Course Syllabus

Fall 2025 | BUS-1010-VO05 - Introduction to Business

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Edward Read
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Nick Molander

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the characteristics, organization, and operation of business, including organization and management, production planning and control, marketing, finance, day-to-day operations in the areas of accounting, personnel, research and development, and management information systems.

Essential Objectives

1. Employ a sound business vocabulary.
2. Describe the characteristics, organization and operations of business, addressing the following topics: ownership, marketing, production, finance, taxation, human resources, team process, and planning.
3. Explain the basic economic foundations of business including supply and demand, the nature of competition, and describe the basic measures of economic performance.
4. Discuss the role of information systems and technology in the business environment.
5. Explore the scope and diversity of career opportunities in the business field through assignments such as informational interviews, job shadows, or other career exploration activities.
6. Describe the opportunities and challenges associated with conducting business in a global environment.
7. Discuss ethical considerations and social responsibility in business decisions.
8. Discuss employer/employee relationships in the context of equity, diversity and harassment.
9. Define the nature of marketing, marketing strategy, the marketing mix, promotion and distribution.
10. Describe the basic elements of reading, interpreting and understanding financial statements.
11. Demonstrate effective business writing and communication skills.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Fall 2025 textbook details will be available on 2025-05-19. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

BUS-1010-VO05 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Prohibited: The use of generative AI is not allowed in this course, with the exception of spellcheck, grammar check and similar tools. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. If you use these tools, your actions would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

The assignments for BUS-1010-VO05, Introduction to Business, will be narrated power point lectures, textbook readings, supplementary readings and videos, weekly discussions, building business skills, and a semester-long project.

The initial discussion posts will be due by 11:59 Thursday pm, and the replies will be due by 11:59 Sunday pm. The grades and feedback for the weekly discussions will be posted by the following Thursday. I will be checking in on the forums throughout the week, and posting feedback at least once after the initial posts.

The building business skills assignments will be due by 11:59 Monday pm. These assignments will be graded throughout the week with the grades and comments posted by Friday.

For the season-long project, the topic will be finalized by the end of Monday of the second week. After that, an update will be due every other week by the end of Monday. The project will be due by the last Monday of the semester.

Evaluation Criteria

The grade weighting in this course is as follows:

Forum Discussion participation and quality: 40%

Building Business Skills 40%

Project 20%

There will be a grading rubric for each discussion, assignment and project. You should familiarize yourself with these rubrics before and during the exercise to ensure that you're following expectations.

All grades will include comments from me. There will also be an announcement whenever grades are posted.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

I cannot stress enough how important ongoing participation is in this class. In the discussions, you will be prompted each week as to how many replies will be required and what context they should be in. The rubric for the discussion forum reflects your participation in both quantity of posts and the quality or depth of the posts. Those posts that have substance, inquisitiveness, respectful feedback and suggestions, and show genuine interest will be rewarded in your grade. Simple posts of 'great job', 'that's awesome', 'ditto', or 'I agree' are not helpful and will suffer in the hands of the rubric. Additionally, if I ask a specific question in my response to your initial post, be sure to answer it.

It is important to understand why participation is so important in an online class. The constant communication, feedback loops, sharing and vetting of ideas, and access to different viewpoints will be most beneficial in your overall learning and enjoyment of this course. Active and enthusiastic participation in a respectful, honest and thoughtful manner will allow you to thrive. Treating the discussions as mere busywork will just be a disservice to yourself and your fellow students. It is your responsibility to maintain a high level of engagement.

Missing & Late Work Policy

You will have set deadlines for weekly discussions and assignments, which count for 40% and 40% of your overall grade, respectively. For consistency and ease of planning, the due dates will be the same each week: Thursday 11:59 pm for initial discussion posts; Sunday 11:59 pm for discussion replies; and Monday 11:59 pm for the Building Business Skills assignments. It is imperative that you abide by the due dates, and for the discussions, it will benefit you to have your posts submitted ahead of time so that you can gain feedback from your peers and engage in more substantive conversations.

Any discussion posts or assignments that are turned in within 24 hours after the due date will receive a 10% grade reduction. Work submitted between 24 and 48 hours late will receive a 30% grade reduction. Any work not submitted within 48 hours will receive a 0.

Remember, timely communication is one of the keys to a successful online education. If you foresee being late or missing an assignment, please contact me in advance via email at exr00541@ccv.vsc.edu. Late requests and circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and prior notice to me in sufficient time will allow us to discuss an alternative schedule if warranted. In the case of an emergency that prevents you from completing your work on time, please let me know as soon as possible, and arrangements can be made to keep you current in the class.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.