BA 160 Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS
BA 160 - C7Z1 (three credit hours)
Class # 46469
FALL 2008
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Business careers, terminology, and the interrelationships and complexities of business are introduced and examined in this survey course.
PREREQUISITE: None
TEXTBOOK
Title: Business. 9th edition. 2008
Author: Pride, Hughes
& Kapoor
Publisher: Houghton
Mifflin (now Cengage Learning)
BusinessWeek magazine (optional)
High-Speed Internet access to KCTCS e-learning (Blackboard Academic Suite) is also required. The Web site address is www.elearning.kctcs.edu.
You can check with your campus bookstore about the textbook. The textbooks for all KCTCS classes are also available from one convenient Web site. If you are a KYVU distance learning student, please read carefully on the Web site to ensure that your book order can be processed as quickly and efficiently as possible. You can go to www.kctcs.edu/distancelearning/bookstore.htm and then click on KCTCS Online Textbook Store at the top.
PROFESSOR: Mr. Jamie H. Vaught
Mailing address:
Mr. Jamie H. Vaught
Middlesboro Campus
E-mail Address:
Phone:
Contact division assistant Georgeina
IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO STUDENTS: Since the professor is hearing-impaired (lip-reading with voice), it’s strongly suggested the students use e-mail if he or she would like to communicate with him directly. I will check e-mail every business day during the week (except when I’m sick or out of town for a conference). Please keep in mind that if you send an e-mail on a weekend or on a legal holiday, you will get a delayed response. I look forward to hearing from you this semester. I’m here to help you! Good luck!
Also, please keep in mind that occasional announcements and professor’s e-mail replies usually will be sent through e-mail within this BA 160 Course in Blackboard Academic Suite (not your regular college e-mail box). Therefore, you need to check your e-mail in Blackboard frequently just in case.
(For your information, as for your regular college e-mail box, it should be pointed out that you will need to delete the old files or messages from your e-mail box frequently (including the folders like Deleted Items, Sent Items, etc.) since you’ll probably have limited storage space. If you don’t delete the old e-mails or messages, your e-mail box will be full and you won’t be able to get any new e-mails from the college.)
Professor’s Academic / Professional Background:
--B.S. Accounting,
--MBA,
--Additional graduate work at
--Taught at
--Four years as internal auditor at First & Farmers Bank, Somerset.
--Long-time newspaper columnist and author of
four successful books on
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Also by appointment
SKCTC SOCIAL
SCIENCES
Mr. Kevin Lambert
606-633-0279, extension 13305 (Whitesburg Campus)
SKCTC MIDDLESBORO & PINEVILLE CAMPUS DIRECTOR:
Ms. Susan Croushorn
606-248-2014
COURSE COMPETENCIES: After completion of this course, the student can:
(1) Describe the private enterprise system.
(2) Identify areas of business social responsibility
(3) Describe economic challenges facing
(4) Identify and differentiate between the forms of private business ownership.
(5) Identify the management skills necessary for business in a capitalistic economy.
(6) Explain the need for human relation skills in managing a business.
(7) Describe the need for marketing skills that are necessary for a business.
(8) Explain the importance of current and accurate financial information in managing a business.
(9) Explain the government’s role in the American economic system.
(10) Describe the American legal system as it applies to business.
(11) Explain the impact of the quality initiative in business.
(12) Use appropriate business vocabulary.
COURSE FORMAT:
This class will be taught via the Internet, using the Blackboard course management system at www.elearning.kctcs.edu. The on-line course is an independent study class and requires self-discipline and motivation to complete the course. It takes a very dedicated student to complete a course on the Web. The student is expected to have an excellent attitude (being respectful of others such as classmates and professor) as well. Also, it is strongly recommended that you print this course syllabus for your guidance and information after reading it.
The short chapter quizzes as well as the article summary are designed to keep you involved with the course material between the exam dates. They are excellent way to improve your grade. For each chapter, you will have a short quiz (either from the textbook AND/OR the video). Each quiz is designed to be convenient, valuable study aid.
There is a time limit for the textbook quiz. You must read the chapter before taking the textbook quiz.
There is no time limit for the video quiz. You must watch the video (usually around 20 minutes) before taking the video quiz.
You are encouraged to watch all of the chapter videos (from the textbook publisher’s Web site) for your benefit even though many videos are not required for quizzes.
The students will submit all coursework -- exams, quizzes and article summary -- electronically.
