REQUEST TO COLLEGE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE FOR CURRICULAR IMPROVEMENTS
DEPARTMENT: BUS PROPOSED EFFECTIVE SEMESTER: Fall 2009 COLLEGE: Haworth College of Business
PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS
Academic Program
Substantive Course Changes
Misc. Course Changes
New degree*
X New course
Title
New major*
Pre or Co-requisites
Description (attach current & proposed)
New curriculum*
Deletion (required by others)
Deletion (not required by others)
New concentration*
Course #, different level
Course #, same level
New certificate
Credit hours
Variable credit
X New minor
Enrollment restriction
Credit/no credit
Revised major
Course-level restriction
Cross-listing
Revised minor
Prefix
Title and description
COGE reapproval
Admission requirements
(attach current & proposed)
Other (explain**)
Graduation requirements
General education (select one)
Deletion
Transfer
Not Applicable
Other (explain**)
Other (explain**)
** Other:
Title of degree, curriculum, major, minor, concentration, or certificate:
Existing course prefix and #:
N/A
Proposed course prefix and #:
Business Minor for Non-Business Students
BUS with numbers below
Credit hours:
3 each
The proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students would consist of five courses and one elective @ 3 credit hours
for a total of 18 credit hours:
 BUS 2001: Accounting for Non-Business Students
 BUS 2002: Marketing for Non-Business Students
 BUS 2003: Information Technology in Business
 BUS 3001: Finance for Non-Business Students
 BUS 3002: Management for Non-Business Students
Electives: At least one of the following is required to complete the minor:
 BUS 3003, Business Law: Business Law for Non-Business Students
 BUS 3004, Business Communication: Analysis and Application
Existing course title:
N/A
Proposed course title:
Titles shown above
Existing course prerequisite & co-requisite(s):
N/A
Proposed course prerequisite(s):
BUS 2001 is a prerequisite to BUS 3001
Proposed course co-requisite(s):
None
Proposed course prerequisite(s) that can also be taken concurrently:
Is there a minimum grade for the prerequisites or corequisites?
N/A
No
The default grades are D for undergraduates and C for graduates.
Major/minor or classification restrictions:
Minor classes are open to all WMU students who have completed 26 credit hours and are in good standing with the
university. Banner codes for the Business Minor for Non-Business Students will be determined in consultation with
Registrar.
For 5000 level prerequisites & corequisites: Do these apply to: (circle one) undergraduates
Specifications for University Schedule of Classes:
Revised May 2007. All previous forms are obsolete and should not be used.
graduates
both
a. Course title (maximum of 30 spaces):
b. Multi-topic course: Yes
c. Repeatable for credit:
See seven titles shown above
See specific courses
No
Yes
x No
d. Mandatory credit/no credit:
e. Type of class and contact hours per week (check type and indicate hours as appropriate)
1.
Lecture
3. x Lecture/lab/discussion
5.
Independent study
2.
Lab or discussion
4.
Seminar or
studio
6.
Supervision or practicum
CIP Code (Registrar’s use only):
Chair/Director
Date
Chair, College Curriculum Committee
Date
Dean David Shields
Date:
Curriculum Manager: Return to dean
Date
Graduate Dean:
Forward to:
Date
Date
Chair, COGE/ PEB / FS President
FOR PROPOSALS REQUIRING GSC/USC REVIEW:
Date
*
Approve
Disapprove
Chair, GSC/USC
Date
*
Approve
Disapprove
Provost
Date
1.
Explain briefly and clearly the proposed improvement.
The proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students would consist five required courses and at least one elective
for a total of eighteen credit hours. Students would take one course in each business subject area. Students could
enroll in these courses after completing 26 credit hours with a cumulative 2.0 GPA, a change from the current
restrictions of 56 credit hours and a cumulative 2.5 GPA. The courses with their broad content areas are:

BUS 2001 (Accounting): Introduction to financial statements, financial reporting requirements, use of financial
information for internal and external decision-making, ethics, basics of taxation.

