SYLLABUS

Introduction to Business
and World Affairs
Spring 2021

Course Title:
BA 101 Introduction to Business and World Affairs Section: 001 CRN: 60210

Class Time and Location:

Monday’s and Wednesdays – 10:00AM –11:50AM
Remote Zoom Meetings
Zoom Help: Click Here

Professor:
Dr. Stanton Heister:
Office: KMC 430 M
email: Stanton.heister@pdx.edu
Phone: 503-725-2134
Office Hours: T/TH 11:00AM - 1:00PM (& by appt.)
TA; Sophie Chavez-Wolf – eMail: sophie22@pdx.edu

Accessibility Statement: I can most easily be contacted before or after class. My office hours will be held virtually this
term so we can arrange to chat then, or schedule an appointment if needed. I also respond to email on a regular basis;
however, I do not accept assignments via email. Please do NOT email me through the learning management application
(Canvas) – if you want to email me, use my PDX email shown above.

Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to the business firm operating in the local, national, and global marketplace. We will
explore the business as an integrated system of different disciplines. As such, the course emphasizes the integration of the
various functional areas of business as the firm evolves from its entrepreneurial origins to a mature corporation.

One unique – and really cool – aspect of this course will be the exposure that you get to different faculty and leaders
within the School of Business. We will have deans, advisors and program directors helping you understand how to
succeed in the School of Business and to understand the future of the School of Business. We will have different faculty
leaders from many business disciplines giving you their perspective on both the details of their expertise and the bigger
picture of how their discipline contributes to the success of any business. And, Dr. Stanton Heister will be your host
throughout the term, hopefully connecting the dots between people, disciplines and success, helping you understand this
integrated system – and, most importantly, helping you understand your own place in both business and society. It’ll be
great!

Course Objectives:
The learning objectives are to provide a broad understanding of the following:

 The creation and organization of a business;

 Basic vocabulary and understanding of each functional area within a business
 (marketing, finance, accounting, production, distribution, and human resources);
 The relationship among these functional areas;
 Team building and small group development; and
 The global dimensions of business.

TEXT: - ISBN: 978-1-4533-9982-8 - Flatworld Publishing:

Exploring Business, v. 3.0.1 – Karen Collins - Adapted by Stanton Heister
Student Link to the Purchase the eBook: https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/2595377
**Students must purchase the eBook!
Please Purchase either the eBook only ($35) OR the eBook With Color Printed Book ($59.95)
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS
As with all BA courses in the PSU business degree, this course will have the following goals:
 Problem Solving & Decision Making – We will solve problems throughout this course. More
importantly, we will use the information provided by those problems to help us make a variety of
business decisions. Also, more importantly, we will spend a fair bit of time focusing on what
information, assumptions and variables need to go into solving those problems.
 Sustainability – Human, social and environmental factors play a critical role in every business.
Throughout this course, we will obtain a better understanding of how these factors have a financial
impact on investment and business decisions.
 Business Communication – All business professionals need to be professional communicators.
Nobody cares if you got the ‘right’ answer if you cannot effectively communicate that answer and why
it is important. We will work on learning how to effectively communicate complex financial
information.
 Integrative Learning – You are a business student. Your ability to integrate accounting, marketing,
operations, organizational and strategy issues into other business objectives will impact your
performance in this course, your performance in this business program, and your performance in
business.

Course Expectations:

 Class will be remote (Zoom Meetings) start and end promptly at the scheduled times. Class participants are
responsible for all material covered in the book and discussed or presented in class either through lecture, video,
activities or guest speakers. “Lecturettes” in the form of Zoom Videos will cover concepts presented in the book and
Please come to our Zoom classroom sessions prepared with at least 2 questions on the topics in the chapter or the
lecturettes and plan to have your Camera ON during the Zoom call.

