How Business Works

Have you ever wondered how business works? How businesses make decisions ranging from what new markets to enter, to how big should a new factory be? What the different activities are that happen inside a company (e.g., management, marketing, accounting, finance), and how they are coordinated in order to be successful?

This course provides the framework for all future business courses. It is a broad-based introductory course designed to give you exploratory experiences in all aspects of business. It will acquaint you with the dynamic business world of the 21st century. Economics, management, globalization, marketing, finance, accounting, operations, and careers in business will be included, with a special unit on entrepreneurship and start-ups.

The use of technology and its impact on business will also be stressed, with a focus on how to foster innovation. We will combine online meetings in real time with team-based activities and individual exploration culminating in a final team project.

You will:

• Consider the ethical and social responsibility issues involved in the current business environment
• Evaluate the global economy and its impact on U.S. economy
• Identify and define the functions of and challenges facing management
• Describe the responsibilities and significance of human resource management
• Explain the basic accounting process
• Outline the marketing function and describe its significance
• Describe the United States’ financial and investment systems and their role in business

Schedule: Live, synchronous sessions will meet Monday through Friday 1:00-5:00pm (EDT). Plus asynchronous work as assigned. 

Attendance

Students attending the online program are expected to attend all class sessions live in real time. In order to prioritize the health and well-being of participants, eligibility is restricted to applicants residing in time zones where class hours do not extend beyond midnight. Please use a time zone converter to check when class sessions will meet in your time zone.