DOERMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

PURDUE UNIVERSITY FORT WAYNE

Fall 2018 COURSE SYLLABUS

BUS 10001 Principles of Business Administration CRNXXX

This course requires the completion of a group project. If you are not able or
willing to work virtually (over the Internet) with classmates on the business plan
project, or you are taking this course primarily because you do not want to work
on a team project, please take advantage of the opportunity to drop this course
without charge during the first week of class.
Please read the syllabus carefully before beginning this course. Many questions
that you might have about what is expected of you will be answered here.

My name is Ahmed Rachdi (pronounced rash-dee) and I have

been teaching in the Richard T. Doermer School of Business
since 2005. I taught undergraduate and graduate level
marketing, management, and statistics courses for five years at
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. (AUI is an American
style university where the language of instruction is English.
http://www.aui.ma) I have twenty years of management
experience and an MSBA from San Francisco State University.
For further details about my background please feel free to read
my vita on my web site at http://ahmedrachdi.weebly.com
where you can also learn more about other courses that I
teach.

Office: Neff Hall, Room 330E

Campus office hours: TR 8:30-10:30 am & by appointment.
Phone: (260) 481-0116 (office/leave a message)
Email: I am online for a period of time each weekday. I will
respond to messages within 24 hours, Monday-Friday. I am not always online on Saturdays
or Sundays. I will notify the class using Blackboard when I am unavailable. My Purdue Fort
Wayne email is rachdia@pfw.edu.

COURSE PREREQUISITES: None

TEXTBOOK & PROJECT GUIDE

The textbook and project guide are required for this course.

Rachdi, Rathbun, & Khamalah, Business Basics & Perspectives, 4th Edition, Kendall
Hunt Publishing Company.

Rachdi, Rathbun, & Khamalah, Business Plan Project Guide, 4th Edition, Kendall Hunt
Publishing Company.

1
The text and the guide are sold as a package. You may buy the books in print or electronic
format from Follett’s bookstore or directly from the publisher at
http://www.kendallhunt.com/. The ISBN for the 4th edition package is 978-1-5249-2178-1.

NOTE: If you purchase a used textbook be sure that you also buy the Business Plan Project
Guide. You must have the guide to do the team project.

COURSE PHILOSOPHY
The majority of persons in the industrialized world work in business organizations of some
type. Even non-profit organizations, such as Purdue Fort Wayne and governmental
agencies, are operated by business principles. Therefore, all individuals will have
interactions with organizations that are business related. Your ability to understand and
excel in these interactions will be enhanced by knowledge of business organizations and
their administration.

As you go through this course, you will be introduced to many different ideas, value
systems, cultures and ethnic groups. Knowledge of these differences will enhance your
understanding of diversity as you advance through your career.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
In this course, you will:

1. Gain factual knowledge about business terms and methods.

2. Learn fundamental business principles and theories.
3. Learn to apply course material to improve decision-making in business.
4. Develop a respect for the ethical and moral issues that permeate business decisions
and the different value systems that underlie various decisions and behaviors.
5. Learn to develop and present a Business Plan.
6. Gain experience in virtual collaboration.

COURSE OUTCOMES
Contribution to State General Education Outcomes: This course contributes to
Category B, Ways of Knowing, area 7.

This course contributes to General Education [GE] goals shown in the numbers between
brackets after each General Education course outcome below.

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Read critically, summarize, apply, analyze, and synthesize information and concepts in
written and visual texts as the basis for developing original ideas and claims. [GE 1.3]

Develop, assert and support a focused thesis with appropriate reasoning and adequate
evidence. [GE 1.5]

Demonstrate proficiency in reading, evaluating, analyzing, and using material collected from
electronic sources (such as visual, electronic, library databases, Internet sources, other
official databases, federal government databases, reputable blogs, wikis, etc.). [GE 1.7]

Use appropriate organization or logical sequencing to deliver an oral message. [GE 2.1]

Apply foundational knowledge and discipline‐specific concepts to address issues or solve

problems. [GE 4.3]

2
Apply basic observational, quantitative, or technological methods to gather data and
generate evidence‐based conclusions. [GE 4.4]

Demonstrate knowledge of major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical patterns, or

historical contexts within a given social or behavioral domain. [GE 5.1]

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of contending explanations or interpretations for

social, behavioral, or historical phenomena. [GE 5.2]

Evaluate evidence supporting conclusions about the behavior of individuals, groups,

institutions, or organizations. [GE 5.4]

Identify examples of how social, behavioral, or historical knowledge informs and can shape
personal, ethical, civic, or global decisions and responsibilities. [GE 5.6]

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUCCESSFUL ONLINE STUDENT

If this is your first online course (or even if it isn’t) you will find this resources page from
the University of Illinois helpful. If you have any concerns about taking an online course,
please contact me. I also teach the same course on campus.

