprise, and
the various degrees of competition in a market economy.
b. Describe the global economic environment that impacts U.S. business.
c. Explain the roles of ethics and social responsibilities in business.
d. Define entrepreneurship and describe the nature and importance in the U.S. economy of
small businesses.
e. Distinguish between the major forms of business ownership and compare the
advantages and disadvantages of each.
f. Describe the primary functions, levels, skills and leadership styles of managers.
g. Explain the considerations for developing organizational structure and describe
common forms of organizational structure.
h. Describe the basic components of the marketing process (product, promotion,
pricing, and distribution).

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 i. Explain the role of financial management, human resource management, and
information management in a business.
j. Describe the fundamental components of the production/operations management for
goods and services.
k. Describe the basic accounting process, the financial statements used in business, and
the basic functioning of the US banking system.

*Course instructor may provide additional outcomes in this section as well.

III. EXPECTED WEEKLY LEARNING OUTCOMES

The following weekly learning outcomes will be addressed:

Week 1
Chapter 1 Understanding the U.S. Business System
a. Define the nature of U.S. business and identify its main goals.
b. Describe different types of global economic systems according to the means by
which they control the factors of production through input and output markets.
c. Show how demand and supply affect resource distribution in the United States.
d. Identify the elements of private enterprise and explain the various degrees of
competition in the U.S. economic system.

Chapter 2 Understanding the Environments of Business

a. Explain the concepts of organizational boundaries and multiple organizational
environments.
b. Explain the importance of the economic environment to business and identify the
factors used to evaluate and manage the performance of an economic system.
c. Describe the technological environment and its role in business.
d. Describe the sociocultural environment and its role in business.
e. Identify emerging challenges and opportunities in the business environment.

Week 2
Chapter 3 Conducting Business Ethically and Responsibly
a. Explain how individuals develop their personal codes of ethics and why ethics
are important in the workplace.
b. Distinguish social responsibility from ethics, identify organizational
stakeholders, and trace the evolution of social responsibility in U.S. business.
c. Show how the concept of social responsibility applies both to environmental
issues and to a firm’s relationships with customers, employees, and investors.
d. Identify four general approaches to social responsibility and describe the four
steps that a firm must take to implement a social responsibility program.
e. Explain how issues of social responsibility and ethics affect small business.

Chapter 4
Understanding Entrepreneurship and New Ventures
a.
Define small business and explain its importance to the U.S. economy.
b.
Define entrepreneurship and describe some basic entrepreneurial characteristics.
c.
Describe the business plan and start-up decisions made by businesses and identify
sources of financial aid available to such enterprises.
d. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of franchising.
e. Describe the various forms of legal ownership (sole proprietorship, partnership, and
corporation) and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each form.
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 Week 3
Chapter 5 Understanding the Global Context of Business
a. Describe the rise of international business, identify the major world
marketplaces, and discuss the United States’ major trading partners.
b. Explain how different forms of competitive advantage, import-export balances,
exchange rates, and foreign competition determine the ways in which countries
and businesses respond to the international environment.
c. Describe the factors involved in deciding to do business internationally and in
selecting the appropriate levels of international involvement and international
organizational structure.
d. Describe some of the ways in which social, cultural, economic, legal, and
political differences among nations affect international business.

Chapter 6 Managing the Business Enterprise

a. Explain the importance of setting goals and formulating strategies as the starting
points of effective management.
b. Describe the four activities that constitute the management process.
c. Identify types of managers by level and area.
d. Describe the five basic management skills.
e. Describe the development and explain the importance of corporate culture.

Week 4
Chapter 7 Organizing the Business Enterprise
a. Explain the elements that influence a firm’s organizational structure.
b. Explain specialization and departmentalization as the building blocks of
organizational structure.
c. Distinguish between responsibility, authority, delegation, and accountability, and
explain the differences between decision making in centralized and decentralized
organizations.
d. Explain the differences between functional, divisional, matrix, and international
organizational structures.
e. Describe the informal organization and discuss “intrepreneuring”.

Chapter 8 Managing Human Resources and Labor Relations

a. Define human resource management, discuss its strategic significance, and
explain how managers plan for human resources.
b. Identify the issues involved in staffing a company, including internal and
external recruiting and selection.
c. Describe the different ways in which organizations go about developing the
workforce and the role of performance appraisals.
d. Outline the main components of a compensation system.
e. Outline the major legal issues involved in human resource management.
f. Explain why workers organize into labor unions.
g. Describe the collective bargaining process and items addressed in the labor
contract.

Chapter 9 Motivating and Leading Employees

a. Explain the importance of job satisfaction and employee morale, and describe
several strategies for enhancing job satisfaction.
b. Identify and summarize the most important theories of employee motivation.
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 c. Describe the different managerial styles of leadership and their impact on human
relations in the workplace.

