Start-Up Learning Objectives

ACCOUNTING

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING PROCESS

Learning Objectives

• To understand the fundamental role of accounting in entrepreneurship
• To understand the difference between financial and managerial accounting
• To understand the role of accounting in reporting to external organizations

 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS

Learning Objectives

• To understand the essential methods used in recordkeeping
• To understand the origin and entries in the balance sheet
• To understand the origin and entries in the income statement
• To understand the origin and entries for the statement of cash flows
• To understand how financial statements are analyzed to measure performance

 

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FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

Learning Objectives

• Explain how different groups of financial statement users depend on financial statement analysis
• Discuss the principal tools used by analysts of financial statements
• Prepare the comparative financial statements showing year-to-year changes in absolute dollars and percentages and indicate how these statements are used
• Transform absolute-dollar financial statements into common size financial statements and explain how the results help financial statement users
• Compute the ratios that determine a firm’s capital structure and long-term solvency and discuss how the ratios are used
• Illustrate the ratios used for return on investment analysis
• Compute various market ratios and measures and indicate their importance to users of financial statements

 

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HR

OVERVIEW

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Identify the human resource management functions for small business
• Explain how organizations are adjusting to human resource restructuring trends
• Explain the need for human resources to be a strategic partner
• Describe human resource management and the small business manager

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT LAW

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Identify the major laws affecting equal employment opportunity in the USA, and recent updates
• Explain the Presidential Executive Orders 11246 and 11375
• Describe the purpose of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
• Identify some of the major Supreme Court Decisions that have had an impact on equal employment opportunity
• Explain the purpose of the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures
• Explain adverse impact and affirmative action programs
• Describe the Uniform Guidelines related to sexual harassment, national origin, and religion
• Identify state law supplements to federal EEO laws

JOB ANALYSIS

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Define job analysis
• Discuss the reasons that job analysis is the basic human resource tool
• Explain the reasons for conducting job analysis
• Describe the types of information required for job analysis
• Describe the various job analysis methods
• Identify who conducts job analysis
• Describe the components of a well-designed job description
• Define job specification and identify the components of the job specification
• Discuss why the timeliness of job analysis is important
• Identify the newer methods available for conducting job analysis
• Describe how job analysis helps satisfy various legal requirements
• Define job design

FORECASTING FOR HIRING

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Explain the human resource planning process
• Identify the factors to be considered in strategy implementation
• Explain the human resource planning process
• Describe some human resource forecasting techniques
• Define requirement and availability forecasts
• Differentiate management inventory from skills inventory
• Distinguish between succession planning and succession development
• Identify what a firm can do when a surplus of workers exists
• Describe the concept of downsizing
• Define human resource information system (HRIS) and identify the type of information an HRIS should provide
• Define recruitment
• Identify alternatives that a firm might consider before resorting to outside recruitment
• Describe the recruitment process
• Define promotion from within
• Explain and describe internal recruitment methods
• Identify external sources of recruitment
• Identify the external methods of recruitment
• Explain what needs to be accomplished to recruit for diversity

INTERVIEWING

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Define selection
• Identify the environmental factors that affect the selection process
• Describe the general selection process
• Explain the importance of the preliminary interview
• Identify the types of questions that should be asked on an application form
• Describe the basic conditions that should be met if selection tests are to be used in the screening process
• Explain the types of validation studies
• Describe the types of employment tests
• Identify the types of information that should be gained from the interview
• Describe the basic types of interviewing
• Describe the various methods of interviewing
• Define a realistic job preview
• Explain the legal implications of interviewing
• Explain why reference checks and background investigations are conducted
• Explain negligent hiring and retention
• Explain the reasons for pre-employment physical examinations

TRAINING

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Define training and development (T&D)
• Describe the T&D process
• Explain factors influencing T&D
• Identify the various training and development methods
• Describe management development
• Identify the means by which T&D programs are evaluated
• Describe the Job Training Partnership Act
• Define orientation and identify the purposes of orientation
• Define organizational development (OD)
• Describe various OD techniques

APPRAISALS AND EVALUATIONS

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Define performance appraisal
• Identify the uses of performance appraisal
• Describe the performance appraisal process
• Identify the aspects of a person’s performance that an organization should evaluate
• Identify who may be responsible for performance appraisal
• Identify the various performance appraisal methods used
• List the problems that have been associated with performance appraisal
• Explain the characteristics of an effective appraisal system
• Describe the legal implications of performance appraisal
• Explain how the appraisal interview should be conducted

PAY ISSUES

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Describe the various forms of compensation
• Explain the concept of compensation equity
• Identify the determinants of financial compensation
• Identify the organizational factors that should be considered as determinants of financial compensation
• Describe the factors that should be considered when the labor market is a determinant of financial compensation
• Describe how government legislation affects financial compensation
• Explain pay for performance
• Identify factors related to the employee that are essential in determining pay and employee equity

• Explain the concepts of flextime, the compressed workweek, job sharing, flexible compensation, telecommuting, part-time work, and modified retirement
• Understand comparable worth

LABOR LAW

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Describe the labor movement prior to 1930
• Explain the major labor legislation that was passed after 1930
• Describe the labor movement into the year 2001
• Describe the relationship between teams and organized labor
• Explain unionization in the public sector
• Identify the reasons that employees join unions
• Describe the basic structure of the union
• Identify the steps involved in establishing the collective bargaining relationship
• Explain union de-certification
• List and describe union-free strategies and tactics

DISCIPLINE

Learning Objectives

After reviewing the material for this session, you should be able to:

• Define discipline and disciplinary action
• Identify the steps involved in the disciplinary process
• Describe the approaches to discipline
• Describe the steps involved in progressive disciplinary action
• Explain how grievance handling is typically conducted under a collective bargaining agreement
• Explain how grievance handling is typically conducted in union-free firms
• Define alternative dispute resolution
• Describe how termination conditions may differ with regard to non-managerial/nonprofessional employees, executives, managers, and professionals
• Explain the concept of employment at will
• Describe the purpose of the exit interview

 

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Marketing

MARKETING PLANNING

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand:

• The marketing plan concept
• Why a marketing plan is needed
• How to make the marketing plan a working tool
• How marketing planning can lead to business success
• What the components of a marketing plan are

BUSINESS REVIEW

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand:

• The importance of the firm’s strategic vision and mission
• The firm’s competencies
• How the firm is organized to serve customers
• The firm’s marketing mix
• What are its strengths and weaknesses?

