Course leader: Tinatin Rodonaia

Home Institution: East European University

Course Overview

This course provides students with an opportunity to understand what business is today and how it works, advance critical and analytical thinking in solving business issues. Business is viewed first by examining national and global factors that influence its development, followed by an exploration of its internal organization. Students will analyze major issues associated with the management functions of marketing, strategy, finance, accounting, human resources, information systems, and operations. In addition, this course allows students to discuss business ethical issues as well as explore opportunities and challenges of starting a new business.

Learning Outcomes

Based on satisfactory completion of this course, a student should be able to:

• Explain entrepreneurship and what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
• Understand the business environment
• How business and economics work
• Competing in free market
• Managing a socially responsible business
• Characterize successful entrepreneurs
• Understand the role of management
• Achieving high performance through human resources management
• Discuss the challenges managers face to set ethical standards and encourage corporate social responsibility, structure organizations, manage production and operations, and human resources.
• Summarize the development and implementation of customer-oriented marketing plans, the main strategies in terms of pricing, promotion, distribution and product design.

Course Content

Understanding Business and its Nature

Making Ethical Decisions and Managing a Socially Responsible Business

Entrepreneurship: Starting and Managing Your Own Business

Management and Leadership in Today’s Organizations

Managing Human Resources and Labor Relations

Creating Products and Pricing, Marketing Strategies to Meet Customers’ Needs

Forms of Business Ownership

Instructional Method

During the course I will be using:

• interactive lecturing, after theoretical issues students will be exposed to real life situations, cases to identify the problems and find the solutions, make decisions accordingly with team members as well as individually.
• interactive PowerPoint presentations, discussions, pair/ group work/role plays/ simulations
• student centered lectures when they will be able to express themselves and bring examples from their experience

Audio-visual method using videos, clips, movies for diversity.

Required Course Materials

Introduction to Business Lawrence J. Gitman, McDaniel C. Shah A. Reece M. Koffel L. Talsma B. Hyatt J. C. 2018 Rice University

On-line articles – Videos- Case studies- PowerPoint Presentations- Screencasts

Assessment

Students' active participation is based on continuous evaluation principles of gained knowledge and skills. Evaluation of the student’s work efforts spent involves: midterm evaluations and final evaluation. Maximum evaluation for the studied course is 100 points. Pass mark of at least 51 points.

Coursework Quizzes throughout the two weeks 35%

Final Presentation 25%

Final Assessment 40%