Foundations of Business

MANAGEMENT 1104: FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS

FALL 2022

SYLLABUS and COURSE CALENDAR 

Instructor:

Ashley Beleny beleny@vt.edu Office: Personal Zoom Room Passcode: 1234

Class:

CRN 87798 / Time: MWF 10:10am-11:00am CRN 91918 / Time: MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Locations: Zoom (This is one link for both classes, please join at your class time.) (meeting ID: 847 0829 4277 passcode is in the first course announcement from Aug. 19th.) Office Hours: Wednesday 1:30-2:30 & by appointment The asterisk (*) next to some class dates within Modules means that we do not meet as a class that day. However, you will still have work due on those days.

MGT1104 Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTA)
Name	Email	Office Hours	Office Hours Zoom Link
CRN 87798 / Time: 10:10am Kennedy Anderson	kennedy19@vt.edu	Friday 11am-12pm	Kennedy's Office Hours for MGT Section 10:10am
CRN 91918 / Time: 11:15am Nicolle Tousignant	nicolle@vt.edu	Monday 1pm-2pm	Nicolle's Office Hours

 

Click here to jump to the COURSE CALENDAR

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Foundations of Business exposes students to the free enterprise system and the various business functions, such as management, human resources, marketing, production and operations, accounting and finance, as well as to the different types of businesses such as manufacturing and service. Analysis of business functions is performed to help improve understanding of career interests and opportunities, as well as to provide a basic understanding of how a company operates. This course is intended to form a foundation for study for all business majors.

Learning Objectives: Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the basics of how business works in a free market economy
• Describe various business functions
• Utilize essential business terminology
• Relate current business events to topics in the course
• Research issues and topics through the ethical and responsible collection, analysis, and use of information (inquiry skills)
• Design, evaluate, and implement a strategy or strategies to answer an open-ended question or to achieve a desired goal (problem-solving skills)
• Make connections between ideas and experiences, and to apply them to new learning situations (integration skills)

Daily learning objectives for the course are published under Modules. For a print version of this syllabus, please copy and paste the content into a blank word document.

Prerequisites: None

Required Materials:

Text: This course utilizes a free, open source bookLinks to an external site. provided in online form. Assigned readings are listed in the appropriate module on this course website. Students who prefer a hard copy without printing it themselves may purchase the book at the link provided below. The NEW 4th edition will not printed until December 2022; therefore, the only printed version available are the 3rd edition. 

Link to Order a Print Copy of the Textbook (Links to an external site.)

News: Morning Brew is a business news digest that is specifically intended for a younger audience. To subscribe, simply click on this link (Links to an external site.). You will receive a daily email with the top stories from the day before. Morning Brew news items will be included on pop quizzes and covered when the items relate to material being covered in the chapter readings.

The Wall Street Journal is a more comprehensive new source. Although we will not use it directly in the course, students who wish to subscribe can do so at a substantial discount. You can order at the following link: https://r.wsj.com/PROFfmdg (Links to an external site.).

The business simulation CapSim Core will be used in this course. Each student must register for the simulation individually, at a cost of $25 each. If you anticipate having financial difficulties that would prevent you from registering, please contact the Dean of Students office as early in the semester as possible. There are funds available to assist in these cases, but they may be claimed quickly. This simulation represents the only paid materials for the course. We hope you will agree that $25 for a course is reasonable.

ASSIGNMENTS:

See the Assignments tab for complete details on all assignments.

