COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
BUS 103	B	1	3	0	0	3	5

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	NA
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	M.Sc. Mikaela Süslü (Musta) msuslu@epoka.edu.al , E302, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 11:45-12:30
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Bachelor in Business Administration (3 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time:	E311, Tuesdays, 8:45-9:30, 9:45-10:30, 10:45-11:30 AM
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:	75%
Course Description:	Introduction to Business is a course that offers essential information related to the business landscape and business functions (Operations & Production, Marketing, Finance & Accounting, Human Resourced Management, IT). The course has been designed in such a way that it provides to the students the updated information on the business reality which changes very rapidly. At the same time, it provides the necessary information for more advanced courses related to the aforementioned business functions. Through real life examples and case studies, both national and international; the content of this course has been aligned with the contemporary developments in the field of business, and aims to provide the basics for the understanding of business organizations and people who operate them.
Course Objectives:	Provide basic knowledge about the main business functions such as Operations, Marketing, Human Resources, Accounting, IT, and Finance. Gain an understanding of the global business environment and the context in which a business operates. Learn about the different types of business, such as entrepreneurship, new ventures, and other types of ownership. Identify the four basic functions that constitute the management process and describe the basic roles and skills required of managers. Learn how structure, managing basic frameworks that organizations use to get their work done, is the main part of the management process. Discuss traditional and learn contemporary theories about motivation and leadership.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	Business
2	The Business Environment
3	Ethics & Social Responsibility
4	Management
5	Leadership
6	Human Resources
7	Marketing
8	Operations Management
9	Information Technology
10	Accounting & Finance

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Chpt. 1 The Global Business Environment pg. 28. The Global Business Environment pg. 28. Economic systems, the economics of market systems, and economic indicators.
2	Chpt. 2 Understanding Business Ethics and Social Responsibility pg.62. How individuals develop their personal codes of ethics and why ethics are important in the workplace. Show how the concept of social responsibility applies both to environmental issues and to a firm's relationship with customers, employees, and investors.
3	Chpt. 3 Entrepreneurship, New Ventures, and Business Ownership pg. 98. Starting and operating a new business. Start-ups and corporations. Chpt. 4. Understanding the Global Context of Business pg. 132. Contemporary global economy. International trade. International business management. Understanding the cultural environment. Barriers to international trade.
4	Chpt. 5 Managing the Business pg. 166. Basic management functions. Types of manager and managerial roles and skills. Strategic management. Contingency planning and crisis management. Management and the corporate culture. Chpt 6. Organizing the Business pg. 198. The building blocks of organizational structure. Establishing the decision-making hierarchy. Basic forms of organizational structure. Informal organization.
5	Chpt. 7 Operations Management and Quality pg. 228. Creating value through operations. Business strategy as the driver of operations. Operations planning, scheduling, and control. Quality improvement and total quality management. Adding value through supply chains.
6	Chpt. 8 Employee Behavior and Motivation pg. 268 Matching people and jobs. Basic motivation concepts and theories. Strategies and techniques for enhancing motivation. Chpt. 9 Leadership and Decision Making pg. 302. Nature of leadership. Early approaches and the situational perspective to leadership. The changing nature of leadership and emerging issues. The critical management skill of decision making.
7	Chpt. 10 Human Resource Management and Labor Relations pg. 332 The strategic importance of HR. Staffing. Compensation and benefits. Developing the workforce.
8	Chpt. 11 Marketing Processes and Consumer Behavior pg. 368 . Marketing plan, strategy, and research. Understanding consumer behavior. Small business and the marketing mix.
9	Fall Semester MIDTERM EXAMS WEEK (12-17/12/2022)
10	Chpt.12 Developing and Pricing Products pg. 404. Classifying goods and services. The 7-step development process. Product life cycle. Pricing strategies and tactics. Chpt. 13 Distributing and Promoting Products pg. 436 The distribution mix. Wholesaling and retailing. Physical distribution. The importance of promotion. Personal selling.
11	Chpt. 14 Information Technology (IT) for Business pg. 468 IT impacts and its building blocks for business. Harnessing the competitive power of IT. IT risks, threats, and protection measures.
12	Chpt. 15 The Role of Accountant and Accounting Information pg. 502. The accounting equation. Financial statements and how to analyze them.
13	Chpt. 16 Understanding Money and the Role of Banking pg. 536. How financial institutions create money and are regulated. International banking and finance.
14	Chpt. 17 Managing Business Finances pg. 570 Maximizing capital growth. Investing to fulfill financial objectives. Trading securities. Financing the business firm. Becoming a public corporation.

Prerequisite(s):	NA
Textbook(s):	Business Essentials, Global Edition, 13th Edition, by Ronald J. Ebert and Ricky W. Griffin, published by Pearson Education 2022
Additional Literature:	NA
Laboratory Work:	NA
Computer Usage:	Yes
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Learn about the different kinds of business types, the environment that they operate in, and the ethical and social responsibility issues that they face.
2	Learn how to manage and organize a business in order to achieve productive operations and high quality.
3	Understand employee behavior and learn about motivational theories.
4	Explore leadership theories and gain insights on decision making.
5	Learn about the strategic role of Human Resources.
6	Learn about consumer behavior and the marketing mix.
7	Understand the role of Information Technology and Accounting in making better business decisions.
8	Understand money and the role of banking.
9	Learn how to manage business finances.

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Bachelor in Business Administration (3 years) Program
1	Identify activities, tasks, and skills in management, marketing, accounting, finance, and economics.	5
2	Apply key theories to practical problems within the global business context.	2
3	Demonstrate ethical, social, and legal responsibilities in organizations.	5
4	Develop an open minded-attitude through continuous learning and team-work.	3
5	Use technology to enable business growth and sustainability.	2
6	Analyze data to make effective decisions.	4

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Homework	1	5
Midterm Exam(s)	1	20
Project	1	15
Quiz	2	7.5
Final Exam	1	40
Attendance		0
Other	1	5
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	3	48
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	3	48
Mid-terms	1	2	2
Assignments	3	8	24
Final examination	1	3	3
Other			0
Total Work Load:			125
Total Work Load/25(h):			5
ECTS Credit of the Course:			5

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

N/A