BUS 2002 (Marketing): Introduction to marketing, ethics, advertising and promotion, sales, logistics

BUS 2003 (Business Information Systems): Introduction to Enterprise Resource Planning systems, ethics, supply
chain management, database management

BUS 3001 (Finance): Corporate financial management, banking, ethics, investments, personal finance

BUS 3002 (Management): Leadership, human resources, ethics, strategy
And at least one of the following electives:
2.

BUS 3003 (Business Law): Regulation of business vs. independence in conducting business, ethics, contracts and
product liability, trademarks, employment law, and decision-making.

BUS 3004 (Business Communication): Strategic message development within the workplace, ethics, verbal and
nonverbal communication, adapting messages to technology.
Rationale. Give your reason(s) for the proposed improvement. (If your proposal includes prerequisites, justify those,
too.)
The proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students improves the options available to non-business majors by
providing business courses designed for students pursuing a major outside the business college. This type of
program has been very successful in other colleges and universities nationally but is not offered in our area.
The existing General Business minor consists of 18 credit hours that are taken by Haworth College of Business preBusiness Administration (PBA) and BBA majors. The General Business minor requires that non-majors have a
minimum of 56 credit hours and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 for admission before declaring the minor. However,
instead of building on this platform as BBA students do, non-business students in the General Business Minor are
limited to only entry-level courses. The proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students consists of 18 credit
hours that combine the essential elements of each discipline from lower and upper division courses.
The current General Business Minor would continue to exist as the default option for BBA students without
another minor and would be open only to those students pursuing a BBA.
3.
Effect on other colleges, departments or programs. If consultation with others is required, attach evidence of
consultation and support. If objections have been raised, document the resolution. Demonstrate that the program you
propose is not a duplication of an existing one.
A number of programs outside the Haworth College of Business (HCoB) require business courses as part of the
students’ major requirements. Faculty in these programs are invited to consider the proposed minor courses as
potential replacements for the 2000 level BBA courses currently among their students’ major requirements.
Faculty in these non-business programs, such as Textile and Apparel Merchandising, or Secondary Education in
Business, may determine that the minor courses are not only sufficient but advantageous to their students’
program and career needs, as has the Aviation Administration program.
4.
Effect on your department’s programs. Show how the proposed change fits with other departmental offerings.
The newly created syllabi for the Business Minor for Non-Business Students are an opportunity for HCoB faculty to
offer business concepts and applications for non-business students and settings. Courses would be overseen by
board-appointed faculty and, depending on demand, may be taught by part-time instructors well-versed in the
discipline. The department or discipline named in the title of the course will offer and staff the respective courses.
5.
Effects on enrolled students: Are program conflicts avoided? Will your proposal make it easier or harder for students
to meet graduation requirements? Can students complete the program in a reasonable time? Show that you have
considered scheduling needs and demands on students’ time. If a required course will be offered during summer only,
provide a rationale.
This proposal makes meeting graduation requirements easier. The proposed Business Minor for Non-Business
Students will make it easier for students to graduate in a timely way in the spirit of the Western Edge’s graduation
compacts, due to the easing of enrollment requirements: fewer credit hours (26 instead of 56 credit hours) and
lower GPA (2.0 instead of 2.5 GPA). Students could complete the 18 hours required for this minor by the end of
their junior year.
If students change from the BBA major to the minor programs, certain rules would apply. Students who begin the
BBA program, then decide not to pursue the major, could apply two of the BBA required fundamental courses to
the proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students course requirements at the discretion of the discipline’s
department chair. However, any non-business students who begin in the Business Minor could not use the minor
courses to satisfy BBA requirements.
Course Offerings Schedule: Courses will be offered year round if demand warrants.
6.
