Department of Business
Jackson College
Course:
BUA 100 Contemporary Business
Course Hours:
Tuesday, 6:00 P.M.-8:54 P.M. - Hybrid Justin Whiting Hall, Room 104.
Instructor:
Jesse Rentfrow
Phone:
517-936-9023
E-mail:
renfrojt@yahoo.com
Text:
Required Access Code to www.MyBizLab.com includes e-text for
required text Anybody’s Business Van Syckle/Tietje, 2010 Pearson
The special custom price for this package is available only through the
bookstore and must be purchased there. Optional print upgrade isn't
required but is available inexpensively via access code @Pearson Store in
MyBizLab. The print upgrade contains ch 1-14 and does not include ch 15
– 20. Class ID: rentfrow81268
Live Life, Learn Business
This is a good place to be if you ever plan on working sometime, anytime in your life. This
course won’t be like other courses where you daydream your way through class and try to
memorize terms the night before the test. This is YOUR course—a course that’s about YOUR
life from day one. This text is your very own Business Road Map—minus all the stuffy, boring
material that’s usually crammed onto every page. Why? Well, because understanding business is
about understanding things that really matter, in business and in life. Everything you learn in this
course will affect your standard of living and quality of life, starting right now and lasting well in
the future. So whether you want to start your own business, be a manager, or just live a good life,
this course will prepare you for your journey--starting today.
What is Contemporary Business?
As business speeds into the 21st century, new techniques, population shifts and shrinking global
barriers are altering the world at a frantic pace. Learn about the range of business careers
available and the daily decision, tasks and challenges that they face. Emphasis is placed upon
developing a vocabulary of business terminology, teamwork, quality, social responsibility and
cultural diversity. Understand how management, marketing, accounting and human resource
management work together to provide ethical competitive advantages for firms. This knowledge
can help you enhance your career potential.
What are the Objectives of Contemporary Business?
Jackson Community College Department of Business is the only two year program in Michigan that has been
accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs since 1993.
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Provide a perspective on the concepts, principles, and operation of the free enterprise
system;
Compare capitalism, as an economic system, to other economic systems;
Compare advantages and disadvantages of sole proprietorships, partnership, and
corporations;
Explore the role of management in organizations, the acquisition of human resource, and
the creation of a supportive work environment;
Examine the marketing function and development of marketing strategies;
Explore the role of financial management and the acquisition and use of funds;
Examine the influence of environments created by labor, law, government, society,
technology and the economy;
Identify the challenges of business in the global marketplace.
Class Schedule
Date
Topic
01/14/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapter 1
Group work
Complete the Chapter 1 Biz Skill
Simulations OBM-Financial Statements
Test 1
01/21/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapter 2
Group work
Complete the Chapter 2 Biz Skill
Baruch College’s Guide to Financial Statements
Test 2
01/28/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapters 3 and 4
Group Work
Tests 3 and 4
Complete the Chapter 4 Biz Skill SWOT
02/04/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapters 5 and 6
Group work
Tests 5 and 6
Article review due
Jackson Community College Department of Business is the only two year program in Michigan that has been
accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs since 1993.
02/11/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapters 7 and 8
Group Work
Tests 7 and 8
Complete the Chapter 8 Biz Skill Ethics
02/18/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapter 9
Group work
Test 9
Complete the Chapter 9 Biz Skill Vision
02/25/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapter 10
Group work
Test 10
Article review due
03/04/14
Spring Break, No Class!
3/11/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapter 11
Group work
Test 11
03/18/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapters 12 and 13
Group work
Tests 12 and 13
Article review due
03/25/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapter 19
Group work
Test 19
Complete the Chapter 8 Biz Skill Networking
04/01/14
Meet on ground and online
Lecture over chapter 20
Group work
Test 20
Submit final exam
04/08/14
Final Class! Meet on campus
Article review due
Jackson Community College Department of Business is the only two year program in Michigan that has been
accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs since 1993.
Business Plan Presentations!
What is the “No Surprises” Grading System?
Dollars/points earned can be viewed so you may determine your grade on any day of the term.
Quizzes will be graded automatically once submitted. After the quiz has closed for the week for
the class, you may view incorrect/correct answers for 48 hours.
Assignments and projects will be individually graded and manually entered into the grade book.
ASSIGNMENTS
Points
Group Work/Class Work (20 points each)
$220
Pearson Simulations(20 points each)
$120
Article Reviews (25 Points each)
$100
15 Tests (20 Points each)
$300
Final Exam
$80
Business Plan and Presentation
$180
Total
$1000
Grade Scale
Percentage
Grade
94-100
4.0
88-93
3.5
82-87
3.0
76-81
2.5
70-75
2.0
64-69
1.5
58-63
1.0
52-57
0.5
Below 52
0.0
Jackson Community College Department of Business is the only two year program in Michigan that has been
accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs since 1993.
Group Work
This group work will be completed on campus meetings. It is designed to improve your
teamwork skills and allow you to delve deeper into a particular area.
Pearson Simulations/Discussion
These can be found at mybizlab.com and are designed for the current chapters being studied.
Higher education is integrating more publisher resources and technology that are very useful and
rich in content. I will discuss this more in class.
Article Review
These are to be submitted online and discussed when we meet on campus. Find an article from a
newspaper, magazine, the Internet, etc., which relates to the subject matter that we have been
discussing. Include a short synopsis of the article, how it is relevant to the readings, and how it
impacts you. This should be about a page in length, using APA format.
Tests
Tests will be multiple choice. There are 15 tests worth 20 points each. There is one opportunity
to take each test. Clicking on the test is the commitment to complete that test. Each quiz is timed.
Students have found that this is sufficient to complete each test. Wonder if a test question has
been scored correctly? After the quiz has closed for the week for the class, you may view
incorrect/correct answers for 48 hours. E-mail the instructor evidence and include page number,
text quote, and detailed explanation. Testing is based upon text material, not student or instructor
opinion. The questions are primarily multiple-choice with a few true/false. According to Leigh
Newman in 9 Rules for Life: “A lot of your life will be determined by multiple choices. There is a
secret strategy behind "a, b, c or none of the above. One of the choices is a fake answer: one
designed to look correct even though it is not. This will usually be the first answer you pick. If
you immediately eliminate it instead, you will be left with three slightly wrong-looking but
closer-to-right choices, significantly improving your chances of success. Once you have
mastered this technique during testing, take it with you into the rest of your life.” These are taken
online, on the designated dates, and cannot be made-up.
Final Exam
The final exam is a cumulative multiple choice/true-false test worth 80 points.
Business Plan
This is designed to allow you to utilize your teamwork skills, which is essential in the business
environment. For the business plan you should chooses an idea for a new product or service that
you would like to introduce to the market. I will provide links on JetNet, and Pearson also has a
template on how to do this. This is to be ten pages in length, with Arial or Times new Roman,
Size 12 font, double-spaced, with a title page, and references. The presentation should be in
PowerPoint and be at least 10 minutes long. You can break up into groups of four or five for this
project. The paper is worth 90 points and the presentation is worth 90 points. If you do not
participate in the presentation, you will not receive credit for the presentation. Also, you
cannot do Extra Credit if you do not participate in the presentation.
Extra Credit
Jackson Community College Department of Business is the only two year program in Michigan that has been
accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs since 1993.
If you choose to do so, you can receive 50 points extra credit for one of the following:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
Write a two-page paper on any of the concepts learned in the course.
Interview a business owner and present it to the class.
Develop another business plan.
Watch a movie or documentary (not one of the ones we watched in class), that relates to
any concept in the book, and write two-page essay.
5.) Any ideas you may have, that pertain to business, will be considered.
Participation and Attendance Policy
Your success will depend greatly on your participation in class, time spent completing
assignments, and time practicing on the computer. Attendance will be reported periodically to
the Registrar’s Office, and will be measured by your activity in the online learning environment.
Definitions include: “H”—the student is not doing acceptable work and needs “help” to be
successful, “Q”—the student has not participated/attended, and “V”—the instructor “verifies”
that the student is participating/attending and doing acceptable work. It is ultimately the
responsibility of the student to withdraw from the course. You should also contact your
instructor when considering a withdrawal.
Associate Degree Outcomes
The Board of Trustees of Jackson Community College has determined that JCC graduates will
develop certain skills while enrolled in the college. This course meets the criteria for ADO 10:
Diversity. Each of the BUA 100 objectives is achieved through learning activities that include a
significant amount of small group work, as well as primary research techniques of observation,
surveys, focus groups, interviews, and secondary methods via Internet. Lecture, simulations,
critical thinking scenarios, role playing, discussions, and self- reflection complete the learning
strategies.
Collaboration
While JCC encourages students to collaborate in study groups, work teams, and with lab
partners, each student should take responsibility for accurately representing his/her own
contribution. File sharing is NOT collaborating; it is cheating and violates the academic
honesty policy!
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is expected of all students. It is the ethical behavior that includes producing
their own work and not representing others’ work as their own, either by plagiarism, by cheating,
or by helping others to do so. Please refer to the Student Handbook for Student Rights and
Responsibilities.
Consequences
Anyone caught cheating on any assignment, quiz, exam etc. will receive a zero for that project. If
caught cheating more than once, the student will receive a zero for the class. All academic
dishonesty violations will be reported to the Dean of Occupational Education.
Student Responsibilities
Jackson Community College Department of Business is the only two year program in Michigan that has been
accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs since 1993.
These unchanging, non-negotiable, required responsibilities are designed so that the student 1)
takes responsibility for learning, 2) maintains ethical standards and 3) takes responsibility for
communicating with the instructor sooner rather than later.
The unbreakable rules:
Follow the requirements in the Academic Honesty document posted in class. (JetNet)
Late work receives a zero. Due dates are posted and are firm.
View the grade book weekly and JCC email account weekly. Grade issues must be reconciled
within the same week of grade posting. Waiting until the end of the semester will not result in a
grade change for any reason.
Points or dollars are earned for learning, not for effort or best intentions. Submit work with your
best 1st effort as that is your only opportunity to do.
Appropriate business talk is required in all communication: email, phone, forum, assignments.
Jackson Community College Department of Business is the only two year program in Michigan that has been
accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs since 1993.