To be successful in an online course:

 You need good study habits, that is, you must be well-organized, and use your time
efficiently.
 You must be self-motivated and able to work independently without much external
input.
 Though you don’t have to be an expert or very experienced, you must feel
comfortable around computers, and have general problem-solving skills.
 You should be able to read English well because reading will be one of the primary
ways you will learn in this course. If you don’t read English well, this course will give
you the opportunity to practice that skill, and you should be prepared to put extra
time and effort into the course.
 You should write English well.

Please note that if you have a disability or acquire one, you should let me know, and you
should contact Services for Students with Disabilities in Walb 113 (260 481-6657,
voice/TDD).

GETTING STARTED
INTRODUCTION ASSIGNMENT & SYLLABUS QUIZ
By the beginning of the first week of class (check the course schedule at the end of this
syllabus for due date), go to the Introductions discussion board (left menu in Blackboard)
and create a Thread in which you tell classmates:

1. what you hope to get out of the course,

2. what your major is,
3. how this course is relevant to your career goals,
4. what knowledge, skills, and experience you bring to a business team, and
5. what town, state, country (if not in the US) you are taking this course from
6. Optional: You may post a photo

3
Also by the end of the first of class, complete the Syllabus Quiz, which highlights key
details which can make a difference in your final grade. The link to the syllabus quiz is in the
Start Here folder in Blackboard.

Both activities will count toward your Participation grade. You must complete both
assignments in order to be assigned to a team. If you do not find yourself on a team by the
end of the second week of class, check to make sure that you have completed these
assignments. Do not come to me after 2 or 3 weeks and ask to be assigned to a team. This
is not fair to teammates who have complied.

WHY TEAMS
Educational research shows that student-student interaction is critical to the success of
online learners. In a team you can get to know a few people really well. In a team you also
practice valuable job skills of collaboration, knowledge sharing, time management,
constructive feedback, and technology use, among others.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
READINGS AND PPTS
Please feel free to ask me questions on anything you do not understand. There are
annotated PPTs in the Chapters Folder that will be helpful to your learning.

ASSIGNMENTS
The purpose of the Assignments is to help you learn to apply the concepts of the course to
actual business contexts by “reading critically, summarizing, applying, analyzing, and
synthesizing information and concepts in written and visual texts as the basis for developing
original ideas and claims.” (GE 1.3)

General instructions for writing assignments

To complete a case-based assignment (Assignments #1 and #2), answer the three
questions at the end of the case. Number each answer. You should write at least 300 words.
Your writing should provide evidence that you understand the key business concepts
exemplified by the case and that you can integrate them correctly in your responses.

There are special instructions for the Stock Market Report, Assignment #3, provided in the
Blackboard Assignment tool. You should also follow the general writing guidelines below.

For further details on what is expected of you, please see the rubrics and examples in
the Assignments Folder. Go over the rubric before doing your assignment to understand
the standards that you should meet.

Writing guidelines
Support your answers with facts. Avoid global generalizations or stating your opinion
unsupported by concepts and principles from the course. Merely listing bullet points without
further explanation is not acceptable. Please do not re-state the facts of the case and
consider that a response to the question.

You are encouraged to find additional relevant material in sources such as business
periodicals to add depth and interest to your assignment. However, you may not copy and
paste text from any source on the Internet, or copy text from other sources such as books
and magazines. Plagiarism is any use of another person’s words or ideas without giving
proper credit to the person from whom you borrowed the words or ideas. Further, your
assignment should not be composed entirely of text copied and pasted from any other
source, even if you have cited the source. The assignment should be your own thoughts in
your own words.

4
For further details on what is expected of you, please see the rubrics and examples in
the Assignments Folder. Go over the rubric before doing your assignment to understand
the standards that you should meet.