Week 5 Midterm Examination No additional learning outcomes, mid-term examination

administered. Note: Instructor may introduce the remaining major topic areas in the course as a
preview or use this period to review previous topics.

Week 6
Chapter 10 Understanding Marketing Processes and Consumer Behavior
a. Define marketing and outline the components of the marketing mix (strategy).
b. Describe the five forces that constitute the external marketing environment.
c. Explain market segmentation and show how it is used in target marketing.
d. Explain the purpose and value of marketing research.
e. Describe the key factors that influence the consumer buying process.
f. Discuss the three categories of organizational markets and explain how
organizational buying behavior differs from consumer buying behavior.

Chapter 11 Developing and Pricing Products

a. Define a “product” and distinguish between consumer and industrial products.
b. Trace the stages of the product life cycle and outline the process for developing a
new product.
c. Explain the importance of branding, packaging and labeling.
d. Identify the various pricing decisions and describe the price-setting tools used in
making these decisions.
e. Describe various pricing strategies and tactics for both existing and new products.

Chapter 12 Distributing Products

a. Identify the different channels of distribution and explain different distribution
strategies.
b. Explain the differences between merchant wholesalers and agent/brokers.
c. Identify the different types of retailing and retail stores.
d. Describe the major activates in the physical distribution process.
e. Compare the five basic forms of transportation.

Week 7
Chapter 13 Promoting Product
a. Describe the important objectives of promotion and the considerations in
selecting a promotional mix.
b. Summarize the most important advertising strategies and describe the key
advertising media.
c. Outline the tasks involved in personal selling and list the steps in the personal
selling process.
d. Describe the various types of sales promotions.
e. Differentiate between publicity and public relations.
f. Describe the development of international promotional strategies.

Chapter 14 Producing Goods and Services

a. Explain the meaning of the terms “production” and “operations” and describe the
four kinds of utility provided.
b. Describe and explain the two classifications of operations processes.
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 c. Identify the characteristics that distinguish service operations from goods
production and explain the main differences in the service focus.
d. Describe the factors involved in operations planning.
e. Explain the considerations and tools for operations scheduling.
f. Describe the activities involved in operations control, including material
management and various tools used for operations process control.

Week 8
Chapter 15 Managing for Productivity and Quality
a. Describe the connection between productivity and quality.
b. Explain the decline and recovery in U.S. productivity that occurred in the last
several decades.
c. Identify the activities involved in total quality management and describe several
tools that companies can use to achieve it.
d. Describe the trends in productivity and quality management (international quality
standards, process reengineering, and supply chain management) and discuss
several ways in which companies can compete by improving productivity and
quality.

Chapter 16 Managing Information Systems and Communication Technology

a. Explain why businesses must manage information and show how computer
systems and communication technologies have revolutionized information
management.
b. Identify and briefly describe three elements of data communication networks- the
Internet, The World Wide Web, and intranets.
c. Describe five new options for organizational design that have emerged from the
rapid growth of information technologies.
d. Discuss different information-systems applications programs that are available
for users at various organizational levels.
e. Identify and briefly describe the main elements of an information system.

Week 9
Chapter 17 Understanding Principles of Accounting
a. Explain the role of accountants and distinguish between the kinds of work done
by public and private accountants.
b. Explain how the following concepts are used in accounting: the accounting
equation and double-entry accounting.
c. Describe the three basic financial statements and explain how they reflect the
activity and financial condition of a business.
d. Explain how computing key financial ratios can help in analyzing the financial
strengths of a business.
e. Explain some of the special issues facing accountants at firms that do
international business.

Chapter 18 Understanding Money and Banking

a. Define money and identify the different forms that it takes in the nation’s money
supply.
b. Describe the different kinds of financial institutions that comprise the U.S.
financial system and explain the services they offer.
c. Explain how banks “create money” (expand the money supply) and describe the
means by which they are regulated.
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 d. Outline the functions of the Federal Reserve System and describe the tools that it
uses to control the money supply.
e. Summarize some of the key activities in international banking and finance.

Week 10
Chapter 19 Understanding Securities and Investments
a. Explain the difference between primary and secondary securities markets.
b. Discuss the value to shareholders of common and preferred stock, and describe
the secondary market for each type of security.
c. Distinguish among various types of bonds in terms on their issuers, safety, and
retirement.
d. Describe the investment opportunities offered by mutual funds and commodities.
e. Explain the process by which securities are bought and sold.
f. Explain how securities markets are regulated.

Chapter 20 Understanding Financial and Risk Management

a. Describe the responsibilities of a financial manager.
b. Identify four sources of short-term financing for businesses.
c. Distinguish among the various sources of long-term financing and explain the
risks entailed by each type.
d. Explain how risk affects business operations and identify the five steps in the risk
management process.
e. Explain the distinction between insurable and uninsurable risks. 
f. Distinguish among the different types of insurance purchased by businesses.