Student is expected to log
on to the course Web site to check the announcements and e-mail at least
several times a week – just in case. The instructor can track the days and
times of the student’s participation. All students enrolled for one or more
credit hours will have a KCTCS e-mail account established. This will allow for
better communication to students and staff at the college. Students should
check this e-mail account regularly. If you don’t use the e-mail feature within
the Blackboard, please put your NAME and BA 160 in the SUBJECT
If you have problems with Blackboard, contact the KYVU help desk. (The instructor may be of some help, but when it comes to technical problems the help desk is your best opportunity.)
TOPICS:
The Environment of Business
A) Exploring the World of Business
B) Being Ethical and Socially Responsible
C) Exploring Global Business
Trends in Business Today
D) Navigating the World of e-Business
E) Choosing a Form of Business Ownership
F) Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Franchises
G) Understanding the Management Process
H) Creating a Flexible Organization
I) Producing Quality Goods and Services
J) Attracting and Retaining the Best Employees
K) Motivating and Satisfying Employees and Teams
L) Enhancing Union-Management Relations
M) Building Customer Relationships Through Effective Marketing
N) Creating and Pricing Products that Satisfy Customers
O) Wholesaling, Retailing and Physical Distribution
P) Developing Integrated Marketing Communications
Information for Business Strategy and Decision Making
Q) Acquiring, Organizing, and Using Information
R) Using Accounting Information
Finance and Investment
S) Understanding Money, Banking, and Credit
T) Mastering Financial Management
U) Understanding Personal Finances and Investments
EVALUATION OF COMPETENCIES:
In addition to basic course content, the student will acquire certain General Education competencies and will demonstrate their acquisition of these skills and knowledge by successful achievement on class assessment measures. These General Education competencies will include the following:
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY – 1) The student will prepare to read and listen with comprehension by reading the textbook, by viewing the videos, and by taking examinations and quizzes. 2) The student will write clearly using standard English by doing a two-page article summary.
THINK CRITICALLY – 1) The student will make connections in learning across the disciplines and draw logical conclusions by using information and concepts from the course and related disciplines such as accounting and management for learning.
LEARN INDEPENDENTLY – 1) The student will make choices based upon awareness of ethics and differing perspectives/ideas. 2) The student will apply learning in academic, personal and public situations by understanding the issues facing the business world today.
EXAMINE RELATIONSHIPS IN DIVERSE
GRADING:
Five exams @100 points each 500 points
*16 (out of 17) Chapter Quizzes @ 20 points each 320 points
Article Summary 150 points
970 points TOTAL
*Lowest Quiz Grade Will Be Dropped
970-873 A
872-776 B
775-679 C
678-582 D
Below 582 E
“SUGGESTED” DUE DATES
FOR CHAPTER
Chapter 1 – Thursday, August
21 (
Chapter 2 – Thursday, August 28 (VIDEO)
Chapter 3 – Thursday, Sept. 4 (TEXTBOOK)
OMIT CHAPTER FOUR
Chapter 5 – Thursday, Sept. 11 (TWO QUIZZES --TEXTBOOK AND VIDEO)
Chapter 6 – Thursday, Sept. 18 (VIDEO)
Chapter 7 – Thursday, Sept. 25 (TWO QUIZZES – TEXTBOOK AND VIDEO)
Chapter 8 – Thursday, Oct. 2 (TEXTBOOK)
OMIT CHAPTER NINE
Chapter 10 – Thursday, Oct. 9 (VIDEO)
Chapter 11 – Thursday, Oct. 16 (TEXTBOOK)
Chapter 12 – Thursday, Oct. 23 (VIDEO)
Chapter 13 – Thursday, Oct. 30 (TEXTBOOK)
Chapter 14 – Thursday, Nov. 6 (TEXTBOOK)
Chapter 15 – Thursday, Nov. 13 (TEXTBOOK)
Chapter 16 – Thursday, Nov. 20 (VIDEO)
OMIT CHAPTER 17 and 18
Chapter 19 – Wednesday, Nov. 26 (TEXTBOOK)
IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED
THAT YOU SUBMIT A
For the Article Summary, you are to select a business-related article found in BusinessWeek magazine (the online edition at www.businessweek.com or the print edition) and prepare a summary (two full pages or more) of the article. The summary is due on Thursday, Nov. 13 or earlier. Additional information about the article summary will be announced at a later date. The Article Summary may be graded on a “satisfactory” scale. A satisfactory grade (S) will give you a numerical score of 142.5 points (out of 150 possible points), while satisfactory with a minus (S-) grade will give a score of 127.5. You must repeat an unsatisfactory summary to receive credit (maximum of “S-” grade or 127.5 points).