Citing your sources

If you use sources in your assignment, create a References list and use the American
Psychological Association (APA) style, 6th edition, to format it. You will find the basic rules
for the References list at the Purdue Online Writing Lab web site at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/. Don’t forget to cite references to your
text, so be sure to use the rules for in-text citations available at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/. You will use APA in your business
plan, too, and there are examples of citation formats in the Business Plan Project Guide.

Formatting your assignment

Your writing should be complete and thorough, concise, and free of grammar errors. You
should write your assignment using Microsoft Word, double spaced using a 12-point font
size. Put a heading on your assignment in the word-processed document that includes your
full name, the title of the assignment, and the date. (Do not put these items in the “header”
of the document.) Please save your file as <yourlastname>_<casenumber>. For example,
student John Smith would save the file of his first assignment as “smith_1”.

How to turn in your assignment

You will use the Blackboard Assignment tool to submit your assignments to me, as an
attachment, by midnight on the day when they are due (see the Course Schedule at the
end of this syllabus for exact dates). A link to the Assignment tool is provided within the
Assignments Folder. Please make sure, well before the assignment is due, that you
understand how to turn in your assignments by visiting the Blackboard Learn OnDemand
Learning Center at https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/Student/Assignments. You can
also contact the ITS Helpdesk for assistance at 481-6030, or email helpdesk@pfw.edu, or
visit the helpdesk at Kettler Hall 206. Please do not submit assignments to my Purdue
Fort Wayne email account.

I will return your graded assignment, with comments, within one week, using the
Assignment tool. You will find your grade in My Grades in Blackboard.

NO ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE ASSIGNED FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF RAISING YOUR
GRADE. I WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK.

5
 BUSINESS PLAN PROJECT
The Business Plan Project gives you the opportunity to apply what you are learning in this
course to a real business situation—the creation of a new business. It is a team project,
which means that each person on the team will receive the same grade on the project. The
collaborative nature of the project gives you practice in planning and executing large
projects with others.

Team Blog
I will assign teams of three or four people. Your team
will have its own Team Collaboration Area equipped with
tools for virtual teamwork. (Click the link in the left
Blackboard menu to go to the Team Collaboration Area
shown to the right.) You will find the Group Blog where
you can discuss your project and where you can leave
documents for each other to review. Your team must
use the assigned blog. Each student will receive five
Participation points for use of the blog beyond the
minimum requirements stated below.

By the end of Week 5 these items should be in your

team’s blog:

 Team contact information (phone, chat, texting,

email)
 Team members’ schedules or availability to talk in real time and “off limits” times
 Team project milestone schedule and work assignments, created as part of the
Business Idea/Team Planning Assignment

Use the blog for important communications regarding the project. In this way you both
facilitate virtual teamwork and document team participation. Please contact the IT Services
Helpdesk should you have any technical problems using the blog. In addition to the blog,
your team may use texting, phones, and other cloud- and web-based tools like WhatsApp,
Skype, GoToMeeting, google hangout, GroupMe and others.

You should start work on your Business Plan as soon as your team is assigned. Your team
should discuss all of the documents in the Business Plan Project Folder in Blackboard before
you start work. In the Business Plan Project Folder you will find suggestions for
communicating and collaborating in a virtual environment, guidelines for the business plan,
and other resources. Each member of your team should also review the contents of the
Business Plan Project Guide. The guide steps you through the process of creating your
plan and provides you with useful resources.

Progress Report
A representative of your team will post a progress report as a thread in the Discussion
Forum called Progress Reports. See Course Schedule for due dates. In your progress report
include:

 Name and mission of your business

 Whether you are on schedule
 Discoveries you have made, interesting or unforeseen developments
 What you are having difficulty with.
 Questions you need answers to, request for recommendations.

The discussion thread is the final form of your report. No further writing is required.

Each student must read and comment on at least two progress reports. Satisfactory
comments include: encouragement, suggestions for the team, examples of how your team

6
has addressed difficulties, and answers to specific questions in the reports. See
EXAMINATION AND GRADING PROCEDURES for point values.

