BA 101 Introduction to Business
4 Credits
College Now/CTE
Student Outcomes Checklist
www.cocc.edu/College-Now
Student’s Signature _______________________________________Completion Date______________
High School Teacher’s Signature_______________________________________________________
Recommended Letter Grade ________ High School_________________________________________
COCC Review Instructor’s Signature ____________________________________________________
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course you will learn about the many exciting and challenging facets
of business and its dynamic role in today’s environment. You will gain a working knowledge of the
components of business which includes discussion on management, marketing and finance. During this
course you will be introduced to topics which are covered in greater depth in higher level business courses.
You are encouraged to use this course to explore the breadth of business topics offered in the Business
Administration degrees and identify specific areas of interest or specialization.
INSTRUCTIONS: To receive credit toward a Business certificate or degree, a student must earn a
grade of C or higher from the tests, the four assignments, and the team presentation. Tests may
NOT be retaken to achieve a higher score. It is recommended that students complete the assigned
readings as well as review key terms, questions and exercises at the end of each chapter. Approved
High school teachers must complete the training session (explained below) before they can teach BA
101 Introduction to Business. Any instruction related issues, contact Theresa Freihoefer, COCC
Business Instructor, tfreihoefer@cocc.edu or 383-7734.
REQUIRED TRAINING SESSION: There is now a one day training session to assist High School
instructors in how we teach BA 101 Introduction to Business at the college. This training session includes
all the materials needed to teach the course- instructor textbook, power point slides, assignments, in-class
activities, team presentation information, and exams.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: The following text is required: Understanding Business, Ninth Edition by
Nickels, McHugh, McHugh (McGraw-Hill publishing).
BA 101 INSTRUCTOR BLACKBOARD SITE: Please refer to the Blackboard course set up for
College Now BA 101 instructors which includes everything the instructor needs to teach the course
including syllabus template, course schedule, exams, assignments, power point lectures, team presentation
guidelines, and much more.
EXAMS: To request copies of the exams and answer keys, high school teachers should refer to the
Blackboard course.
GRADING: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, F.
See College Now Grading Policy.
GRADING SCALE:
A=
93 – 100%
A- =
90 – 92%
B+ = 87 – 89%
B=
B- =
C+ =
83 – 86%
80 – 82%
77 – 79%
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BA 101 Introduction to Business
C=
D=
F=
73 - 76%
65 - 72%
64% and below
GRADE CALCULATION:
Item
Percentage Score
Weight
Weighted Score
Average of Tests:
______%
x
40% =
______%
Note: Instructor can choose to give 4 tests or a test for each chapter (see the Blackboard site for options).
Assignments (maximum 100 points each)
1. Paper on U.S. Economy
______%
2. Marketing Analysis
______%
3. Financial and Stock Ratio Analysis ______%
4. SWOT Analysis
______%
Average of 4 Assignments:
______%
Team Presentation
______%
x
45%
=
______%
x
15%
Total Score
=
______%
______%
Recommended Letter Grade
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BA 101 Introduction to Business
______
COURSE OUTCOMES: The high school teacher will send the following documents to: College Now
Office, Central Oregon Community College, 2600 NW College Way, Bend, OR 97703.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A completed and signed copy of the Student Outcomes Checklist pages 1 and 2.
A copy of the four graded exams for each student.
A copy of the 4 assignments for each student.
A copy of the company power point presentation.
A completed and signed final grade roster for the course.
Learning Outcomes: BA 101 Introduction to Business
In addition to gaining an understanding of the business principles described in your text and presented
during the course, you will practice and develop a number of skills critical to managing a business career,
including:
 Logical thinking and decision making
 Self-Management
 Effective communications
 Analytical skills
 Team building and working effectively with others
 Presentation skills
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
1. Describe how the macroenvironment impacts a business (global, political-legal, competition,
social, economic and technology).
2. Explain basic economics and how it affects business.
3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different types of business ownership.
4. Explain why entrepreneurship and small business are important to the U.S. economy.
5. Describe each of the four functions of management.
6. Identify the characteristics of different organizational structures.
7. Explain the importance of human resource management and describe the current issues facing
human resource managers.
8. Describe the four components of marketing and apply them to a corporation.
9. Apply market segmentation and target marketing concepts to business.
10. Describe basic financial statements and calculate financial ratios to analyze the strengths of a
business.
11. Explain the role and responsibilities of financial managers and the financial planning process.
12. Describe investment opportunities offered by various types of securities (stocks, bonds and mutual
funds).
13. Explain the role of the Federal Reserve and how they impact business.
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BA 101 Introduction to Business
BA 101 Course Topic Outline
You will note the chapters are listed out of order. This was done to facilitate the development of
the team project. Contact Theresa Freihoefer at COCC with any questions.
Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits Within the Dynamic Business Environment
Chapter 2: Understanding How Economics Affects Business
Chapter 5: Business Ownership: Starting a Small Business
Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship and Starting a Small Business
Test One (covers Chp 1, 2, 5, 6) – Instructor can opt for chapter tests.
Chapter 13: Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy
Chapter 14: Developing and Pricing goods and Services
Chapter 15: Distributing Products
Chapter 16: Using Effective Promotions
Test Two (covers Chp 13-16) – Instructor can opt for chapter tests.
Chapter 17: Understanding Accounting and Financial Information
Chapter 18: Financial Management
Chapter 19: Using Securities Markets for Financing and Investing Opportunities
Chapter 20: Money, Financial Institutions, and the Federal Reserve
Test Three (covers Chp 17-20) – Instructor can opt for chapter tests.
Chapter 7: Management and Leadership
Chapter 8: Adapting Organizations to Todays Markets
Chapter 11: Human Resource Management: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Test Four (covers Chp 7, 8 ,11) – Instructor can opt for chapter tests.
Assignment 1: U.S. Economy Paper (please read carefully)
(100 Points Possible)
Have the students write a 1-2 page paper (typed with references cited) about the current state
of our U.S. economy. Included in their answer should be terms and concepts learned from
class and the textbook (Chapters 1,2) like whether we are in a recession, depression, recovery
or boom period. Make sure they use facts to support their position (such as GDP, inflation,
unemployment levels, CPI…). The goal with this assignment is to see if the students
understand what they have learned so far (Chapters 1,2) well enough that they can apply it our
current state of the U.S. economy. Additionally, this assignment helps to get the students to
look at the world we live in from a business perspective.
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BA 101 Introduction to Business
Assignment 2: MARKETING ANALYSIS (please read carefully)
(100 Points Possible)
Requirements:

Read Chapters 13-16

Target Market
Describe the target market for your company’s primary products/services. How does your
company segment the market (demographic, geographic, psychographic variables – or some
combo)?

Describe the Marketing Mix (4 Ps) for your Company – Product, Price, Place,
Promotion.
Write a paragraph for each element of the marketing mix:
 PRODUCT/SERVICES (Describe the width and depth of the product mix. Include
product lines and brands if appropriate.)
 PRICING STRATEGIES (from Ch 12)
 CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION (Describe a few strategies they use. This is not just
about the number of stores or countries they are in.)
 PROMOTION MIX (Include examples for each of the four elements in the promotion
mix- advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, and public relations/publicity.)
Assignment 3: FINANCIAL RATIO Analysis Instructions
1. Create a chart listing key financial ratios for your company, a competitor and the industry average.
Ratio
Average
Current Ratio
Debt/Equity Ratio
E.P.S. (earnings per
share)
Inventory Turnover
Your Company
Competitor
Industry
Not Applicable
Net Income
Revenue (Sales)
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
2. To find the ratios, go to www.msn.com home page, and find the MONEY section (listed inside the
white band near the top). Then put your company’s name in the “get quote” area and press enter.
Using the side menu bar on the left choose FINANCIAL RESULTS then choose KEY RATIOS.
Then choose from the key ratios list FINANCIAL CONDITION to get the debt/equity ratio and
current ratio for your company. Then choose from the key ratios list MANAGEMENT
EFFICIENCY to get the inventory turnover ratio for your company. Then going back to the left hand
side bar, choose HIGHLIGHTS under Financial Results to get the E.P.S. ratio (earnings per share).
3. For each ratio, indicate which company has the better individual ratio (either underline or highlight the
better number). Note: the “better” number might not be the largest number… it depends on the ratio.
4. In the last two rows of the chart, add the Sales and Profit TREND data to your table using directional
arrows or the words UP, DOWN, FLAT… (if Sales are going up for the past two years, use an up
arrow, if they are basically flat, use a flat arrow, etc). To access the sales and profit trend data go to
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BA 101 Introduction to Business
www.msn.com find the MONEY section and press enter. Then put in your company’s stock ticker
symbol in the “get quote” area and press enter again. Then go to the left hand side bar and choose
FINANCIAL RESULTS and then STATEMENTS. After the Balance sheet and Income statements
folders is the Cash flow statement then the 10-year summary. Look at the 10-year summary folder to
get the sales and net income trend data (comparing the last two years of data only).
5. Write a summary paragraph which states which company is in the better overall financial position…
and support your answer with data from your analysis. Remember to look at all ratios and trends…
you cannot draw a conclusion about the financial health of a company by looking at one ratio in
isolation.
(Continuation of Assignment 3)
STOCK Analysis Instructions

Use www.msn.com to create your stock chart. Go to the MONEY section then enter in your
company’s stock ticker symbol and press enter. Look at the left hand side bar and explore the
following areas:
o Stock Scouter Rating
o Charts
o Analysts Ratings

Create a 5-year stock chart:
Compare your company’s stock to one of the major indexes (S&P 500, DOW, or NASDAQ).
Then add your company’s competitor to the chart (you will need your competitor’s stock
ticker symbol!). Print out the chart or cut and paste to your document.

Then answer the following questions:
1. If you had $10,000 to invest 5 yrs ago, who would you invest in?
(Hint: Use the stock chart for your answer).
2. If you had $10,000 to invest today, would you invest in your company’s stock?
(Hint: Use the stockscouter rating and your own ratio analysis for your answer).
Assignment 4: SWOT Analysis (please read carefully)
(100 Points Possible)
Requirements:

Identify the Strengths and Weaknesses for your company. Remember this involves the
internal factors such as employee experience, capital and cash flow, building, machinery,
organizational culture, etc…

Identify the Opportunities and Threats for your company. Remember this involves the
external factors such as- economic conditions (growth, recession, etc.), competitive
environment (oligopoly, monopolistic competition, few competitors/lots of competitors).
Your typed analysis should contain a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and a list of
Threats facing your company over the next 5-10 years (bullet format with summary for each).
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BA 101 Introduction to Business
TEAM CORPORATION PRESENTATIONS
The objective of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to apply some of the concepts and ideas
presented in the text and class with examples drawn from the business world. Working in small teams,
students will be required to research a large company and its biggest competitors throughout the term. The
company must be traded on a public stock exchange.
On an assigned date, each student team will give a 15-20 minute presentation to the class about their
company. Power point is required. During the course, students will complete and turn into the teacher a
total of 4 analyses on their company which will provide students with the information needed to develop a
successful presentation (a marketing analysis, 2 financial analyses, and a SWOT analysis).
Mandatory topics to include in the presentation are (and suggested outline):

Brief summary of company’s business, including name of corporation, stock ticker symbol, and its
major competitors, and a brief history of how the company got started.

Summary of the Marketing Mix (4 Ps), including target market for primary products.

List and briefly describe your competitors. Also include your company’s sustainable competitive
advantage over its competitors (if it has one).

Financial ratio analysis for your company and for one leading competitor. What are their sales and
profits for the current year and prior year? What does this tell you about your company’s financial
health?

Provide a brief analysis of company’s stock price fluctuation over time. Include one graph for your
company’s stock over a 5-year period including one of the market indexes (S&P 500, DOW or
NASDAQ) and your company’s major competitor (1).

Strategic external analysis for your company (use SWOT tool). List 3-4 Opportunities for your
company and 3-4 Threats. [This should be completed as a brainstorming session with all members of
the team].

Answer the question, “Would you want to work for this company? Why or why not?”
Note: You must relate class material to this assignment using terms learned from lecture and the textbook.
20 min is enough time to cover the assigned material if your team is well prepared.
This assignment is designed to increase your comfort and skills presenting business material to an
audience. Since students bring different levels of ability and prior experience to this assignment, we will
discuss strategies for delivering successful presentations in class.
Note that the entire team will receive the same grade for the presentation and to earn a grade, you must
be present and participate in the presentation.
For those schools where student teams are not possible, a single report covering the above criteria
is possible. Please contact Theresa Freihoefer at 383-7734 or email tfreihoefer@cocc.edu.
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