Objectives
of the BSBA program
Program
philosophy
The
goal of the undergraduate business administration
degree program is to develop broadly educated
business professionals. This goal is accomplished
through a four-year academic experience involving
curricular and co-curricular elements. The
program consists of three major components:
professional education in business administration,
education in the liberal arts, and development
of a broadly defined set of personal skills.
Each component is a necessary part of the
educational experience for students, and none
can be neglected if the program is to succeed.
The
professional component of the program stresses
knowledge and skill development necessary
for students to function effectively in entry-level
jobs and to enjoy productive professional
careers. It develops understandings of the
"common body of knowledge" as defined
by the AACSB International—The Association
to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Consistent with this definition, the background
includes study and understanding of the business
functional and tool areas, the economic and
legal environment, organizational theory and
behavior, and integrative strategy and policy
analysis. It also incorporates the worldwide
dimension of business administration.
Professional
knowledge and skills are developed through
a common business core curriculum and areas
of specialization designed to meet students'
specific professional needs. The core develops
a broad understanding of the entire business
enterprise and represents the more important
element of business majors' professional education
component. The specialization supplements
the core by allowing students to develop a
deeper understanding of a more precisely defined
field.
The
liberal arts component emphasizes facts, concepts,
and ideas that are necessary to be a broadly
educated person in our society. More importantly,
it provides a set of frameworks with which
to analyze, comprehend, and enjoy these facts,
concepts, and ideas in a long-term perspective.
Consistent with BG Perspective requirements,
it contains background and study of the humanities
and the arts, the natural sciences, social
and behavioral sciences, and cultural diversity
in the United States. Beyond that, it develops
a sense of ethical considerations and a framework
for analyzing social issues.
Personal
skills developed through the program are designed
to enhance productivity for a long-term career
and to permit the individual to engage in
lifelong learning. By enabling students to
engage in self-initiated independent learning,
these skills provide the foundation for a
productive career and a satisfying life. These
skills include analytical and critical thinking,
decision making, intellectual independence,
leadership, planning and organization, and
problem solving. Of paramount importance in
order to manifest these skills is the ability
to communicate ideas effectively. Consequently,
the program pays particular attention to the
development of students' written and oral
communication skills.
Learning
Outcomes
Business
knowledge: Our students will demonstrate
application and integration of knowledge in
the following ways:
- Application:
demonstrate one can apply functional and
foundational concepts to think critically
and solve business problems in curricular
and co-curricular situations.
- Functional
interdependence: demonstrate an understanding
of the interdependencies among business
functions and processes.
- Interface
with society: demonstrate an understanding
of how economic, legal and regulatory, political,
social, technical, environmental, and competitive
forces (local, regional, global) impact
business and vice versa.
Innovative
thinking: Our students will demonstrate
innovative thinking in the following ways:
- Opportunity
recognition: articulate ways to turn situations
and problems into business or personal opportunities.
- Creativity:
recognize when creative thinking is appropriate
in a problem solving process and generate
novel solutions to problems or new ways
to respond to opportunities.
Personal
and social responsibility: Our students
will demonstrate personal and social responsibility
in the following ways:
- Ethical
decision making: recognize ethical issues,
apply ethical frameworks to analyze them,
then choose and defend a solution.
- Reflective
thinking: demonstrate careful consideration
of a belief, form of knowledge, action,
or experience and think about it, evaluate
it, and develop insight toward future action.
- Initiative:
seek opportunities for active involvement
in curricular and/or co-curricular areas.
- Taking
others’ perspectives: demonstrate an understanding
of another person’s point of view in curricular
and co-curricular activities.
Communication
skills: Our students will demonstrate
effective communication in the following ways:
- Writing:
produce quality business documents that
exhibit competence in content, organization
and clarity, quality, and referencing.
- Presenting:
develop and make quality business presentations
that exhibit competence in content, listening,
media, non-verbal presentation skills, organization
and clarity, and verbal presentation skills.
- Informal
communication: communicate effectively in
curricular or co-curricular small group
situations.