Business Plan and Project Formats

The Business Plan must be word processed. Use the Business Plan Template in the Business
Plan Project Folder to format your drafts, including the final draft. Written work must be free
of spelling errors and grammatically correct. Use APA (American Psychological Association)
style to cite and list the sources used in your plan. Examples of this format appear in the
Business Plan Project Guide. Utilize the services of the Writing Center in the Learning
Commons on the 2nd floor of the Helmke Library, 481-5740. Online consultations are also
available. The Writing Center has a helpful page of writing tips and links. See the Links &
Handouts tab on the Writing Center web page .

Guidelines for the Presentation of the Business Plan can be found in the Business Plan
Project Folder in Blackboard. You will be posting narrated presentations of your marketing
plan in a virtual “Presentation Room” during the last two weeks of class.

Contact Studio M, the student multimedia lab in Walb 220, for help with graphics for your
plan or if you need help creating your PowerPoint presentation. (There is a second location,
Studio M2 in the Helmke Library Learning Commons, 2nd Floor.) Be sure to bring your
course syllabus with you. You can schedule an appointment by calling 481-0114 or by
emailing studiom@pfw.edu. Plan ahead, the facility is very busy at the end of the semester.
For more information about Studio M go to http://new.pfw.edu/studiom. The Studio M web
site also provides links to software tutorials that you may find useful.

TEAMWORK AND VIRTUAL COLLABORATION

Over the past several years students have commented that the virtual teamwork process
was challenging and at times frustrating, but at the same time they found it a rich learning
experience. Students have also acknowledged that virtual collaboration has become an
expected workplace skill. Virtual teams frequently hand in outstanding work, experience
highly satisfactory “esprit de corps,” and are grateful to have received this opportunity to
experience productive virtual collaboration.

Team members are not expected to “carry” other team members who do not fulfill
obligations to the task and to their team. Please be aware that under certain conditions, I
will recommend that a team move on without the team member. I will adjust the team
member’s grade according to the amount of documented work the team member
completed.

The converse is true, as well. Some team members decide early on that if the project is to
meet their personal standards, they must do most of the work. I have seen such teammates
claim that they did all of the work, while others did nothing, only to find that the others had
tried, but were shut out of the team collaboration process by over-ambitious teammates.

To avoid these problems please keep in mind the challenges of working in a virtual
environment. Because our class does not meet in a classroom at scheduled times, it can be
especially difficult to establish and maintain contact. Assume that all of the team members
are acting in good faith. Do not interpret a 48 hour lack of response on the part of a
teammate as disinterest or lack of cooperation in a teammate. You will probably have to go
out of your way to communicate and collaborate.

IMPORTANT: Some teams make arrangements to meet face to face from time to time, as
well as using a blog, chat, and the telephone. You should NOT, however, require team
members to meet face to face, nor should you penalize teammates for not attending a face
to face meeting. This is an online course and ideally all work should be completed virtually.

TEAM MEMBER EVALUATION

Twice during the semester, at mid-semester and before the Business Plan project is due, I
ask students to turn in a Team Member Evaluation in Blackboard. I ask that you evaluate

7
your own participation and that of your teammates. I use these evaluations to monitor team
functioning and to assess how well teams have attained the learning goal of effective virtual
collaboration. I also visit the team collaboration areas (blogs). Using these sources of
evidence on rare occasions I sometimes determine that one or more team members may
not be deserving of the grade attained by the team. Please take the evaluation seriously, be
objective, and turn them in on time. The Team Member Evaluations count for 2 full
points of your final grade.

EXAMINATION AND GRADING PROCEDURES

NO make-up quizzes or exams will be given. There will be five online quizzes, but the
lowest/missed quiz grade will be dropped. Thus if you find you must miss one quiz,
you will not automatically lose 5% of your grade. This policy is designed to help you when
circumstances beyond your control make it impossible to take a quiz. Use this option wisely.

Quizzes will be available for three days of the week indicated in the Course
Schedule. The quizzes will be available at 6 AM and will close at 12 midnight, Eastern
Standard or Daylight Time. There will be 25 multiple choice questions. You will have one
hour to take the quiz. You will be able to make two attempts. Your highest grade will be
used to compute your overall quiz grade. You may use your book, notes and any other class
materials. Use the Quiz Yourself questions at the end of each textbook chapter to help you
study.

