Business Core Goals and Objectives

Note to Graduating Seniors!

Graduating Seniors - be advised that you will be required to take an exam on Assessment Day as part of BUS 465. Graduating seniors who are enrolled in BUS 465 (Business Policy) in the spring term will take an exam on Assessment Day which will be used to assess the Business Core program. The exam will consist of short answer, short essay, fill-in-the-blank/objective questions using case narratives and financial statement materials. Your score on the exam will also be a component of your BUS 465 final grade. Failure to complete the exam will have a negative impact on your course grade. Your BUS 465 instructor can provide further details about the exam. The exam is part of our Assurance of Learning process and will provide us with information about curriculum content and instruction. As your instructor grades your exam, he/she will also be assessing your performance as a member of the graduating class. The aggregate performance information from your class will be compiled and analyzed to determine necessary changes to curriculum/instruction for the coming year. Although it is not possible to study for the exam, the exam will cover material that is pertinent to your BUS 465 class, and will contain material taught (and mastered) in other Business Core classes.

A subset of the Program Learning Objectives will be assessed in the exam (the listing below contains the subset of goals/objectives to be assessed):

Program Goal 2: Our students will have an understanding of ethical perspectives, and an ethical and legal framework for decision-making.

b) Students will understand the varied and often conflicting roles which mangers must balance in regard to various stakeholders.
c) Students will have the ability to articulate their value systems and beliefs, and accept responsibility for their (ethical) choices.
d) Students will formulate and make responsible decisions in the best interests of their team, organization, community and society.

Program Goal 3: Through active learning and experiential education, our students will acquire business knowledge and develop skills to analyze and solve complex managerial problems.

a) Students will have the ability to reflect on, interpret and appraise their educational experiences.
b) Students will demonstrate business knowledge and organizational skills through experiential education.

Program Goal 5: Our students will develop an awareness and understanding of the cultural, legal, economic and geo-political forces that impact business operations in a global economy.

a) Students will have an awareness of contemporary international events, an understanding of the historical forces that led to their emergence, and will be able to explain how these events are influencing global business.
b) Students will know and understand the major cultural, legal, economic and geo-political trends that are influencing the conduct of global business.

Program Goal 6: Our students will be able to understand, analyze and use the accounting/financial information generated by organizations for their stakeholders, and will understand financial theories, analyses and markets.

a) Students will be able to access financial data and use the data to evaluate the three major financial statements — the income statement, cash flow statement and balance sheet.
b) Students will be able to understand, develop and analyze the budget of a company.
c) Students will be able to describe the features of major financial assets and markets.
d) Students will be able to summarize the nature and importance of time value of money concepts and be able to perform basic time value of money (TVM) calculations.
e) Students will be able to explain why and how a firm creates value for its shareholders.
f) Students will be able to explain the tradeoff between risk and return.

Program Goal 7: Our students will be able to identify markets for the organization?s goods and services, understand the activities which make up the value chain for those goods and services, and use the appropriate methodologies for ensuring product/service quality and speed to market.

a) Students will understand and be able to select the appropriate marketing mix for a given product or service in order to ensure customer value.
b) Students will be able to analyze and evaluate an organization's value chain and formulate an appropriate value proposition for the organization's goods/services.
c) Students will be able to analyze and produce strategic recommendations regarding the organization's product and service distribution systems.
d) Students will understand the basic concepts of continuous improvement and quality management and demonstrate an ability to apply these concepts to organizational production and distribution systems.

Program Goal 9: Our students will understand the economic forces that impact organizations operating in the global business environment, and will use economic analyses to make business decisions.

a) Students will understand how monetary and fiscal policy is implemented and the effects of policy changes on the business environment.
b) Students will understand the operation of national and international financial markets and how they affect global resource allocation.
c) Students will be able to analyze the economic environment of an organization and use the analysis to make business decisions.
d) Students will be able to make an economic case for free trade and for international alliances among nations.