Welcome!

Welcome to Introduction to Business for the Fall 2023 semester.

My name is Dr. Beth Allan-Bentley. I want to welcome you to our class and ensure you get started on the right foot. This class will be a 16-week fully online or asynchronous, and I will be your facilitator or guide throughout the semester. I am responsible for ensuring you are comfortable in this learning environment, especially if this is the first time you are experiencing an online class.

As our country continues into unfamiliar socio/economic/business territory, having a basic understanding of the internal and external dynamics of business is going to be a requirement to maximize your chances of not only surviving but also thriving in the "new normal." The hope is that this course will help in your preparation.

This course has three major goals:

Understand and discuss the basic elements of the business environment including formation, structure, objectives, and ethics.
Identify and analyze the various components of a business plan.
Discover various personal career strategies appropriate for personal abilities and selective economic conditions.

There is a variety of specific objectives within these goals [more on that in the syllabus], and you may have your specific objectives. We're going to do our best to meet all of these objectives, but your preparation and participation will make the course more enjoyable for all.

Below is some information that will help you successfully engage in this course.

COURSE DETAILS

[a full course syllabus is included under "Syllabus" in the Welcome & Introductions module.

The course is titled Introduction to Business, BUMA 10, section 0982
The course starts with our first meeting on Monday, August 28th, and runs through Friday, December 15th
This is a 3 credit course meeting in-person.
The text is Introduction to Business, to an external site.OpenStax, ISBN-10: 1-947172-55-7

COURSE BEHAVIORS

We will be meeting in Business, room 4 twice a week at 9:30 AM. Please be on time and ready to participate. This includes working with your fellow classmates, asking or answering questions, and reading the course marterial to ensure you have the tools to succeed in the course. If you are forced to be late, please be considerate and come in quietly.
Although we meet in-person, you will complete work through Canvas. For those who If you are relatively new to this tool of online education, there are several factors with which you should be familiar. Some authors refer to these as executive skills, skills that will allow you to be more successful in any career environment. These include personal/professional skills like time management, self-motivation, the ability to direct one's learning, communicating effectively with others, and how and when to seek personal/professional assistance as may be appropriate.
Anticipate spending around 6 hours of study per week, in addition to attending the course. Time will vary of course depending on the abilities and objectives of the student.
The College offers a wide variety of student services. A list of these services and contact information is available on the College’s website.

If you should have any questions or concerns along the way, please don't hesitate to contact me as soon as possible. Many problems can be easily resolved in their early stages whereas waiting can often make the problem worse or even unsolvable. My goal is always to help! The best way to contact me is through your Canvas email, or my office number 760-636-7949. My goal is to respond within 24 hours, with the exception of weekends and holidays where I'll try to get back by the next working day.

LAST THOUGHTS

Below is a graphic of how this course is designed and fits together. Go to the CANVAS Modules page for an outline for each class session. More directions will be provided during our first class. I look forward to our time together this semester. These are interesting and in some cases very difficult times for many in our society. However, I hope we can make this semester a positive experience for all.