Maricopa Community Colleges  GBS200   19966-20006 
Official Course Description:   MCCCD Approval:  04/23/96  
GBS200      19966-20006 L+L 3 Credit(s) 3 Period(s)
Understanding the Business Environment
Provides an overview of the external environmental factors affecting business: economic, legal and regulatory, political, social and cultural, industry, and ethical. Uses the case analysis method to solve real world problems. Prerequisites: None.
 
Go to Competencies    Go to Outline
 
MCCCD Official Course Competencies:
 
GBS200   19966-20006 Understanding the Business Environment
1. Describe the contemporary business environment. (I)
2. Identify the five most significant environmental factors affecting the contemporary business environment.(I)
3. Identify and explain the fundamentals of the market economy.(II)
4. Identify the major economic factors and explain their effect on business. (II)
5. Compare and contrast monetary and fiscal policy and explain their effects on business.(II)
6. Select a real -world company and prepare a written analysis of the economic environment and its effect on the performance of this company. (II)
7. Identify and explain the regulatory and legal factors affecting the contemporary business environment.(III)
8. Explain how political factors affect the business environment.
9. Prepare a written analysis of the current legal, regulatory, and political environment and how it has affected the performance of the selected company.(III)
10. Identify and explain the major social and cultural factors affecting the contemporary business environment.(IV)
11. Prepare a written analysis of the impact of the social and cultural environment on the performance of the selected company.(IV)
12. Identify and describe the major forces driving industry competition. (V)
13. Identify and explain various competitive strategies used in business. (V)
14. Prepare a competitive analysis for the selected company. (V)
15. Explain the importance of ethical and social responsibility toward stakeholders in the contemporary business environment. (VI)
16. Prepare a written analysis of the ethical and social responsibilities that the selected company has to its stakeholders. (VI)
17. Prepare written case study analyses of real-world problems relating to the business environment. (I-VI)
Go to Description    Go to top of Competencies
 
MCCCD Official Course Outline:
 
GBS200   19966-20006 Understanding the Business Environment
    I. Overview of the Business Environment
        A. What is the Business Environment?
        B. Important Environmental Factors
          1. Economic
          2. Regulatory, Legal, and Political
          3. Social and Cultural
          4. Industry
          5. Ethics and Social Responsibility
      II. The Economic Environment
          A. The Market Economy
            1. Supply and Demand
            2. How Market Prices are Set
            3. Factors That Influence Market Prices
          B. Factors Affecting Business
            1. Business Cycles
            2. Inflation
            3. Interest Rates
          C. Government's Influence on Economic Conditions
            1. Monetary Policy
            2. Fiscal Policy
        III. The Legal, Regulatory, and Political Environment
            A. Regulatory Factors
              1. Competition (Anti-trust Laws)
              2. Product Safety
              3. Pricing
              4. Promotion
              5. Product Development (Intellectual Property)
            B. Legal Factors
              1. Overview of the Legal System
              2. General Types of Business Law
            C. Political Factors
          IV. The Social and Cultural Environment
              A. Group Dynamics and Consumers
              B. Influence of Culture and Subcultures
                1. Characteristics of a Culture
                2. Core Cultural Values
                3. Types of Subcultures
              C. The Family
                1. Functions of a Family
                2. Decision-making
              D. Social Class
                1. Distribution
                2. Lifestyle Profiles
            V. The Industry Environment
                A. Forces Driving Industry Competition
                  1. Suppliers
                  2. Buyers
                  3. Potential Entrants
                  4. Substitutes
                  5. Competition
                B. General Competitive Strategies
                  1. Cost Leadership
                  2. Differentiation
                  3. Focus
                C. How to Do a Competitive Analysis
                  1. How to Define Competition
                  2. Tools for Analyzing Competitors
              VI. Ethics and Social Responsibility
                  A. Identification of Stakeholders
                    1. Customers
                    2. Employees
                    3. Investors
                    4. Society
                  B. Determining Responsibility
                    1. Customers
                    2. Employees
                    3. Investors
                    4. Society
              Go to Description    Go to top of Competencies    Go to top of Outline