Contemporary Business Issues

BUSN 70
Spring 2024 Syllabus

Professor: Nik Tehrani, Ph.D., MSEM, MBA Classroom: Rm 310 Kenna Hall
Office: Zoom Lecture time: TTH 2:00 to 3:40 PM
Email: [email protected] (or [email protected] in case of an emergency.)
Office Hours: By Appointment only
TA: Allison Kemp Email: [email protected]

Introduction
Welcome to Contemporary Business. It is an important class; for some, it will provide a new way to view the
world; for others, it will add context and connections between theory and practice. Business affects infinite
aspects of everyone’s life, so understanding the basics is good.

While the text and PPTs provide basic and essential info, I consider the class discussions where we connect the
classroom learning to real-life experience to be the most important aspect. Hopefully, you will find it valuable,
as previous classes have.

It is important to come to the class meetings prepared for the discussion and actively participate. It is important
to read the text and review the PPTs before class; the best learning is when discussion builds on a knowledge
base. Active learning comes from your thinking, discussion, and involvement.
The HW before each class session should help you prepare for class and, importantly, for the exams.

Course Description and Objectives

This class introduces business theory and practice, the economic environment, business structures/practice,
organization structures, and the role of key participants. It is a survey of the business world that is as complete as
we can make it in one quarter. We will have extensive and ongoing conversations relating current business and
social events to both text and our life and business experiences. Very wide-ranging and interesting. Lots to learn
and connections to make.
As your instructor, I hope to convey my passion and excitement for business (especially International Business)
and help you think of the world in a new, more sophisticated fashion. And to connect theory and vocab to real-
world events and business challenges. And to pass on my and others’ experience in business (what we have done
right and wrong).
Understanding Business is a critical life skill.
Properly running a business is a great way to affect people positively.
It can truly change the world's mission.

Instructor’s objectives:
1. Introduce broad themes of business and the related vocab
2. Connect and bridge business basics to real life through discussion around class material.
3. Apply my and the class’s business/life experience to how these concepts work.
4. Practice critical thinking and personal and group evaluation of concepts.
5. Practice individual and group skills in solving problems and maximizing business results in our business
simulation.
6. Apply and Practice business concepts for our competitive simulation.
BUS 70 Learning Objectives
After completing BUSN 70, students will be able to:
● Describe the common legal, organizational forms, and internal structure of business organizations,
including the roles of managers and the functions of different departments.
● Describe the significance of innovation, entrepreneurship, and information technology in modern
business enterprises.
● Analyze the role of market forces in business decisions relating to pricing, marketing, and
production.
● Apply tools commonly used to make business decisions, such as the time value of money, risk and
return assessment, and organizational team strategies.
● Access and interpret multiple sources of business information, including financial statements.
● Identify and analyze the effects of business decisions on internal and external stakeholders,
including ethical implications.

Text: Business- In A Changing World, Ferrell, Hirt and Ferrell, McGraw-Hill, 13th edition. Our text includes
features unique to SCU, and the title on the cover is the name of our class- Contemporary Business Issues.
You can pick up or order the text in-person or online from our bookstore - either the hard copy (which includes
the electronic features and SCU special content) or an electronic copy.

From the Bookstore- ISBNs:

Buying a used book (or rent) is fine, as I do not require electronic features. But if you do buy used, the
electronic material is not available. Earlier editions are also functional, although the material becomes dated.
URL for electronic features: http://connect.mheducation.com/class/t-harris-scu-master

Mike’s Bikes (stimulation and related material). You are required to purchase a software license for Mikes Bikes;
the cost is approximately $58.

