Page 16 - Introduction to Business

Preface

pening the door to the world of business involves many challenges for both
instructors and students. The goal of this text is to provide the keys to suc-
Ocess that will lead to a rewarding educational experience and set the stage
for pursuing a business career.
Any business, big or small, is fraught with risk, and unless students have a clear
understanding of contemporary business principles, they will be taking unneces-
sary risk, and such risk could lead to failure. Understanding today’s fundamental
pillars of the business environment—globalization, technology, and ethics—is also
crucial to success. The purpose of this book is to introduce students to these prin-
ciples—the art and science of managing a business—and in a way that is interest-
ing, relevant, and engaging, in the hope that they may develop a successful
business career.

A Team of Experts Can Make a Difference

The introduction to business course covers a lot of ground, touching on all the major
functional areas of business. We recognize that it is a challenge for students to
understand how all the different functional areas are interrelated, and it is a chal-
lenge for an instructor to cover all these areas with equal amounts of enthusiasm
and expertise. Other introduction to business texts are written by authors who have
expertise in one, two, or perhaps three functional areas. One thing that makes our
book unique is our author team of six functional area experts. For more than two
years, we have met weekly as a team to share ideas, review manuscript, examine
market feedback, and make sure that we created a cohesive, comprehensive, author-
itative presentation of business that is unparalleled in the market. Helping us all the
way in this process—making sure that the material is presented consistently and
clearly—has been our editorial advisor. He has taught thousands of introduction to
business students and understands the challenges they and you, the instructor, face.

Goals and Themes of the Book

Throughout the planning and writing of Introduction to Business, we have sought
and listened to the advice of instructors across the country who have taught this
course for many years. We have also sought student feedback to be sure the content
is appealing and relevant to students. As a result, the features of this book have
been carefully designed to respond to both student and instructor needs.

Key Themes

Anyone who listens to the news and follows current business events knows that
contemporary business, regardless of where it is conducted, is heavily influenced
by rapid globalization, advances in technology, and enforcement of ethical stan-
dards. With globalization, the notion of the purely domestic firm has become a
myth. Similarly, progress in technology, in the form of electronic commerce, oper-
ations, supply chain management, electronic banking, etc., is quickly transforming
the way businesses operate to be successful. There is hardly any business that is
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