The Final Exam is a comprehensive exam testing your understanding of all the content in
the course. You will have 2 hours to do 50 questions. The exam will be available on
Monday through Wednesday of final exam week. You will have two attempts.

Please note the dates of the quizzes and the final exam. Adjust your schedule at
the start of the semester if you determine that you will have a conflict with other
commitments you may have. If you are traveling while class is in session, make
arrangements to take a laptop or get access to an Internet connection while you
are away.

Exams
4 Quizzes 20% (highest 4 grades out of 5 quizzes)

Final Exam 25% (covers all chapters)

Learning Activities 25%

2 Assignments (@5%)10%
Participation 15%
Introduction & syllabus quiz=2%
2 team member evaluations=4%
2 presentation posts=2%
2 Progress Report posts=2%
team blog participation=5% (for blog use beyond requirements-see p. 6)

Team Business Plan Project 30%

Written business plan 20%
Presentation 10%

Grading Scale
A=90-100%
B=80-89%
C=70-79%
D=65-69%
F=0-64%

8
NO ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE ASSIGNED FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF RAISING YOUR
GRADE.

Example of how to compute your grade

Aziza took 4 of the 5 quizzes because she had a medical emergency on the date of the third
quiz. She got these grades on 4 quizzes: 72%, 88%, 82%, 88%. Her average quiz grade
was 83%. Quizzes are 20% of the grade so she will multiply .2 by 83% = 16.6 % of her
grade.

Based on the instructor’s comments on drafts of her team’s business plan, Aziza estimates
that her team will receive at least 75% on the written plan, which translates to 15% (. 20 X
75%) of the 20% available for the written Business Plan. She actively participated in the
project, as shown by her contributions in the team blog, and completed all the work
assigned to her by her team so she anticipates receiving the same grade as other team
members. She was not able to attend one of the two face to face team meetings because of
her emergency, but she took on some additional tasks that another team member was
unable to complete. She uses the same estimated grade for the written project to predict
the Presentation grade of 7.5% (.10 X 75%).

Aziza posted completed the Introduction, received 100% on the syllabus quiz and she
completed both of her team member evaluations on time for a total of 6% toward her
Participation grade. She made comments on 2 Progress Reports (2%) and she has faithfully
used the team blog to communicate with her team (5%). She has made a note of the date
by which she must make two comments on the Business Plan Presentations (2%). She
therefore will have 15% toward her Participation grade. Luckily, she completed her first
Assignment before her medical emergency, and because she did a thorough job, she
received 5%. She completed a second Assignment later in the semester and received 4.5%.
Therefore she has earned 24.5% of the total 25% available for Learning Activities.

As Aziza enters the last weeks of the course she has an estimated total of 63.6%. She
wants a final grade of at least 80%, or a B. She needs 16.4% more in order to receive 80%
(80-63.6). Since the final exam is worth 25%, she determines the minimum grade she can
receive on the final and still receive a B for the course by solving .25 x (her final exam
score) = 65.6%. This grade is lower than what she has received on her quizzes so Aziza
believes that she can comfortably achieve her minimum final exam score.

To be sure of getting a B, though, Aziza will put extra effort into improving her team’s grade
on the business plan project. She will proofread the business plan, and review the business
plan guide to make sure that her team has done a thorough job of preparing the research.
Aziza decides to aim for at least 85% on her final exam.

She remembers that the final is comprehensive. As part of her review, she answers all of
the questions at the end of each chapter. She makes up her own questions about the
Addenda and has a study partner listen to her oral answers, who checks them against the
answers that Aziza has prepared. She also uses the final exam review questions in the Final
Exam folder in Blackboard to test herself.

Checking Your Grades

You can check your grades in Blackboard by clicking on My Grades. Your final grade will be
posted in go.pfw.edu by 12 noon on the Monday after finals week. Your final grade will not
be posted in Blackboard.

PARTCIPATION
Assignments must be handed in on time. If I do not receive work from you, I will
assume that you have chosen not to participate.

9
Please contact me if you have dropped the course, or if you know of a teammate who
is dropping the course. I do not receive notification of the drops in a timely fashion. (This is
especially important during the compressed time frame of the summer session.) Keep in
mind that a few students do not participate yet remain enrolled. In general, I
usually advise teams to move on without them. Please try to avoid placing your
teammates in this awkward situation.

