Introduction to Business
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This course includes:
412
practice questions
32
discussion activities
32
assignments
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Introduction to Business Course Outline
Concepts Covered: Concepts Covered: Concepts Covered: Concepts Covered: Concepts Covered:Role of Business
Economics Environment
Global Enviroment
Financial Markets and System
Legal Environment
Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
- Why It Matters: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
- Ethical and Legal Behavior
- Building Business Ethics
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Putting It Together: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
- Discussion: It’s Not Stealing if You Pay For It, Is It?
- Discussion: Are They Simply Guidelines?
- Assignment: What They Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Me
- Assignment: Corporate Social Responsibility
Business Ownership
- Why It Matters: Business Ownership
- Choosing an Organizational Type
- Sole Proprietorships
- Partnerships
- Hybrid Forms of Ownership
- Franchises
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Putting It Together: Business Ownership
- Discussion: Business Structure Does Matter
- Discussion: Entrepreneurs and Business Ownership
- Assignment: Wanda’s Business-Ownership Options
- Assignment: Franchising—an Alternative to Start-up
Entrepreneurship
- Why It Matters: Entrepreneurship
- Small Business
- Entrepreneurs
- Pros and Cons of Owning a Small Business
- Ten Steps to Starting a Business
- Create Your Business Plan
- Putting It Together: Entrepreneurship
- Discussion: Wanda’s Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Discussion: Am I an Entrepreneur?
- Assignment: Dear Wanda’s Mom
- Assignment: Today’s Hottest Entrepreneurs
Management
- Management
- Managers
- Planning
- Organizing
- Leading
- Controlling
- Putting It Together: Management
- Discussion: How Does Wanda Manage?
- Assignment: One Owner, Many Hats
- Assignment: Are Leaders Born or Made?
Motivating Employees
- Why It Matters: Motivating Employees
- The Hawthorne Studies
- Need-Based Theories
- Process-Based Theories
- Motivational Strategies
- Putting It Together: Motivating Employees
- Discussion: Why Isn’t Jamie More Motivated?
- Discussion: Motivate Me!
- Assignment: Motivating with Dog Treats?
- Assignment: What’s Empowerment Got to Do with It?
Teamwork and Communication
- Why It Matters: Teamwork and Communication
- Team Development and Success
- Effective Communication and Barriers
- Communication Channels, Flows, Networks
- Electronic Communication
- Putting It Together: Teamwork and Communication
- Discussion: What You Heard Was Not What I Meant
- Discussion: The Ultimate Cost of Poor Communication
- Assignment: Teamwork at Salty Pawz
- Assignment: Multicultural Virtual Work Teams
Managing Processes
- Why It Matters: Managing Processes
- Operations Management
- Production Processes
- Mining, Warehousing, and Sharing Data
- Production Planning
- New Technologies
- Supply Chain Management and Logistics
- Producing for Quality
- Putting It Together: Managing Processes
- Discussion: More Than Just Baking Treats
- Discussion: How Things Are Made
- Assignment: From Kitchen Baker to Operations Manager
Marketing Function
- Why It Matters: Marketing Function
- The Role of Customers in Marketing
- Segmentation and Targeting
- Marketing Mix Introduction
- Putting It Together: Marketing Function
- Discussion: Customer Value Perception
- Discussion: Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- Assignment: Customers and Marketing at Salty Pawz
- Assignment: Hit Your Target
Marketing Mix
- Why It Matters: Marketing Mix
- Product Marketing
- Pricing Strategies
- Place: Distribution Channels
- Promotion: Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)
- Putting It Together: Marketing Mix
- Discussion: The Four Ps of the Competition
- Discussion: Marketing Mix
- Assignment: I Can See the Four Ps of Marketing
- Assignment: The Four Ps of Gourmet Dog Treats
Human Resource Management
- Why It Matters: Human Resource Management
- Human Resource Management
- Employment Legislation
- Recruitment and Hiring
- Training, Development, and Rewards
- Terminations
- HR Challenges
- Putting It Together: Human Resource Management
- Discussion: People Won’t Work for Dog Treats!
- Discussion: Are Interviews a Waste of Time?
- Assignment: Wanda’s Hiring Approach, or How to Be Sued in One Easy Lesson
- Assignment: Career Choices
Accounting and Finance
- Why It Matters: Accounting and Finance
- What Is Accounting?
- Financial Statements
- Financial Ratio Analysis
- Ethics in Accounting
- Putting It Together: Accounting and Finance
- Discussion: Cooking More Than Dog Treats
- Discussion: CPAs and Financial Crisis
- Assignment: Bison Are Biting into Wanda’s Break-Even Point
- Assignment: Claire’s Cuttery
About the book
Introduction to Business
This ready-to-adopt Introduction to Business course develops students’ understanding of business fundamentals with learning design structured around timely, real-world case studies and examples. Key topics include the role of business, the global economic and legal environment, ethics, marketing, accounting and finance, and managing processes and operations. Enriched content orients students to the shifting business landscape and prepares them for success in business program curriculum and the workplace.
About the authors:
Senior Contributing Author
Contributing Authors
Charlene Barker, Spokane Falls Community College
Supplemented by content from OpenStax Principles of Economics and Boundless Business
