BUSN 110 Course Syllabus Summer 2001Heartland Community College
Math, Science, Business, and Technology
Course Syllabus for Students
Course Prefix and Number: BUSN 110
Course Title: Introduction to Business
Credit Hours: 3.0
Lecture Hours: 3 Laboratory Hours: 0
Days and times the course meets:
There are no regular meeting times since this is an online course, however, you
must adhere to the established due dates for quizzes, assignments, exams,
projects, papers, etc. You should plan to devote 9 to 12 hours per week to this
course. Refer to the Course Calendar for exact due dates for your required
coursework.
There is an on-campus commitment required of you for this course. You will be
required to complete four of the seven Unit Exams at a Heartland Community
College Testing Center (or other authorized testing location). Due dates for the
four on-campus Unit Exams are as follows: Unit 2 Exam (2/11), Unit 4 Exam (3/5),
Unit 5 Exam (4/1), and Unit 7 Exam (5/1). These four Unit Exams are REQUIRED;
failure to take any of these Unit Exams on-campus will result in a final grade
of ‘F’ for the course.
Catalog Description:
An introduction to the influence of economic, social, and political pressures on
business systems and operating procedures including markets, production,
organization, management, and government regulation of business.
Instructor Information:
Name: Steve Wedwick
Phone Number: (309) 268-8589
Office Location: ICB 2106
Office Hours: 2:00pm-4:00pm MTWR and by appointment.
WebCT Username: Steve Wedwick
Emergency E-mail Address: steve.wedwick@hcc.cc.il.us
Textbook:
Required: Nickels, William G. and McHugh, J.M. (2002) Understanding Business 6th
Edition , Chicago, IL: Irwin.
Optional: Study Guide
Suggested Supplies: Three ring binder for organizing any materials you wish to
have in hard-copy form and two 3 1/2" HD diskettes for saving your work in
electronic form.
Relationship to Academic Development Programs and Transfer:
BUSN 110 fulfills 3 hours of elective credit for the A.A. and A.S. degrees. This
course is the equivalent to Illinois State University’s BEA 100 course and will
transfer as such. BUSN 110 should transfer to most colleges and universities as
an elective course. However, since BUSN 110 is not part of either the General
Education Core Curriculum or a baccalaureate major program described in the
Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), students should check with an academic
advisor for information about its transferability to other institutions. You may
also refer to the IAI web page at www.itransfer.org for more information.
Course Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
• Identify trends occurring in the global business environment and determine if
these trends present opportunities or threats to business organizations.
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of business
ownership and how a small business is established.
• Describe what managers do and how the role of managers in business
organizations has changed over time.
• Discuss the importance of diversity and multiculturalism in successful
business organizations.
• Describe the role of human resource managers in a business organization
• Explain the marketing process.
• Become familiar with the content and organization of business financial
statements.
• Explain how financial institutions and the securities markets allow businesses
and individuals to accomplish their financial goals.
• Identify and review various resources (online, journals, newspapers, etc.)
that allow organizations and individuals to stay informed of current events.
Course/Unit Outline:
Unit 1. Business Trends: Cultivating a Business in Diverse, Global Environments.
(Chapters 1-4)
Unit 2. Business Ownership: Starting a Small Business (Chapters 5-6)
Unit 3. Business Management: Empowering Employees to Satisfy Customers (Chapters
7-9)
Unit 4. Management of Human Resources: Motivating (Chapters 10-12)
Unit 5. Marketing: Developing and Implementing Customer-Oriented Marketing Plans
(Chapters 13-16)
Unit 6. Decision-Making: Managing Information (Chapters 17-18)
Unit 7. Managing Financial Resources (Chapters 19-22)
Course Policies:
Method of Evaluation and Grading System:
Your grade in this course will be determined by the total points earned through
completion of the following coursework:
Chapter Quizzes (complete 22 of 22 available quizzes worth 2 pts. each) 44 pts.
Unit Assignments (complete 7 of 7 available assignments worth 10 pts. each) 70
pts.
