BUS 117B – Business Calculations & Methods (3 credits)
Fall 2007 Course Syllabus
Great Basin College
Instructor: Bea Wallace, MBA, CPA
Office: GTA 103
Office Phone: 775.753.2334
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00, TTh 10:30-11:30, or by appointment
E-Mail: Through Web Campus (preferred) Or BeatriceW@gwmail.gbcnv.edu
Course Materials/Resources
1) Textbook: Practical Business Math Procedures by Jeffrey Slater, 8e, McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2006
2) Materials packaged with the text provide easy access to tables, additional practice/help, and
self-paced worksheets.
3) Online Learning Center is available to the students providing instant access to chapter
reviews, interactive exercises, the Internet Resource Guide and self-grading quizzes.
www.mhhe.com/slater8e
4) ALEKS (Assessment & Learning in Knowledge Spaces) www.business.aleks.com
Course Description
Fundamental arithmetic processes applied to business activities and applications; including
discounts, markups, payroll, interest, annuities, present value of money, depreciation, tax
computations, business statistics and general application of mathematics for planning and
problem solving using algebraic equations, graphics and other basic forecasting techniques.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/EXPECTED LEARNER OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the course the student will be able to:
1. Work with numbers using basic math
2. Prepare a bank reconciliation, use equations & word
problems to solve for unknowns, calculate & apply
percentages.
3. Determine prices using trade & cash discounts, markups &
markdowns, perform payroll computations.
4. Calculate simple & compound interest, use present value &
future value to discount promissory notes, determine amounts
of annuities.
5. Identify various aspects of installment buying, cost of home
ownership, and read, analyze, & interpret financial statements.
6. Use various methods to calculate depreciation, assign costs
to inventory, determine sales, excise, & property taxes.
7. Identify and explain the different types of insurance,
investment vehicles, and use of business statistics.
MEASUREMENT
Chapter quizzes 1-3;
Exam 1
Chapter quizzes 4-6;
Exam 2
Chapter quizzes 7-9;
Exam 3
Chapter quizzes 10-13;
Exam 4
Chapter quizzes 14-16;
Exam 5
Chapter quizzes 17-19;
Exam 6
Chapter quizzes 20-22;
Exam 7
Methods of Instruction
This is an on-line course using WebCampus as the primary delivery mode. Materials provided
with the text as well as the resources mentioned above are also used. All assignments and
exams will be completed and submitted on WebCampus.
Technology Required
Students must have access to a computer with specific versions of Internet Explorer or
Netscape. Students can use the computer lab available at the High Tech Center on the Elko
campus or labs at other GBC satellite campuses or their personal computer.
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Exams – Policies & Procedures
A total of seven tests will be given. Each test covers 3-4 chapters (25-30 questions) and is
worth 50 points. An exam is scheduled approximately every two weeks and is accessible for
only a few designated days. Exams are timed (2-3 hours) and once a student starts a test, it
must be completed within the specified time period. Tests can be taken on any computer with
Internet access. Students need to set up or select an environment conducive for testing.
Exams must be completed independently. Working with others on the exams or transferring
exam information is cheating and will result in disciplinary action in accordance with the GBC
general catalog and student handbook. Penalties for cheating range from an F on the
assignment or course grade to probation or expulsion from the college. Grades on exams will
be released after the due date.
Attendance Policy
A student is expected to access the course frequently (preferably daily) to complete
assignments and maintain currency in course updates. A student who fails to log on or
complete assignments for a 2-week period may be dropped from the course. If a student
elects to withdraw from the course, he/she must contact GBC Admissions Office.
Dates
Week 1
8/27-9/2
Week 2
9/3-9
Week 3
9/10-16
Week 4
9/17-23
Week 5
9/24-30
Week 6
10/1-7
Week 7
10/8-14
Week 8
10/15-21
Week 9
10/22-28
Week 10
10/2911/4
Week 11
11/5-11
Week 12
11/12-18
BUS 117B FALL 2007 TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
Topics
Homework
Due
Dates
Sep 2
Sep 2
Sep 2
Sep 9
Sep 10
Sep 16
Sep 16
Points
Sep 23
Sep 24
Sep 30
Sep 30
5
50
5
5
Chap 10 Quiz
Chap 11 Quiz
Oct 7
Oct 8
Oct 14
Oct 14
5
50
5
5
Chapter 1: Whole Numbers; How to Dissect &
Solve Word Problems
Chapter 2: Fractions
Chapter 3: Decimals
EXAM 1 (Chapters 1-3)
Chapter 4: Banking
Chapter 5: Solving for the Unknown: A How-to
Approach for Solving Equations
Chapter 6: Percents and Their Applications
EXAM 2 (Chapters 4-6)
Chapter 7: Discounts: Trade and Cash
Chapter 8: Markups & Markdowns; Insight into
Perishables
Chapter 9: Payroll
EXAM 3 (Chapters 7-9)
Chapter 10: Simple Interest
Chapter 11: Promissory Notes, Simple Discount
Notes, & the Discount Process
Chapter 12: Compound Interest & Present Value
Self-Intro
Chap 1 Quiz
Chap 2 Quiz
Chap 3 Quiz
Chap 12 Quiz
Oct 21
5
Chapter 13: Annuities & Sinking Funds
EXAM 4 (Chapters 10-13)
