VIRTUAL STOCK MARKET PROJECT

COURSE SYLLABUS

Clackamas Community College

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Students will be introduced to the many functions of modern business including Management, Operations, Human Resources, Marketing, Information Technology, Accounting, and Finance (including Investment Strategies). The course will expose the student to the many career fields available in business today.

COURSE GOAL: This course will develop an introductory appreciation of American business.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. Develop an understanding of American business (including our free market system) and its role in our current political, social, and economic environment.

2. Examine how businesses are organized and managed for both small and large businesses.

3. Explore the different functional areas of modern business and their various forms of communication, motivation, and management.

4. Create an awareness of the varied career opportunities in business and to give students a basic understanding about various business vocations.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon successful completion of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Describe and discuss the various factors necessary for cultivating and operating a business in a diverse global environment, including: The Free Enterprise System, Economics, Globalization, Ethics, and Social Responsibility.

2. Describe and apply Marketing Mix concepts including the development of customer oriented strategies in the current business environment.

3. Describe and apply key aspects of managing a business; including Planning, Leading, Organizing, Controlling, and Motivating in the current business environment.

4. Distinguish among the various forms of business ownership and various ways of getting a business started.

5. Examine and reflect upon personal strengths and weaknesses as it relates to entrepreneurial characteristics.

6. Work effectively as a team member through team projects, case studies, and problem analysis.

7. Develop a basic Business Plan that incorporates course topics (formation, operations, marketing, finance, management, and accounting).

CLASS SCHEDULE AND ATTENDANCE:

The class is scheduled to meet twice a week for lecture, discussions, quizzes, and examinations. Class members are expected to attend all class sessions. If a class is missed it is the responsibility of the student to obtain applicable notes from another class member. There will be no make-ups offered for quizzes. If you wish to drop this class, you must do so officially or you will be subject to the appropriate letter grade.

CLASS POLICIES:

The class will be held like a business staff meeting. No kids or pets in class. No eating in class. Please silence cell phones and text messaging devices at the start of class. Laptops are allowed for note taking. No laptops, books, or notes are allowed during tests. Students must be prepared to discuss content from assigned chapters at the start of each class. Student conduct will be followed in accordance with the “Student Conduct and Disciplinary Policy” (pages 167 – 176) in the Student Handbook.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY DEFINITION AND PROCEDURES

• Definition: Plagiarism occurs when a student submits work of another as his/her own or fails to credit words, works or ideas borrowed from another source. Cheating occurs when a student uses unauthorized notes to complete an exam, takes an examination for another student, copies answers from other students’ examinations or engages in similar conduct intended to falsely represent, or that results in falsely representing, his/her academic capabilities.

• Procedures: Students who knowingly provide material to another student for the purpose of committing, or assisting other students to commit, an offense of academic dishonesty are also subject to the provisions of this standard. The instructor maintains the exclusive right and responsibility to determine grades. In cases of cheating or plagiarism, the instructor is responsible for discussing academic integrity with the student and deciding how to handle the situation. Among the instructor’s options are:

1. Requiring that the assignment be redone; or

2. Issuing a failing grade for the assignment on which the cheating or plagiarism occurred; or

3. Issuing the student a failing grade for the class; or

4. Initiating the Student Conduct & Discipline process

DISABLED STUDENTS/FERPA:

If you are a student with a disability and you believe that your opportunities to be successful in this class are affected by that disability, please contact the Clackamas Community College Disability Resource Center Coordinator, Aimee Elber (room CC 150) at 503-594-3181, or [email protected]. The Resource Center website is http://depts.clackamas.edu/advising/drc/.

PARTICIPATION:

Each student is expected to be an active participant in the classroom setting, including meaningful comments and questions regarding the subject. Sincere, pertinent questions and comments are always encouraged.

GRADING METHOD:

QUIZZES:

There will be a quiz given at the beginning of each class meeting (except before exams and the first class). The quizzes contain content from the current reading assignment. No make-up quizzes will be given.

