Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Course Descriptions

 

Course Descriptions: General Education Courses (30 Credits)

 

ADM 1000 – Skills for Academic Success 3 Credits

To be successful in the online, undergraduate degree programs at Apollos University, students need to possess a core set of skills. This course provides new students with an overview of these core skills, focusing on 8 specific items: navigating the Apollos systems; Apollos policies and procedures, Apollos student services and resources; university expectations; the LIRN Library Database; APA Style and academic writing; study and test taking skills; time management and staying motivated.

 

ENG 1301 – English Composition I   3 Credits

This course provides the student with a review of the basics of sentence structure, paragraph construction, and essay composition.  A major focus of the course is on reading analytically and writing clearly and effectively.  The subject matter used for the majority of the writing exercises will be based on the student’s personal experiences and on fundamental research techniques and exercises.

 

ENG 1302 – English Composition II   3 Credits

This is a composition foundation course that allows the student to advance their knowledge and ability in composing an essay or research paper.  The course focuses on the basic writing skills of pre-writing, writing, and revising or editing.  Reading, discussing and analyzing rhetorical models are stressed as part of the learning methodology. (Prerequisite: ENG 1301 or permission of the Department Chair)

 

FIT 1301 Wellness, Fitness, and Nutrition (3 credits) (Alternative to SCI 1301 Earth Science)

Course Description: This course surveys the wellness movement, emphasizing personal responsibility, behavior modification, and consumer awareness as keys to living healthy and living well.  The various dimensions of wellness are explored including physical fitness, nutrition, stress management, personal safety, and making healthy choices.  STDs, drug use, and disease are also examined.  Students will gain an understanding of the scientific based information supporting wellness and healthy living.

 

MTH 1301 – Algebra I   3 Credits

The design of this course is to provide a solid foundation in algebra for students who have moderate to no previous experience with algebra, as well as to help students succeed with non-mathematical courses that require an understanding of algebraic fundamentals. The concepts examined in this course will include a review of the real numbers, linear equations, exponents and polynomials, rational expressions and functions, and radicals and rational exponents. 

 

MTH 1302 – Algebra II    3 Credits

Review of functions and their graphs, linear and quadratic functions, factoring. Polynomial and rational functions. Review of exponents, exponential and logarithmic functions and their graphs and systems of equations, theory of equations.

 

SCI 1301 – Earth Science 3 Credits

This course provides the student with a foundational knowledge of the earth and the processes, which have and continue to shape it.  Topics of discussion are space & near-earth objects, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism, rocks & minerals, mountain building, weathering, erosion, streams & floods, oceans, the atmosphere, weather systems, and global change.

 

COM 1310 – Communication 3 Credits

In this course the student has the opportunity to develop the fundamentals of organizational communication.  The student will learn forms of communication, techniques, and strategies for successful communication in the workplace including: the writing process; forms of business messages; using visuals, appropriate style; good-news, neutral, bad-news, and persuasive messages; researching and writing reports; oral communication; job search skills; and use of technology.  Students in this course will develop the skills they need to successfully communicate.

 

PHL 1310 – Critical Thinking 3 Credits

This course introduces participants to the process of critical thinking.  A focus of the course is on mastering critical thinking skills so as to effectively apply them to everyday life and modern-day issues.

 

HIS 1310 – US History I   3 Credits

The course provides a survey of U.S. history to 1865.  It includes the major events that shaped the course of American history.  Topics of study include the colonial origins, colonial development, independence and the Revolutionary Period, the Early National Period, the Antebellum Period, the seeds of discontent leading to and resulting in the American Civil War, and the reconstruction of the Union.

