Syllabus Checklist Snapshot
Approved: Initials/date Business Principles (BUSI-1301) CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Online PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: None COURSE DESCRIPTION This course provides a survey of economic systems, forms of business ownership, and considerations for running a business. Students will learn various aspects of business, management, and leadership functions; organizational considerations; and decision-making processes. Financial topics are introduced, including accounting, money and banking, and securities markets. Also included are discussions of business challenges in the legal and regulatory environment, business ethics, social responsibilities. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to • Identify major business functions of accounting, finance, information systems, management, and marketing. • Describe the relationships of social responsibility, ethics, and law in business. • Explain forms of ownership, including their advantages and disadvantages. • Identify and explain the domestic and international considerations for today's business environment: social, economic, legal, ethical, technological, competitive, and international. • Identify and explain the role and effect of government on business. • Describe the importance and effects of ethical practices in business and be able to analyze business situations to identify ethical dilemmas and ethical lapses. • Describe basic financial statements and show how they reflect the activity and financial condition of a business. • Explain the banking and financial systems, including the securities markets, business financing, and basic concepts of accounting. • Explain integrity, ethics, and social responsibility as they relate to leadership and management. • Explain the nature and functions of management. • Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of information technology for businesses. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Kara Booth
Email: knbooth@lit.edu Office Phone: 409-247-5009 Office Location: TA4-103C Office Hours: Virtual upon request RESPONSE TIME Quizzes and exams are automatically graded by Blackboard and will be available to you immediately. Unit assignments and discussions will be graded in 7-10 days after the due date. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS Introduction to Business, by OpenStax. Authors: Gitman, McDaniel, Shah, Reece, Koffel, Talsma, Hyatt Book Versions Free link: https://openstax.org/books/introduction-business/pages/1-introduction Hardcover ISBN: ISBN-10: 1-947172-54-9, ISBN-13: 978-1-947172-54-8 Paperback ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-1-59399-548-5 Digital ISBN: ISBN-10: 1-947172-55-7, ISBN-13: 978-1-947172-55-5 OpenStax is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 PARTICIPATION POLICY To be successful in this online course, the student MUST purchase the assigned textbook and log into BlackBoard 4-5 times weekly. Regular, reliable access to BlackBoard via Internet is required for this online course. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR Chapter # TOPICS Assessment Due Date Chapter 1 Understanding Economic Systems and Business Discussion Board, Quiz 9/1/2025 Chapter 2 Making Ethical Decisions and Managing a Socially Responsible Business Discussion Board, Quiz 9/8/2025 Chapter 3 Competing in the Global Marketplace Discussion Board, Quiz 9/15/2025 Unit 1 Exam 9/16/2025 Chapter 4 Forms of Business Ownership Discussion Board, Quiz 9/22/2025 Chapter 5 Entrepreneurship: Starting and Managing Your Own Business Discussion Board, Quiz 9/29/2025
Chapter 6 Management and Leadership in Today's Organizations Discussion Board, Quiz 10/6/2025 Unit 2 Exam 10/14/2025 Chapter 7 Designing Organizational Structures Quiz *No Discussion Board 10/20/2025 Chapter 8 Managing Human Resources and Labor Relations Discussion Board, Quiz 10/27/2025 Chapter 9 Motivating Employees Discussion Board, Quiz 11/3/2025 Unit 3 Exam 11/11/2025 Chapter 10 Achieving World-Class Operations Management Discussion Board, Quiz 11/17/2025 Chapter 11 Creating Products and Pricing Strategies to Meet Customers' Needs Discussion Board, Quiz 12/1/2025 Chapter 12 Distributing and Promoting Products and Services Discussion Board, Quiz 12/8/2025 Unit 4 Exam 12/9/2025 COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: Quizzes 15% Discussion Boards 25% Unit Exams (4) 60% (15% each) GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimum-computer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed
disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies is at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION Announcements I will post announcements weekly, usually early in the week. These announcements indicate upcoming due dates and notes important to your success in this course. You should READ these
