Vietnam National University – HCMC International University

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

COURSE SYLLABUS*

BA115IU

INTRODUCTION TO
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Note: The outline with specific venue and time, and updated learning materials for the current
semester will be provided to the enrolled students by the lecturer
1. COURSE STAFF

Instructor: Phuoc Van Hanh, MBC

Room: n/a
Telephone: n/a
E-mail: pvhanh@hcmiu.edu.vn

Teaching Assistant: TBA

Room: TBA
Telephone: TBA
E-mail: TBA

2. COURSE INFORMATION

2.1 Teaching times and Locations

Time Room

G07: Monday mornings (1, 2, 3) G07: A2.302

G03: Monday afternoons (7, 8, 9) G03: L.108
G02: Tuesday morning (4, 5, 6) G02: L.108

2.2 Units of Credit

This course is worth 3 credits.

2.3 Parallel teaching in the course

There is no parallel teaching involved in this course.

2.4 Relationship of this course to others

This course is to introduce students to the complexities and the multi-dimensional aspects
of business. It attempts to give familiarity as well as an applied understanding of each of
the core subject areas: Marketing, Management, Human Resource. It also increases the
students’ awareness of global issues.

2.5 Approach to learning and teaching

Employing the interactive learning and problem-based teaching approach, this course
emphasizes the interaction between lecturers and students. The lecture materials will be
uploaded in Blackboard to help the students to preview the materials and to concentrate on
listening and critical thinking during the lecture. This will help students to interact with the
lecturer during the classroom. The sessions for presentations and discussions comprise
company case studies as well as answering some theoretical and conceptual questions,
which help the students to see how the concepts are applied in the real business context.

3. COURSE AIMS AND OUTCOMES

3.1 Course Aims

The course objectives, consistent with the mission statement and competencies of the
School of Business and the critical thinking, communication, and other educational goals
of the University, are:
• to provide knowledge of the scope, depth, and mission of the University and the School
Business
• to introduce the functional areas of business and the integration among them
• to give students a strong awareness of global issues, including an understanding of
approaches to business ethics and multinational issues
• to develop students' basic research, analysis, writing, computer, teaming, and presentation
skills
• to develop students applied critical thinking skills and communication through the
development of a portfolio of a firm in an industry in which they are interested.

3.2 Student Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, students will be able to:
• Explain how rapidly the business world is changing and the importance of lifelong
learning.
• Develop a high level of familiarity with one or more of the functional areas of business.
• Explain how global issues influence business entities.
• Explain how global issues impact customers.
• Demonstrate effective written communication.
• Develop team building skills and understand group dynamics.
• Develop students applied critical thinking skills and communication through the
development of a portfolio of a firm in an industry in which they are interested.
• Organizing and analyzing information in a logical way: Theories and Concepts.
• Organizing and analyzing information in a logical way: Skill Development and Practice.

4. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT

4.1 Workload
It is expected that the students will spend at least six hours per week studying this course.
This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, and
attending classes. In periods where they need to complete assignments or prepare for
examinations, the workload may be greater.

4.2 Attendance
Regular and punctual attendance at lectures in this course. Exemptions may only be made
on a health basis.

4.3 General Conduct and Behaviour

The students are expected to conduct themselves with consideration and respect for the
needs of the fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes
with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students
will be asked to leave the class. More information on student conduct is available at
www.hcmiu.edu.vn

4.4 Keeping Informed

The students should take note of all announcements made in lectures or on the course’s
Blackboard. From time to time, the university will send important announcements to their
university e-mail addresses without providing a paper copy. The students will be deemed
to have received this information.
5. LEARNING ASSESSMENT

5.1 Formal Requirements

In order to pass this course, the students must:
• achieve a composite mark of at least 50; and
• make a satisfactory attempt at all assessment tasks (see below).

5.2 Assessment Details

Group Report & Presentation 30%
Mid-Term Exam 30%
Final Exam 40%
Total 100%

5.2.1. Group Report (15%) – compulsory

Each group will include 4-5 students.

Groups will submit a report on starting an imaginary business. This is NOT a business
plan. Just read and answer the questions carefully.

Part 1:
What products or services will you offer?
What form of business ownership would you choose? Why?