 

HIS 1311 – US History II   3 Credits

The course provides a survey of U.S. history from 1865 to the present.  It includes:  the issues associated with reconstructing the Union after the Civil War, the emergence of the U.S. as a world power, American involvement in foreign military conflicts in the twentieth century, the growth of a consumer-oriented society, and the cultural and political challenges of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

 

HIS 1341 – World History I (3 credits) (Alternative to HIS 1310 American History I)

Course Description: This course surveys world history, beginning with the developments prior to the Paleolithic period through to the cross-cultural interactions of the fifteenth century.  Through a global approach, students will survey the major events, peoples, and civilizations of the pre-modern periods of human civilization that pre-date the European exploration, expansion, and colonization that began in earnest in the sixteenth century.

 

HIS 1342 – World History II (3 Credits) (Alternative to HIS 1311 American History II)

Course Description: This course surveys modern world history, beginning in 1500 through to the complex, globalized world of today.  Through a global approach, students will survey the major events, peoples, and exchanges of the modern age, beginning with the encounters and developments prior to the nineteenth century that led to global interdependence and global empires, to the political and industrial revolutions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to the modern political and commercial realignments that took place in the twentieth century and that are still ongoing today in the twenty-first century.

 

CIS 1301 – Computers and Technology 3 Credits

The course provides the student with information about the most important and current concepts of information technology. This is a survey of current information technology trends and issues that affect today’s businesses. Topics covered are the Internet, the Web, electronic commerce, software, hardware, storage, databases, networking, privacy, security, system analysis and design, and programming languages.

 

Course Descriptions: Core and Elective Courses

 

ACC 2301 – Accounting I   3 Credits

This course introduces the student to the basic principles and practices of accounting and the role of daily accounting activities of running a business.  Emphasis is placed on understanding the basic accounting equation and the proper reporting of the culmination of business transactions at the completion of the account cycle.  Other topics include financial reporting and analysis and an overview of the accounting information systems available within the business world today.

 

ACC 2302 – Accounting II   3 Credits

This course is the second of two accounting courses that introduces the student to the basic principles and practices of accounting and the role of daily accounting activities of running a business.  Emphasis is placed on understanding the budgeting process and analyzing the differences in accounting within various business environments.  In addition, this course will introduce elements of managerial accounting that managers engage in daily during the transaction cycle.  Other topics include financial reporting and analysis and an overview of the accounting information systems available within the business world today.

 

BUS 2301 – Introduction to Business 3 Credits

This course is designed to provide the student with an introduction to terms, business concepts, and business activities related to the organization and the operation of a business enterprise as an institution in a global business environment. With particular focus and emphasis on Economics, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Human Resources, and Finance & Accounting functions within a business enterprise.

 

BUS 2302 – Cross Cultural Communication 3 Credits

This course is an exploration of issues of culture and communication in the international business context, the relationships among cultural environments of an organization, and how companies and individuals communicate.  Topics include the importance of learning about and understanding culture; the role of language and nonverbal communication in cross-cultural business communication; techniques for communication cross-cultural situations; legal and governmental aspects to cross-cultural communication; and the relationships between business structure, corporate culture, and intercultural dynamics in the international firm.

 

BUS 2310 – Macroeconomics 3 Credits

This course provides the student with an introduction to the basic macroeconomic principles of economics; resource utilization, supply, demand, and elasticity; economic sectors: consumption, investment, government and import/export; gross national product; fiscal policy; money and banking; monetary policy; economic theory; growth and productivity, poverty; and international economics.

 

BUS 2311 – Microeconomics 3 Credits

This course provides the student with an introduction to the basic micro economic principles of economics and the economy; supply, demand, and elasticity (product markets); resource markets, microeconomics of governments; microeconomics and policies; and international economics. The course will provide the student with a framework of knowledge to conduct economic experiments.  Case studies and role-playing as consumers, producers, citizens, and policy makers will afford the student with the opportunity to synthesize the subject matter.

 

BUS 2320 – Business Math (3 credits)

This course is designed to provide an overview of basic business math skills and knowledge that you can apply to solve financial problems. Finance plays a major role in our lives--car loans, mortgage payments, retirement plans, real estate investments, and knowing how to calculate the cost of borrowing or the return on investment is important to us. The course provides step-by-step guidance through sample problems and solutions related to banking, credit, basic finance and investment. You will also gain an understanding of financial instruments and terminology used in business finance such as compound interest and promissory notes.