If you are not participating in the team project, taking the quizzes, or doing the active
learning assignments, it is very likely that you will receive an F. Furthermore, this type of
behavior is not fair to your teammates. There have been cases where a lone team
member has had to finish the plan. Do not put others in this position. Be honest with
yourself and drop the course before the deadline to receive a grade of W. The
deadline is in the Course Schedule.

Team Member Evaluations may not be changed once submitted. Think carefully about what
you write.

If you are a student athlete, please provide me, within the first two weeks of class,
documentation of any deadlines you will miss because of your participation in officially
sanctioned Purdue Fort Wayne sports, along with a plan for how you will make up the work.

If Purdue Fort Wayne closes for any reason, we will continue to hold class.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic misconduct will be subject to disciplinary action and will result in an “F”.
Please refer to the Purdue Fort Wayne Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct
contained in the Student’s Handbook for an explanation of academic misconduct
(http://bulletin.pfw.edu/content.php?catoid=25&navoid=639#Code ).

Plagiarism is considered misconduct. Copying and pasting from the Internet without
attribution is considered plagiarism.

Allowing someone to copy your work and submit it as his/her own is plagiarism and will earn
both parties a grade of 0. A second instance of this behavior will result in more severe
consequences.

Substituting for another student or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to
take a test is also considered academic misconduct.

Email
 Please use the Blackboard Email tool for any messages you send me. All emails to
me should include the subject of the message in the subject line. When writing to
me about the team project, please include the team name in the subject.
 Contact the ITS helpdesk for assistance, at helpdesk@pfw.edu, or 481-6030, or visit
the Helpdesk in KT 206 where a support staff member can show you what to do.
 Plan to check your email once a day, just as you would in the workplace.
 Use language that you would use in an office or other professional setting. Please do
not use “texting” language in your emails, in your assignments, or in the Business
Plan. Try to avoid slang, sports expressions, and other colorful metaphors, when
possible. We are a diverse group of learners representing multiple cultures and
generations. If you must use this type of language, please explain what you mean in
standard English.
 Use the rules of Netiquette for all communication with me and with your classmates.
The core rules can be found at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html.

10
 Please read them.

SPECIAL NEEDS
Purdue Fort Wayne is committed to providing reasonable accommodation and access to
programs and services to persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or acquire one,
contact the office of Services for Students with Disabilities, Walb Student Union Rm. 113,
260-481-6658 http://new.pfw.edu/offices/disabilities/text-version/.

IMPORTANT NOTICES
 The schedule and course requirements may be changed at any time by the instructor.
You are responsible for any changes made and announced in class.
 If Purdue Fort Wayne closes for any reason, the course will continue as scheduled unless
there is disruption to internet services. To find out if Purdue Fort Wayne is officially
closed, call 481-5770.

11
 BUS 10001 ONLINE COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1: Aug. 20-25 Topic: Getting Started

 Read Syllabus and Chapter 1: The World of Business and Economics.
 Complete your Introduction. Link is in the left menu in Blackboard. Due Friday, Aug.
24.
 Do Syllabus Quiz in Start Here folder. Due by Friday, Aug. 24.

Week 2: Aug. 26-Sept. 1 Topic: Small Business Ownership

 Aug. 26 is last day to drop with 100% refund
 Read Chapter 2: Small Business and Business Ownership.
 Review Business Plan Project Guide and contents of Business Plan Project Folder in
Blackboard.
 Instructor will compose teams by Friday, Aug. 31 (You must complete your
Introduction and the Syllabus Quiz in order to be assigned to a team.)

Week 3: Sept. 2-8 Topics: Business Ethics, Global Business

 Read Chapter 3: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility and Chapter 4: Exploring
Global Business.
 Work on Business Idea/Team Planning Assignment.
 Labor Day – Sept. 3

Week 4: Sept. 9-15 Topic: Managing a Business

 Read Chapter 5: Perspectives on the Management Process.
 Quiz 1 – Chapters 1-3 (Quiz available online in Quizzes Folder Friday-Sunday Sept.
14-16)
 Work on Business Idea/Team Planning Assignment.