Unit Exams (complete the four on-campus exams and at least two of three online
exams worth 40 pts. each) 240 pts.
(You are required to take the Unit 2, 4, 5, and 7 Exams on-campus. Failing to
take any of the on-campus exams will result in a letter grade of ‘F’ for the
course. If you complete all seven Unit Exams, your lowest score will be dropped.
Therefore the total points possible for this component of your grade will be
based on 240 points.)
Mutual Fund and Stock Project (worth 50 pts.) 50 pts.
Developing Workplace Skills (DWS) Assignment (1 @ 20 pts.) 20 pts.
Developing Workplace Skills (DWS) Discussions (participate in at least 10 @ 5
pts. each) 50 pts.
Total Points for the Course = 474 pts.
Note: You should review the documents located in the COURSE INFORMATION area of
the course for detailed explanations of the coursework. In this area of the
online course, you will find documents that contain answers to frequently asked
questions about the required coursework as well as guidelines for completion.
Letter grades will be based on the percentage of points earned in the course in
accordance with the following scale:
A: 90% - 100% = 426 - 474 points
B: 80% - 89% = 379 - 425 points
C: 70% - 79% = 331 - 378 points
D: 60% - 69% = 284 - 330 points
F: below 60% = 283 or fewer points
Participation and Attendance
Since this is an online course, there is no attendance policy. You will,
however, need to actively participate in the course throughout the semester to
learn the fundamental terms and concepts, learn how businesses function, and
achieve your desired grade. For each chapter of the text you should plan to:
read the textbook, review the chapter materials online, take the chapter quiz
online, complete the unit assignment online, participate in bulletin board
discussions online, and prepare for the unit exam.
This course is NOT an open-learning course with vague or unclear due dates for
your coursework. This course requires that you stay involved, read your text, go
online at least three times each week, and follow the Course Calendar for the
entire semester. You should expect to spend 9 to 12 hours per week on this
course which is similar to the time commitment required for an 3 credit hour
college course that meets in a traditional classroom setting. If you know in
advance that you'll be out of town when coursework is due, you may submit your
coursework (quiz, assignments, project, etc.) earlier than the due date shown on
the Course Calendar. You must make special arrangements with me if you need to
take an exam earlier than the due date shown on the Course Calendar!
Past online students who have performed poorly, received below average grades,
and didn't really learn much have made one or more of the following mistakes:
got started a week or more after the semester had already begun
completed the coursework for one Unit and then "disappeared" for a week or
more
failed to meet the established due dates found on the Course Calendar
waited to complete quizzes, assignments, etc. until the last possible day and
then encountered technical/computer problems
failed to login to WebCT at least twice each week
stopped working on the course at midterm because they were doing well up to
that point
Incompletes
An incomplete grade may be given to a student who, by the withdrawal date, can
reasonably be expected to pass the course. Incompletes may be granted only when
justified by extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident, death or
serious illness in the immediate family). Incomplete grades are not given for
such reasons as unjustified failure to appear for the final examination. A
written agreement, outline the requirements to be met, must be signed by the
instructor and the student. The agreed upon requirements must be completed no
later than the end of the following semester (spring semester for incompletes
granted during the fall, and the following fall for incompletes given during the
spring and summer semesters). By the agreed upon date, the instructor will
assign a grade or the incomplete will be changed to an F if the requirements are
not completed.
Extra Credit
There are ample opportunities to achieve your desired grade, thus there will be
no extra credit.
Make-Up of Tests and Assignments
Late work WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All coursework must be completed and turned on
the assigned date or prior to the assigned date. It is your responsibility to
keep up with the coursework. Refer to the Course Calendar for the list of
assignments and due dates.
Required Writing and Reading:
Student should read the required chapters from the textbook, articles, and
reference materials as indicated on the Course Calendar and found in the course
content online. All written assignments are designed to enhance the student's
writing skills and critical thinking skills by analyzing concepts discussed in
the course.