BGEN105 Introduction to Business
Summer 2016: Online
Instructor: Dr. Heather L. Thompson
Email: heather.thompson14@msubillings.edu
Office: Technology B004: Office Phone: 406.247.3065
Office Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 9am-11am or by appointment
Course Catalog Description/Prerequisites
Provides an overall picture of business operations. Specialized fields within business organizations are
presented and analyzed. The role of business in today's society is examined and career opportunities in
business are explored.
This course will cover fundamental concepts of business that are important in our changing world.
Basics in business law, ethics, e-business, and more will be taught. You will receive an introduction to
subjects such as Entrepreneurship, Management, Human Resources, and Marketing.
Required Text
M business 5th edition, by Ferrell
ISBN 978-1-259-57814-4
Course Objectives and Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:
 Identify and discuss the stakeholders of business and the components of the business
environment including social, legal, economic, technological, governmental, ethical and
international influences;
pg. 1

Define and explain the functions and features of the core components of a business
enterprise including accounting, finance, law, operations, human resources, information
technology and marketing;

Demonstrate a working knowledge and vocabulary of basic business terms, concepts, and
practices;

Demonstrate effective business communication, team, problem solving, critical thinking,
analysis and learning skills;

Identify & assess academic and career opportunities related to business
Student Responsibility
It is your responsibility to treat all faculty, staff, classmates and guest speakers with respect. Bullying or
any form of disrespect in the classroom or discussion boards will not be tolerated. Your input and
participation are important and encouraged. If you are unable to participate or turn in work, please
email as soon as possible. The instructor will not necessarily lecture from the book, but will always
assume that you have read the appropriate chapters assigned for each week.
Communication and Email Etiquette
Communication between student and faculty is expected to be professional and respectful. Profanity or
vulgarity is not accepted. When utilizing email for communication, please make sure to include;
Student Name
Class
Assignment number and page
This will help expedite response time and allow me to help you more efficiently! I check my email on a
regular basis, and will usually respond to students right away. Students will receive a response within 24
hours at the latest, with the exception of Sundays.
Students are also expected to check email on a regular basis. All class communication will be via D2L
email, discussion boards and News items in D2L.
D2L and Communication
We will utilize the Desire2Learn (D2L) platform for our class. Check D2L often! This is where you turn in
assignments, take exams, and communicate with your peers. You can also access course content,
additional resources, and class announcements. To access D2L; go to the D2L site from
http://www.msubillings.edu/elearning/D2LLogin.htm. Or click on the D2L tab on the School’s home page.
Check your school and D2L email regularly! I often send out information regarding classes or upcoming
exams through D2L email.
Need help with D2L? http://www.msubillings.edu/elearning/d2l/students/index.html
Additional IT help
MSU Billings Online Technical Support
IT Student Helpdesk
Hours: 8 am - 5 pm M-F
406-247-5755
msubonline@msubillings.edu
Academic Support Center
If you find that you are struggling or in need of help in ANY of your classes, please utilize the Academic
Support Center. They can help with anything from classes in reading, developmental math
and developmental writing to providing tutoring for multiple subjects like math, writing, reading,
science, psychology, foreign languages and more! All of their tutoring services are offered FREE* on a
drop-in basis. Check them out at http://www.msubillings.edu/asc/ or call at 406-247-3022.
pg. 2
Disability Support Services (DSS)
If you use assistive software or need videos captioned, please contact DSS as soon as possible. Students
with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they may need
accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services as soon as possible
to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please meet with DSS staff to
verify your eligibility for any classroom accommodations and for academic assistance related to your
disability. Disability Support Services is located in Room A008 at the COT, 247-3029.
Budgeting Your Time
A general rule for college courses is that students should expect to study about 2 to 3 hours per week
outside class for each unit of credit. Based on this, a student taking 15 credit hours should expect to
spend 30 to 45 hours each week studying outside of class or 6 to 9 hours per week for each 3- credit
course. Take an active role in your class success and set aside scheduled time for homework and
studying.
Course Work, Due Dates and Assignment Expectations
Course work and Exams are outlined below. All work is to be submitted in the D2L Dropbox. Due dates
are Sundays at 11:30pm. Late work may be accepted upon instructor permission with a reduction in
point value.