 Courteous conduct “contributes” to class, while discourteous conduct detracts from it. Courteous conduct includes
turning off cell phones, not leaving the Zoom classroom during class sessions unnecessarily and keeping your
video ON. Please only use the Zoom chat for professional thoughts or questions around the content being
discussed. Please DO make positive contributions to class sessions, including be prepared, on time, and show
respect for others – STAY ENGAGED THROUGHT THE ENTIRE ZOOM SESSION

 Class participants are expected to maintain a high level of academic honesty and integrity. Cheating or plagiarism (it
is assumed you know the definition, if not please ask for resources) will be dealt with severely. ACADEMIC
HONESTY IS A REQUIREMENT FOR PASSING THIS COURSE. Please read the academic honesty policy HERE
AND the definitions for plagiarism. You are REQUIRED to adhere to these principles as written.

Academic dishonesty harms everyone.  Often, other students know about academic dishonesty and are unhappy about it, but
have no practical way to anonymously report their knowledge.  To help with this, PSU has a Whistleblower Hotline.  If at any
time you become aware of academic dishonesty, whether on an exam or case, simply go to the  Whistleblower Hotline link. 
Reported incidents will be investigated and you can indicate in the submission that you would like to be anonymous.

So, where do the points come from?

1. Exams: Exams consist of 50 multiple choice questions. Exams cover everything discussed in lecturettes, during Zoom
class times, as well as class readings and any guest speakers that may have lectured. Final exam is NOT comprehensive,
and includes only the material covered after the mid-term exam.

2. Team Project: All students will be assigned to study-work team with 3-4 other students. The purpose of these groups
is, predominantly, to make a class with 100+ students feel a little more personal. Each team will be assigned a company –
like Amazon, FedEx, Facebook – to follow throughout the term. There will be 5 team assignments during the term which
will be submitted by the team leader on or before the due date in the Canvas Dropbox. Be prepared for anything.
These assignments are largely graded based on effort – assuming the accuracy is there. Every group should be able to get
100% on these just by doing what’s asked. But, there are two more aspects to the grading we will use:
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  For each group assignment, 1 group member should be designated as the ‘Team leader’ or the student who is
responsible for the submitting the assignment in Canvas. Each team member will be team leader at least once
throughout the term.

3. Individual Project Evaluations: For each team project, ALL members of the team will submit an individual
assessment of how each team member performed for that particular team assignment – including yourself – please be
honest and forthright with these evaluations. If one or more team members is not sharing enough of the load, that
member’s grade may be lower than the team grade so all members need to be working together and equally!

4. Chapter Reading/Quizzes: There will be a chapter quiz for each chapter in the book. These quizzes will be DUE THE
NIGHT BEFORE we cover them in our zoom class session. Students are responsible for reading the chapter in their book
and then taking the on-line quiz before the deadline. Quizzes CANNOT be re-opened after they close so PLEASE make
every attempt to complete the quiz prior to the deadline. These assignments will be in the calendar section of your Canvas
learning management system so if you simply pay attention to the upcoming assignments you should not miss any.

5. Community Building Assignments: During the term, we will work on several activities designed to help you become
more familiar with both the PSU campus AND your fellow classmates. These will be either in-class assignments or
assignments where you will submit your project on-line for grading.

6. Attendance During Zoom Class: We will have 2-3 Polls during each Zoom Classroom Session. The poll questions
may not be hard but you will have only 30 seconds to complete the poll! If you are away from your computer or not
paying attention when the poll launches and are unable to complete it, you will lose those points.

GRADING : Academic honesty and integrity are requirements for passing this course.

1. Exams (2 @ 150 Pts Each) 300 Points

2. Team Project (5 @ 25 Pts Each) 125 Points
3. Team Project Individual Evaluations (5 @ 5Pts Each) 25 Points
4. Chapter Reading/Quizzes (15@ 20 Pts Each) 300 Points
5. Community Building Activities (3 @ 15 Pts Each) 45 Points
6. Zoom Attendance Polls (38 @ 2 .5 Pts Each) 95 Points

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 890 Points

Grading will be based on University policy (93%+ = A, 90%+= A-, 87%+= B+, 83%+=B, 80%+=B- etc.)

