Heartland Community College
SUMMER 2005
Social and Business Services Division
Course Syllabus for Students
Course Prefix and Number: BUSN 110-91 and BUSN 110-92
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 all required coursework. Refer to the Course
Calendar, located in the COURSE INFORMATION area of the online course, for a list
of coursework due dates. You should plan to devote 9 to 12 hours per week to this
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: Terry R. Lowe
Title: Adjunct Instructor of Business
Phone Number: (309) 766-3387
Office Location: Adjunct Office 2102 in the Instructional Commons Building at the
Normal, IL campus
Office Hours: By appointment only.
Emergency E-mail Address: terry.lowe@heartland.edu Use this email address only
when WebCT email is not available!
Textbook:
Required: Nickels, William G. and McHugh, J.M. (2005) Understanding
Business 7th Edition , Chicago, IL: Irwin.
Suggested Supplies: Three-ring binder for organizing any materials you wish to
have in hard-copy form and a secondary storage medium (diskette or CD) for
saving your work in electronic form if you wish to do so.
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 True or False Quizzes (complete 22 of 22 available quizzes worth 5 pts. each)
110 pts.
Chapter Multiple Choice Quizzes (complete 22 of 22 available quizzes worth 10 pts.
each) 220 pts.
Chapter Tests (complete 22 of 22 available tests worth 20 pts. each) 440 pts.
Discussion Postings (post messages to 4 of 4 available discussion topics worth 25 pts.
each) 100 pts
Company Research Report (Phase I and Phase II) 130 pts
Total Points for the Course = 1000 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% = 900 - 1000 points
B: 80% - 89% = 800 - 899 points
C: 70% - 79% = 700 - 799 points
D: 60% - 69% = 600 - 699 points
F: below 60% = 599 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
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.
Past online students who have performed poorly, received below average grades,
and failed to demonstrate that they were learning 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 a few chapters and then "disappeared" for a week
or more
failed to meet the established due dates found on the Course Calendar
waited to complete the required coursework until the last day the coursework was
available 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.
Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of collegial life at Heartland Community
College and is essential to the credibility of the College’s educational programs.
Moreover, because grading may be competitive, students who misrepresent their
academic work violate the right of their fellow students. The College, therefore, views
any act of academic dishonesty as a serious offense requiring disciplinary measures,
including course failure, suspension, and even expulsion from the College. In addition, an
act of academic dishonesty may have unforeseen effects far beyond any officially
imposed penalties.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to cheating, aiding or
suborning cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, misrepresentation of
data, falsification of academic records or documents and unauthorized access to
computerized academic or administrative records or systems. Definitions of these
violations may be found in the college catalog.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own. When you write a
paper, create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that all
the work, except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own.
Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source
credit.
Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own
Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source
Paraphrasing someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a topic
as if it were your own.
Receiving excessive help from a friend or elsewhere, or using another
project as if it were your own.
Note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism. The penalties for
plagiarism may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular piece of work, to failure
in the course or expulsion from school in extreme cases.
[Adapted from the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. New York: MLA, 1995: 26]
Support Services:
Heartland Library Information
The Library, located in the Students Commons Buildings at the Raab Road campus,
provides Heartland students with a full range of resources including books, online journal
databases, videos, newspapers, periodicals, reserves, and interlibrary loan. Librarians are
available to assist in locating information. ISU now accepting HCC Library Cards!
HCC now accepting ISU Library Cards! Heartland students can now check out items
from ISU’s Milner Library by showing a punched HCC library card and a photo ID. Get
your library card punched at the Library desk and you are good to go.
Because Heartland Community College Library is now a member of ILCSO (Illinois
Library Computer Systems Organization), Heartland students, faculty, and staff can
check out materials from 64 academic libraries across the state, including ISU, Illinois
Wesleyan, University of Illinois, etc.
(see http://office.ilcso.illinois.edu/About/ilcsolibs.htmlfor a complete list). Likewise,
patrons from other ILCSO libraries may now check out materials from Heartland
Community College Library with their institutional IDs. Also, as members of ILCSO we
will be switching over our card catalog from CARL to ILLINET online. Not only will
this allow for better searching capabilities, there will also be expanded interlibrary loan
services.
For more information please call the Library (309) 268-8200 or (309) 268-8292
Tutoring Center
Heartland Community College offers tutoring in various forms at not cost to Heartland
students at the Academic Support Center (ASC) in Normal and at the Pontiac and Lincoln
Centers. Tutors are available at convenient times throughout the week. Study groups,
group tutoring facilitated by a specially-trained tutor, are also available by request. For
more information about services available at each location, please call the ASC in
Normal (309) 268-8231; the Pontiac Center (815) 842-6777; the Lincoln Center (217)
735-1731.
Testing Center
The Testing Center provides a quiet environment for students to complete make-up
exams, online exams, and exams for students with special accommodations. Students
may be able to complete exams in the Testing Center if arrangements are made with their
instructor. For more information, contact the Testing Center at (309) 268-8231.
Hours of operation at HCC’s Normal campus may be viewed
at http://www.hcc.cc.il.us/LIBRARY/aschours.html. The Pontiac Extension Center hours
of operation may be found
at http://www.heartland.edu/services/advisement/tools/pontiac/index.htmlThe Lincoln
Extension Center hours of operation are located at
http://www.heartland.edu/services/advisement/tools/lincoln/index.html
Technology Failure Contingency:
It is the responsibility of the student to maintain backup copies of any assignments completed
using a computer. If the student maintains only one copy of an assignment and the drive or
storage medium fails, the work still must be completed and turned in on time. Plan ahead and
keep backup copies of your work.