 

BUS 3301 – Marketing 3 Credits

The course provides the student with information about the most important and current concepts of marketing. The course surveys current marketing trends and issues that affect today’s businesses. Topics covered are the marketing mix, developing marketing strategies and plans, marketing ethics, the marketing environment, consumer behavior, the B2B buying process, global marketing, segmentation, targeting, positioning, marketing research, product branding and packaging, product mix, new product development, services marketing, pricing, supply chain and channel management,  retailing, multichannel marketing, integrated marketing communications, advertising, public relations, sales promotions, personal selling, and sales management.

 

BUS 3302 – Leadership 3 Credits

The course presents the student with an overview of the importance of leadership in conjunction with various leadership traits, styles, and qualities. Enhances the importance of having a vision, the motivation to lead, social motives in the workplace, levels of morality and values, and the significance of empowerment for effective leadership. Topics include situational leadership, organizational climate, moral dilemmas, personal integrity, servant leadership, participative management, human relations, high-performance teams, diversity, cultural and interpersonal differences, workplace stress, performance management, and organizational change.

 

BUS 3303 – Financial Management 3 Credits

This course introduces the student to the basic principles and practices of financial management and the role finance professionals play in running a business.  Financial management is critically important to the success of any business organization and this course will emphasize the key financial concepts central to corporate finance.  Specifically, we will focus on one particular area of finance, financial management, which tends to concentrate on valuing things from the company perspective.  Many of the tools and techniques for handling the financial management of a firm can also be used for personal finance decisions.

 

BUS 3304 – Information Systems Management 3 Credits

This course provides the student with a foundation on the organization and structure of information management systems.  It focuses on the design and implementation of information management systems and the evaluation of hardware and software requirements as well as the development of information management system policies.

 

BUS 3305 – Organizational Theory and Behavior 3 Credits

This course is for business students interested in the practice of organizational theory and behavior. This course is about the study of what people think, feel and do in and around organizations. This course will focus on what makes organizations and people effective and successful.

 

BUS 3306 – Business Statistics and Decision Making 3 Credits

This course will provide an overview of business research and statistical analysis.  The student will learn about statistics from the perspective of the consumer and the producer.  The focus of this course is to prepare students to make sound business decisions by applying the foundational principles of business research and statistical analysis to their specific jobs.

 

BUS 3307 – Program Management in Business 3 Credits

This course is an integrated study of information systems from a business and problem-solving perspective. It brings together the business strategies and information technology so that managers can use information systems to improve their critical thinking and decision-making process. Application of the principles of information technology to real-world situations is examined using case studies and current events. The focus of the course is to provide tools that allow the student to imagine, create, implement, and analyze computer-based solutions for business problems.

 

BUS 3308 – International Business 3 Credits

This course is designed to provide the student with the framework, terminology, tools, and knowledge for understanding the world of international business and the related challenges. Particular emphasis is on three environments of International business - Domestic, Foreign, and International. Students learn about different forces influencing international business such as: investment; property, culture, politics, trade, intellectual thought property, monetary and financial systems, and the labor force.

 

BUS 3309 – Human Resources Management 3 Credits

This course provides the student the opportunity to explore the role and need for an effective human resource (HR) function in order for an organization to achieve its business goals and objectives.  The common roles, structure, issues, and elements of an effective HR function are analyzed and discusses.

 

BUS 3310 – Production and Operations Management 3 Credits

This course is based on “real operations, real solutions” principle. “Real operations” means that most of the chapters are written from the perspective of a specific company. The text uses a wide variety of companies, small and large, representing services, manufacturing, and retailing. “Real solutions” means that the book doesn’t use only the equations and models, but rather how to apply the models from start to finish in a realistic operational setting. This course looks at organizations as entities that must match the supply of what they produce with the demand for their product. This course represents the essential body of knowledge for and introductory operations management course, including chapters on project management, sustainable operation, and business model innovation.

