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Business Administration Minors

There are now three new "tracked" minors in the Business Administration Program.  Information about them is as follows:

The Minor "Tracks"

 

Business Administration/Economics Minor: Twenty Credits.  Economics 211-212 and three additional economics courses.  The three additional courses must include either Economics 311 (Money and Banking) or 350 (Price Theory), or may include both.  The remainder of the three additional courses must be chosen from Economics 231 (Accounting Fundamentals with Spreadsheet Applications), 313 (Corporation Finance), 322 (Financial and Managerial Accounting with Spreadsheet Applications), and 354 (Managerial Economics).  With the consent of the chair of the economics department, one other economics course may be substituted for Economics 231, 313, 322, or 354.  This minor would be very appropriate for students desiring careers in general business management, larger industrial organizations, or government. 

Business Administration/Entrepreneurship Minor: Twenty Credits.  Economics 211-212, Business Administration 413 (Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management), and eight credits from any of the following: Psychology 110-120 (General Psychology Lecture and Lab); Speech 115 (Public Speaking); Speech 223 (Organizational and Business Communication) or Speech 352 (Political Communication); Business Administration 308 (Consumer and Corporate Behavior); Business Administration 310 (Social Entrepreneurship); and Business Administration 315 (Strategic Management).

This minor would be very appropriate for students interested in self-employment, and would be especially helpful for students who would like to practice their choice of discipline utilizing a business model (i.e. a biology major hoping to become a veterinarian with her own practice; a religion major wishing to run the "business" office of a church conference; a fine arts major wishing to market design services over the Internet.)  

Business Administration/Social Entrepreneurship Minor: Twenty Credits.  Economics 211-212, Business Administration 310 (Social Entrepreneurship), and eight credits from the following: Psychology 110-120 (General Psychology Lecture and Lab); Sociology 110 (Introduction to Sociology) or Sociology 115 (Social Problems); Speech 115 (Public Speaking), Speech 223 (Organizational and Business Communication) or Speech 352 (Political Communication); Business Administration 315  (Strategic Management); Business Administration 308 (Consumer and Corporate Behavior); and Business Administration 413 (Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management).  Up to four credits of internship earned during the ACM Urban Studies Program could also be used for this minor.

This minor would be very appropriate for anyone interested in applying business models to community problems. Potential careers would include management of community-based organizations involved in economic development, management of non-profit organizations wishing to diversify and secure funding bases, or business managers simply wishing to "make a difference" when they achieve business success. 

There are also two new courses which will be offered in conjunction with the minors.  The first of the two will be offered this fall in the Tuesday/Thursday 2:10-4:00 slot:

Business Management 315: Strategic Management

Introduction to management principles and strategic planning.  Visioning and strategic planning are essential to all organizations.  In a world so greatly impacted by e-commerce, global markets, and exploding technology, effective organizations must plan or perish.  Examining the external environment, discovering the organization's unique attributes/challenges, and responding accordingly are key tasks of managers today.  This course will cover strategic management theory, and make extensive use of case studies to help students to better understand the manager's job.   Students from other disciplines will benefit from the overview of current management practices that should be present in any organization.

Prerequisite:  Junior standing or consent of the instructor.  This course is open to non-business majors/minors.

The following course will be offered in the Spring:

Business Management 310: Social Entrepreneurship

Introduction to philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and ethics, and organizational development in the not-for-profit business sector.  The relationship between sound management practices and social "mission" will be explored.  Examples and case studies involving socially responsible businesses and non-profit organizations will be used to develop an understanding about how society benefits from such enterprises. Class activities include:  study of the world of philanthropy including history and current practices; an introduction to the world of non-profit organizations (their purposes, opportunities and challenges); and the application of business and entrepreneurial models to community problems.   

 

Prerequisite:  Junior standing or consent of the instructor.  This course is open to non-business majors/minors.