Business Skills
for Life Course
Syllabus
GBU 151
CRN 11865
Section CF2
Business (3 hours)
[Class Name]
[Teacher’s Name]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENERAL INFOMATION............................................................................................................................ 2
COURSE DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................................................. 2
COURSE RATIONALE ................................................................................................................................. 2
FUNDAMENTAL COURSE CONCEPT ...................................................................................................... 2
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................... 3
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES .................................................................................................................. 3
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ............................................................................................................................. 4
ATTENDANCE POLICY .............................................................................................................................. 4
ACCOMMODATION .................................................................................................................................... 5
METHODS OF EVALUATION .................................................................................................................... 5
GRADING SCALE ........................................................................................................................................ 6
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION .................................................................................................................... 6
COURSE REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 6
HOMEWORK/WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS/MOODLE .............................................................................. 6
TESTS .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
CLASS SCHEDULE ...................................................................................................................................... 7
1
GENERAL INFOMATION
Time:
Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 P.M. until 7:40 P.M.
Where:
Flowood Center – Room 103
Instructor:
Will Moody
Contact:
MC E-mail: WMoody@mc.edu
Phone: 601-668-1158
Textbook:
Personal Finance (9th Edition) Kapoor, Jack R.; Dlabay, Les R.;
Hughes, Robert J.; McGraw-Hill Irwin Publishers; ISBN # 978-0-07338232-6
Moodle Access Code:
GBU151Moody
Supplementary Readings: Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s Personal
Finance Magazine, and other personal finance and general
business periodicals
Pertinent Web Sites:
www.mhhe.com/kdh
www.quicken.com
www.money.com
www.moneycentral.msn.com
www.finance-center.com www.about.financialplanning
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Business Skills for Life (GBU151) is a study of the basic business principles and
skills necessary for individuals to function effectively at home, in the workplace,
and in the community.
COURSE RATIONALE
GBU 151 – Business Skills for Life, is a core curriculum course designed to
introduce and teach students the basic skills they need to make effective and
reasoned decisions in their private and professional lives helping them enhance
their personal development in a changing global environment.
FUNDAMENTAL COURSE CONCEPT
The integral concept that holds this course together is to provide all students,
regardless of their career choice, with the type of business knowledge and skills
that they will need to function effectively in the workplace and their personal
lives.
2
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
GBU 151 is designed to:
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Offer students career strategies for seeking and maintaining meaningful
employment.
Provide students with the foundations to effective time management.
Offer students an understanding of how to manage stress.
Teach students the importance of saving money, taking advantage of
compound interest, and understanding the time value of money.
Teach students basic tax planning and preparation.
Give students an understanding of the proper use of credit, cash
management and budgeting.
Make students aware of current consumer fraud and identity theft
threats.
Prepare students to make sound retirement and estate planning
decisions.
Show students the essential decision variables in auto, home, life,
health, and long term care insurance.
Give students an understanding of making home buying decisions and
home financing alternatives.
Give students an understanding of investment fundamentals, including
advantages and potential pitfalls in the areas of stocks, bonds, mutual
funds, real estate, precious metals, jewels and collectibles.
Offer students a framework with which to understand and evaluate
ethical issues faced in the workplace.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
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3
Participate in all class discussions both individually and as a member of
a team.
Take all tests and examinations in a timely fashion.
Complete all written assignments on time.
Adhere strictly to attendance and conduct expectations as stated in the
Mississippi College General Bulletin.
NOTE: Cell phone use and text messaging in the classroom are
prohibited. All cell phones are to be turned off and put away during
classes and tests. Violation of this rule will result in penalties as
determined by the instructor.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity will be expected from all students in every endeavor.
Further, students at Mississippi College and in this class are expected to be
scrupulously honest. Dishonesty of any type, such as cheating or plagiarism, or
furnishing false information, including forgery, alteration or misuse of College
documents, records or identification, will be regarded as a serious offense
subject to severe penalty, including, but not limited to, loss of credit and
possible dismissal. Guidelines regarding the responsibility of students in the
areas of academic honesty, plagiarism, and cheating may be found in the
Mississippi College Undergraduate Bulletin. You may also find the university
policy regarding academic integrity, as well as specific penalties, in the MC
Student Handbook. Both of these publications are available on the university
website or from the Vice President of Academic Affairs office.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Class attendance is required and accurate records of attendance will be kept.
Cumulative absences may result in a lowered grade or loss of credit for the
course. While every effort should be made to attend class, we recognize that
illness, family, and work-related situations may occur. Whether an absence is
excused or not, the student is responsible for the material covered, assignments
given and the lecture that took place during the absence.
Tardiness is also subject to penalty; as is any failure to complete required class
work on time. Any student coming to class after it begins will be considered
tardy for that class. Any student leaving class before it is completed for the
evening will be considered tardy. Three (3) tardies = one (1) absence.
Any student who is absent from class more than
three (3) times, whether excused or unexcused,
will receive a grade of “F” in the course.
A student registering late will be charged for all absences occurring prior to
his/her reporting to class, although these may be treated as excused absences.
Exam make-ups: Every effort should be made to NEVER miss a test. As
mentioned above, illness and other situations (emergencies) may arise that
would prevent you from taking the test on the scheduled date. If this does occur,
you MUST contact the instructor ahead of time and inform him of the situation.
Make-up exams will be scheduled ONLY if one of the situations mentioned
above occurs AND you contact the instructor ahead of time. Make-up exams
MUST be completed before the next class meeting after the exam is missed and
the make-up exam will be different from the exam given in class.
4
ACCOMMODATION
If you need special accommodations due to learning, physical, psychological, or other
disabilities, contact the Director of Counseling and Testing, MC, 601-925-3354. Present
your notice of need to the professor and accommodations will be made to assist you.