Chapter 14: Installment Buying, Rule of 78, &
Revolving Charge Credit Cards
Chapter 15: The Cost of Home Ownership
Chapter 16: How to Read, Analyze, & Interpret
Financial Reports
EXAM 5 (Chapters 14-16)
Chapter 17: Depreciation
Chapter 18: Inventory & Overhead
Chap 13 Quiz
Chap 14 Quiz
Oct 28
Oct 29
Nov 4
5
50
5
Chap 15 Quiz
Chap 16 Quiz
Nov 4
Nov 11
5
5
Chap 17 Quiz
Chap 18 Quiz
Nov 12
Nov 18
Nov 18
50
5
5
Chap 4 Quiz
Chap 5 Quiz
Chap 6 Quiz
Chap 7 Quiz
Chap 8 Quiz
Chap 9 Quiz
5
5
5
5
50
5
5
2
11/16
Week 13
11/19-25
Week 14
11/2612/2
Week 15
12/3-9
Official Course Drop Deadline
Chapter 19: Sales, Excise, & Property Taxes
EXAM 6 (Chapters 17-19)
Chapter 20: Life, Fire, & Auto Insurance
Chapter 21: Stocks, Bonds, & Mutual Funds
Chapter 22: Business Statistics
EXAM 7 (Chapters 20-22)
Chap 19 Quiz
Chap 20 Quiz
Chap 21 Quiz
Chap 22 Quiz
Nov 25
Nov 26
Dec 2
Dec 2
5
50
5
5
Dec 9
Dec 10
5
50
NOTE: Instructor reserves the right to make changes to assignments, materials, and other
requirements in order to meet student/instructor needs. Although major changes are not
anticipated, the class will be notified in a timely and clear manner if changes are made.
Course Requirements:
Chapter quizzes
100 pts
Exams (7 @ 50)
350 pts
Total points
450 pts
Letter Grade Equivalents:
A 95-100%; A- 90-94%
B+ 87-89%; B 83-86%; B- 80-82%
C+ 77-79%; C 73-76%; C- 70-72%
D+ 67-69%; D 63-66%; D- 60-62%
F <60%
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE SUBSTANTIATION
This Business Mathematics course is part of the general education curriculum for certain
certificate of achievement programs in the business department at Great Basin College, and,
therefore, is expected to meet certain requirements in five broad categories. The following is
an explanation of how this course will meet these requirements.
Communication Skills (Moderate Emphasis)
Sending and receiving of messages that are understandable and meaningful to others could
be considered the essence of communication. Major portions of this course require that the
student communicate with the instructor via e-mail and/or by telephone. These messages
should be concise, coherent and relevant to the course assignments.
Critical Thinking (Strong Emphasis)
Quantitative Ability. Business transactions associated with exchange in the marketplace
can be--and are--quantified, and this quantification entails various mathematical
manipulations. Graphs and tables, specifically Excel will be used in the course. Available to
the students on the Web (ALEKS) is an artificial intelligence based system that acts much like
a human tutor, provides individualized assessment, practice and learning for students. By
assessing a student’s knowledge, ALEKS focuses clearly on what they are ready to learn next
and helps them master the course content more quickly and clearly. (Addressed Significantly)
Reasoning and Independent Thought. Using the material provided by the author and
instructor, students will be expected to calculate the latest business trends, such as electronic
banking, the use of decimals in stocks and bonds, health insurance coverage, new payroll
procedures, and apply mathematical principles to real-world problems. (Addressed
Considerably)
Scientific Understanding. Students will be expected and shown how to apply business
mathematics and scientific reasoning to solve everyday business problems. (Addressed
Moderately)
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Personal and Cultural Awareness (Moderate Emphasis)
Sense of the Individual in Society. A major part of what students learn in this business
mathematics course will allow them to function in a complex business world. (Addressed
Moderately)
Sense of the Past. This course will focus on the review of mathematical fundamentals with
emphasis on business applications and problem solving. (Addressed Moderately)
Sense of Accountability. The importance of a sense of accountability is applied throughout
the course by developing a better understanding of numbers, demonstrating appropriate
pricing methods, demonstrating methods and procedures for effective control and utilization
of interest and credit changes, explaining and calculating taxes, and identifying factors to be
considered in business finance. (Addressed Significantly)
Appreciation of Fine Arts. The ways in which creative expression are related to, and limited
by, the mathematical functions used by societies are explored in specific sections of the
course. (Addressed Moderately)
Personal Wellness (Moderate Emphasis)
The personal well-being of individuals, when defined broadly, is an important aspect of any
study of business mathematics. Students will learn that being able to apply appropriate
mathematical functions to everyday problems takes the stress out of their life and makes them
more responsible members of their community.
Technological Understanding (Significant Emphasis)
Successful students in this class will gain an understanding and appreciation of the
importance of technology in calculating business mathematical problems. In addition,
students will use modern technology, especially the Internet, to access tutorial software, selfgrading practice quizzes and PowerPoint lectures. Students will communicate to the
instructor by the use of e-mail using WebCT.
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