M,W 9:30-10:45 a.m.
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Communication
- Responsibility
Topical Outline
- The nature of business
- Basic economics
- Global marketplace
- Ethics and social responsibility
- Ownership and entrepreneurship
- Managements roles and functions
- Organizational structure
- Operations
- Human resources and labor relations
- Marketing
- Accounting and financial resources
- Financial management
Faculty Contact Information
by appointment
n/a
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain what a business is and how it operates within the private enterprise system.
- Compare the basic forms of business ownership
- Relate the basic differences between large and small businesses.
- Explain the importance of planning and specific objectives.
- Understand basic human relations and use that knowledge in managing human resources
- Explain the various roles that pricing, promotion, and distribution play in determining a marketing mix for a product or service
- Identify the basic accounting statements and theories and how they relate to a business operation
- Differentiate between various financial institutions and how each may be used to fund or support businesses
- Explain how long-term and short-term financial instruments such as loans, stocks, and bonds can be used and the advantages of each
- Developing a Business Mindset
- Understanding Basic Economics
- The Global Marketplace
- Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
- Forms of Ownership
- Entrepreneurship and Small-Business Ownership
- Management Roles, Functions, and Skills
- Organization and Teamwork
- Production Systems
- Employee Motivation
- Human Resources Management
- Labor Relations
- The Art and Science of Marketing
- Product and Pricing Strategies
- Customer Communication
- Financial Information and Accounting Concepts
Introduction to Business, OpenStax, 2026 (provided via Canvas)
| Coursework | Grade Weight |
| Participation & Engagement | 10% |
| Coursework & Assignments | 10% |
| Comprehension (quizzes) | 10% |
| Applied Exercises & Reports | 20% |
| Capstone Project | 25% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
Business, Technology & Human Services
Dean, Paul Carlson; 815-802-8858; V105; pcarlson@kcc.edu; Division Office – W102; 815-802-8650
Academic Integrity
KCC considers student violation of academic integrity to be a serious offense. Violations include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, AI use, fabrication/falsification, and personal misrepresentation. The academic integrity policy refers to all coursework in this class for the duration of the semester. Plagiarism in any form is treated as follows:
- First incident, student will be issued a warning.
- Second incident will result in a zero for the assignment.
- Third incident will be reported to school officials.
SimCheck software is used to evaluate coursework for potential plagiarism. Proper use of in-text citations and references is required on applicable assignments. Students will be asked to reassess, revise, and resubmit assignments with a SimCheck score in the cautionary level (yellow/orange). Assignments with similarity scores in red are not accepted. Refer to KCC’s Code of Campus Affairs, Section 19.6.B, for specific violations of academic integrity.
Mechanics
College-level writing is expected on all assignments. This includes proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure (complete sentences). When applicable, writing must include appropriate in-text citations and references. Use of text language is prohibited. All written assignments are graded accordingly.
Attendance
Attendance is recorded and reported to the Admissions and Financial Aid offices. Various exercises will be completed in class, both individually and collaboratively. This course is designed to reward students who attend class regularly, are prepared, work diligently through the assignments, and participate in discussions and in-class activities.
Attendance includes a student’s ability to arrive on time and remain in class until dismissed. Class will begin promptly at its scheduled time. Students arriving after the official starting time of the class are tardy. Tardiness is disruptive to the learning environment thus students arriving late will be subject to the instructor’s tardy policy. Failure to attend each class period for the fully scheduled duration contributes to excessive absences.
Excessive absences will have an adverse effect on a student’s grade as well as create cause for being expunged from the course. Excessive absence is defined as nonattendance for >5 classroom hours in a semester or nonattendance for four consecutive days. The instructor’s right to institutionally withdraw or fail a student for nonattendance is in accordance with KCC’s Code of Campus Affairs, Section 18.0. Refer to KCC’s Code of Campus Affairs, Section 18.0 for specific attendance policies.
Assignments
Coursework is prepared and presented in a variety of methods for the purpose of effective learning as well as attaining learning outcomes. Details of assignments, due dates/times, and grading rubrics are provided regularly and used for assessing accordingly. Some coursework is completed in class. Some coursework is administered via the Canvas Learning Management System.
All coursework is assigned a due date and time in order to facilitate appropriate progression of course material as well as completing the required work in a timely manner. Assignments will be submitted in class or electronically in the proper forum in Canvas by the specified deadline time. Assignments will not be distributed or accepted by email. Some assignments completed in class cannot be made up. Assignments will not be accepted after the final closing date posted. Students who are failing at midterm of the semester will be expunged with a grade of “W”. Acceptance of late assignments and credit given is at the instructor’s discretion.