Attendance Policy: Attendance in class is expected. Every time you miss a class, you lose participation points because of
missing poll questions or in-class activities that are only available to those in attendance that day.

Extra Credit Opportunity

Students have the opportunity to earn extra credit through participation in research activities that are approved by the
Institutional Review Board in the School of Business (SB). These activities will expose students to business research
conducted by the SB faculty. To participate, students will need to create an account on the SB’s research
site, SONA (pdx-sb.sona-systems.com), using their PSU email address. Students who created a SONA account in the last
academic year (Fall 2019 – Fall 2020) may log in using their existing SONA account. From there, students will be able to
choose and participate in online studies. Each study is associated with a different credit-value. If students complete 10
credits on SONA this quarter, they will receive a 10 point extra credit addition to their grade in this class. The research
studies will be available only between Weeks 6 – 8 of the term. If you have questions please contact the SB research
administrator at SB-ResearchLab@pdx.edu.

Grammarly Premium Account: Grammarly Premium helps 99% of student users improve their writing grades by
providing real-time feedback to improve grammar, sentence structure, and style. In the process, it increases enjoyment in
writing for 76% of users.  We have paid for each School of Business student to have a premium account because we know
that employers are looking for graduates with excellent communication skills. If you’re a declared School of Business
student and have not already signed up for a Grammarly Premium account, please fill out this google form to request a
Grammarly Premium account. Grammarly Premium Account request form: 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfy28Q0uyfT0YzGuK6JRPac0DoMDFIelh7384aWEdaL-kNcw/viewform

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How to make up missed activities: You are allowed to make up missed activities only if your absence is excused i.e
athletic travel. You need to complete the make-up assignment within exactly one week after missing the class- submit it to
me at the end of the next class.

Withdrawing/Dropping from the Class

Until the fifth week of classes, you can drop or withdraw from class at your own discretion. Please refer to the academic
calendar on PSU website for exact dates. If you miss these dates and need instructor approval to withdraw, this will be
granted ONLY under documented extraordinary circumstances. Failing to obtain the grade you desire cannot be the basis
for your request for instructor approval to withdraw from class.

Disability Statement & DRC: PSU values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to fostering mutual respect and full
participation for all students. My goal is to create a learning environment that is equitable, useable, inclusive, and
welcoming. If any aspects of instruction or course design result in barriers to your inclusion or learning, please notify me.
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) provides reasonable accommodations for students who encounter barriers in the
learning environment. If you have, or think you may have, a disability that may affect your work in this class and feel you
need accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center to schedule an appointment and initiate a conversation about
reasonable accommodations. The DRC is located in 116 Smith Memorial Student Union, 503-725-4150, drc@pdx.edu,
https://www.pdx.edu/drc.

Title IX Reporting Statement: Portland State is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of prohibited
discrimination and sexual harassment (sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and gender or sex-based harassment
and stalking). If you have experienced any form of gender or sex-based discrimination or sexual harassment, know that
help and support are available. PSU has staff members trained to support survivors in navigating campus life, accessing
health and counseling services, providing academic and on-housing accommodations, helping with legal protective orders,
and more. Information about PSU’s support services on campus, including confidential services and reporting options, can
be found on PSU’s Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response website at: http://www.pdx.edu/sexual-assault/get-help
or you may call a confidential IPV Advocate at 503-725-5672. You may report any incident of discrimination or
discriminatory harassment, including sexual harassment, to either the Office of Equity and Compliance or the Office of
the Dean of Student Life. Please be aware that all PSU faculty members and instructors are required to report information
of an incident that may constitute prohibited discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. This means
that if you tell me about a situation of sexual harassment or sexual violence that may have violated university policy or
student code of conduct, I have to share the information with my supervisor, the University’s Title IX Coordinator or the
Office of the Dean of Student Life. For more information about Title IX please complete the required student module
Creating a Safe Campus in your D2L account.