 

BUS 3311 – Business Ethics 3 Credits

Ethical business actions are rooted in a series of personal moral standards or ethical principles. This course is a survey of business ethics and examines personal standards as well as the standards and principles of various companies. This course encourages critical thinking about how our moral and ethical compass should guide business and personal decisions.

 

BUS 3312 – Contract Law 3 Credits

This course is designed to provide the students with a real-world global perspective of the basic law with a deep dive into contract law.  The students will learn the similarities and differences in criminal, tort, constitutional, and administrative law.  They will focus their attention to understanding how contracts solidify agreements in the business world and in what ways these agreements may become unenforceable or even terminated.  Additionally, the students will learn how different types of agreements require specific contractual elements. The three key components of the course include an overview and textbook readings related to effective legal contracts, discussion questions and exams to facilitate learning and information retention, and case study exercises to improve analytical and critical thinking skills. The students will gain a thorough understanding of the themes and concepts associated with legal contracts while experiencing firsthand some of the most effective and least effective legal agreements that impacted business decisions over the years.

 

BUS 3313 – Advertising 3 Credits

This course provides the student with an in-depth study of the concepts, strategies, and planning associated with advertising and the effects of advertising in the marketing concept.  Emphasis is placed at the small business and retail level.

 

BUS 3314 – Financial Markets 3 Credits

This course completes the understanding of how financial markets perform the important role of channeling funds from lender-savers to borrower-spenders. Also, it presents the examination of securities traded in financial markets; these instruments (securities) traded in the money market and then turn to those traded in the capital market.

 

BUS 4301 – Bank and Financial Services Management 3 Credits

This class provides an overview of the importance of financial markets and institutions in a global society. Illustrates how financial institutions work for both businesses and the consumer. Broad coverage of different financial institutions in the context of a global society is presented. Includes the role of financial markets in society, financial transactions in a global society, and the commercial banking system.

 

BUS 4302 – Contemporary Management 3 Credits

This course is for business students interested in Contemporary Management theory and application. This course is about how to decide the best way to use an organization’s resources to produce goods or services. An organization’s resources include employees, equipment, and money. How a manager uses these resources is an extremely complex dance to master.

 

BUS 4303 – Cultural Awareness in Business 3 Credits

This class introduces the student to understanding behavior, human relations and performance. The student will explore how personality, attitudes, values and ethics play a role in everyday relationships as well as the workplace. They will further explore interpersonal skills for communication and the relationship between organizational structure and communication. They will learn theories to resolve conflict.  Unlike most courses which teaches the student concepts, this course takes the student to the next level, as they apply the concepts learned, and use them to develop their human relations skills. They will learn how to recognize their own personal low and high human relations ability and skill levels.

 

BUS 4304 – Managerial Accounting 3 Credits

This course introduces the student to the principles and practices of managerial accounting and the role managerial accounting plays in operating the day-to-day operations of a business. Managerial accounting provides financial and nonfinancial information to an organization’s management team for the purpose of making educated decisions, thus this course will emphasize the key financial concepts central to managerial accounting and how they play into managerial decisions. Specifically, this course will provide an overview of the costing methods used in industry and will provide to you many of the tools and techniques used to help provide accurate information for company management.

 

BUS 4305 – Strategic Marketing 3 Credits

This course is designed as a research survey class under the general topic of Strategic Marketing and is presented from a real-world global perspective. The student will learn and work through material that ranges from a general introduction of marketing strategies to understanding how different types of audiences require specific strategies. The three key components of the course include an overview and textbook readings related to effective marketing strategies, discussion questions and exams to facilitate learning and information retention, and case study exercises to improve analytical and critical thinking skills. The student will gain a thorough understanding of the themes and concepts associated with marketing strategies while experiencing firsthand some of the most and least effective marketing campaigns that propelled companies to new heights or doomed them to mediocrity.

