Welcome to BUS101: Introduction to Business

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

Introduce yourself to business concepts and current business issues while expanding your vocabulary, improving your critical and analytical thinking skills, and refining your business decision-making in this introductory course.

Course Introduction

Have you ever wondered what qualities Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, or Jeff Bezos have in common? After studying business practices in this course, you may discover you have qualities similar to those of other successful entrepreneurs. This course serves as a survey of business terminology, concepts, and issues. The intent is to develop a viable business vocabulary, foster critical thinking, and enhance decision-making skills through readings, exercises, and research assignments. The intent is to develop a viable business vocabulary, foster critical thinking, and enhance decision-making skills through readings, exercises, and research assignments. This course covers five units to help you fine-tune your career direction:

This course includes the following units:

Unit 1: The Context of Business. Unit 2: Entrepreneurship and Legal Forms of Business. Unit 3: Marketing. Unit 4: Accounting, Finance, and Banking. Unit 5: Management

Course Learning Outcomes

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

[1] Explain how economic indicators shape business decisions; [2] Analyze business cycles; [3] Dscribe the legal forms of business and the advantages and disadvantages of each; [4] Describe the components of the marketing mix and how segmentation and research will foster an understanding of consumer behavior; [5] Explain the components of a balance sheet and income statement; [6] Communicate the implications of several financial ratios for future performance of a company; [7] Explain leadership and management skills necessary for a successful business; [8] Identify reasons for studying business

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

The primary learning materials include articles, lectures, and videos, all accessible for free within the course. Pay close attention to accompanying notes that provide context and focus areas.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final examination is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. To pass this course, you will need to earn 70% or higher on the final exam. The exam will be password-protected and requires a proctor.

Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. There is a 14 days waiting period between each attempt. You may only attempt the final exam a maximum of 3 times. Be sure to study in between each attempt! If you do not pass the exam after 3 attempts, you will not complete this course.

There is also a practice exam that you may take as many times as you want to help you prepare for the final exam. The course also contains end-of-unit assessments in this course. The end-of-unit assessments are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want to until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Tips for Success

BUS101: Introduction to Business is a self-paced course, meaning you can decide when to start and complete the course. We estimate the "average" student will take 62 hours to complete. We recommend studying at a comfortable pace and scheduling your study time in advance.

Learning new material can be challenging, so here are a few study strategies to help you succeed:

  • Take notes on terms, practices, and theories. This helps you understand each concept in context and provides a refresher for later study.
  • Test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned improves long-term memory retention.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will need access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and consistent internet access to view or download resources and complete auto-graded assessments and the final exam.

To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, log into your Saylor Academy account and enroll in the course. If you don’t have an account, you can create one for free here. Note that tracking progress and taking assessments require login.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Optional Saylor Academy Mobile App

You can access all course features directly from your mobile browser, but if you have limited internet connectivity, the Saylor Academy mobile app provides an option to download course content for offline use. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.

Download on Google Play Download on the App Store

Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and access. All course materials, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, are available at no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.

Last modified: Wednesday, 30 April 2025, 11:09 AM