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMERS

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand:

• The role of perception in marketing
• How the concepts of value and satisfaction are related
• The influences on buying behavior
• The buying process
• Customer retention

COMPETITION & THE MARKETPLACE

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand the following concepts:

• Competitors
• Market characteristics and trends
• Economic factors
• Legal and regulatory factors

OBJECTIVES & STRATEGY

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand the following concepts:

• Mission statement
• Objectives
• Strategies
• Evaluation and control

SEGMENTATION & TARGET MARKETING

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand the following concepts:

• Segmentation in consumer markets
• Segmentation in business markets
• Positioning strategy
• Steps in the segmentation process

PRODUCT STRATEGY

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand the following concepts:

• Product life cycle
• Differentiation
• Services
• New product development
• Branding and packaging
• Customer service and warranties

PRICING

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand the following concepts:

• Pricing basics
• Supply and demand
• Pricing objectives
• Pricing strategies
• Discounts and sales
• Legal and regulatory issues
• Tools - impact of price changes
• Tools - commandments of discounting

DISTRIBUTION AND RETAILING

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand the following concepts:

• Distribution
• Logistics
• Wholesaling
• Retailing
• E-Commerce
• Distribution dilemmas
• Retail site selection

PROMOTION AND ADVERTISING

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand:

• Promotional objectives
• Media planning
• Advertising
• Sales promotions
• Public relations
• How to develop word of mouth referrals

SELLING

Learning Objectives

This section of the course will help the student to understand:

• Who is a “sales person”
• The selling process
• Sales management
• Compensation

 

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Entrepreneurship

ASSESSING THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PERSONALITY

Learning Objectives

To measure the client’s propensity for taking on an entrepreneurial initiative.

The Objective Measurement is:

Have the client complete the assessment at the end of this reading.

The Measurement Action is:

• Identify overall propensity.
• Identify strength responses.
• Identify weakness response.
• Provide direction on weakness responses.

THE ENTREPRENEUR’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Learning Objectives

• To determine the optimal ownership format for the entrepreneur.
• To understand the critical assessment for making a franchise decision.
• To understand the importance of evaluating before purchasing a business.

The Objective Measurement is:

Have the client complete the scenarios following the information presented.

The Measurement Action is:

Identify the client’s strengths and weaknesses in completing the scenario responses .

EXERCISING ENTREPRENEURIAL CREATIVITY

Learning Objectives

• To develop the creative thinking ability of the entrepreneur.
• To provide the entrepreneur with professional reading to develop creativity.

The Objective Measurement is:

Have the client read and respond to the innovative scenario.

The Measurement Action is:

To reinforce the client’s observations that are accurate, and assist the client in identifying where his/her observation for the scenario could improve creativity.

 

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CBA Start-Up Online Course
Sample

Sample Text:

Sexual Harassment

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sex.

The EEOC guidelines define sexual harassment as "unwelcome sexual advances for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that takes place under any of the following conditions":

• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly as a term or condition of an individual's employment.
• Submission or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual.
• Such conduct has the purpose of interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
• Based on a recent U. S. Supreme Court decision, sexual harassment does not apply just to relations between males and females; employees can file discrimination suits claiming sexual harassment in their own gender.

There are two general categories of sexual harassment:

(l) Quid pro quo occurs when an employer or supervisor links an employment outcome to a sexual favor.
(2) Hostile environment occurs when sexual harassment interferes with an employee's job performance.

Quid pro quo is covered by EEOC guidelines directed at any term or condition of employment with respect to such things as raises, promotions, assignments of work, appraisal, or disciplinary actions.

Hostile environment involves the job conditions of a working environment that interfere with job performance.

In a landmark case decided by the U. S. Supreme Court, Meritor Savings Bank, FSB v. Vinson, ruled that creation of a hostile work environment is illegal even if the complainant suffered no loss of earnings or job loss. In Harris vs. Forklift Systems, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that in determining a hostile environment, the following should be considered:

• whether the conduct was physically threatening rather than just offensive.
• whether the conduct interfered unreasonably with an employee's work performance.
• whether the conduct affected the employee's psychological well-being.

Employers should quickly respond to sexual harassment complaints, since employers are held responsible for sexual harassment in the absence of prompt, appropriate action. The cost of inaction can be high. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 permits victims of sexual harassment to have jury trials and to collect compensatory damages in cases in which the employer acted with "malice or reckless indifference" to the individual's rights.

Employers can take the following steps to help minimize its liability for sexual harassment suits:

Sexual Harassment Policy Statements should address where to report complaints, promise confidentiality, and assure that disciplinary action will be taken against sexual harassers.

• Communication and Training Programs for supervisors and managers. These programs should emphasize that sexual harassment will not be tolerated.
• Investigations and Actions based on objectively gathered facts. It is crucial to ensure that the employee who filed the complaint be insulated from the kinds of behavior that prompted the complaint in the first place.

Sample Exam Question:

Describe and discuss an effective sexual harassment policy for an organization.