Course Overview

Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance 1a provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the core functions that drive successful organizations. Through the lens of real-world innovators such as Gitanjali Rao and Palmer Luckey, students explore how leadership, ethics, marketing, advertising, finance, and operations management work together to shape modern businesses.

Key Learning Focus

Students will:

• Explore the role of leadership and ethical decision-making in business success.
• Understand the basics of marketing, advertising, and brand development.
• Examine finance and operations management as integral business functions.
• Apply business concepts through the creation of Random Acts of Coffee, a socially responsible café simulation.
• Begin crafting the foundational elements of their own business plan.

Instructional Approach

Through interactive projects, case studies, and entrepreneurial simulations, students gain hands-on experience in building and managing a socially responsible business, while connecting theory to practice.

Outcome

By the end of Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance 1a, students will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of business, marketing, and finance fundamentals.
• Apply creative and critical thinking to develop branding and business strategies.
• Recognize the role of ethics and social responsibility in business decision-making.
• Take their first steps toward entrepreneurship by completing key components of a business plan.