Learning Environment:
PowerPoint presentations and related material are all posted on Camino for all the lectures. These documents
are a crucial tool to help you learn the course materials- and combined with the discussions during the lectures,
prioritizes the most important material. One effective way to use the lecture notes is to print them out (3 to a
page) before class and use them for taking notes in class and studying.
You should always review the lecture outline PPTs and read/think about the chapter before class, as the class
discussion is an interesting and important part of the class. Your grade: It is far easier to earn an A when you
thoroughly understand the text and the lectures.
Classroom culture: We will treat our classroom as we would a business environment- i.e., be on time, be
engaged, avoid side conversations, don’t fall asleep, and stay off electronics during class, etc. Positive behaviors
are essential in business.
The most important word about the culture of our classroom is Respect.
We respect each other by being prepared, staying focused, and being involved in our class. We cooperate and
collaborate to generate understanding - our own and others.
Active, intelligent contributions and participation are important parts of any business culture and will be
important factors in the grading.
We want a positive environment where all comments and questions are safe and respected.
Communication Policy
I will reply to emails and questions that are posted in the Q&A discussion forum within 24 hours, usually
sooner. I strive to return all graded work, with my feedback, within 3-5 days of the assignment being
submitted. Please look for my detailed feedback and use it.

Generative AI Policy
Since writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills are part of the learning outcomes of this course, all writing
assignments should be prepared by the student. AI-generated submissions are not permitted even when properly
attributed and will be treated as plagiarism. The use of generative AI will result in no credit for the assignment
for the first offense and course failure thereafter.

Class Attendance is required. Missing class deprives you and your classmates of a complete learning
experience. There will be group discussions and exercises that add critical depth to the readings and points on
tests. Participation is factored into your grade.
Do not let this chance to score points pass you by. There are no wrong answers in class. The courage and ability
to present your thoughts show leadership and are necessary business skills. You can’t win in business if you
aren’t there. Please always be on time and ready to go- tardies are very disruptive and are not an acceptable
business practice.

Late assignments will not be accepted. Grades will be posted throughout the term on Camino. If you find any
problem with your score, you must inform the instructor within one week from the time this score is posted.
After one week, scores will not be reviewed. In the case of score dispute, the entire assignments and project will
be reviewed, not just the question(s) in dispute. The score could go up, down, or remain the same. Late work
may be accepted by the instructor at the instructor's discretion.

Contribution: The criterion for contribution focuses on what you give to the class. Questions, discussions, and
comments are encouraged. Participation in-class discussions, group projects, and analysis are very important.
Criteria I will evaluate your class participation grade based on: Involvement (asks and answers
questions), Adequate preparation (knows facts from readings, etc.), Participation in group activities, paying
attention in class, sharing answers when we review homework, test results, etc. Participation in other students'
CE is especially valuable and gets extra weight in grading.

On team assignments, each team member's role is very important. At the end of the session, team members
may rate the individual member's contribution, and the team assignment grade will be factored in as necessary.

Since this is a business class, we will create a business-like environment to the full extent possible while
providing a healthy learning environment. Participate in the other students' CE- we will all appreciate
and learn more.

Asynchronous alternatives - active learning is always preferred- and the In-person discussions and
involvement from actively participating in class is better learning than asynchronous. Sometimes asynchronous
is the only alternative, and we have a positive experience making it work.
As a quick summary, anyone who must be asynchronous will submit an email that they have studied the PPTs
and material from the missed sessions and make pertinent observations/conclusions.
Always due by Friday evening of the week of the missed sessions.
This will make up most of the missed Participation points (depending on the quality of work, of course).
Grading Information
Course grade will be based on Discussions / Participation, Assignments, Current Event Presentation. MB
Assignments, and Exams. All individuals in each team will be graded based on their performance. (Note, the
Camino site has priority if there is a conflict.) All the Assignments are defined in our Camino site.

Assignment Individual/Team Points Comments

Participation / Class Contribution Individual 5% Active and insightful participation
Assignments Individual 15% Camino
Single User Mike’s Bike simulation Individual 10% Camino
Current Event Presentation Team 15% 60% for project/content and 40% for (PPT) presentation
Mike’s Bike Team Competition/Final Paper Team 15%
Exams Individual 40% Camino

Grade (%)
A 94-100 C+ 77- 79.9
A- 90- 93.9 C 73- 76.9
B+ 87- 89.9 C- 70- 72.9
B 83- 86.9 D 60- 69.9
B- 80- 82.9 F <60

Please don’t ask me to round up your score at the end of the quarter. Possible extra Credit opportunities
throughout the period should eliminate that need.

