Preface

People say that teaching is a noble profession, and we often wonder if they say this because they know that while teaching you always have to be "on" standing in front of expectant faces and teaching about the topic at hand, while also teaching how to think critically and provoking thoughtful discussion.

Some say teaching is noble because they see our passion for the job and find that admirable. People may also find teaching noble because we educate tomorrow's career force and potential leaders. This burden is ours to bear, and we try to do the best every day to make sure this preparation occurs in the right way.

We find that teaching is noble for all of these reasons, but the most important one is the most simple. It is a noble profession because teachers wouldn't do it well if we didn't care about each and every student's success. As instructors, professors, full-time, part-time, and associate faculty, we are guiding lives in new directions and possibly into new phases, a powerful responsibility, and one that comes with a lot of opportunities! Our goal with this textbook is to ensure that students succeed and that instructors can easily prepare for the courses they teach so they can focus on what they do best: mentor tomorrow's leaders through caring, helping, and guiding.

Introduction to Business is concise and manageable for one quarter or one semester. The examples are current and focus on small, mid-sized, and large businesses. Every chapter includes career information and advice for students relevant to their possible or ongoing careers. Every chapter also has an opening profile of a business relevant to that chapter's content as well as an applications feature that specifically shows how the information in that chapter can be used in our day-to-day lives and work lives. We strive to illustrate to students why the concepts and examples presented in this text are relevant to them now as well as after they graduate.

Please feel free to e-mail us--Laura or --Amit--with any comments on this book. We would love to hear from you!

A Special Note to Students

Sometimes it might be hard to remember that successful people around you were once students and had their own struggles while in school. Perhaps they didn't "get" math, had to work to pay for college so they didn't have as much time as they would have liked to study, or maybe went to school while raising a family. In other cases, challenges might be something as basic as having trouble managing time and learning the right way to study (thus the Student Study Skills feature found throughout the chapters of this text!). Whatever the challenges, anyone who has taken the time to earn a degree will say these challenges made them stronger and more ready for the workforce. Take every challenge as a learning experience, and also celebrate every triumph, even the small ones. At the end of every quarter or semester, take time to congratulate yourself on being 10, 15, or 20 credits closer to your dream career. Our advice as you continue on your educational journey is this: Always communicate with and stay in close contact with your instructors, learn lessons from any mistakes while not dwelling on them, and absolutely celebrate the wins! Always remember anything worth achieving will be difficult, and embrace this difficulty with enthusiasm, excitement, and positive attitude. We wish for you a successful quarter/semester, a successful year, and most of all, a successful career!

Warmest regards,

Laura Portolese Dias

Amit J. Shah

Chapters That Take Examples beyond the Classroom . . .

Each of the 14 chapters follows a common structure with a range of assessment and progress measurement options for instructors to use.

Learning Objectives

Each chapter begins with a list of Learning Objectives. These objectives are tied directly to the chapter content and instructor's materials and help students better anticipate what they will be studying in each chapter.

Key Terms

Developing a strong business vocabulary is one of the most important and useful goals of this course. To assist you, all key concepts in the book are highlighted in boldface type and are also defined in the margins, and page references to these Key Terms are given at the end of each chapter. A full Glossary is found at the back of the book. You should rely heavily on these learning aids in adding to your vocabulary of business terminology.

Section Outlines

For the main sections in the chapters, Section Outlines are presented so students know exactly what topics will be covered in the coming pages.

Self-Check Questions

Self-Check Questions related to each section throughout the chapters allow frequent student assessment of comprehension. These questions work in conjunction with the Section Outlines and the Learning Objectives for the chapter.

Questions for Students

The Questions for Students reinforce the chapters' key concepts by asking readers to think about the material in terms of their own experiences.

Applying Your Skills

At the end of each chapter, Applying Your Skills review questions reinforce key learning outcomes. Team activities are also included in these exercises to promote collaboration in learning.

The Internet in Action

To encourage the development of Internet skills – specifically search skills – each chapter features The Internet in Action exercises that encourage students to locate and review useful Web sites for their ongoing development.

. . . and into the Real World!

Chapter Opening Profiles

At the beginning of each chapter students will find a chapter opening profile of someone working in the business world or of a company in the real world facing challenges relevant to the chapter content.

Real World Business Apps

Each chapter begins with a feature called Real World Business Apps, a hypothetical business situation in which a businessperson has questions about the area of business covered in the chapter. At the end of each chapter, the particular hypothetical situation is concluded, using concepts covered in the chapter.

Ethical Challenge

Even though many institutions now offer a separate business ethics course in their programs of study, we felt it was critical to emphasize the importance of ethical business practice in this text. As a result, the chapters feature an Ethical Challenge box in which the student is presented with an ethical dilemma from the business world. The ethical challenges are directly linked to the chapter material and the questions ask the student to relate the challenges back to their own experiences.

Thinking Critically

Each chapter includes a short business article relating to the learning objectives to get the students Thinking Critically. Articles come straight from the business news headlines, giving students a look into the real world of business. Students are asked to assess the material and answer critical thinking questions based on the content.

Study Skills

Student learning does not end when they leave the classroom. We know students often appreciate extra support. Each chapter provides helpful hints for students who aspire to learn and maintain good study habits. Study Skills boxes suggest proper study skills to help students thrive in their classes.

Career Development

We also recognize the importance of supporting students as they transition from school to the professional world. Each chapter provides a Career Development box with ideas to aid students in their journey into their careers and unique insights and activities that will help students succeed.