Part 2:
List all the financial resources and personal skills you will need to launch the business.
Then make separate lists of the personal skills and the financial resources that you might
bring to your new venture.
How much capital and what personal skills will be needed beyond those you already have?
Develop an action plan for needed capital.

Part 3:
Who will be the various stakeholders of your business?
What are some of the things you can do to benefit your community other than providing
jobs and tax revenue?
Which of the environmental factors might have the biggest impact on your business? How?

Deadline: Week 8.

5.2.2. Group Presentation (15%) – compulsory

Groups will need to do research and present about the entrepreneur and their businesses in
“Getting to know” section at the beginning of each chapter.
What impress you most when you read about their journeys?
Duration: 10 minutes.

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits Tristan Walker, Founder Of Walker & Company
within the Dynamic Business Environment
Chapter 2: Understanding Economics and How It Mariana Mazzucato, Economist
Affects Business
Chapter 5: How to Form a Business Alli Webb, Founder Of Drybar
Chapter 7: Management and Leadership Sheena Wright, CEO Of United Way Of New
 York
Chapter 8: Structuring Organizations for Today’s Michele Buck, President And CEO Of The
Challenges Hershey Company
Chapter 9: Production and Operations Shahid Khan, CEO Of Flex-N-Gate
Management
Chapter 10: Motivating Employees Rose Marcario, CEO Of Patagonia
Chapter 11: Human Resource Management: Cynthia Marshall, CEO Of The Dallas Mavericks
Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Chapter 13: Marketing: Helping Buyers Buy Daniel Lubetzky, Founder Of KIND
Chapter 14: Developing and Pricing Goods and Katrina Lake, Founder Of Stitch Fix
Services
Chapter 15: Distributing Products Toby Johnson, Vice President Of Sales
Operations At Frito-Lay
Chapter 16: Using Effective Promotions Neil Parikh, Cofounder And Chief Strategy
Officer Of Casper

Date: Week 8 + Week 16.

5.2.3 Homework for bonus (individual) - optional

Each student will have chances to earn bonus points by finishing in-class discussions and
homeworks.

5.2.4 Midterm exam (30%)

TBA

5.2.5 Final exam (40%)

TBA

5.3 Grading
The letter grade will be followed by the University suggested rule: 90-100: A+, 80-90: A,
70 – 80: B+, 65 – 70: B, 55 – 65: C+, 50 – 55: C, 30 - <50: D+, 10 - <30: D

5.4 Class participation and Presentation

A minimum attendance of 80 percent is compulsory.

5.5 Special Consideration

Request for special consideration (for final examination only) must be made to the Office
of Academic Affairs within one week after the examination. General policy and
information on special consideration can be found at the Office of Academic Affairs.

6. ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the presentation of the thoughts or work of another as one’s own (definition
proposed by the University of Newcastle). Students are also reminded that careful time
management is an important part of study and one of the identified causes of plagiarism is
poor time management. Students should allow sufficient time for research, drafting, and
the proper referencing of sources in preparing all assessment items. The university regards
plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct and has very strict rules regarding plagiarism.
†
†
This is adapted with kind permission from the University of New South Wales.
7. STUDENT RESOURCES

7.1 Course Resources

Textbook:
William G. Nickels, James M. McHugh, Susan M. McHugh. 2021. Understanding
Business, 13th ed. McGraw-Hill.

Reference Books:
Boone, Louis E. and David L. Kurtz. 2008. Contemporary Business, 11th edition, South-
Western, Mason, OH.

Additional materials provided in Blackboard

7.2 Other Resources, Support and Information

Additional learning assistance is available for students in this course and will be made
available in Blackboard. Academic journal articles are available through connections
viathe VNU - Central Library. Recommended articles will be duly informed to the students.

8. COURSE SCHEDULE

Week Chapter / Topic

1 Chapter 1:
Managing Within The Dynamic Business Environment:
Taking Risks And Making Profits
Business And Entrepreneurship: Revenues, Profits And Losses Matching Risk
With Profit
Business Add To The Standard of Living And Quality of Life Responding To
The Various Business Stakeholders
Using Business Principles In Nonprofit Organization
Entrepreneurship Versus Working For Others
Opportunities For Entrepreneurs
The Importance Of Entrepreneurs To The Creation Of Wealth The Business
Environment
The Economic And Legal Environment
The Technological Environment
The Competitive Environment
The Social Environment
The Global Environment
The Evolution Of American Business
Progress In The Agricultural And Manufacturing Industries Progress In
Service Industries
Your Future in Business

