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Business & Management

Introduction to Business

Introduction to Business will help students build a strong knowledge base and develop business skills as they study basic economic concepts, business ownership & operations, business management, business communication, business ethics & social responsibility, human resources, culture & diversity in business, marketing, financial & technological resources, leadership & teamwork, marketing, economics, and career opportunities. A basic understanding of these concepts through project-based learning, real-time learning with seasoned business professionals and leadership development activities will give students a firm foundation for continuing business study and/or entering the workplace.

Personal Finance: Introduction

This class will help you understand the importance of the financial world, including planning and managing money wisely. Areas of study will include sources of income, budgeting, banking, consumer credit, credit laws and rights, personal bankruptcy, insurance, spending, taxes, investment strategies, savings accounts, mutual funds, buying a vehicle, and living independently. Based on the hands-on skills and knowledge applied in this class you will develop financial goals and create realistic and reasonable objectives to be “money smart.”

Personal Finance & Investment: Optional PCC Dual Credit (BA218)

Note: Juniors and seniors have the option to take this class for 4 college credits from Portland Community College. (Sophomores may also be accepted into the dual credit program, after an interview and assessment by the instructor.) Personal Finance is a course that will provide you with working knowledge of the following: Planning Process: to be able to use quantitative tools for measuring financial well-being, understand the importance of time value of money, calculate the impact of taxes on financial decisions Managing Your Money: to understand the different strategies associated with controlling your financial plan through cash management, credit management, and management of major purchases Protecting Yourself with Insurance: to understand risk management and the utilization of financial planning process, of insurance products to control your future financial health Managing Your Investment: to understand the importance of investment goals and tools (stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate), be able to calculate tax impacts, and understand the concept of risk versus return, diversification, asset allocation and market efficiency Retirement and Estate Planning: to understand the importance of establishing a sound, simple retirement plan at the earliest stages of your financial life cycle utilizing tax, insurance and investment planning.

Introduction to Marketing

Note: Sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to take this class as long as they have taken Intro to Business. (Freshmen may also be accepted into the class for second semester, after a conversation and an assessment by the instructor.) Course Description: This course is designed to provide students with a broad background on the nature and scope of marketing concepts used in business. Course Objectives: Marketing is a core business course. It is designed to give students a clear understanding of the marketing function, introduce students to the elements of the marketing mix (4P’s) and demonstrate how today’s managers employ these tools to gain a competitive edge in the global economy. Learning Outcomes: Understand the role of the marketing function within a firm. Describe key market segmentation and targeting strategies. Identify the elements of the marketing mix (4P’s) and common strategies used with each tool. Recommend and justify an appropriate mix of the 4P’s to create a cohesive marketing strategy for a new product. Identify and relate key trends impacting consumers and the practice of marketing to established theory. During this course students will have an opportunity to develop critical thinking and presentation skills during weekly workshops designed to reinforce the concepts presented in class. The semester will culminate in a final team project where students will creatively employ the principles presented in this core class through the development of a marketing plan.

IB Business Management SL: Optional PCC Dual Credit (BA 101)

Note: Juniors and seniors have the option to take this class for 4 college quarter credits from Portland Community College. (Sophomores may also be accepted into the dual credit program after an interview and assessment by the instructor.) Further, students have the option to take this class for IB credit (Group 3: Individuals and Societies). If the course is taken for IB credit, however, a student may not take the course for dual college credit. IB Business Management SL builds upon skills learned in Intro to Business and will focus on businesses operating in the local, national, and global marketplace. The course emphasizes the integration of the various functional areas of business as the firm evolves from its entrepreneurial origins to a mature corporation. Included in the course curriculum is group work on the creation of a business plan. Key course topics include: Business and Economics Business Ethics and Social Responsibility International Business Legal Entities Small Business, Entrepreneurship, and Franchising Business Management Organization, Teamwork, and Communication Service and Manufacturing Operations Human Resources Marketing Accounting & Finance A mastery of these concepts through project-based, real-time learning with seasoned business professionals and leadership development activities gives students a firm foundation for continuing business study at the university level and/or entering the workplace. This course will prepare students to take the IB Business Management SL exam.

IB Business Management HL

IB Business Management HL further develops students’ understanding of business theories learned in Intro to Business and IB Business Management SL and applying those tools and skills by creating a real business. Key topics, building upon the SL curriculum, include: Human resource management Organizational planning tools Organizational (corporate) culture Industrial/employee relations Finance Budgets and Efficiency Ratio Analysis Investment appraisal Marketing Sales forecasting The extended marketing mix of seven Ps: Operations management Lean production and quality management Production planning Research and development A mastery of these concepts through project-based, real-time learning with seasoned business professionals and leadership development activities gives students a firm foundation for continuing business study at the university level and/or entering the workplace. This course will prepare students to take the IB Business Management HL exam.