Course Information Sheet
Business 20, Introduction to Business
Fall 2007
Monterey Peninsula College
Instructor: Jon Mikkelsen
Contacting your instructor:
Instructor website: www.mpcfaculty.net/jon_mikkelsen (that’s jon_mikkelsen)
Email: jmikkelsen@mpc.edu
Office Hours: MW 11 to Noon, TTh 9 to 10am, Th night 5 to 6pm, or as arranged.
Telephone: 831-646-4072
Please let me know if we need to make other arrangements to take care of your needs
Who should take this class?
1. People who are relatively new to the business world, or who hold highly specialized
experience, and want to learn how several different aspects of business work together.
2. Students who are considering a college major in business and want to investigate the
subject more fully.
3. Non-business students interested in acquiring a broader background in how the business
world relates to other areas of life and community.
4. Anybody who doesn’t want to miss out on opportunities, or get financially “sucker
punched” because they do not understand the basics of business.
What will I learn from this course?
1. Students will learn select excerpts from over a dozen different areas of business; just
enough to find out where you want to learn more or develop your specialty.
2. You will learn basic language used in the business world. You will gain insight into how
business people talk to each other, how they think, and what motivates their decisions.
3. Students will gain a basic understanding of the forces in the marketplace which affect
each of us in a direct and immediate manner. (Inflation, recession, employment, foreign
competition, outsourcing, etc.)
4. You will understand some of the ways that the business community contributes to
solutions and/or aggravates some societal problems (i.e. pollution, politics, recession,
standard of living, etc.)
5. This class will help you see business events from an “insider” perspective to better
understand many current business events and news stories.
Required Materials
1. Text: Business Essentials, 6th Ed., 2007, by Ebert & Griffin, Prentice Hall Publisher
Activities and Grading Summary
1. Homework and cases
3. Unit Tests & Final exam (3 @ 100 points)
4. Attendance/Participation
Total
5. Extra Credit varies for student recommended projects
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100 points
300 points
20 points
420 points
Letter grades will correspond approximately to the following schedule:
A = 90% - 100% of the total points possible
B = 80% - 89% of the total points possible
C = 70% - 79% of the total points possible
D = 60% - 69% of the total points possible
F = Less than 60% of the total points possible
Chapter questions detail:
Chapter questions are due the beginning of class the first day of coverage for each chapter.
Questions for chapters beginning on the same day as an exam are due the following class period.
These questions will usually be checked one-on-one, time permitting.
Please note: No Chapter assignments will be accepted late for any reason. If you know that you
will not be in class on a homework due date, please make arrangements for one of your
classmates to turn in your work on time or email your work ahead of time. All work must be
clearly written or typed, numbered and stapled. All tear-off paper chad must be removed.
Illegible papers will not receive credit. Any excess assignments collected beyond the points
possible will be applied as extra credit or will go toward make up points for assignments missed.
Case Analyses Detail:
Each student must have read the case and answered the case questions individually before class
when applicable. This work will be used during in-class group work sessions. Students will take
turns as leaders of these groups. Peer grading is to be done by the group leader at the end of each
group session, and the leader’s grading of peers must be presented to the peers by the leaders at
that time. The case write up must be turned in upon entering class on the due date. Groups
needing in-class time on the due date will have missed the deadline and will not receive credit
for the assignment even if the problem is completely the fault of the group leader.
Unit Tests and Final Exam Detail:
Tests will be taken on ScanTron 882-E forms. You will typically see about 30 multiple choice
questions and one to three short essay questions. Your essays will be graded on accuracy,
completeness, clarity, brevity, and grammatical quality. There are no make ups allowed for any
reason. Should you miss any one test, your final exam grade will be substituted for that grade. If
you are going to miss two tests, you must see the instructor ahead of time to seek a solution. The
final exam must be taken to earn credit for the class.
Attendance/Participation Detail:
Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Each student begins the course with 20 points of
participation credit. A student is allowed one absence and one tardy per semester before losing
participation points. After one absence, the student will lose ten points for each absence. After one tardy
or early departure, the student will lose three points for each additional occurrence. In the event of an
absence, it is the student’s responsibility to find a way to turn in all assignments on the day they are due.
Students who miss more than 4 class sessions of class this semester may be dropped, but it remains
the students’ responsibility to drop the course if you are no longer attending. Additional bonus
participation points are available for consistently extraordinary participation.