Current Event assignment: Relating current business events to classroom material- and leading discussions- is
a great way to tie concepts to daily business life.
Bus 70 – we will assign students into pairs or small groups for the CE presentations, which will apply concepts
of the Chapter you are assigned to an interesting Bus situation (either good or bad). The presentation should be
9-12 minutes, with 6-8 content slides.
Your team and Chapter assignments in Camino will be found in the Syllabus module.
Grade Criteria include relevance to the topic, did you have meaningful data and analysis, professionalism, and
elicit classroom participation. Use your public speaking skills with an organized intro, body, and conclusion for
the best grade. Pick a topic that is interesting and informative- go deep rather than too wide on your topic- being
able to summarize and be succinct are important bus skills. Get class involved early with questions and
discussion- keep it an exchange. And can’t stress enough- do analysis, draw conclusions, and use data rather
than just reporting. Try to find a topic that relates to your Chapter, and you have strong feelings about, and
share your analysis, conclusions, and why. Do not use more than one slide and 1-2 minutes of your presentation
to review vocab from the class. Always better and more interesting to include vocab in the talk rather than as a
starting slide.
Please dress appropriately for a business presentation.
Most students find this a valuable experience, if perhaps nervous.

While this is repetitive-

Best presentations use the entire available time
Visually appealing PPTs that have been carefully edited
Developing class involvement is a huge plus

Talks often contain:

Exec Summary
Agenda
Timeline of key events
Analysis/Data
Recommendations?
Conclusion
Mere reporting is less good, and reporting without data is not good.

More hints: some groups have greatly used Ads or other links. Also, worthwhile to go through PPTs at the
beginning of the process to help identify key terms and points.

We will hook up your laptop for your presentation slides before class, so come a few minutes early. If you are
like me, you will want to make sure it all works BEFORE you step in front of your audience. If your team does
not have access to a laptop, no worries, you can email me the presentation the evening before the class session,
and you can present off my computer.

Current Event Rubric

15 Points 10 Points 0-5 Points
The introduction got the The introduction stated the No/weak attention-getter and/ or
audience’s attention in a speech topic and previewed preview of the main points of
creative and unique way, the message, but a clearer the speech. Topic was too
Introduction clearly stated the speech topic and overview and stronger broad or unclear.
previewed the main points of the attention-getter was needed.
speech.
Three clear main points in the Three main points in the The speech lacked clear main
speech, supported with strong speech, supported with points and/or did not include
evidence/examples/narratives/ some evidence/examples/ enough substance/evidence
Body (Content) statistics and sound reasoning. narratives/statistics. or information to support the
Speaker clearly demonstrates a Speaker demonstrates an topic. Ideas needed greater
solid understanding of the understanding of the topic. development.
topic.
4-5 credible sources were 2-3 credible sources were Less than 2 credible sources
used in developing the content and used in developing the content and were used in developing the
Sources/Citation cited during the speech. cited during the speech. content and/or were not cited
during the speech, or the
sources lacked credibility.
Creative visual aids enhanced Visual aids were utilized during No visual aids were used, or
the audience’s understanding the speech and enhanced the visual aids were a distraction to
of the topic and were audience’s understanding of the the theme of the speech.
Visual Aids effectively incorporated in the topic but lacked creativity or were
speech delivery. not effectively incorporated into
the speech.
The conclusion clearly The conclusion made the Weak conclusion. Audience was
summarized the main points speech sound finished but unsure if the speech was
of the speech and left the would have benefited from a finished, no clear summary or
Conclusion audience with something to stronger concluding thought concluding thoughts.
think about related to the and/or a stronger summary of
topic. main points.
Clear organizational structure, Organizational structure was Speech was hard to follow and
easy to follow, transitions evident, but some of the lacked clear transitions between
helped to focus audience’s content should have been major points. Presentation was
Organization/ attention and provide reorganized for clarity. Limited missing key elements of the
Transitions cues to follow along. Clear used of transitions; however, the introduction, body, or
introduction, body and introduction, body and conclusion conclusion.
conclusion in the speech. could be identified during the
speech.
Delivery Excellent eye contact, minimal Good eye contact, some Overreliance on notes, difficult
use of notes, clear articulation, overreliance on notes, volume to hear or understand at times,
volume and rate of speech and rate of speech were good. rate of speech needed work.
were excellent. Speaker was Speaker was prepared. Additional preparation would
clearly well-prepared. have helped this presentation.

Mike’s Bikes Individual Assignment

Single User Mike is a browser-based simulation where you compete against the computer. Each round, or turn
(a set of decisions), needs to be “rolled over” by you- a rollover processes your decisions and represents one
year in the simulation. You will use Single User to gain familiarity with the simulation and to experiment with
the choices you can make.
You have/will receive information on how to register for access to the simulation.
You use it online through your browser.
We will devote substantial class time to instruction on Mike’s Bikes and how it relates to the real world.
Your first assignment using the single-user version (and competing against the computer) will be to “run”
Mike’s Bikes business for eight years using one of the three scenarios- low price/high vol, medium price, and
high price/low volume. You can start over as many times as you wish to obtain better results by
capitalizing on your experience; you can also roll back (redo) a set of decisions in the Single player
version.
Submit a copy of the IBR for the scenario you want to be counted for the assignment. Make sure you save
or print out the IBR when you get good results- if you start over it erases the last version. Generally, the top
students do multiple iterations, refining their decisions to reach optimal results. Don’t hesitate to roll back years
to figure out better results, and don’t hesitate to contact our TA or Mike’s Bike help desk
([email protected]) for assistance. Median SHV over the last several quarters exceeded $130, and that
should be your target and guarantees you at least a 90% grade.

To encourage everyone to get started well ahead (it is impossible to do well in the first or second, or third go,
this is complex and requires time and thought. We will break Single into two segments.
The first submission- Min SHV of $50 after 8 Ros.

The final Single-player submission with the target SHV of $150 is due Tuesday, April 30.

Do not call the TA for help at the last minute. Do not call the TA for help until you have tried going all the way
thru several times… you can only learn this by doing it!

Late submittals are allowed for partial credit only under dire circumstances (not “my computer broke,” for
example) and only if pre-approved in writing before it is due; there is a 10% reduction for each day or a partial
day late. Don’t wait until the last minute! The Maximum delay is one week under any circumstances.
You will be graded on the results of the best scenarios for shareholder value. Someone who gets a
“shareholder value” of $150 in 8 rounds will get a higher grade than someone who only gets $130.
The mean score in recent quarters has all exceeded SHV of > $150; exceeding $150 guarantees you at
least an A-. Keep going to be top in your class (EC opportunity for top score).

Once we begin to work with the multi-player game, you are not required to continue using the single-user
version. However, many students find it useful in helping explore options for their team.

This type of simulation is extremely realistic because the outcomes of your decisions are affected directly by the
decisions made by competing teams and vice versa. If a competitor significantly reduces their price, your
company may sell fewer bicycles.
If you advertise more, you may sell more bikes. Make sure you experiment on the scale of changes and
reasonable numbers in the Single Version (e.g., there is a little beneficial impact from excess advertising or too
low prices, and either reduces your cash and profit margin).
As you think about your business decisions throughout the simulation, focus on applying what you have learned
and use sound business judgment and analysis instead of trying to guess what the computer algorithm might do.

We limit the dividend payout not to exceed 10% of the previous quarter’s profit and do not allow more
than a 100k stock buy-back to match the real world more closely. Don’t exceed this- your peers will catch
it! Points will be deducted for missing a rollover or violating the dividend or minimum share rule.
MB training- introductory training will be provided early in the quarter in class, and there is a very good MB
chapter in the SCU version of the text- it’s the book's last chapter. The TA will present training in class and is
your best resource for questions.
Bikes Team Assignment
I will set up the MB teams. Results and learning are generally better when I assign teams- plus, it is likely to
give you new people to work with, learn from, and network with, and it is a natural study group for the entire
class if you so desire.
You and the other teams will compete against each other; this is much harder- and more fun- than the MB
Single game against the computer (the computer is always predictable, and you can always roll back in Single).
If you set up the teams, it is important to pick your teams carefully and ensure there are times/places you can get
together. Everyone needs to participate fully. If there is a problem the team cannot resolve, let me know ASAP.
You will compete for dominance in five market segments and three distribution channels.
Each team's decisions must be entered by the deadline –midnight local time on the specified dates. After
completing the MBs competition, we will have RO for eight successive classes.
The team's decisions will be automatically rolled over, so missing the deadline means that the other firms will
have gained an advantage over your team. This is a very bad thing. Stay on top of these rollover deadlines.
And enjoy the simulation- it is fun to see the results of basic business decisions without suffering the
consequences!
Each team will write a team paper of 2.5-3 pages (double spaced) describing what you've learned during Single
Player. Make sure the quality of the work is something you can be proud of- pay attn to details.
The primary purpose of this paper is to relate what you learned and your decisions to the real world of business.
Secondarily- to have you think about your decisions and their impact on your overall performance. Don't simply
describe the simulation or what you did. Show that you learned some business rules and how to be successful in
the more competitive Team exercise.

MB Grading: The competition (SHV) results will be 70% of the Team grade. The other 30% will be the team
paper.
Competitive position based on shareholder value at the end of rollover #8 and the absolute value of your Team
SHV will be factored in.
Note- lack of contribution by a team member will drastically affect the individual's grade. Non-participation
hurts the whole team and negatively affects the individual's grading. Team members should be honest with each
other on concerns. We will have two formal times where the team rates contributions.

To discourage "Free Riders," each team member will be asked to grade the other team member's performance…
coaching, and grade reductions will occur as necessary.

Quizzes- I don't expect to have quizzes, but we may have pop quizzes that will cover the material assigned for
that day. In other words, students are expected to read the chapter in advance of the lectures and be prepared to
answer questions about the material before the lecture.
This will make our discussions in class much more meaningful.

Disability Accommodation Policy If you have a documented disability for which accommodations
may be required in this class, please contact Disabilities Resources, Benson 216,
www.scu.edu/disabilities, as soon as possible to discuss your needs and register for accommodations with
the University. If you have already arranged accommodations through Disabilities Resources, please
initiate a conversation with me about your accommodations during my office hours within the first two
weeks of class. Students who are pregnant and parenting may also be eligible for accommodations.
Accommodations will only be provided after I have verification of your accommodations as approved by
Disabilities Resources, and with sufficient lead time for me to arrange testing or other
accommodations. For more information you may contact Disabilities Resources at 408-554-4109.
Please Note: The following Schedule/Outline may change with prior notice - Tentative Calendar

Class Date Topic Key activity/material

1. T 4/2 Course Intro/syllabus read syllabus, survey Ch1, lecture notes

2. Th 4/4 Ch. 1- Foundations of Business MB Chapter in book!

TA will present MB Introduction
3. T 4/9 Ch. 11- Marketing

4. Th 4/11 Ch. 12- Marketing Strategy

5. T 4/16 Ch. 13- Digital Marketing

6. Th 4/18 Ch. 14- Accounting 1 MB Prelim Due

Bring Calc. to the class
7. T 4/23 Accounting, Part 2 Accounting HW due

8. Th 4/25 Exam 1

9. T 4/30 Ch. 15- Money MB Single Due

Group Disc: Job Loss

10. Th 5/2 Ch. 4- Organ. Businesses Rollover 1

11. T 5/7 Ch. 5- Small business Rollover 2

In Class CE mini case
12. Th 5/9 Ch. 6- Nature of Mgmt. Rollover 3

13. T 5/14 Ch. 7- Organization Rollover 4

Group Disc: Science of Climate Change
14. Th 5/16 Exam 2 Rollover 5

15. T 5/21 Ch. 8- Ops Rollover 6

Group Disc: Cost Analysis

16. Th 5/23 Ch. 9 Motivation Rollover 7

Group Disc: Ways world is improving

17. T 5/28 Ch. 10- HR Rollover 8

Group Disc: Ecommerce

18. Th 5/30 Ch. 2 Ethics+ Ch 3 Intl Bus

19. T 6/4 Ch. 16- Financial Mgmt. MB Team report due

Group Disc: Best Practices
20. Th 6/6 Exam 3