Student or external market demand. What is your anticipated student audience? What evidence of student or market
demand or need exists? What is the estimated enrollment? What other factors make your proposal beneficial to
students?
Non-business students are expected to find the proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students an attractive
option in conjunction with a major in Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, or Health &
Human Services. The proposed business minor could provide a competitive edge for WMU students when
applying for employment in a business setting, e.g., a theatre major seeking employment with an event organizing
firm, or a chemistry major seeking a job in a chemical manufacturing firm, or a physical education major with an
interest in exercise management.
Demand within WMU is expected to be substantial. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students in other colleges
are very interested in taking business courses earlier than the currently required 56 credit hours, and without
necessarily meeting the same academic requirement, a 2.5 cumulative GPA, as the BBA students.
7.
Effects on resources. Explain how your proposal would affect department and University resources, including faculty,
equipment, space, technology, and library holdings. Tell how you will staff additions to the program. If more advising
will be needed, how will you provide for it? How often will course(s) be offered? What will be the initial one-time costs
and the ongoing base-funding costs for the proposed program? (Attach additional pages, as necessary.)
Faculty to teach the courses could be drawn from among knowledgeable persons in industry if HCoB faculty members
are otherwise assigned. A department faculty member would oversee delivery of consistent content in each course.
Effect on equipment, space, technology: Courses will be taught in Schneider Hall using existing technology.
Library holdings: No additional library resources are anticipated, as the students are current WMU students and the
materials are similar to the same current materials needed by existing courses.
Advising: In general, little advising would be needed for the non-business minors. Most students’ information needs
will be met with booklets that describe the proposed business minor requirements and show the seven course syllabi.
The advising office would receive students’ declared minor slips and include newly declared business minors in the
relevant database. A staff member, rather than an Academic Advisor, could be trained to do this.
The main advising need would be for students who are exceptions to the general practices, e.g., those who inquire
about transferring courses for the minor or gaining minor credit for BBA courses. These individuals may require
advising from an Academic Advisor, or the Director of Advising and Admissions, or the relevant Haworth College of
Business department chair.
8.
General education criteria. For a general education course, indicate how this course will meet the criteria for the area
or proficiency. (See the General Education Policy for descriptions of each area and proficiency and the criteria. Attach
additional pages as necessary. Attach a syllabus if (a) proposing a new course, (b) requesting certification for
baccalaureate-level writing, or (c) requesting reapproval of an existing course.)
The business minor courses are not intended to serve as General Education courses but will be available as electives
for non-business students interested in a specific discipline. Course descriptions are included on p. 6; syllabi are
attached.
9. List the learning outcomes for the proposed course or the revised or proposed major, minor, or concentration. These
are the outcomes that the department will use for future assessments of the course or program.
The measurable learning outcomes for the respective courses are shown in the accompanying syllabi.
10. Describe how this curriculum change is a response to assessment outcomes that are part of a departmental or college
assessment plan or informal assessment activities.
The proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students will provide a business-focused alternative for students who
do not require the depth of knowledge provided in the PBA and BBA courses. Our accreditation agency, The
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), shows our student:faculty ratios and
student:advisor ratios currently exceed those of all our peers. Reducing enrollment in the required courses will
improve our ratios and is likely to improve the likelihood of accreditation.
11. (Undergraduate proposals only) Describe, in detail, how this curriculum change affects transfer articulation for
Michigan community colleges. For course changes, include detail on necessary changes to transfer articulation from
Michigan community college courses. For new majors or minors, describe transfer guidelines to be developed with
Michigan community colleges. For revisions to majors or minors, describe necessary revisions to Michigan community
college guidelines. Department chairs should seek assistance from college advising directors or from the admissions
office in completing this section.
Community college students who wish to pursue the proposed Business Minor for Non-Business Students would be
well advised to take the minor courses in the Haworth College of Business (HCoB) at Western Michigan
University, as the proposed newly-created minor courses are built from concepts taught in more than one course
in the discipline. As concepts and practical knowledge may be drawn from upper level courses that have no
equivalent in community college offerings, the student would benefit most from HCoB’s specially-designed
business minor courses.
