Business

Students examine the purpose, role and responsibility of business in American society and gain a broad overview of the functions, institutions, principles and practices of business and other organizations. This course provides a basic foundation for those students who will specialize in business and an opportunity for non-business majors to learn about the business world as a major social institution.

This course is designed to expose the student to a variety of communication modes available to individuals employed in today's business environment. The following major areas are addressed: communication theory, electronic communications in business, oral presentations, ethical practices and written business documents. The importance of accurate communications and the development of language art skills are emphasized. Business communications and formats, including business reports, letters, and memos, are studied.

This course provides an opportunity to learn effective supervisory practices. Although various concepts and theories are covered to provide a conceptual framework for management and supervision, the emphasis will be on the practical experiences of supervisors.

This course explores connections between mathematics and business.  Topics include a review of basic math and statistics including working with fractions and percentages, calculating the rate of change, mean, median, and mode.  Math is used to solve business problems and understand typical business activities such as markups, markdowns, break-even, and cost-benefit analysis.  Additional topics include payroll calculations, simple and compound interest, time value of money, banking, budgeting, taxation, and risk management.

Students gain an understanding of what local government is and how it works. Students learn how the various positions in municipal government work collaboratively to support the public agencies serving the people of the Commonwealth. The course explores the principles, concepts, and practices related to the fiscal management of local government entities within the specific context of the Commonwealth. Challenges involved in effectively managing the financial resources of municipalities and counties in Massachusetts are explored.

This course seeks to foster future “change agents” to support more sustainable practices in business organizations. Students will learn about the growing recognition that businesses need to take a multi-stakeholder approach to balancing economic, environmental, social and governance concerns. A variety of sustainability-related challenges, initiatives and approaches will be explored primarily through a case study approach.

Students acquire the skills to successfully evaluate their behavior in organizational settings. Factors to be explored include organizational culture, decision making, teamwork, organizational structure, and design, change management, motivation, job design, leadership, communication, and power in organizations. Tools appropriate for accomplishing dynamic change, breaking communication barriers, resolving conflicts, improving leadership skills, and inspiring motivation and collaboration are explored. 

Students learn about personal money management. Various tools and resources are used to explore several aspects of basic personal finance while emphasizing good money management skills throughout.

This course provides an overview of the principles and practices of financial management. Includes the study of the procurement and effective use of funds in a business, budget preparation, alternative sources of funds, and control of working capital.

Provides an introduction to principles and techniques of management as they relate to business, government, and non-profit organizations. Includes the study of the functions of management: coordinating, problem-solving, decision-making, communicating, planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling.