Kingsborough Community College
The City University of New York

Syllabus

BA 10: Introduction to Business - 3 credits, 3 hours

Course Coordinators: Dr. Fred Mayerson, Professor Maxine McGarvey

Course Description: This course provides an introduction to the dynamic world of business. The students are introduced to the dynamic world of business organization, from the sole proprietorship (entrepreneur) to the corporation. Through discussion, case studies and the Internet, students explore the fundamentals of management, marketing, human resources, finance and business in the global environment.

College Now Description: Students are introduced to the dynamic world of business through lectures, discussions, case studies, readings and the Internet. The course focuses on the fundamentals of management, marketing, finance and business in the global environment, with special attention to the issues involved in entrepreneurship, franchising and formulating a business.

 Explanation: Business is one of the cornerstones of the American way of life. This course introduces students who may wish to pursue Business as a major to the basic concepts required to understand the successes and failures of business organizations at every level, and their impact on the U.S. economy. It will also acquaint students with the dynamics of technological changes occurring in the domestic and global environment so that their knowledge of the business world will be current and practical.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Define various business systems, with their potential risks and rewards.
  2. Identify the interactive roles of households, businesses and governments.
  3. Understand the types of ethical concerns and social responsibilities that arise in the business world.
  4. Describe the basic differences, advantages and disadvantages among the three most common forms of business ownership; sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporation.
  5. Describe the nature of small businesses and the reasons that some succeed while others fail.
  6. Define management in terms of its four basic functions: goal setting and planning, organizing, leading and motivating, and controlling.
  7. Identify key management skills and roles in various organizational contexts.
  8. Explain the major components of human resource management as well as the challenges of cultural diversity in the work place.
  9. Trace the development of major marketing concepts, including the four elements of the marketing mix: product, price, promotion and distribution.
  10. Identify the factors that may influence consumer and industrial buying behaviors.
  11. Analyze international trade and its positive and negative impact on US business and society.

  12. Identify career opportunities in the context of current employment trends.

Topical Course Outline:

  1. Exploring the World of Business (Chapter 1)
  2. Being Ethical and Social Responsibility (Chapter 2)
  3. Choosing a Form of Business Ownership (Chapter 5)
  4. Small Business, Entrepreneurship, and Franchises (Chapter 6)
  5. Understanding the Management Process (Chapter 7)
  6. Attracting and Retaining the Best Employees (Chapter 10)
  7. Motivating and Satisfying Employees (Chapter 11)
  8. Building Customer Relationships through Effective Marketing (Chapter 13)
  9. Developing Integrated Marketing Commuications (Chapter 16)
  10. Exploring Global Business (Chapter 3)

Optional Topics:

  1. Creating and Pricing Products that Satisfy Customers (Chapter 14)
  2. Understanding Securities Markets and Investments (Chapter 21)

  3. Careers in Business (Appendix A)

Methods of Teaching:

  1. Assigned readings on relevant topics selected by the professor.
  2. Class discussion of assignments including relevant reading materials.
  3. Lectures to elucidate concepts described in the textbook and ancillary reading materials.
  4. Oral presentations and debates by students focusing on relevant topics.
  5. Student written reports and analyses of cases.
  6. Talks on relevant topics by guest speakers.
  7. Distribution of articles and critiques identified in leading business journals.
  8. Use of audio-visual materials where relevant and available.
  9. Review of examinations as a means of comprehensively summarizing the course material.
  10. Private student conferences to provide individual guidance relating to either course content or the student's particular interest and career plans.
  11. Interviews with management personnel in organizations of varying size and focus.

Assignments:

  1. Required reading in course textbooks.
  2. Assigned readings from current business journals and case studies.
  3. Term projects.
  4. Written analysis of an interview with management personnel.
  5. Oral presentation and/or debate on current business topics.

