BUS101: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS
Details
Have you ever wondered what qualities billionaire Warren Buffet, visionary Steve Jobs, or upcoming Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com all have in common? After you finish studying business practices in this course, you may discover that you have some of the same qualities as other successful entrepreneurs.
This course is designed as a survey course that will expose you to business terminology, concepts, and current business issues. The intent is to develop a viable business vocabulary, foster critical and analytical thinking, and refine your business decision-making skills. These skills will be acquired by the reading materials, exercises, and research assignments in this course that simulate the workplace today. By delving into the five units of this course, you will be able to fine tune your direction and choice of career in business.
A major goal of your education is to help you become a citizen who can contribute and compete in an increasingly global environment. Elements of this course will focus on multicultural aspects of markets and business. Additional elements will ask you to
look at other countries and evaluate the combination of business models and country characteristics.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- explain how economic indicators shape business decisions;
- identify and analyze business cycles;
- describe the components of a business plan and the purpose of each component;
- identify the legal forms of business, and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each;
- describe and analyze the components of the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion), and explain how segmentation and research will foster an understanding of consumer behavior;
- explain the components of a balance sheet and income statement;
- formulate several financial ratios, and communicate the implications of those ratios for future performance of a company; and
- explain and identify leadership and management skills necessary for a successful business.
In order to take this course, you must:
√ Have access to a computer.
√ Have continuous broadband Internet access.
√ Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins (e.g. Adobe Reader or Flash) and software.
√ Have the ability to download and save files and documents to a computer.
√ Have the ability to open Microsoft Office files and documents (.doc, .ppt, xls., etc.).
√ Have competency in the English language.
√ Have read the Saylor Student Handbook.
Saylor Academy’s mission is to open education to all.
Saylor Academy’s mission is sustained by the continued evolution of an open educational ecosystem, and we are dedicated partners in this movement. Saylor’s commitment to the open education ecosystem is founded not just on open educational resources and open source learning technologies, but also on open access to credentials, and ongoing open learning opportunities.
Guided by these beliefs, Saylor Academy is currently focused on the following projects:
Open Courses: Maintenance and Learner-Centered Improvements
- A commitment to the OER community means that we’ll continue to replace open access materials with openly licensed ones in an effort to make Saylor courseware as reusable and remixable as possible.
- Open courses require more instructional supports for learners, so our current improvements focus on ensuring better and more frequent opportunities for Saylor students to practice what they’re learning.
Open Credentials: Adding New Opportunities and Bolstering Existing Ones
- We’re working on expanding our suite of Saylor Direct credit recommended exams, and we’re also keen on working with university partners to develop innovative and flexible partner degree launching and completion programs. ...
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