Exams have specific availability times in D2L. Please make sure to note the time and availability for
exams and plan accordingly. Early permission and late submission are not allowed.
Chapter assignments are due weekly.
Assignments range in length (5 – 15 questions).
1) A minimum response of 100 words per question is required.
2) Assignments must be labeled (right justified) with: Student Name, Class, Assignment, and Due Date.
3) State the original question in BOLD, then your response in non-bold font.
These assignments are designed to have students think critically about the covered material and to
research utilizing internet. All assignments are to be submitted in the Dropbox in D2L.
****Each assignment has a specific Dropbox and can be identified by A1, A2, A3, etc.
There are two writing assignments. See assignment outline below for details.
Each paper will be 5 pages in length (APA format, double spaced, Times New Roman font).
***A grading rubric will be provided for students to know exactly what is expected in each paper.
Students will receive points towards their grade for weekly work discussion boards. This means students
must participate to receive credit. Students are to respond to the weekly discussion board topic three
times per week, at 100 words minimum.
Exams
There are two exams in this class total. They are outlined below. ALL exams will be taken in D2L under
the ‘Quiz’ tab. Exams are comprised of 50 multiple choice questions, with each question being worth 2
points. Exam 1 covers chapters 1-8; Exam 2 covers chapters 9-15.
pg. 3
Grading and Assignment Turn Around Time
Grades will be available to students in D2L. At any time you wish to know your current grade in the
course or scores on assignments and exams, you can access the information in D2L, under ‘Grades.’ To
make sure that I am always fair in grading assignments between students, I grade assignments in one
sitting, after the due date, usually with a 7 day turn around time. This means – I do not grade
assignments earlier than the due date and students can expect to receive their grade within one week
after the due date. Exam grades will be published and available to students immediately upon
completion of the exam in D2L. Grading follows the standard scale:
Scale:
100 – 90 = A
89 – 80 = B
79 – 70 = C
69 – 60 = D
Below 60 = F
Course Grading Rubric:
Exams: 2 x 100 points each
= 200
Assignments: 10 x 100 points each
= 1000
Research Papers: 2 x 100 points each
= 200
Weekly Discussion Boards: 12 x 25 points each = 300
______________________________________________
Total Points Available for course
= 1700
Teaching Philosophy
At this level of education, it is critical that you play an active role in your own success.
I design my
classes to be challenging for a reason. Activities, discussions and group work are encouraged
and designed for student benefit. Real world issues and concepts will be utilized for this course, and it is
of your best interest to play an active part. My goal as your instructor is not to have you “memorize and
recite” what is lectured. My goal is to have you think critically, and analytically to develop your own
business sense with foundations that are provided to you in the course.
I understand ‘life’ happens sometimes. When that time comes, and you face struggles regarding course
work, reach out to me. I am unable to help if I am unaware of a problem. My door is always open. I want
to see each and every student succeed in the class and reach their education goals. I look forward to
working with you!
pg. 4
Outline of 2016 Summer Term and Assignments
BGEN105 Introduction to Business
Week of
Read
Chapter
1
5/16
1
2
5/23
2&3
3
5/30
4&5
4
6/6
6&7
5
6/13
6
6/20
8
The
Inside
Job
Paper #1
Due
7
6/27
9 & 10
8
7/4
11
9
7/11
12 & 13
10
7/18
14
The
Federal
Reserve
Paper #2
Due
Week #
11
7/25
12
8/1
13
8/8
Exam Schedule:
pg. 5
15
Finals
Week
Dropbox/ Assignments/ Exams
Syllabus Review;
Assignment 1 (A1): Chapter 1 Active Review Card LO1.1 – 1.6
Discussion Board 1 (DB1)
A2: Chapter 2 Active Review Card LO 2.1 – 2.5 AND Chapter 3 Active Review Card
LO 3.1 – 3.5
Discussion Board 2 (DB2)
A3: Chapter 4 Active Review Card LO 4.1 – 4.1 AND Chapter 5 Active Review Card
LO 5.1 – 5.7
Discussion Board 3 (DB3)
A4: Chapter 6 Active Review Card LO 6.1 – 6.5 AND Chapter 7 Active Review Card
7.1 – 7.7
Discussion Board 4 (DB4)
A5: Chapter 8 Active Review Card LO 8.1 – 8.5
Exam 1 Due 6/19 @ 11:30pm
Discussion Board 5 (DB5)
Watch the documentary (you are responsible for finding the documentary)
‘The Inside Job’
Paper #1; turn in 5 page paper (see grading rubric for details).
Due 6/26 @11:30pm.
Discussion Board 6 (DB6)
A6: Chapter 9 Active Review Card LO 9.1 – 9.5 AND Chapter 10 Active Review Card LO
10.1 -10.7
Discussion Board 7 (DB7)
A7: Chapter 11 Active Review Card LO 11.1 – 11.6
Discussion Board 8 (DB8)
A8: Chapter 12 Active Review Card LO 12.1 – 12.4 AND Chapter 13 Active Review
Card LO 13.1 – 13.5
Discussion Board 9 (DB9)
A9: Chapter 14 Active Review Card LO 14.1 – 14.5
Discussion Board 10 (DB10)
Watch the set of videos on the ‘Federal Reserve’ (I provide these for you under
‘content’ section in D2L).
Paper #2; turn in 5 page paper (see grading rubric for details).
Due 7/31 @ 11:30pm. Discussion Board 11 (DB11)
A10: Chapter 15 Active Review Card LO 15.1 – 15.6
Discussion Board 12 (DB12)
EXAM 2 Due 8/10/16 @ 11:30pm
Exam 1: DUE 6/19/16 @ 11:30pm
Exam 2: DUE 8/10/16 @ 11:30pm