Method of Evaluation:

  1. Midterm and final examinations based on assigned readings and class discussion.
  2. Unit examinations, where appropriate.
  3. Analysis of student contributions to class discussions.
  4. Analysis of written and oral presentations.
  5. Analysis of oral presentations.
  6. Analysis of term projects.
  7. Analysis of internet-based projects.

Required Reading:
Pride, W., Hughes, B., and Kappor, J. Business, Eighth Edition, Boston, Mass. Houghton-Mifflin Company 1993.
Business Reader: College Now Program, Kingsborough Community College, Second Edition. Boston, Mass. Houghton-Mifflin, 1998

Additional Resource Materials: The Business text has numerous supporting materials for the teacher, including a test bank, a test preparation service, transparencies and a video library. In addition, each instructor will receive a subscription to Business Week magazine.
The Business Department has a dedicated website on the KCC homepage, www.kbcc.cuny.edu/collegenow/index.html. This website contains activities and assignments developed for us in conjunction with the textbook for the course.

Bibliography
Akin, David, "Amazon.com Plummets on Talk of Cash Crunch", Financial Post, June 24, 2002, pp. C1, C2.

Berndt, John, "Do You Offer Flexible Time Schedules?" Baltimore Business Journal, January 21, 2003, p. 23.

Berry, Leonard, "Retailers with a Future", Marketing Management, Spring 1996, pp. 38-46.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Reserve Bulletin, April 2000, p. A48.

Burrows, Peter, "The Second Coming of Software", Business Week, June 19, 2000, p. 88.

Charski, Mindy, "Online Bill Paying Is Still Waiting for the Big Payoff", US News & World Report, March 6, 2000, p. 57.

Gilbert, Jennifer, "AOL's Marketing Builds Service into Powerhouse", Advertising Age, March 6, 2000, p. S16.

Gilmein, Mark, "Cool Companies 2000", Fortune, June 26, 2000, p. 122.

Goch, Lynna, "Lawyers, Guns and Money", Best Reviews, January 2000, p. 55.

Goldsborough, Reid, "Making Telecommuting Work", Commercial Law Bulletin, January/February 2000, pp. 34-35.

Goldstein, Alan, "Most Dot.Coms Doomed to Fail, Cuban Tells Entrepreneurs". The Dallas Morning News, April 7, 2000, p. 1D.

Gould, David, "The Benefits of GATT for the US and World Economies", Southwest Economy, (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, May 1994), p. 2.

Griffin, Ricky, Fundamentals of Management, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, 2000, pp. 167-168.

Guadalupe, Patricia, "A Heritage of Success", Hispanic Business, March 2000, p. 18.

Kreitner, Robert, Management, 8th ed., Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA 2001, p. 307, pp. 318-319.

Maroney, Tyler, "An Air Battle Comes to the Web", Fortune, June 26, 2000, p. 315.

Mencke, Claire, "Boeing's Strike Raises New Issue", Investors Business Daily, March 24, 2000.

Morgan, David, "Tech Boom Still Driving the Economy", Financial Post, July 12, 2000, p. C11.

Palmer, Brian, "Cool companies 2000", Fortune, June 26, 2000, p. 112.

Peterson, Peter G., "Japan's 'Invasion':A Matter of 'Fairness,"'Wall Street Journal, November 3, 1989, p. A12.

Pride, William and Ferrell, O.C., Marketing 2000e, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA 2000, p. 111.

Ruggiero, Renato, "The High Stakes of World Trade", Wall Street Journal, April 28, 1997, p. A18.

Schmuckler, Eric, "The Bandwidth Blues", Forbes, May 22, 2000, p. 32.

Tapscott, Don, "Online Parts Exchange Heralds New Era", Financial Post, May 5, 2000, p. C7.

Tully, Shawn, "The Party's Over", Fortune, June 26, 2000, p. 156.

Useem, Jerry, "Partners on the Edge", Inc., August 1998, p. 57.

Wong, Nancy, "The Key is To Find the Right Partner", Workforce, April 1999, p. 112.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, March 2000, p. 76.