2 Chapter 2:
How Economics Affects Business:
The Creation and Distribution of Wealth
 How Economic conditions Affect Businesses
What is Economics?
Why Economics Was Known as the “Dismal Science”?
Growth Economics and Adam Smith
How Businesses Benefit the Community
Understanding Free-Market Capitalism
The Foundations of Capitalism
How Free Markets Work
How Prices Are Determined
The Economic Concept of Supply
The Economic Concept of Demand
The Equilibrium Point, or Market Price
Competition within Free Markets
Benefits and Limitations of Free Markets
Understanding Socialism
The Benefits of Socialism
The Negative Consequences of Socialism
Understanding Communism
The Trend toward Mixed Economies
Understanding the Economic System of the United States Key
Economic Indicators
Productivity in the United States
Productivity in the Service Sector
The Business Cycle
Stabilizing the Economy through Fiscal Policy
Using Monetary Policy to Keep the Economy Growing

3 Chapter 5:
Choosing a Form of Business Ownership
Basic Forms of Business Ownership
Sole Proprietorships
Advantages of Sole Proprietorships
Disadvantages of Sole Proprietorships
Partnerships
Advantages of Partnerships
Disadvantages of Partnerships
Corporations
Advantages of Corporation
Disadvantages of Corporation
Individuals Can Incorporate
S Corporations
Limited Liability Companies
Corporate Expansion: Mergers and Acquisitions
Special Forms of Business Ownership
Franchises
Advantages of Franchises
Disadvantages of Franchises
Diversity in Franchising
Home-based Franchises
E-Commerce in Franchising
Using Technology in Franchising
 Franchising in International markets
Cooperatives
Which Form of Ownership is for You?

4 Chapter 7:
Management, Leadership, And Employee Empowerment
Managers’ Roles Are Evolving
Functions Of Management
Planning: Creating A Vision Based On Values
Organizing: Creating A Unified System
Tasks And Skills At Different Levels Of Management
The Stakeholder-Oriented Organization
Staffing: Getting And Keeping The Right People
Leading: Providing Continuous Vision And Values
Leadership Styles
Empowering Workers
Managing Knowledge
Controlling: Making Sure It Works
A New Criterion for Measurement: Customer Satisfaction

5 Chapter 8:
Adapting Organizations To Today’s Markets
Everyone Is Doing It
Building An Organization From The Bottom Up
The Changing Organization
The Development Of Organization Design
Turing Principles Into Organization Design
Issues Involved In Structuring Organizations
Centralization Versus Decentralization Of Authority
Choosing The Appropriate Span Of Control
Tall versus Flat Organization Structure
Advantages and Disadvantages of Departmentalization
Organization Models
Line Organizations
Line-and-Staff Organizations
Matrix-Style Organizations
Cross-Functional Self-Managed Teams
Managing the Interactions among Firms
Benchmarking and Core Competencies
Adapting to Change
Restructuring for Empowerment
Focusing on the Customer
Creating a Change-Oriented Organizational Culture
The Informal Organization

6 Chapter 9:
Producing World-Class Goods and Services
US Manufacturing in Perspective
From Production to Operations Management
Production Processes
Operations Management Planning
 Controlling Procedures: PERT and Gantt Charts
Preparing for the future

7 Chapter 10:
Motivating Employees And Building Self-Managed Teams
The Importance Of Motivation
Frederick Taylor: The Father of Scientific Management
Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Studies
Motivation And Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs
Applying Maslow’s Theory
Herzberg’s Motivating Factors
Applying Herzberg’s Theories
Job Enrichment
McGregor’s Theory X And Theory Y
Theory X
Theory Y
Ouchi’s Theory – Theory Z
Goal-Setting Theory And Management By Objectives
Meeting Employee Expectations: Expectancy Theory
Reinforcing Employee Performance: Reinforcement Theory
Treating Employees Fairly: Equity Theory
Building Teamwork through Open Communication
Applying Open Communication in Self-Managed Teams
Motivation in the Future

