Prince Sultan University
College of Business Administration
Department of Marketing & Management /
مؤسسة الرياض الخيرية للعلوم
جامعة الأمير سلطان
قسم التسويقDr. Yahya Melhem, Associate Professor of marketing and management
Main interest: Empowerment, Leadership, CRM, and Change Management / Vision
Our vision is to be a hallmark of excellence and innovation in business education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mission
Our mission is to promote excellence and innovation in business education, research, and service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in line with international standards.
Academic Year :
Semester : / 131
2nd Semester, 122 (Spring Semester)
Course Code :
Course Title :
Credit Hours : / BUS505
Introduction to Business
3
Main References : / Ebert R. J. and Griffin R. W., (2009), Business Essentials, 8th Edition, Pearson.
Teaching Materials / Equipment : / Text, Articles, Computer and LCD Projector.
Teaching-Learning Method: / Lectures, discussions, case-studies, presentations.
Lecturer :
Room :
Telephone / e-mail : / Dr. yahya Melhem
Director of MBA Program
MBA office
+966 1 4948 381
Lecture Session
- Day / Time / Room: / Male Class (TUE) – 06:00 PM – 09:00 PM (SCR – 8), new bld, 3/F
Important Dates : / Submission of Assignment: To be advised
Final Exam: To be advised
COURSE INFORMATION
This course is an introductory course and designed to introduce the student to the complex world of business and to provide students a broad background of the modern business in today’s environment. We will study the component parts of business with an emphasis on assisting you in your choice of a business career if indeed you choose business as your life’s work. The topics include business environment, management functions and leadership, communication and information system, production, manufacturing and marketing, financial management, and management of human resources.
Course objective is two-fold: (a) to gain basic knowledge of business, and (b) to relate that knowledge to real-life business situations. Specifically the following seven (5) learning objectives will be targeted:
- Recognize, explain and answer questions about business including functional areas, environments, and trends.
- Read current materials, discuss facts, and formulate opinions.
- Apply critical thinking skills.
- Relate course concepts to in-class and out-of-class discussions and writings.
- Identify how course concepts relate to your academic area of interest.
LEARNING OUTCOME OF SUBJECT
At the completion of the subject, students should be able to:
a. Explain the importance of business principles and management,
b. Distinguish between the different forms of business ownership,
c. Illustrate the business information management, management responsibilities, marketing management, human resources management, and financial management,
d. Recommend methods of obtaining capital to finance a new business, ways to managed employees, and the importance of technology to the business world.
TEACHING SCHEDULE
1 / 2 / Chap.1 Business Environment
Chap.2 Business Ethics / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
3 / Chap.3. Entrepreneurship, New Ventures and Business Ownership. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
4 / Chap.5. Business Management.
5 / Chap.6. Organizing the Business.
Chap 7. Operations Management and Quality. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
6 / Chap.11. Marketing Processes and Consumer Behavior.
7 / Chap.8. Employee Behavior and Motivation. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
8 / 9 / Chap 4. The World (Global Context) Business Environment. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
10 / Chap.9. Leadership and Decision Making. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
11 / Chap.10. Human Resource Management and Labor Relations. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
13 / Chap.12. Pricing, Distributing, and Promoting Products. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
14 / Chap.13. Information Technology for Business. / Text Book / Case Materials / Published Reports
15 / Actual Case Presentation and Discussion. / Presentation Materials
16 / Final Examination
Each student is responsible for the following:
- Read the course text as assigned.
- Regular attendance.
- Completion of project assignment.
- Participating in required exam.
Class Participation and Attendance
The fundamental activity to succeed in the course will be class attendance. Due to the structure of the course, your attendance is crucial. Second to attendance is active and substantial participation as a member of the class. These two factors will create a strong foundation for successful achievement in this course.
Continuous Assessment
Evaluation and assessment attached at the end.
Group Activities
Group activities will be constructed around field work furnished with theoretical background related to certain management and business concepts developed by students’ ability to assess and analyze situations and problems. Guidance will be provided to students during the process and the different stages of the project.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Education assumes a high level of trust between the instructor and students. You will be expected to communicate with class members and the instructor in a professional and respectful manner. All work must be the product of your own efforts and, if you are referencing outside sources, you must site those sources in your work.
In this course, honesty, integrity, and respect for others are fundamental expectations. Dishonesty, lying, cheating, harassment or discrimination will not be tolerated. All work turned in must be your own product. Proper material citation must be used when applicable.
Evaluation and assessment
Remember first to be proactive and to transform your mind-set from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation.
1- Quizzes and class participation 10%
We will have a quiz at the beginning of each class meeting for 5 minutes related to previous class discussion or any related issue.
2- Attendance 5%
3- Case study or an article analysis 15%
4- Project 15%
5- Midterm exam 15%
6- Final exam 40%
7- Total grade 100%
Weekly case or an article analysis. The case will be announced in advance. You are expected individually to submit a summary of the assigned case or article at the beginning of every class meeting.
Hint: you may write from the case or the article the following elements:
1- Key facts
2- Key issues and/ or problems
3- Core competencies, strengths, weaknesses, challenges.
4- Strategy
5- Conclusion and recommendations.
Remember: be proactive, resilient, responsive and critical thinker.
8- Discussion leader. A group will be selected to lead and initiate the discussion and every class will have a different group.
Team project
4 Team project 15%
Steps
1- Form a group of min 2 and max of 3. You may select your team.
2- Project proposal- due March 19/ 2013
3- Literature review, due April 16/ 2013
4- Final project, due May 14/ 2013
5- Presentation, May, 14/2013.
Guidelines: high priority given to written expression, including arguing your case, writing clearly, being concise, proof reading, and checking spelling and grammar.
Stage 1 – project proposal
Submit your proposal of no more than 1000 words identifying:
1- The people in your team- no more than 3.
2- The problem area you wish to examine- select any relevant topic- management, marketing, HR, ..etc.
3- Brief overview
4- The proposed method of examination
5- The proposed time frame for the work
6- The expected outcomes of your project .
Make sure before submitting your proposal that the project is imaginative, with intellectual credibility, clear problem, data to be collected, and timeline.
Stage 2 literature review
No more than 2000 words. You need to understand what we mean by a literature review.
Format and content
· About 3 pages, 1.5 spacing, 12 points, Times new Roman, A4 paper.
· Based on your proposal, identify and review at least 5 peer reviewed empirical journal articles.
· Articles should be related to your topic.
· Review means review not rewriting or copy and paste.
· Read a literature review in a sample article and then see how the literature is reviewed.
·
Stage 3- formal report
Should not exceed 3500 words, less than 10 pages.
No more than one draft submitted!
· Use simple present for facts
· Simple past for what you did and simple future for what you plan to do. Don’t use complex verb tenses.
· Limit your sentences to one idea.
Format requirements
· Table of content
· Page number on bottom
· Section headings
· Section sub headings
· Be consistent with capitalization
· Be consistent with fonts, format and layout
· No colours
· No borders
Stage 4 presentation
· Professional power point presentation
· Every member of the group participates
· Time for questions
· Total mark will be awarded to individuals, not the group.
Structure of the report
· Title page
· Executive summary/ Abstract
· Table of contents
· Acknowledgments
· Background of the problem
· Problem statement
· Theory and literature
· Methodology
· Findings
· Conclusion
· Recommendations
· References
· Appendix (if necessary).
Ethical considerations
· Observe intellectual property rights
· Academic misconduct
· Don’t seek private services
After all, This is a learning exercise
Midterm exam 15 marks April 9 /2013
Final exam 40 marks to be announced by the end of the term.
Good Luck
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