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Newer Version Available
Cover of Exploring Business v2.1
Published: 
August 2014
Page Count: 
552
ISBN (Digital): 
978-1-4533-6660-8

Exploring Business

Version 2.1
By Karen Collins

Included Supplements

Key Features

  • INTEGRATED NIKE CASE STUDY: A Nike case study is available for instructors who wish to introduce students to business using an exciting and integrated case, which is updated each semester. Students learn about Nike through individual case notes, real-world examples, and award-winning videos featuring company executives. In addition, the test item file contains multiple-choice questions keyed to the Nike cases.
  • PROGRESSIVE (OPTIONAL) BUSINESS PLAN: Having students develop a business plan in the course introduces students to the excitement and challenges of starting a business and helps them discover how the functional areas of business interact. This textbook package includes an optional integrated business plan project modeled after one refined by the author and her teaching team over the past ten years.
  • EMPHASIS ON AACSB: Each chapter presents ten Questions and Problems as well as five cases on areas of skill and knowledge endorsed by AACSB: Learning on the Web, Career Opportunities, The Ethics Angle, Team-Building Skills, and The Global View.
  • AUTHOR-WRITTEN INSTRUCTION MANUAL: For the past eleven years, Karen Collins has been developing, coordinating and teaching (to over 3,500 students) an Introduction to Business course. Each semester, she has continuously developed and improved an extensive assortment of clear highly coordinated teaching materials.

Students

Online Access Price:  $35.95 Color Printed Textbook with Online Access Price:  $60.95
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In writing Exploring Business, v. 2.1, Karen Collins had simple yet clear aims:

  • Introduce students to business in an exciting way
  • Provide faculty with a fully developed teaching package to enable that goal

This textbook is suitable for these courses: Introduction to Business

This textbook is suitable for 2 and 4 year institutions.

New in This Version

  • UPDATED CASE STUDIES: This textbook benefits from updates to the Nike Business Case, which are based on extensive research and executive interviews.
  • NEW & ENHANCED CHAPTER COVERAGE: Along with major revamps of the & of social media marketing, sustainability coverage, the value of the Euro, and exploration of the serial entrepreneur.
  • EMPHASIS ON MOBILE DEVICES: The focus of the additions to the Managing Information and Technology chapter will be on the explosive growth in mobile devices.
  • IMPROVED QUIZ MATERIALS & FIGURES: Through redesigned quizzes, this textbook now helps students effectively practice and develop a better understanding of key concepts.
  • About the Author
  • Acknowledgments
  • Dedication
  • Preface

    • Chapter 1: The Foundations of Business

  • 1.1 Why Is Apple Successful?
  • 1.2 Introduction
  • 1.3 Getting Down to Business
  • 1.4 What Is Economics?
  • 1.5 Perfect Competition and Supply and Demand
  • 1.6 Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly, and Monopoly
  • 1.7 Measuring the Health of the Economy
  • 1.8 Government’s Role in Managing the Economy
  • 1.9 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 2: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

  • 2.1 “Mommy, Why Do You Have to Go to Jail?”
  • 2.2 Misgoverning Corporations: An Overview
  • 2.3 The Individual Approach to Ethics
  • 2.4 Identifying Ethical Issues
  • 2.5 The Organizational Approach to Ethics
  • 2.6 Corporate Social Responsibility
  • 2.7 Environmentalism
  • 2.8 Stages of Corporate Responsibility
  • 2.9 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 3: Business in a Global Environment

  • 3.1 It’s a Small World
  • 3.2 The Globalization of Business
  • 3.3 Opportunities in International Business
  • 3.4 The Global Business Environment
  • 3.5 Trade Controls
  • 3.6 Reducing International Trade Barriers
  • 3.7 Preparing for a Career in International Business
  • 3.8 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 4: Selecting a Form of Business Ownership

  • 4.1 The Ice Cream Men
  • 4.2 Factors to Consider
  • 4.3 Sole Proprietorship
  • 4.4 Partnership
  • 4.5 Corporation
  • 4.6 Other Types of Business Ownership
  • 4.7 Mergers and Acquisitions
  • 4.8 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 5: The Challenges of Starting a Business

  • 5.1 Build a Better Baby and They Will Come
  • 5.2 What Is an Entrepreneur?
  • 5.3 The Importance of Small Business to the U.S. Economy
  • 5.4 What Industries Are Small Businesses In?
  • 5.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Business Ownership
  • 5.6 Starting a Business
  • 5.7 The Business Plan
  • 5.8 How to Succeed in Managing a Business
  • 5.9 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 6: Managing for Business Success

  • 6.1 Noteworthy Management
  • 6.2 What Do Managers Do?
  • 6.3 Planning
  • 6.4 Organizing
  • 6.5 Directing
  • 6.6 Controlling
  • 6.7 Managerial Skills
  • 6.8 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 7: Recruiting, Motivating, and Keeping Quality Employees

  • 7.1 The Grounds of a Great Work Environment
  • 7.2 Human Resource Management
  • 7.3 Developing Employees
  • 7.4 Motivating Employees
  • 7.5 What Makes a Great Place to Work?
  • 7.6 Performance Appraisal
  • 7.7 Labor Unions
  • 7.8 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 8: Teamwork and Communications

  • 8.1 The Team with the RAZR’S Edge
  • 8.2 The Team and the Organization
  • 8.3 Why Teamwork Works
  • 8.4 The Team and Its Members
  • 8.5 The Business of Communication
  • 8.6 Communication Channels
  • 8.7 Forms of Communication
  • 8.8 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 9: Marketing: Providing Value to Customers