Catalog Descriptions of Required Courses for the Business Minor for Non-Business Students
BUS 2001: Accounting for Non-Business Students (3 credit hrs)
This is an introductory course in accounting which focuses on the role of accounting information in the planning,
decision-making, and reporting of business organizations. Topics include transaction analysis, basic financial statement
analysis, profit planning, cost behavior and cost control, and performance evaluation. This course integrates important
subjects from both financial and management accounting. The Department of Accountancy in the Haworth College of
Business offers and staffs this course. This course is not equivalent to Accountancy 2100 or Accountancy 2110 and does
not count toward satisfaction of the Department of Accountancy core courses required for an accounting major or minor.
BUS 2002: Principles of Marketing Management (3 credit hrs)
Catalog Description: Principles of Marketing Management is an examination of marketing theory, concepts and
processes used by organizations to create customer value, achieve and sustain competitive advantage, and accomplish the
organization’s strategic mission and objectives.
BUS 2003: Information Technology in Business (3 credit hrs)
Catalog Description: This course introduces non-business students to modern business information and process
management using emerging information technologies to strengthen business process efficiency and technology
management. Technology is embedded in almost all primary and support activities that bring value to a business. The
dynamics of business technology is explored through business analysis tools as well as integrated enterprise systems, such
as enterprise resources planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM),
Internet business & marketing technologies, business data communication, business collaboration, business
intelligence/reporting, information security and compliance, and other essential concepts. These concepts and software
functions are brought to the classroom using lectures, numerous in-class hands-on exercises, team/individual projects,
and guest speakers.
BUS 3001: Finance for Non-Business Students (3 credit hrs)
Catalog Description: A survey of financial management for non-business majors, which includes corporate financial
management, financial markets, investments, ethics, and personal finance.
BUS 3002: Management for Non-Business Students (3 credit hrs)
Catalog Description: An introduction to the concepts, theories, models, and techniques central to the practice of
management. Historical and contemporary thought are presented in the context of the behavioral, structural, functional,
quantitative, strategic and ethical aspects of managing organizations. Cross-cultural aspects of management are also
explored.
BUS 3003: Business Law for Non-Business Students (3 credit hrs)
Catalog Description: An introduction to the American legal system as it relates to the conduct of business and business
relationships, as well as the legal environment in which businesses must operate.
BUS 3004: Business Communication: Analysis and Application (3 credit hrs)
Catalog Description: Using cases and applications, students in this course receive an overview of the role, scope and
importance of communication in organizations (profit and/or not-for-profit). Students develop an understanding of
organizational communication by analyzing business scenarios and by creating messages with a variety of media.