Week 11 Final Examination

IV. COURSE OUTLINE

DATE CHAPTER INFORMATION

Week 1 1,2 Understanding the U.S. Business System,
Understanding the Environments of Business

Week 2 3,4 Conducting Business Ethically and Responsibly,

Understanding Entrepreneurship and New Ventures

Week 3 5,6 Understanding the Global Context of Business,

Managing the Business Enterprise

Week 4 7,8,9 Organizing the Business Enterprise, Managing

Human Resources and Labor Relations, Motivating
and Leading Employees

Week 5 Midterm Examination

Week 6 10,11,12 Understanding the Marketing Processes and

Consumer Behavior, Developing and Pricing
Products, Distributing Products

Week 7 13,14 Promoting Products, Producing Goods and Services

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 Week 8 15,16 Managing for Productivity and Quality, Managing
Information Systems and Communication Technology

Week 9 17,18 Understanding Principles of Accounting,

Understanding Money and Banking

Week 10 19,20 Understanding Securities and Investments,

Understanding Financial and Risk Management

Week 11 Final Examination

V. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND TEACHING STRATEGIES

The course will be conducted using lectures and class discussions, in-class group discussions of
chapter cases, and individual case analysis assignments. Class sessions will include discussions on
current examples of business operations from various types of organizations. Group discussions
and assignments will be conducted to enhance collaborative learning. Student comprehension of
course content will be assessed through examinations, group and individual case analysis
assignments, and active participation in group discussion sessions.

Course requirements:

1. Mid-term examination
2. Final examination
3. Completion of all assignments
4. Active class participation
5. Regular class attendance

Note: This paragraph outlines the major course events. Recommend instructors provide an
overview of the conduct of the course and summarize the basic mechanisms of the course events
(class sessions, group discussions, case analysis, quizzes and examinations, etc.). Describe the
nature/context/intent of assignments, provide the basic format, any reference or research
requirements, due dates, turn in process, and any late work policy (if accepted, partial credit,
etc.). Indicate where additional instructions can be found, such as a memo or on the class web
page. Recommend instructors use the chapter questions and case articles as the basis for group
discussions. Group discussions and class presentations of the groups’’ conclusions should be
scheduled throughout the course.

VI. EVALUATION METHODS

Final Grade %
Mid-Term Examination %
Final Examination %
Assignments Quizzes etc… %
Class Participation %
Course Policies and Procedures

All students are required to:

Complete all assignments on time


Complete readings

Complete discussion threads

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  Attend and participate in at least 4 of the 6 synchronous/virtual classroom (VC)
discussions.

Summary of deliverables (see each week for details):

 Discussion Threads; You are required to make three postings per discussion question for
the week (this will include your original posting).  These postings need to be of interests
and make a contribution to the discussion (asynchronous interactions) discussion
questions are due by Saturday each week 12pm PST. The discussion threads are
worth 25 points each for a total of 50 points.

 Synchronous/Virtual Chats: There will be 3 sessions offered Thursdays 6 PM PST.

Note: Another day may be selected depending on the size of the class. The Chats are
worth 10 points each for a total of 30 points; you must participate in 3 Chats/1 per
week offered (no chat scheduled for Week #3).

 Assignments: While to make sure to include your own thoughts and reasoning in the
discussion, be sure to support your comments with academic references in proper APA
format. The normal length of this paper should be approximately 2-3 pages. The papers
should be written in APA format. Assignment 1 & 2 are worth 25 pts apiece. Week
Four has two assignments, assignment one is worth 100 pts and assignment two is
worth 30 points. The total for all assignments is 180 points. All assignments are
located on the Ecollege platform in Week 1, Week 2, and Week 4.

 Virtual Group Assignments: Directions are listed under Week 2 and Week 3. Each
assignment is worth 20 points. The total for the assignments is 40 points.

 The total possible points for the course = 300 points. However, note that you must earn
points with in-depth, complete, and supported work (properly cited in APA format) with
critical thinking/analysis.

This section outlines key objectives or assignments upon which a student’s grade will be based;
including how students will be assessed (including but not limited to exams, quizzes, group
exercises, presentation, etc.).

Grading Scale
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Below 60 F

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VII. UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Students are expected to follow the policies and procedures of Strayer University in regards to
Honor Pledge, Integrity Policy, Ethics, Diversity, Confidentiality, Participation Guidelines,
Attendance Policies, and Grading Disputes. For clarification, please link to the appropriate site on
the homepage.

Students have access to additional services with Strayer University, such as Learning Resources/Library,
Tutoring Services, reasonable accommodations for disabilities, and Security. It is recommended that you
become familiar with the services offer to you from Strayer University.

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