Heartland Community College
Business Division
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 in this course. You will be required to
complete three of the six 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 (June 17), Unit 4 Exam (July 2), and the Unit 5 Exam
(July 13). These three 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: 12:00pm-2:45pm TWR and by appointment.
WebCT Username: Steve Wedwick
Emergency E-mail Address: steve.wedwick@hcc.cc.il.us Use this email address only
when the email feature of WebCT is not functional!
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 three on-campus exams and at least two of
three on-line exams worth 40 pts. each) 200 pts.
(You are required to take the Unit 2, 4,and 5 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 six Unit Exams that are available in this
course, your lowest on-line exam score will be dropped. Therefore the
total points possible for this component of your grade will be based on
200 points.)
Mutual Fund and Stock Project (worth 50 pts.) 50 pts.
Postings to Bulletin Board Discussions (participate in 3 @ 12 pts.) 36
pts.
Total Points for the Course = 400 pts.
Note: You should review the documents located in the COURSE
INFORMATION—FAQS AND GUIDELINES FOR
COURSEWORK area of the on-line 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% = 360 - 400 points
B: 80% - 89% = 320 - 359 points
C: 70% - 79% = 280 - 319 points
D: 60% - 69% = 240 - 279 points
F: below 60% = 239 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 on-line, take the Chapter Quiz on-line, complete the Unit Assignment online, participate in Bulletin Board Discussions on-line, and prepare for the Unit
Exam.
This course is NOT a self-paced course with vague or unclear due dates for your
coursework. This course requires that you stay involved, read your text, go on-line 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 on-line students who have performed poorly, received below average grades,
and didn't really learn much have made one or more of the following mistakes:
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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 three times 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 Other Coursework:
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 coursework 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/or found in the course content on-line.
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
www.hcc.cc.il.us/library
The Library, located within the Academic Support Center (ASC) on the Normal campus,
provides Heartland students with a variety of on-campus resources that support both class
work and personal inquiry. These include: reference tools (print and non-print),
periodicals, audio-visual materials and equipment, reserves, a general circulating
collection, and a fiction collection. Computer terminals provide access to various
electronic resources, including Academic Universe, FirstSearch, and EbscoHost
databases; CARL online card catalog, and Internet access. Several electronic resources
are accessible from computers off campus. Students may borrow books from the fiction
and general collections and may renew materials, in person or by phone, if requests have
not been placed on them.
Heartland students also have Interlibrary Loan privileges from Heartland Library. Items
usually take 1 to 3 weeks from date of the order to arrive.
The Library maintains a quiet study environment. Assistance is available for all library
and information needs. Heartland Library is open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 9:30
p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the college is in session, but is closed on holidays
that Heartland observes. Intersession and summer hours are reduced.
Milner Library at Illinois State University is a public institution so you may use their
collection on site. If you want to request to check out materials, ask for a free
Community Borrowers card application at the Milner Library circulation desk. It is
important that you have specific titles to request for check out when you apply for the
card. The card will give you access to their circulating collection for three months, with a
four-week check out period. To qualify for this service you must live within 50 miles of
Milner, have a current state ID (driver's license) with current address on ID, and be over
age 18. After you fill out the application Milner will perform a background check on you
for over due books, etc.
For more information about Library services please call the Library at 268-8200.
Tutoring and Academic Support:
Heartland Community College offers learning assistance in various forms at no 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. Help is also provided through instructional materials, study skills workshops,
open computing, and the Library. For more information about services available at each
location, please call the ASC in Normal at (309) 268-8235; the Pontiac Center (815) 8426777; or the Lincoln Center (217) 735-1731.
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.html The Lincoln
Extension Center hours of operation are located at
http://www.heartland.edu/services/advisement/tools/lincoln/index.html