1. First Year Experience (FYE) Assignments: See Description under individual Assignments 
2. Business Simulation - Team: See Description under Assignments
3. Business Simulation - Individual Training: See Description under Assignments 
4. Quizzes will take place online during class at any point during the semester - they may be announced or unannounced. Questions will come from the chapter readings, videos, and from selected articles from the Morning Brew reading. For grading purposes, the quizzes are equally weighted. There will be three "special purpose" quizzes based on (a) the library material; (b) the VT honor system; and (c) the alumni roundtable. The number of quizzes will not be disclosed in advance. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
5. Live Case Assignments: See descriptions in HR Business Case and Marketing Strategies modules (you will only submit one of the two cases but should prepare both for class)
6. Lyft Focus Group: Working in assigned teams, students will conduct in-class focus groups with each team writing a short report to the Director of Small Market Strategy at Lyft. The director will provide the questions to which the student groups will respond.
7. Financial Statement Exercise: Students will create an income statement and balance sheet working from a list of basic accounting transactions.

EXAMS:

There will be three exams that will include primarily short answer questions as well as a small number of essays and/or problems. Exams are cumulative and test your retention of material from previous parts of the course, so the percentage grading weight increases for each successive exam. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY 

As college students, you are free to attend or not attend class as you wish. However, you should take into consideration that there are class assignments which can occur on any given day, the timing of which can vary from one section of the course to another. Students who miss those class dates will earn a zero on the assignment without the possibility of a make-up. It is expected that you come to class with your cameras on for participation. Furthermore, if you "attend" class by logging in and walking away, you will be penalized. It is not fair for others in the class when you are put into a work group and there is no one actually there.

Quiz-day absences covered by documentation from the Dean of Students Office, the Schiffert Health Center, or a verifiable outside physician will be excused, with the corresponding percentage value of the quiz added to the weight of the other quizzes.

MAKE-UP WORK:

Make-up work requires verification of illness or personal emergency through a memo from the Dean of Students Office.

LATE WORK POLICY:

Assignments should be submitted on-time. It is imperative that time management is carefully practiced by all students and assignments should be submitted on-time. For those students that miss an assignment due date (not covered by the above MAKE-UP WORK), assignments can be submitted with a 10% grade penalty, assessed per day and will not be accepted 5 days after original due date. 

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

The college of business has provided undergraduate teaching assistants (UTA's) for this course. These are students who have already successfully completed MGT 1104 and have made themselves available to help their fellow students. The teaching assistants will hold virtual office hours each week to help you with any questions or special help you may need. These are in addition to the office hours held by the instructor - you may use whichever are more convenient or comfortable for you. The UTA's for your instructor are:

GRADING:

• Business Simulation 15%
• Quizzes (based on average of all quizzes, lowest dropped) 10%
• Live Case Assignments 5% (one submission only)
• Lyft Focus Group Report 5%
• Financial Statement Exercise 5%
• First Year Experience Assignments 5%
• Exam 1 12.5%
• Exam 2 17.5%
• Comprehensive Final Exam 25%

Grading Scale

A = 93 or higher	C = 73 – 76.99
A- = 90 – 92.99	C- = 70 – 72.99
B+ = 87 – 89.99	D+ = 67 – 69.99
B = 83 – 86.99	D = 63 – 66.99
B- = 80 – 82.99	D- = 60 – 62.99
C+ = 77 – 79.99	F = 59.99 or below

 

UNDERGRADUATE HONOR CODE:

The Undergraduate Honor Code pledge that each member of the university community agrees to abide by states: 

“As a Hokie, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.”

Students enrolled in this course are responsible for abiding by the Honor Code. A student who has doubts about how the Honor Code applies to any assignment is responsible for obtaining specific guidance from the course instructor before submitting the assignment for evaluation. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the University community from the requirements and expectations of the Honor Code.  

For additional information about the Honor Code, please visit: https://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/  

Honor Code Pledge for Assignments:

The Virginia Tech honor code pledge for assignments is as follows:  

“I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this assignment.”

The pledge is to be written out on all graded assignments at the university and signed by the student.  The honor pledge represents both an expression of the student’s support of the honor code and a commitment to uphold the academic standards at Virginia Tech.  