Week 5: Sept. 16-22 Topic: Organization Design

 Read Chapter 6: Designing the Business Organization.
 Assignment #1 - A Founder Steps Back from Her Start-Up due Monday, Sept. 17.
Use Assignment Link in the Assignments Folder to hand in.
 Business Idea/Team Planning Assignment due Monday, Sept. 17. Instructions in the
Business Plan Project Folder. Use link in the Business Plan Project Folder to hand in.
 Put team collaboration items in team blog area by the end of week 5. (Syllabus p. 6)

Week 6: Sept. 23-29 Topics: Operations Management, Information Systems

 Read Chapter 7: Operations Management Basics and Chapter 8: Information
Systems and E-Business Basics.
 Quiz 2 – Chapters 4-6 (Quiz available online in Quizzes Folder Friday-Sunday, Sept
28-30)

Week 7: Sept.30-Oct. 6 Topic: Managing and Motivating Employees

 Read Chapter 9: Managing Human Resources and Chapter 10: Motivating Employees.
 If you are choosing Assignment #3: Stock Market Report, you should start watching
your stock no later than week 7. You will need to follow it for at least six weeks.

12
Week 8: Oct. 7-13 Topic: Introduction to Marketing
 Read Chapter 11: Marketing Products and Services to Customers.
 Work on Assignment #2 – Mars Inc. Achieves Profitability with Sustainability.
 Progress Report due Monday, Oct. 8, in Progress Reports discussion board area.
Comments on Progress Reports due by Friday, Oct. 12.
 Complete Mid-semester Team Member Evaluation by Monday, Oct. 8. Link is in
Business Plan Project folder.

Week 9: Oct. 14-20 Topic: Marketing Mix: Product (or Service) & Price
 Read Chapter 12: Products and Pricing.
 Assignment #2: Mars Inc. Achieves Profitability with Sustainability due by Monday,
Oct. 15. Use Assignment Link in the Assignments Folder to hand in.
 Business Plan drafts Parts 1-3 due Monday, Oct. 15. Use link in Business
Plan Project Folder to hand in.
 Quiz 3 – Chapters 7-10 (Quiz available online in Quizzes Folder Friday-Sunday Oct.
19-21)

Week 10: Oct. 21-27 Topic: Marketing Mix: Promotion & Distribution (Place)
 FALL BREAK OCT. 22 & 23
 Read Chapter 13: Promotion and Distribution.
 Oct. 26 – Last day to withdraw with a grade of W (no refund)

Week 11: Oct. 28-Nov. 3 Topics: Accounting & Finance

 Read Chapter 14: Managing Accounting Information and Chapter 15: Managing
Business Finances.
 Work on Business Plan drafts Parts 1-5 and Executive Summary.

Week 12: Nov. 4-10 Topics: Work on Business Plan Project

 Business Plan drafts Parts 1-5 and Executive Summary due Monday, Nov. 5.
Use link in Business Plan Project Folder to hand in.
 Quiz 4 – Chapters 11-13 (Quiz available online in Quizzes Folder on Friday-Sunday
Nov. 9-11.)

Week 13: Nov. 11-17 Topics: Work on Business Plan Project

 Assignment #3 – Stock Market Report due by Monday, Nov. 12. Use Assignment Link
in the Assignments Folder to hand in.

Week 14: Nov. 18-24 Topics: Business Plan Presentations

 Thanksgiving Recess begins Wednesday, Nov. 21 and ends Nov. 25.
 Work in teams on Business Plans.

13
Week 15: Nov. 25-Dec. 1 Topics: Business Plan Presentations
 Begin posting Business Plan Presentations (Marketing section only) on Monday, Nov.
26.
 Begin commenting on presentations.
 End of semester Team Member Evaluation due Monday, Nov. 26. Link is in Business
Plan Project folder.
 Quiz 5 – Chapters 14 & 15 (Quiz available online in Quizzes Folder Friday-Sunday
Nov. 30-Dec. 2.)

Week 16: Dec. 2-8 Topics: Business Plan Presentations

 Last date to post Business Plan Presentations is Monday, Dec. 3.
 Last date to post comments is Thursday, Dec. 6.
 Final draft of Business Plan due by midnight on Friday, Dec. 7. Use link in Business
Plan Project Folder to hand in.

Exam Week: Dec. 9-15

 Final Exam available online Monday, Dec. 10 through Wednesday, Dec. 12 in Final
Exam Folder.

14