Student Health and Counseling (SHAC): The Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) is a community-based
health care organization that provides high quality, accessible mental health, physical health, dental, and testing services
targeted to the needs of the PSU student population. To make an appointment, please call 503.725.2800 or come directly
to the clinic (1880 SW 6th Ave. UCB, Suite 200).

School of Business Career & Academic Advising: The School of Business provides Career and Academic Advisors to
assist students in making the most of their collegiate experience. Career & Academic Advisors are trained to provide
advice for a wide range of issues; from selecting a business major and planning out classes to creating a job search
strategy and writing resumes. Career & Academic Advisors are here to help students with all of their academic & career
related questions. Business students are assigned an academic and career advisor who will assist them from orientation
through graduation to career. Advisors are available by appointment. Students can make an academic & career advising
appointment online by visiting www.pdx.edu/sba/academic-career-advising, by visiting their office in room 486 of the
University Center Building (527 SW Hall St.) or calling 503-725-3712. Drop-in peer advising hours are available as well.
Drop-in hours are held regularly throughout the week and are designed to help answer routine or simple questions. For
more information about SBA advising and drop-in hours, please visit the School of Business website at www.pdx.edu/sba
and click on Undergraduate, then Student Resources. Students with concerns about courses, requirements or advising
services provided by the Undergraduate Programs Office can contact the Director of Undergraduate Career & Academic
Services via email at beckys@pdx.edu.

School of Business Tutoring: Tutoring is available in the University Center Building room 486. Tutoring is provided for
BA 211, 213, 303 and ACTG 381 classes for free. The schedule is available online at www.pdx.edu/sba/business-tutoring.
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BA 101 Introduction to Business and World Affairs Section: 001 CRN: 60210

Monday’s and Wednesdays – 10:00AM –11:50AM – Remote Zoom Meetings

Zoom Help Click Here

**Disclaimer – this schedule and grading schema are subject to minor changes

Week 1 March 29 Introduction, Syllabus, Project Teams & Overview Stan Heister

March 31 Chapter 1, Foundations of Business Stan Heister

Week 2 April 05 Chapter 2, Business Ethics & CSR Stan Heister/Peer Mentors
- Teamwork
April 07 Chapter 3, Teamwork and Communications Stan Heister

Week 3 April 12 Chapter 4, Managing for Business Success Stan Heister/ David
Caughlin
April 14 Chapter 5, Recruiting, Motivating Employees Stan Heister

Week 4 April 19 Chapter 6, Operations Mgt Stan Heister/Daniel Wong

April 21 Chapter 7, Business in Global Environment Stan Heister

Week 5 April 26 Chapter 8, Product Design and Development Stan Heister

April 28 Review & Connect Everything Together Stan Heister/ Cliff Allen
Peer Mentors – Time Mgt
Week 6 May 03 Midterm Exam #1

May 05 Chapter 9, Marketing: Providing Value to Customers Stan Heister/Jacob Suher

Week 7 May 10 Chapter 10, Digital Marketing Stan Heister

May 12 Chapter 11, Managing Info and Technology Stan Heister

Week 8 May 17 Chapter 12, The Role of Accounting Stan Heister/Kathy

Rupley/
May 19 Chapter 13, Managing Financial Resources Stan Heister/ Piman
Limpaphayom
Week 9 May 24 Chapter 14, Personal Finances Stan Heister/Peer
Mentors-Networking
May 26 Chapter 15, Entrepreneurship Stan Heister

Week 10 May 31 Memorial Day – PSU Closed Stan Heister

June 02 Chapter 16, Business Ownership Stan Heister

Finals June 08 Final Exam Tuesday June - 08:00AM – 10:00AM

Week