Fall 2007 HCOB Students with Indicated GPA or Higher at 26 WMU Credit Hours
(Students with Transfer Credits Excluded)
Major
Accountancy
Advertising & Promotion
Computer Information Systems
Economics: Business
Electronic Business Design
Finance
Food & Consumer Pkg Goods Mkt
Human Resource Management
Integrated Supply Matrix Mgmt
Management
Marketing
Personal Financial Planning
Public Administration Business
Sales & Business Marketing
Statistics: Business
Telecommunications & Info Mgmt
Undecided: Business
Total Number and Percent of
Students Who Meet GPA
Requirement at 26 credit hours
None
129
112.2%
34
109.7%
32
133.3%
7
116.7%
3
100.0%
108
116.1%
34
109.7%
25
104.2%
42
107.7%
99
116.5%
82
120.6%
16
106.7%
1
100.0%
86
116.2%
1
100.0%
1
100.0%
15
150.0%
GPA Requirement at 26 Credit Hours
2.50
2.60
2.70
2.75
2.80
115
108
98
95
89
100.0%
93.9%
85.2%
82.6%
77.4%
31
27
24
23
23
100.0%
87.1%
77.4%
74.2%
74.2%
24
21
18
18
18
100.0%
87.5%
75.0%
75.0%
75.0%
6
5
5
4
4
100.0%
83.3%
83.3%
66.7%
66.7%
3
3
3
2
1
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
66.7%
33.3%
93
85
78
78
77
100.0%
91.4%
83.9%
83.9%
82.8%
31
28
24
24
23
100.0%
90.3%
77.4%
77.4%
74.2%
24
22
21
19
18
100.0%
91.7%
87.5%
79.2%
75.0%
39
35
33
32
32
100.0%
89.7%
84.6%
82.1%
82.1%
85
74
70
68
63
100.0%
87.1%
82.4%
80.0%
74.1%
68
57
50
48
45
100.0%
83.8%
73.5%
70.6%
66.2%
15
14
13
12
12
100.0%
93.3%
86.7%
80.0%
80.0%
1
1
1
1
1
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
74
69
61
57
55
100.0%
93.2%
82.4%
77.0%
74.3%
1
1
1
1
1
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
1
1
1
1
1
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
10
9
8
8
6
100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
80.0%
60.0%
715
115.1%
621
100.0%
560
90.2%
509
82.0%
491
79.1%
469
75.5%
2.90
83
72.2%
20
64.5%
18
75.0%
3
50.0%
1
33.3%
68
73.1%
21
67.7%
17
70.8%
27
69.2%
57
67.1%
38
55.9%
10
66.7%
1
100.0%
45
60.8%
0
0.0%
0
0.0%
5
50.0%
3.00
76
66.1%
12
38.7%
17
70.8%
2
33.3%
1
33.3%
61
65.6%
18
58.1%
14
58.3%
22
56.4%
50
58.8%
31
45.6%
9
60.0%
1
100.0%
40
54.1%
0
0.0%
0
0.0%
5
50.0%
414
66.7%
359
57.8%
This table reports the number and percentage of Fall 2007 HCOB students who would have met the indicated GPA
requirement as of 26 credit hours of WMU graded course work. Students with transfer credits are excluded from this
sample.
The first column shows the total number of non-transfer students in each major. For example, Accountancy has a total of
129 non-transfer students. Each subsequent column shows the number of students remaining when the indicated GPA is
required as of the first semester when the students satisfied the 26 credit hour requirement. The last column shows the
number of non-transfer students who would have met a 3.0 GPA requirement. For example, Accountancy has 76 nontransfer students who would have met a 3.0 GPA requirement when they met the 26 credit hour requirement.
Research Method:
All students who were enrolled in HCOB during Fall 2007 were identified by Institutional Research. The data
provided by Institutional Research (Excel spreadsheet), with a few modifications, are illustrated below. The
data include the historical record of every student who was enrolled in HCOB during Fall 2007. The following
steps identify the GPA of each student at the end of the semester when they first meet the requirement of 48
credit hours (process repeated for 30 and 26 credit hours).
1. Sort data by WIN, then year and semester.
2. If AccumGPACr < 48 then delete the row.
3. Calculate: PriorGPACr = AccumGPACr – TermGPACr
4. If PriorGPACr >= 48 then delete the row. This step eliminates the semesters that occur after the student
first meets the 48 credit hour requirement.
5. The remaining rows are associated with the semester when the students first meet the 48 credit hour
requirement. The AccumGPAs are analyzed using traditional statistical analysis.
Limitations of the Analysis
1. The analysis does not include students with transfer credits. Reason: Although transfer credit data were
provided, transfer GPA’s are available for only a portion of the transfer credits. Consequently, it is not
possible to determine the GPA that transfer students would have at 48, 30, or 26 credit hours.
2. The data do not take into account courses that students take for credit rather than a grade.
3. Students might decide to defer application to HCOB until a later semester than the one in which they
initially meet the minimum credit hour requirement.