In order for a student to receive disability accommodations under Section 504 of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, he or she must schedule an individual meeting with the
Director of Student Counseling Services immediately upon recognition of their
disability (if their disability is known they must come in before the semester begins or
make an appointment immediately upon receipt of their syllabi for the new semester).
The student must bring with them written documentation from a medical physician and/or
licensed clinician that verifies their disability. If the student has received prior
accommodations, they must bring written documentation of those accommodations
(example Individualized Education Plan from the school system). Documentation must
be current (within 3 years).The student must meet with SCS face-to face and also attend
two (2) additional follow up meetings (one mid semester before or after midterm
examinations and the last one at the end of the semester). Please note that the student may
also schedule additional meetings as needed for support through SCS as they work with
their professor throughout the semester. Note: Students must come in each semester to
complete their Individualized Accommodation Plan (example: MC student completes fall
semester IAP plan and even if student is a continuing student for the spring semester they
must come in again to complete their spring semester IAP plan).
Student Counseling Services is located in Alumni Hall Room #4 or they may be
contacted via email at christia@mc.edu or rward@mc.edu. You may also reach them by
phone at 601-925-7790.
METHODS OF EVALUATION
Tests (3) 20% each
Homework/Written Assignments/Moodle
*Final Exam
TOTAL
60%
20%
20%
100%
*NOTE: No exemptions from the final exam. The final exam will cover all
new material and is not comprehensive.
5
GRADING SCALE
A: 90 – 100
B: 80 – 89
C: 70 – 79
D: 60 – 69
F: 59 and below
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
This course will utilize lectures and class discussion. Students will be expected
to read the textbook, understand the materials and be prepared with homework
as assigned. The student will also be given examinations based on assigned
work.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
HOMEWORK/WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS/MOODLE: Each student is
expected to review the course materials before class. Homework will be given
during several class periods. Each homework assignment is worth 100 points.
There will be NO makeup homework. All homework should be submitted
through Moodle. The total number of points received will be divided by the
total amount of homework given to get an average homework score. (20% of
grade)
TESTS: There will be three (3) tests and one (1) final exam (not
comprehensive) given. Each test/exam is designed to determine the student’s
ability to understand the concepts that were discussed in the classroom. Each
student is required to take all tests/exams. (80% of grade)
6
Test #1
Thursday, November 4 - Chapters 1 - 4
(20% of grade)
Test #2
Monday, November 15 - Chapters 5 - 9
(20% of grade)
Test # 3
Thursday, December 2 - Chapters 10 - 14
(20% of grade)
Final Exam
Monday, December 13 - Chapters 15 - 19
(20% of grade)
CLASS SCHEDULE
The instructor reserves the right to make any and all needed changes during the semester
Date
Assignment
Week 1
Class 1
Discuss Syllabus and Required Book
Thursday
10/21/10
Week 2
Class 2
Introductions
Monday
Chapter 1: Personal Finance Basics and the Time Value of Money
Chapter 2: Financial Aspects of Career Planning
10/25/10
Homework:
Chapter 1: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 2: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Class 3
Moodle Assignment
Thursday
Chapter 1: Financial Planning Activity # 3 (page 26)
Chapter 2: Financial Planning Activity # 2 (page 61)
10/28/10
Week 3
Class 4
Monday
11/1/10
7
Chapter 3: Money Management Strategy: Financial Statements and
Budgeting
Chapter 4: Planning Your Tax Strategy
Homework:
Chapter 3: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 4: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Class 5
Test # 1 (Chapters 1 - 4) - First half of class
Thursday
Chapter 5: Financial Services: Savings Plans and Payment Accounts
11/4/10
Homework:
Chapter 5: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Week 4
Class 6
Chapter 6: Introduction to Consumer Credit
Chapter 7: Choosing a Source of Credit: The Costs of Credit Alternatives
Monday
11/8/10
Class 7
Homework:
Chapter 6: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 7: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 8: Consumer Purchasing Strategies and Legal Protection
Chapter 9: The Housing Decision: Factors and Finances
Thursday
11/11/10
Homework:
Chapter 8: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 9: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Week 5
Class 8
Test # 2 (Chapters 5 - 9) – First half of class
Monday
Chapter 10: Property and Motor Vehicle Insurance
11/15/10
Homework:
Chapter 10: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Class 9
Moodle Assignment
Thursday
Chapter 8: Financial Planning Activity # 1 (page 269)
Chapter 9: Financial Planning Activity # 5 (page 305)
11/18/10
Week 6
Class 10
Chapter 11: Health, Disability, and Long-Term Care Insurance
Chapter 12: Life Insurance
Monday
11/22/10
Homework:
Chapter 11: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 12: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Thursday
Thanksgiving Break – No Class
11/25/10
8
Week 7
Class 11
Chapter 13: Investing Fundamentals
Chapter 14: Investing in Stocks
Monday
11/29/10
Homework:
Chapter 13: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 14: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Class 12
Test # 3 (Chapters 10 - 14) - First half of class
Thursday
Chapter 15: Investing in Bonds
12/2/10
Homework:
Chapter 15: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Week 8
Class 13
Chapter 16: Investing in Mutual Funds
Chapter 17: Investing in Real Estate and Other Investment Alternatives
Monday
12/6/10
Class 14
Homework:
Chapter 16: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 17: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 18: Starting Early: Retirement Planning
Chapter 19: Estate Planning
Thursday
12/9/10
Homework:
Chapter 18: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
Chapter 19: Financial Planning Case (Questions)
FINALS
Class 15
Monday
12/13/10
9
Final Exam (Chapters 15 - 19)