No late assignments – quizzes and article summary – will be accepted after Tuesday, December 2. There are no exceptions.
As mentioned earlier, you are allowed to drop your lowest quiz grade if you don’t miss any. If you missed one quiz for any reason, it will be dropped as the lowest grade.
Cheating of any sort, including plagiarism, will NOT be tolerated. See KCTCS’ policy on plagiarism and cheating.
ON-
Exam #1 (Chapter 1, 2 and 3): Any time on Sunday, September 7 (after
Exam #2 (Chapter 5, 6 and 7): Any time on Sunday, Sept. 28 (after
Exam #3 (Chapter 8, 10 and 11): Any time on Sunday, Oct. 19 and (after
Exam #4 (Chapter 12, 13 and 14): Any time on Sunday, November 9 (after
(Exam
#5 (Chapter 15, 16 and 19): Any time
on Sunday, November 30 (after
Each exam will be made up of multiple-choice and true/false questions. Once you have opened the exam, you will have a time limit to complete it. So, because of the time limit, you need to be ready or prepared before the exam. More information about the exam will be given about a week before the exam date. You might be able to use the book for a question or two, but you won’t have much time. If you are prepared, you won’t have problems with the exam. You will be fine. (WARNING: Do not try to exit out of an exam. It will not let you back in. It must be finished once you start. If that happens, you will likely be forced to take a make-up exam at a later date.)
You will have an opportunity to make up a missed exam on-line with PRIOR approval of the professor. The make-up exam, however, is worth 90 points (instead of 100 points). You lose 10 points, but please remember taking the make-up exam is better than nothing and the professor needs to be fair to the students who the regular exam on time. The make-up exam also may be composed of essay or short-answer questions, instead of multiple-choice and true/false questions.
The date for the make-up exam will take place on
Wednesday, December 3 (anytime between
Technical problems with your computer when taking an exam are not necessarily an excuse to take a make-up exam at a later date – so please be very careful! A friendly suggestion: You may want to take the exam on a reliable computer at your local campus, if possible. As mentioned in a previous paragraph, the make-up exam is worth 90 points, instead of 100.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION:
Please keep in mind that the course schedule for coursework is TENTATIVE, and a coursework MAY BE added to, deleted from, or changed. It is the responsibility of the student to observe such changes even in case of absence from the Web course. In order to complete all of the course requirements, you will need to follow the schedule very closely. If you get behind, you may need to drop the course. Please let me know if you are having problems and perhaps we can solve them.
IMPORTANT DATES IN ACADEMIC CALENDAR (KCTCS On-line Courses):
August 18 -- First day of class session
August 18-24 -- Online orientation period and earliest dates for instruction to begin. This time will be for making contact with students, assuring that KYVC and PeopleSoft rosters are synchronized, and orienting students to course expectations.
August 24 --
day for student to enter a Distance Learning class listed on the KYVC Online
Catalog through
August 24 -- Last day to pay for classes
August 24 -- Last day to drop a class without a grade
August 24 – Last day to drop for a 100% tuition refund
September 16 -- Last day to drop for a 50% tuition refund
October 13 -- Last day for students to drop at their discretion and receive a grade of W
December 6 -- Last day for a student at the instructor’s discretion to withdraw from a class and receive a grade of W
December 6 -- End of Class Work
December 8-13 -- Final Examination
This calendar is relevant only for KCTCS online classes offered via KYVU. For Web Local or Web Enhanced classes, please refer to the class calendar of your local college delivering the class. So, please keep in mind that your home college’s academic calendar may be different from the on-line academic calendar.
Additional notes about the calendar:
November 24-29 is the FALL BREAK and
THANKSGIVING DAY at
If the need arises for you to drop any course, make sure you complete the “drop and add” procedure required by the college. Failure to do so will result in the recording of an “E” as your final grade. The instructor has no control over this process.
CONSUMER (STUDENT) INFORMATION:
The
following information is available on the Web site of Southeast Kentucky
Community and
AIDS Guidelines
Code of Student Conduct
Crime Awareness
Drug Free Policy
Financial Aid Information
Graduation Rate and Transfer Out Rate
Hepatitis B
Sexual Harassment Policy
Student Grievance Procedures
Student Handbook
Student Rights Under FERPA
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Each college has a coordinator to assist students with their disabilities. Students with disabilities who desire academic accommodations must provide the coordinator with current documentation of their disability including evidence of the need for academic accommodations. Contact the local college’s Student Services Office for more details including the name and location of the Disability Coordinator.