8 REPORT SUBMISSION
PRESENTATION (1)
REVIEW FOR MIDTERM EXAM

9 + 10 MIDTERM EXAM

11 Chapter 11:
HRM: Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
Working with People is Just the Beginning
Developing the Ultimate Resource
The Human Resource Challenge
Determining Your Human Resource Needs
Recruiting Employees from a Diverse Population
Selecting Employees Who Will Be Productive
Hiring Contingent Workers
Training and Developing Employees for Optimum Performance
Management Development
Networking
Diversity in Management Development
Appraising Employee Performance to Get Optimum Results
Compensating Employees: Attracting and Keeping the Best
Pay Systems
Compensating Teams
Fringe Benefits
Scheduling Employees to Meet Organizational and Employee
Needs Flextime Plans
 Home-Based and Other Mobile Work
Job-Sharing Plans
Moving Employees Up, Over, and Out
Promoting and Reassigning Employees
Terminating Employees
Retiring Employees
Losing Employees
Laws Affecting HRM
Law Protecting the Disabled and Older Employees
Effects of Legislation

12 Chapter 13:
Marketing: Building Customer Relationships
What Is Marketing?
The Evolution Of The Field Of Marketing
Nonprofit Organizations And Marketing
The Marketing Mix
Applying The Marketing Process
Designing A Product To Meet Needs
Setting An Appropriate Price
Getting The Product To The Right Place
Developing An Effective Promotional Strategy
Providing Marketers With Information
The Marketing Research Process
The Marketing Environment
Two Different Markets: Consumer And Business-To-Business
(B2B) The Consumer Market
Segmenting The Consumer Market
Reaching Smaller Market Segments
Moving Toward Relationship Marketing
The B2B Market
Your Prospects in Marketing

13 Chapter 14:
Developing and Pricing Products and Services
Product Development and the Total Product Offer
Developing a Total Product Offer
Product Lines and the Product Mix
Product Differentiation
Marketing Different Classes of Consumer Goods and Services
Marketing Industrial Goods and Services
Packaging Changes the Product
The Growing Importance of Packaging
Branding and Brand Equity
Brand Categories
Generating Brand Equity and Loyalty
Creating Brand Associations
Brand Management
The New-Product Development Process
 Generating New-Product Ideas
Product Screening
Product Analysis
Product Development and Testing
Commercialization
The Product Life Cycle
Example of the Product Life Cycle
The Importance of the Product Life Cycle
Competitive Pricing
Pricing Objectives
Cost-based Pricing
Demand-Based Pricing
Competition-Based Pricing
Break-even Analysis
Other Pricing Strategies
How market Forces Affect Pricing
Nonprice Competition

14 Chapter 15:
Distributing Products Quickly and Efficiently
The Emergence of Marketing Intermediaries
Why Marketing Needs Intermediaries
How Intermediaries Create Exchange Efficiency
The Value versus the Cost of Intermediaries
The Utilities Created by Intermediaries
Form Utility
Time Utility
Place Utility
Possession utility
Information Utility
Service Utility
Wholesale Intermediaries
Merchant Wholesalers
Agents and Brokers
Retail Intermediaries
Retail Distribution Strategy
Nonstore Retailing
Electronic Retailing
Telemarketing
Vending Machines, Kiosks, and Carts
Direct Selling Multilevel marketing
Direct Marketing
Building Cooperation in Channel Systems
Corporate Distribution Systems
Contractual Distribution Systems
Administered Distribution Systems
Supply Chains
The Emergence of Logistics
Getting Goods from Producers to Consumers Efficiently
Dealing with Change: Responding to National Emergencies
Choosing the Right Distribution Mode
 The Storage Function
Tracking Goods
What All This Means to You

15 Chapter 16:
Using Effective Promotional Techniques
Promotion and the Promotion Mix
Advertising: Fighting to Keep Consumer Interest
The Growing Use of Infomercial
Advertisers Are Moving to the Internet
Global Advertising
Personal Selling: Providing Personal Attention
Steps in the Selling Process
The B2C Sales Process
Public Relation: Building Relationships
Publicity: The Talking Arm of PR
Sales Promotion: Getting a Good Deal
Sampling
Word of Mouth
How New Technologies Are Affecting Promotion
Managing the Promotion Mix: Putting It All Together

16 PRESENTATION (2)

17 REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM

18 RESERVED

19 + 20 FINAL EXAM

*
The syllabus is prepared following the format provided by the School of Organization and Management,
University of New South Wales, with kind permission.
14/14