Spring 2024 | BUS-2740-VO01 - Business Analysis & Decision Making

Online Class

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

Faculty

William Morison
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Nick Molander

Course Description

This capstone course for the Business degree requires students to apply their theoretical and practical knowledge of management, economics, accounting, technology, business law, and marketing to case studies involving a variety of business environments. Students are required to apply knowledge of financial statements in case studies and business scenarios, reviewing business practices, and making recommendations or decisions for future actions within a business setting. Prerequisites: Introduction to Business, Financial Accounting, Principles of Management or Small Business Management, and Principles of Marketing or Small Business Marketing.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe what managers do, how businesses operate, and how markets behave.
2. Use information technologies to improve individual and organizational performance.
3. Use knowledge and analytical skills to frame and solve business problems.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of legal, ethical and professional issues that arise within businesses.
5. Practice effective business writing and communication skills.
6. Apply theory to business situations through case studies and simulations.
7. Identify and explore career and transfer options to meet personal goals and objectives.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

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 is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

Methods:

This course consists of two parts. The first portion of the term will prepare the student to effectively evaluate business conditions and environments, identify decisions that need to be made for the health of the business, and proposed solutions to the problems that exist in the business. The second half of the term allows the student to demonstrate their knowledge and ability, gained both in this class and in their other business courses, through case study analysis and online discussion. The end result is a complete picture of the students ability to read and understand the business condition and their ability to write and express proposed changes in a clear and professional manner.

The course will use the textbook, various internet resources, various library sources, and an excel spreadsheet called CCV-SWOT. We will also make extensive use of the discussion board where participation is mandatory and constitutes a large portion of the students final grade.
Lastly, this course will ask each student to perform independent research on various businesses. Students should be prepared to dig into various business publications in search of information that will help expand their knowledge of decision making in business today

Participation in the on-line discussion forums is mandatory and will count as class participation.

Assignment Descriptions:

• Individual Final Project: Each student will select a public company for detailed study. The deliverable will be a 5-6 page paper containing full operational analysis followed by strategic recommendations. Forward looking financial statements will also be included, as will a copy of the SWOT excel spreadsheet.
• Case Studies: Two Case Studies will be conducted during the term. The deliverables for each case study will be a 3-page paper and a copy of the SWOT excel spreadsheet.
• Discussion Boards: Weekly discussion boards will be used to cover course content and further explore the materials used in the class. Participation in the discussion boards is required and is not optional. Minimum Post Requirements will be posted in the Canvas site.
• Homework Assignments: A variety of assignments are used in this class to help students cover and learn course content.
• Career Portfolio Website: One of the essential objectives of this course is to help you prepare for your professional career. Students will create a website portfolio during the semester that can be used for interview and job application preparation. Students will complete portions of the portfolio as weekly assignments which will be graded when they are due. No late portfolio assignments will be accepted. Individual components of the portfolio will be uploaded to a website created by the student, and a final overall grade for the completed website and portfolio will be awarded at the end of the term. By using a website, students will have access to all portfolio materials after they leave CCV. 10% of the final grade.

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

Much of the learning that takes place in this course happens in our weekly discussion forums. Participation is required. The minimum number of posts each week is 3 - one original post of your own, and at least two response posts to your fellow students. Posting early in the week and posting in excess of the 3-post minimum will boost both your grade and your learning. Posting fewer than 3 times in the graded discussion forum represents a level of course engagement that does not earn any points.

Missing & Late Work Policy

I accept late work only when a serious event has taken place that clearly prevented you from turning your work in on time. Please email me privately if you experience an event and I'll work with you on a plan to keep you engaged and moving forward 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