Announcements every week. I also recommend using the BlackBoard app on your phone, with notifications, so that you immediately receive notices of new announcements for this class. Exams Exams will be provided within a BlackBoard examination window. The exams will be timed and limited to a set number of minutes. Make-up exams will NOT be given. Missed exams will receive a score of zero. Your exam will be graded immediately by Blackboard. Feedback on specific exam questions will be given 24 hours after the exam is due. You must work alone while taking the exam. Cheating on exams is not acceptable and will be subject to violations of the Academic Dishonesty policy. Dates for exams are listed on the Course Calendar. Each exam counts for 15 percent of your final grade. Quizzes Weekly quizzes will be given covering the chapter studied that week. Dates for quizzes are listed on the Course Calendar. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes. Missed quizzes will receive a score of zero. The 2 lowest quiz grades will be dropped. Combined, these quizzes will count as 15 percent of your final grade. Discussions Discussion boards are in place to add to your classroom community and emphasize important skills that prepare you to enter the workforce. The National Association of Colleges and Employers lists eight important skills that are needed to successfully enter today’s workforce. These discussions emphasize four of those skills. You'll work on your written and oral communications. You'll think critically and solve problems. You'll show your professionalism and work ethic. And finally, you'll gain important global and intercultural fluencies. Participation is required. For your own post, you should FULLY answer the prompt, utilizing proper grammar, including proper capitalization. Then you should comment on two fellow student's posts. Your responses to the posts of other students should contribute to the discussion of the prompt, rather than be a critique of the response. Furthermore, comments should not just state “I agree” or “good post.” Full credit will NOT be awarded for comments that simply indicate agreement. Because comments should add to the discussion of the prompt, economic terms, as they relate to the appropriate chapter, is expected. A rubric for discussion boards is available. Exceptional scores requires exceptional participation. There will be 12 Discussions. There will be no makeups for missed Discussions. Two discussion board grades will be dropped. Combined, these Discussions will account for 15 percent of your final grade. Use of Instructional Materials Instructional materials, such as PowerPoints and concept videos, are provided in Blackboard for each chapter. These will be useful in understanding concepts as presented in the chapters. Chat Sessions
It is possible that I may schedule a chat session periodically (if needed) to answer questions. Your attendance/participation is not required and does not count for a grade. If a chat session is conducted, the session will be recorded so that you can view the session at your convenience. Make-Up/Late work Exams, quizzes, and discussion boards are due on the dates as listed on the Course Calendar and each Announcement task list. There will be no make-up exams. There will be no make-up quizzes. Late discussion boards will not be accepted. Units, exams, quizzes, or discussion boards will not be reopened once closed. Due Dates All due dates are listed on the Course Calendar found by clicking on the Calendar Menu button. Due dates are also announced in the weekly announcements. Quizzes, exams, assignments, and discussion boards will NOT be accepted nor reopened. Academic Dishonesty Copying, stealing, and submitting someone else's work is considered a violation of the Academic Dishonesty policy. Academic Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. A student violating this policy will receive an automatic F for the course semester grade plus a violation of the Student Code of Conduct will be placed on your record. Professor Communication As your instructor, you can expect for me to respond to any communication you send me within 48 hours (FYI - I do not usually respond to emails after 7pm). You can also expect grades to assignments within a minimum of 2 weeks from the due date. Incomplete Grades Assigning the grade of incomplete (I) is assigned only when the deadline for dropping the course has passed, the student is passing the course, and course requirements, including the final examination, cannot be completed because of unavoidable circumstances. To receive an incomplete, a student must be in good standing to pass the class and must have completed most of the course work (75%). Changes in Calendar Instructor reserves the right to change, alter, omit, or add to the tentative course outline and calendar. This course continues to be a work in progress. Assignments, due dates, etc. can and usually do change.