EXAMS:

There will be one mid-term exam and a final exam. The midterm exam will cover all information presented prior to the mid-term exam. The final will cover all information presented after the midterm exam. Test material will be drawn from both the textbook and material presented in class. Students will use Number Two Pencils and ScanTron sheets 882-E for exams.

GRADING CRITERIA:

Course Communication: We will communicate via my e-mail ([email protected]). Your final course grade will be available through “myClackamas” at the end of the term.

COURSE CONTENT/READING ASSIGNMENTS

Virtual Stock Market Project:

1. Select three company stocks from the financial pages of the Wall Street Journal, a personal finance periodical such as Money, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, or the Internet. (Yahoo Finance is a great place to find a lot of information about the stock market.)

2. You have $10,000 of “virtual money” to invest. Try to invest as much as possible.

3. Select your stocks.

4. Prepare a table that includes the following data:

   1. The name of the stock.

   2. The stock symbol.

   3. The initial share price of each stock selected.

   4. The number of shares purchased.

   5. The total amount invested in each virtual stock.

   6. The grand total of all of your investments (as close to $10,000 as possible).

Sample Table:

1. Turn in your initial investment table on April 18. Keep a copy for yourself.

2. For your own information, not to turn in, update your table each week, reflecting the changes in share prices and the total invested. (You can not change the stocks you picked or the amount of shares during this project.)

3. Be prepared to discuss business news about your companies each week in class.

Virtual Stock Market Project – Due June 8, 2017

This project is 10% of your final grade.

Submit a typewritten report describing the results. No late work will be accepted.

Number/letter each section and submit exactly as shown below. Each section is worth 25% of the project.

1A. Include two tables; your first table and your last table. 1B. Show the difference between your Grand Total (f) in week one and the Grand Total (f) in your second table. How much money did you make or lose? (One number.)

2. Include a brief summary of what you learned about each company (not the stock but the company) you “bought”. A, B, and C. (Business news about each company shown separately.)

3. Include your initial rationale for picking each stock. A, B, and C separately.

4. Describe what, if anything, you would do differently if you could start again and it was your real money.

Business Plan Project (20% of your final grade):

A business plan is a written document that states the nature of a business and how that business intends to achieve its goals. The plan should concisely describe the business’s mission, its target market, its competition, and its projected annual revenue and annual profit or loss (Income Statement). This plan is for a company you are starting.

Business Plan Sections – Follow the Business Plan Sections outline exactly as shown below. Include the name and number of each section in your written plan.

1. Executive Summary – this will include a brief recap of each section two through thirteen. (Develop this section after the rest of the plan is completed.)

2. Company Description and Industry

3. SWOT Analysis

4. Competitive Analysis

5. Benefits to the Community

6. Management

7. Human Resources (Employees)

8. Operations Plan

9. Marketing Plan

10. Financial Plan (Income Statement)

11. Exit Strategy

12. First Contingency Plan

13. Second Contingency Plan

14. References

Details on how to complete all of these sections will be covered in class and with hand-outs during the term of the course. A detailed project outline will be given to you later in the term.

Project Requirements

• In a group of up to four students, or individually, you or your group will develop a one-year business plan for a company that you would like to start.

• You will be asked to make a brief oral presentation of your plan.

• Your written plan must follow the project outline exactly.

• You are expected to use at three current sources (not including your text) to compile your plan. All three sources must be referenced.

• The written project must appear professional as it would in the business world. All written work must be original for this class, typed (double space, 12 point font), grammatically correct and free from spelling errors. Include a cover page (name, course number, date). Please do not use any special cover or binding. Print on one side only. Submit the plan with a staple in the upper left corner. No e-mailed plans will be accepted.

• If you choose to be in a group, choose carefully. Your grade will be your group’s grade.

• Back up your work often. (Flash drive, email to yourself, Google docs, Dropbox.)

• All written materials will be due on June 8, 2017. No late plans will be accepted.