Technology
Technology issues of any type are not accepted as an excuse for incomplete and late assignments nor as an excuse for arriving late to class. It is the student's responsibility to ensure possession of proper working equipment, a contingency plan for outages, and planning ahead for printing assignments. Computers and printers for student use are available on KCC’s campus.
Grades
All grades count. Lowest grades are not dropped for any assignments. Diligence in completing the required coursework is expected. It is the student’s responsibility to routinely assess their gradebook in Canvas for errors or missing assignments/grades and communicate discrepancies to the instructor.
Classroom Rules
The instructor’s classroom rules are in accordance with KCC’s Student Code of Conduct and the Code of Campus Affairs, Section 19.0. The following classroom rules have been extended from the Code of Conduct and established by the instructor to ensure conduct by all students is conducive with KCC’s expectations for providing a respectful learning environment without disruptions. Students are expected to exercise professionalism and etiquette at all times.
- No electronic device use during class. This includes cell phones, earbuds, headphones, laptops, tablets, iPads, and e-readers. These electronic devices will be silenced and put away before class begins. When allowed, laptops and tablets are to be used during class for coursework only.
- Working on homework for another course during this class period is strictly prohibited. Also, working on late or missed homework for this class during the current lecture is not allowed.
- No picture taking allowed. Students are expected to take notes and use course materials provided. Picture taking is a privacy violation.
- No food is allowed in the classroom before and during class. Covered drinks may be permitted except in computer labs where a notice is posted prohibiting such. The instructor may require that drinks be removed from desktops.
A student’s inability to follow the classroom rules is considered a violation of KCC’s Code of Conduct. It is the instructor’s responsibility to manage an appropriate learning environment and has the right to discipline students who do not comply. A student’s enrollment in this course and acceptance of this syllabus indicates an agreement to comply with the classroom rules. Violation of the classroom rules will be treated as follows:
- First incident, student will be asked to comply and issued a warning.
- Second incident, student will be required to leave the classroom and meet with the instructor before returning.
- Third incident, student will be reported to school officials.
Refer to KCC’s Code of Campus Affair, Section 19.0 for specific code of conduct policies.
BSNS-1553-010
Introduction to Business
FALL 2026
Assignments and due dates will be discussed in class. Assignments will be distributed in class and/or uploaded in Canvas.
Week | Dates (Mon, Wed) | Topic | To Do |
1 | 8/17, 8/19 | Welcome! Orientation/Introductions | Student Introductions Course Overview Syllabus Review |
2 | 8/24, 8/26 | Foundations of Business | Details provided in class and/or Canvas:
|
3 | 8/31, 9/2 | Business Environment | |
Mon 9/7 – No Class | |||
4 | 9/7, 9/9 | Economics | |
5 | 9/14, 9/16 | Competitive Advantage SWOTs | |
6 | 9/21, 9/23 | Ethics Social Responsibility | |
7 | 9/28, 9/30 | Business Ownership Entrepreneurship | |
8 | 10/5, 10/7 | Management Leadership | |
Week | Dates (Mon, Wed) | Topic | To Do |
9 | 10/12, 10/14 | Organizational Structure | Details provided in class and/or Canvas:
|
10 | 10/19, 10/21 | Human Resource Management Motivation | |
11 | 10/26, 10/28 | Operations Supply Chain | |
Thu, 11/5 - last day to withdraw with a grade of “W”* | |||
12 | 11/2, 11/4 | Marketing Customer Value | |
Wed 11/11 – No Class | |||
13 | 11/9, 11/11 | Marketing Mix | |
14 | 11/16, 11/18 | Accounting Finance | |
15 | 11/23, 11/25 | TBD | |
16 | 11/30, 12/2 | Capstone Project Due Course Conclusion | TBD |
Finals Week | 12/7 – 12/10 | Final Exam | Date / Time / Location TBA |
*Thursday, 11/5 is the last day to withdraw from this course with a grade of “W”. When it is necessary to withdraw from a course or from the college, students may do so on or before the applicable withdrawal date for the particular semester to receive a grade of “W”. A Change of Schedule form (used to add or drop a course) is available in Student Services or see an advisor. The last day to voluntarily withdraw from this course this semester, Fall 2026, is Thursday, November 5 in Student Services.
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.