 

BUS 4306 – Procurement and Supply Chain Mgmt. 3 Credits

The course provides the student with a practical understanding of production and operations management concepts and tools and focuses on effective management within today’s competitive, global environment.  It addresses concepts and methods to support the management of operations in both service and manufacturing environments.  Understanding the organizational processes and how production and operations management is embedded into the overall strategy of the organization is paramount to the success of the organization. Some of the concepts and tools studied in the course are: linear programming, queuing theory, PERT/CPM, decision theory, Kaizen, and lean manufacturing.

 

BUS 4307 – International Management 3 Credits

The course provides the student with a study of the challenges that confront the managers of organizations and individuals in global settings. Special focus on benefits from diversity that exists across international cultures, markets, economics, governments, and organizations. A general overview of the process and effect of internationalization in contemporary business.

 

BUS 4308 – Corporate Financial Management 3 Credits

The course provides the student with an in-depth discussion concerning standard financial techniques in a practical and intuitive way. Course emphasis is on the managerial implications of financial analysis that affect the corporation’s ability to meet its mission and goals.

 

BUS 4309 – Risk Management 3 Credits

This course provides the student with an overview of the application of the risk management process, including risk control and risk financing techniques, to business risk management problems. Includes a focus on enterprise risk management and the related tool and techniques.

 

BUS 4310 – Financial Derivatives 3 Credits

During the past three decades, there has been an explosive growth in the use of derivative securities such as futures, forwards, swaps and options for managing risk.  Such securities are commonly referred to as "derivatives" because their values depend upon the values of other assets. This course presents a conceptual framework for understanding how to price derivatives and design risk management strategies.

 

BUS 4311 – Leadership, Culture and Change 3 Credits

This course continues where BUS 4303 Cultural Awareness in Business left off.  The class continues the student’s understanding of behavior, human relations and performance as well as teaches them leadership skills and how to use them to develop team dynamics and performance.  The student will learn how to apply the appropriate supervisory style to the situation. The course will address the importance of motivation and how it affects behavior and performance.  Students will discuss motivational theory and which type of theory is best for what type of personality.  Students will further explore power, politics and ethics and how they affect human relations and performance. They will discuss the two sources of power—position power and personal power and learn techniques to increase one’s power bases. This class will discuss organizational change and the different types of change and how to get employees to buy into change.  Finally, students will explore how to value diversity and look at how laws affect employment opportunity. Unlike most courses which teaches the student concepts, this course takes the student to the next level, as they apply the concepts learned, and use them to develop their human relations skills. They will learn how to recognize their own personal leadership ability and skill levels. (Prerequisite: BUS 4304 Cultural Awareness in Business or permission from the Department Chair)

 

BUS 4312 – Business Law 3 Credits

This course is designed to provide the students with a real-world global perspective of how business law is entwined with most significant business decisions today.  The students will learn how titles and warranties operate within the sales world.  They will have the opportunity to understand the impact bankruptcy has on shareholders, employees, and the economy as a whole.  The students will focus their attention on understanding the different tools and resources involved with owning property.  Additionally, the students will learn how to take extra precautions with intellectual property and computer privacy to avoid industrial espionage in the cyberspace age.  Students will also delve into the world of the employer-employee relationship and understand how business law impacts the continuity of this arrangement. The three key components of the course include an overview and textbook readings related to effective legal contracts, discussion questions and exams to facilitate learning and information retention, and case study exercises to improve analytical and critical thinking skills. The students will gain a thorough understanding of the themes and concepts associated with business law while experiencing firsthand some of the most effective and least effective legal arrangements that paved the way for business decisions over the years.

 

BUS 4350 – Strategy and Policy Management 3 Credits

This course is a cornerstone to the business environment.  It explores the need for and issues associated with defining corporate mission, objectives, and goals.  The student focuses on the use the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis’s tool along with case studies and current global events to understand how to identify and create a competitive advantage within the business world.  Topics focus on strategy formulation, implementation, and control; regulatory issues facing all businesses; and the need for leadership to drive the strategic plan into reality.  Prerequisite: Senior level standing