SYLLABUS
Spring 2012

Office Hours
My office hours will be held in my office in the Wattis Building, room 242.  I will be available for consultation from 1:00 to 3:00 on Mondays and from 11:00 to 2:00 on Thursdays.  I am also available by appointment.

Course Description

"Relation of business managers and firms to contemporary society and the global economy.  Topics include human values and ethics in the workplace, multiculturalism, social responsibilities of business, business functions, and general principles of effective business operations." 

Your textbook for this course is Foundations of Business  by Pride, Hughes, and Kapoor, 2nd edition.  It is available from the WSU Bookstore, Amazon, and at Barnes and Noble.  Textbooks purchased from the WSU Bookstore are exempt from Utah sales tax. 

Course Requirements

For those taking this class during the regular university term, this class is designed to be completed during that semester. The class is essentially self-paced, although I will nag you at regular intervals to encourage you to stay on track.

If you taking this class through WSU Independent Study, you have 6 months from your date of enrollment to finish the course. 

There are 16 chapter lessons included in the course.  Each of these lessons connects to a corresponding chapter in your textbook and includes online streaming video on the chapter content. Note that these streaming videos are not the ones you will use for your online journal assignment.

As you move through these 16 lessons, you will take 32 open-book, open-note chapter quizzes.  While these quizzes will not count directly in your course grade, the exam questions will be very similar to those found in the concept quizzes.  Approximately half of the exam questions will be drawn from the online quizzes.

Three course exams are scheduled for this course.  They are all available now and should be completed by the end of the semester.  These are closed book, closed note examinations and must be taken in a WSU Testing Center or in the presence of an authorized exam proctor.  The exams will consist of 50 questions each and will be taken on the ChiTester system.  Each of these exams will count for 25% of your course grade.

In order to better connect what you learn in this course with the world of business, you will have the opportunity to select 10 MIT World videos to watch and report on.  These videos feature prominent executives and thought leaders in the field of business.  After viewing each video, you should prepare a 300 word essay summarizing the speaker's remarks, your opinion of the issues raised, and what you learned from each speaker.  These 10 completed essays will constitute your MIT Video Journal.

As you finish the class, you should compile these into one paper by copying and pasting the journal text into the body of an e-mail to me through the Blackboard e-mail system associated with this course. If you wish to earn extra credit in this class, you may submit up to 4 additional MIT video essays in that e-mail. 

Specific details on the course components can be accessed by following the links on the left column of this page or though the links on the WSU Online Home Page for the course.

1. Sixteen Online Chapter Lessons

Each of these online lessons includes an introduction to the new material, streaming video about the chapter topics, a listing of new terms for the chapter, flash card exercises to help you master the language of business, and two interactive online quizzes for each chapter.  You are welcome to use your textbook and notes as you take the quizzes. 

Many of the exam questions will be drawn directly from the online chapter quizzes, so it is important to review your textbook and notes in order to understand WHY the answer provided on the quiz was the best answer. 

2. Three Examinations - 100 points each

Three examinations are required and will consist of 50 multiple questions each. The first exam will cover material from Unit 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.)  The second exam will cover from Unit 2 (Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.)  The third  exam will cover Unit 3 (Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.) 

Each examination will count for 25% of your final grade.  The quiz questions in the online lessons and those embedded in your textbook chapters will be valuable in helping you to master the concepts in this course and prepare for the exams. 

As a student, I always wanted to know how well I did on an exam as soon as possible.  By using the ChiTester system, you will be able to learn your score immediately after submitting your exam and can review the questions that you missed at that time.  You are not permitted to work with others to share (convey or receive) specific information about the questions on the course exams. Doing so constitutes a form of cheating and the penalty for cheating in this class will be a failing grade.  Additional penalties may be imposed in accordance with university policy.

In order to better connect what you learn in this course with the world of business, you will watch 10 videos featuring prominent executives and thought-leaders in the field of business.  After viewing each video, you should prepare a 300 word essay summarizing the speaker's remarks and your opinion of the issues raised.  These should be compiled and sent to me by e-mail as described above.

These videos will require access to a high-speed internet connection for proper viewing.  If you are having difficulty getting access to a high-speed internet connection, please contact me so we can make some arrangements.  High speed connections are available in WSU computer labs and most public libraries as well as many McDonalds and Starbucks locations.

As stated above, you may earn up to 40 points of extra credit by viewing 4 additional MIT videos and submitting 4 additional 300 word essays in one document.  This extra credit option will allow you to raise your course grade by as much as one full letter grade (B- to A- for example.)

Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Service Center. SSD can arrange to provide course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.

Grading Summary
Exam #1           25% (Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Exam #2           25% (Ch. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Exam #3           25% (Ch. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

Video Journal    25%