1. All assignments submitted shall be considered “graded work” and all aspects of your coursework are covered by the Honor Code. All projects and homework assignments are to be completed individually unless otherwise specified.
2. The Academic Integrity expectations for Hokies are the same in an online class as they are in an in-person class. Hokies are expected to meet the academic integrity standards at Virginia Tech at all times.
3. Commission of any of the following acts shall constitute academic misconduct. This listing is not, however, exclusive of other acts that may reasonably be said to constitute academic misconduct. Clarification is provided for each definition with some examples of prohibited behaviors in the Undergraduate Honor Code Manual located at https://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/
   • CHEATING: Cheating includes the intentional use of unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids or other devices or materials in any academic exercise, or attempts thereof.
   • PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism includes the copying of the language, structure, programming, computer code, ideas, and/or thoughts of another and passing off the same as one's own original work, or attempts thereof.
   • FALSIFICATION: Falsification includes the statement of any untruth, either verbally or in writing, with respect to any element of one's academic work, or attempts thereof.
   • FABRICATION: Fabrication includes making up data and results, and recording or reporting them, or submitting fabricated documents, or attempts thereof.
   • MULTIPLE SUBMISSION: Multiple submission involves the submission for credit – without authorization from the instructor receiving the work – of substantial portions of any work (including oral reports) previously submitted for credit at any academic institution of attempts thereof.
   • COMPLICITY: Complicity includes intentionally helping another to engage in an act of academic misconduct, or attempts thereof.
   • VIOLATION OF UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENTAL, PROGRAM, COURSE, OR FACULTY RULES: The violation of any University, College, Departmental, Program, Course, or Faculty Rules relating to academic matters that may lead to an unfair academic advantage by the student violating the rule(s).

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

If you are in need of accommodations due to a disability recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities office at Virginia Tech (www.ssd.vt.edu) and follow their instructions regarding notification of your professors. Please be aware that testing space at the SSD office will be very limited this semester, so making your requests early will improve your chances of having that space available if you prefer that environment. If you have emergency medical information to share with the instructor or need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please notify the instructor as soon as possible.

Virginia Tech welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. The University promotes efforts to provide equal access and a culture of inclusion without altering the essential elements of coursework. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers that may be due to disability, including but not limited to ADHD, chronic or temporary medical conditions, deaf or hard of hearing, learning disability, mental health, or vision impairment, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office (540-231-3788, ssd@vt.edu, or visit www.ssd.vt.edu). If you have an SSD accommodation letter, please meet with me privately during office hours as early in the semester as possible to deliver your letter and discuss your accommodations. You must give me reasonable notice to implement your accommodations, which is generally 5 business days and 10 business days for final exams.

Please submit your SSD accommodation(s) under the "SSD Accommodations" assignment on Canvas.

Mental Health and Wellness

Supporting the mental health and well-being of students in my class is of high priority to me and Virginia Tech. If you are feeling overwhelmed academically, having trouble functioning, or are worried about a friend, please reach out to any of the following offices:

Cook Counseling
540-231-6557 to schedule an appointment and/or 24/7 crisis support o ucc.vt.edu for more information

Dean of Students Office
540 231-3787 for general advice
540-231-6411 for after-hours crisis
 dos.vt.edu for more information

Hokie Wellness
hokiewellness.vt.edu for more information about health and wellness workshops and consultations

Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)
540-231-3788 or ssd.vt.edu  
for more information about accommodations and other disability-related supports. For a full listing of campus resources check out well-being.vt.edu.  

A NOTE ABOUT FYE COURSES

Foundations of Business is a university-approved First Year Experience (FYE) course. The FYE program is designed to equip first-year students at VT with the tools necessary to engage in substantive exploration and discovery of themselves and the world around them. We will pursue this objective through curricular and co-curricular opportunities, in order to help students develop into reflective and responsible learners and citizens. The program is focused on the development of lifelong learning skills - problem solving, inquiry, and the integration of knowledge.

Please click on this link for a full COURSE CALENDAR   

Note that the Course Calendar is subject to change. It is there to provide you a general outline of the course. However, the modules tab will always provide the most up-to-date information.