  • 9.1 A Robot with Attitude
  • 9.2 What Is Marketing?
  • 9.3 The Marketing Mix
  • 9.4 Pricing a Product
  • 9.5 Placing a Product
  • 9.6 Promoting a Product
  • 9.7 Interacting with Your Customers
  • 9.8 The Product Life Cycle
  • 9.9 The Marketing Environment
  • 9.10 Careers in Marketing
  • 9.11 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 10: Product Design and Development

  • 10.1 Riding the Crest of Innovation
  • 10.2 What Is a Product?
  • 10.3 Where Do Product Ideas Come From?
  • 10.4 Identifying Business Opportunities
  • 10.5 Understand Your Industry
  • 10.6 Forecasting Demand
  • 10.7 Breakeven Analysis
  • 10.8 Product Development
  • 10.9 Protecting Your Idea
  • 10.10 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 11: Operations Management in Manufacturing and Service Industries

  • 11.1 The Challenge: Producing Quality Jetboards
  • 11.2 Operations Management in Manufacturing
  • 11.3 Facility Layouts
  • 11.4 Managing the Production Process in a Manufacturing Company
  • 11.5 Graphical Tools: PERT and Gantt Charts
  • 11.6 The Technology of Goods Production
  • 11.7 Operations Management for Service Providers
  • 11.8 Producing for Quality
  • 11.9 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 12: The Role of Accounting in Business

  • 12.1 A New Form of GPS: The Gregarious People Seeker
  • 12.2 The Role of Accounting
  • 12.3 Understanding Financial Statements
  • 12.4 Accrual Accounting
  • 12.5 Financial Statement Analysis
  • 12.6 The Profession: Ethics and Opportunities
  • 12.7 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 13: Managing Financial Resources

  • 13.1 How to Keep from Going Under
  • 13.2 The Functions of Money
  • 13.3 Financial Institutions
  • 13.4 The Federal Reserve System
  • 13.5 The Role of the Financial Manager
  • 13.6 Understanding Securities Markets
  • 13.7 Financing the Going Concern
  • 13.8 Careers in Finance
  • 13.9 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 14: Personal Finances

  • 14.1 Where Does Your Money Go?
  • 14.2 Financial Planning
  • 14.3 Time Is Money
  • 14.4 The Financial Planning Process
  • 14.5 A House Is Not a Piggy Bank: A Few Lessons from the Subprime Crisis
  • 14.6 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 15: Managing Information and Technology

  • 15.1 A Winning Hand for Caesars
  • 15.2 Data versus Information
  • 15.3 Managing Data
  • 15.4 Types of Information Systems
  • 15.5 Computer Networks and Cloud Computing
  • 15.6 Data Communications Networks
  • 15.7 Security Issues in Electronic Communication
  • 15.8 Careers in Information Management
  • 15.9 Cases and Problems

    • Chapter 16: The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business

  • 16.1 Whatever Happened to…George McGovern?
  • 16.2 Law and the Legal System
  • 16.3 Criminal versus Civil Law
  • 16.4 Negligence Torts
  • 16.5 Product Liability
  • 16.6 Some Principles of Public Law
  • 16.7 Cases and Problems
    • Instructor’s Manual

    Instructor’s Manual

    The Instructor’s Manual guides you through the main concepts of each chapter and important elements such as learning objectives, key terms, and key takeaways. Can include answers to chapter exercises, group activity suggestions, and discussion questions.

    Instructor’s Manual

    PowerPoint Lecture Notes

    PowerPoint Lecture Notes

    A PowerPoint presentation highlighting key learning objectives and the main concepts for each chapter are available for you to use in your classroom. You can either cut and paste sections or use the presentation as a whole.

    PowerPoint Lecture Notes

    Test Bank Files for Import to Learning Management Systems

    Test Bank Files for Import to Learning Management Systems

    For your convenience, we've packaged our test items for easy import into Learning Management Systems like Blackboard, Brightspace/D2L, Canvas, Moodle, or Respondus.

    Test Item File

    Test Item File

    Need assistance in supplementing your quizzes and tests? Our test-item files (in Word format) contain many multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer questions.

    Other Supplements

    Other Supplements

    Solutions manuals, sample exams, video learning segments, workbooks, cases and lab manuals are just some of the extras our books will offer depending on the needs of the course. Click here to see what this textbook offers.

    At FlatWorld, we take pride in providing a range of high-quality supplements alongside our titles, to help instructors teach effectively. Supplements are available for instructors who have registered their adoption with us. If you need to review or preview something specific, please contact us.


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    Karen Collins Lehigh University

    Karen Collins (PhD Virginia Tech) was Professor Emerita of Accounting at Lehigh University. Karen previously coordinated Lehigh’s Introduction to Business course taken by all first-year business students. Exploring Business and its robust package of support materials is based on Karen's innovative and successful approach to many years teaching and coordinating the course. For her service in this area, Karen was honored with an "Innovation in Teaching Award" from the Middle Atlantic Association of Colleges of Business Administration. 

    Karen was the recipient of numerous other teaching awards, including the "Deming Lewis Faculty Award" (for the faculty member who had the strongest influence on the ten-year graduating class); "Stabler Award for Excellence in Teaching" (for the faculty member who best demonstrates a mastery of his or her field and superior ability in communicating it to others), Coopers and Lybrand’s "Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award" (given to ten faculty members nationally in recognition of excellence in teaching), Coopers and Lybrand's "Faculty Internship" (given to one faculty member nationally based on his or her positive influence on students), and the "Andersen Consulting Faculty Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching" (a two-year fellowship given to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in course development). This last fellowship allowed Karen to work with course designers at the firm’s national offices in Chicago in the development of the Introduction to Business course. 

    Karen's research interests included upward mobility of women in accounting, quality of life issues, stress, and ethnic diversity in the accounting profession.

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