SPRING 2016
Instructor: Narelle E. MacKenzie CPA
COURSE INFORMATION
Class Days: Wednesday
Class Times: 12:00 – 12.50pm
Class Location: P-146
Office Hours Times: Monday and Wednesday, 2.00pm-
3.30pm
Office Hours Location: SSE2429
Units: 1(one)
Course Overview
Prepare students for careers after college and transition from college to career. Personal preparation and analysis of identification of best career options for each student.
Student Learning Outcomes
BSBA students will graduate being:
 Effective Communicators
 Critical Thinkers

Able to Analyze Ethical Problems
 Global in their perspective
 Knowledgeable about the essentials of business
BA 402 contributes to these goals through its student learning outcomes.
Course Goals and Student Learning Outcomes:
The primary goal of BA 402 is to help students in exploring careers and preparing for the transition from college to a career.
Each assignment has been shaped for your benefit as a student. The course seeks to have each student learn meaningful information about various topics in business and careers. In addition, all of the work you complete has been designed to help you in your professional future and to aid you in finding value in the work that you do after you graduate.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course students will be able to:
1. Analyze and evaluate the career options available given their background.
2. Develop and present the strongest possible personal product to potential employers.
3. Discover and describe the key elements that will lead to lifelong career satisfaction and development.
Link to the CBA website: CBA Student Learning Outcomes
Enrollment Information

Prerequisites for the class is upper division standing in the College of Business Administration
Course Materials
Course materials will be accessed through the web/internet and Career services and other materials provided through
BlackBoard

Course Structure and Conduct
The course is a combination of lecture, lecture-discussion, group work, individual projects and in-class presentations. Students are expected to bring their best attitude and conduct themselves in a professional manner. Students are expected to have access to a computer, the web and BlackBoard.
Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact
Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact
Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student
Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Academic Honesty
The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism . These activities will not be tolerated in this class.
Become familiar with the policy (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html). Any cheating or plagiarism will result in
[Insert your policy on cheating or plagiarism, e.g. failing this class and a disciplinary review by Student Affairs.]
Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:

Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include phrases, sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work)

Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it your own
 Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author credit
 Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or phrases

Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
If you have questions on what is plagiarism, please consult the policy and this helpful guide from the Library
Turnitin
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to
Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. You may submit your papers in such a way that no identifying information about you is included. Another option is that you may request, in writing, that your papers not be submitted to Turnitin.com. However, if you choose this option you will be required to provide documentation to substantiate that the papers are your original work and do not include any plagiarized material.
Assessments and Grading
Course grades will be assigned in accordance with San Diego State University policy. This course is graded as Credit/No Credit.
The requirements to earn credit will be based upon a point system:
1.
Attend class; All classes count as one point. There are 15 class sessions.
2.
Assignments; All assignments count as one point, and the point is only earned if the assignment is turned in on time.
There will be at least 9 assignments. If there are more than 9 assignments, the additional assignments will count as extra credit. Assignments are always due at the beginning of the class – No exceptions.
There are 24 maximum points available for the course.
Students must earn at LEAST 20 points in order to pass the course.
-The point system allows students the flexibility to miss some combination of classes and/or assignments to accommodate sickness, schedule conflicts and emergencies. Be advised that missing the Business Career Fair on March 10 will result in losing
2 points (one for missing the in-lieu of class, and one for missing the report).

Grade of Incomplete. A grade of Incomplete (I) indicates that a portion of required coursework has not been completed and evaluated in the prescribed time period due to unforeseen, but fully justified, reasons and that there is still a possibility of earning credit. It is your responsibility to bring pertinent information to the instructor and to reach agreement on the means by which the remaining course requirements will be satisfied. The conditions for removal of the Incomplete shall be reduced to writing by the instructor and given to you with a copy placed on file with the department chair until the Incomplete is removed or the time limit for removal has passed. A final grade is assigned when the work agreed upon has been completed and evaluated. An Incomplete shall not be assigned when the only way you could make up the work would be to attend a major portion of the class when it is next offered. Contract forms for Incomplete grades are available at the Office of the Registrar website
Tentative Course Schedule
The course schedule, including topics and class activities listed by week, is presented in the following table
Week
1: January 20
2: January 27
3: February 3
4: February 10
5: February 17
Topics
Introduction to the class, course overview.
Business basics, networking, trust/no trust
What types of employers/industries are available? Career path(s)? Overview of
Career Services
Guest speaker: TBA
Career Development Manager for
Career Services and the College of
Business Administration
Preparation of a resume
Follow up letters to prospective employers
What’s my passion? Do I understand who I am relative to other people?
Link to Career Services for studetns to take Type Focus personalitytest
Students have access to several career assessments, including a free personality profiler,
TypeFocus*. Students can access
TypeFocus on Aztec Career
Connection.
Activities
Group work on introducing yourself in formal settings and informal settings.
Assignment 1: Background on yourself, including a picture.
Please submit via TurnitIn – due before beginning of Class 2.
Assignment 2: Research a prospective employer and report why you would be a good fit for them. Please submit via TurnitIn
– due before beginning of Class 3.
Preparation for Class 3: Please bring a copy of your current resume to Class 3.
Group exercise of reviews of resumes.
Assignment 3: submit a copy of your (revised) resume via TurnitIn before beginning of class 5.
Preparation for Class 5: Please complete your personality profile prior to the beginning of Class 5 via
Link to Career Services for students to take TypeFocus personality test
Personality tests
Assignment 4: submit a copy of your Personality test via TurnitIn prior to the beginning of Class 6.

Week
6: February 24
7: March 2
8: March 9
9: March 16
10: March 23
11: March 30
12: April 6
13: April 13
14: April 22
15: April 27
16: May 4
Topics
Importance of LinkedIn and Social
Media
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
No class this week, in lieu of Business
Career Fair on March 10
Salary negotiation experiences
Elevator speeches – what are they and why do I need one?
Activities
Assignment 5: set up a LinkedIn profile and connect to me and five (5) other people prior to Class
8.
Please confirm via TurnitIn when you have completed your profile and have connected with the requisite number of period.
Importance of networking, internships, work experience & creating your own opportunities
Guest Speaker- Alan Cruetz, Principal, mergePoint Solutions and Executive
Partner, Milestone Solutions
Dress for Success! Other key skills for successful interviewing
Guest speaker: TBA
Career Counselor, Aztec Career Services
Review of Business Career Fair activity Group discussion on key learnings
A career in business – some key learnings
Assignment 7: report on key learnings from Business Career activity due via TurnitIn before beginning of Class 10
Attend the Business Career Fair on Thursday, March 10
Assignment 6: submit proof of attendance at the Business Career
Fair via TurnitIn before beginning of Class 9
Assignment 8: prepare your elevator speech. Due via TurnitIn before beginning of Class 15
Life Planning: Mission Statements,
Bucket Lists, Goals, Living Intentionally,
Balance, Happiness & Personal
Accountability
Final class
Assignment 9: What is your vision for your Life Planning? Due via
TurnitIn before beginning of Class
16.
Review class of the semester and presentation of you!
Changes to the course schedule, if any, will be announced in class.