- About the Author
- Acknowledgments
- Dedications
- Preface
- Chapter 1: The Foundations of Business
- Section 1: Getting Down to Business
- Section 2: What Is Economics?
- Section 3: Perfect Competition and Supply and Demand
- Section 4: Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly, and Monopoly
- Section 5: Measuring the Health of the Economy
- Section 6: Government’s Role in Managing the Economy
- Section 7: Cases and Problems
- Chapter 2: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
- Section 1: Misgoverning Corporations: An Overview
- Section 2: The Individual Approach to Ethics
- Section 3: Identifying Ethical Issues
- Section 4: The Organizational Approach to Ethics
- Section 5: Corporate Social Responsibility
- Section 6: Environmentalism
- Section 7: Stages of Corporate Responsibility
- Section 8: Cases and Problems
- Chapter 3: Business in a Global Environment
- Chapter 4: Selecting a Form of Business Ownership
- Chapter 5: The Challenges of Starting a Business
- Section 1: What Is an Entrepreneur?
- Section 2: The Place of Small Business in the Business Landscape
- Section 3: What Industries Are Small Businesses In?
- Section 4: Advantages and Disadvantages of Business Ownership
- Section 5: Starting a Business
- Section 6: The Business Plan
- Section 7: How to Succeed in Managing a Business
- Section 8: Cases and Problems
- Chapter 6: Managing for Business Success
- Chapter 7: Recruiting, Motivating, and Keeping Quality Employees
- Chapter 8: Teamwork and Communications
- Chapter 9: Marketing: Providing Value to Customers
- Chapter 10: Product Design and Development
- Section 1: What Is a Product?
- Section 2: Where Do Product Ideas Come From?
- Section 3: Identifying Business Opportunities
- Section 4: Understand Your Industry
- Section 5: Forecasting Demand
- Section 6: Breakeven Analysis
- Section 7: Product Development
- Section 8: Protecting Your Idea
- Section 9: Cases and Problems
- Chapter 11: Operations Management in Manufacturing and Service Industries
- Section 1: Operations Management in Manufacturing
- Section 2: Facility Layouts
- Section 3: Managing the Production Process in a Manufacturing Company
- Section 4: Graphical Tools: PERT and Gantt Charts
- Section 5: The Technology of Goods Production
- Section 6: Operations Management for Service Providers
- Section 7: Producing for Quality
- Section 8: Cases and Problems
- Chapter 12: The Role of Accounting in Business
- Chapter 13: Managing Financial Resources
- Chapter 14: Personal Finances
- Chapter 15: Managing Information and Technology
- Chapter 16: The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business
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Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the following colleagues who have reviewed the text and provided comprehensive feedback and suggestions for improving the material:
| Tim Allwine | Lower Columbia College |
| Douglas Antola Crowe | Bradley University |
| Vondra Armstrong | Pulaski Technical College |
| April Bailey | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Michael Baran | South Puget Sound Community College |
| Ruby Barker | Tarleton State University |
| Murray Brunton | Central Ohio Technical College |
| Laura Bulas | Central Community College |
| Leon Chickering | South Puget Sound Community College |
| Glenn Doolittle | Santa Ana College |
| Amy Epplin | Rend Lake College |
| Andrea Foster | John Tyler Community College |
| Joseph Fox | Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College |
| Leatrice Freer | Pitt Community College |
| George Generas | University of Hartford |
| David Gilliss | San Jose State University |
| Alfredo Gomez | Broward College |
| Madeline Grant | Santa Ana College |
| Gail Jacobs | LA College International |
| Francis Krcmarik | Mott Community College |
| Elaine Madden | Anne Arundel Community College |
| Timothy March | Kaskaskia College |
| Marian Matthews | Central NM Community College |
| Gina McConoughey | Illinois Central College |
| Tom McFarland | Mt. San Antonio College |
| Bill McPherson | Indiana University of Pennsylvania |
| Diane Minger | Cedar Valley College |
| Jennifer Morton | Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana |
| John Olivo | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Lauren Paisley | Genesee Community College |
| Anthony Racka | Oakland Community College |
| Nancy Ray-Mitchell | McLennan Community College |
| Martin St. John | Westmoreland County Community College |
| John Striebich | Monroe Community College |
| Frank Titlow | St. Petersburg College |
| Bob Urell | Irvine Valley College |
| Dean Williamson | Brewton-Parker College #2004 |
In addition, a select group of instructors assisted the development of this material by actually using it in their classrooms. Their input, along with their students’ feedback, has provided us critical confirmation that the material is effective and impactful in the classroom:
| Nikolaos Adamou | Borough of Manhattan CC |
| April Bailey | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Michael Davis | Yavaipai College |
| Andrea Foster | John Taylor Community College |
| Frank Markham | Mesa State |
| Donn Miller-Kermani | Florida Institute of Technology |
| Diane Minger | Cedar Valley College |
| Tony Racka | Oakland Community College |
| P. Gerard Shaw | Dean College |
| Dean Williamson | Brewton-Parker College |
| David Woolgar | Santa Ana College |
The authors also appreciate the efforts of a fine group of instructors who have assisted the project with their work on supplementary materials:
David Murphy, Madisonville Community College, P. Gerard Shaw, Dean College, and Diane Minger, Cedar Valley College, collaborated on the Test Item Files and Student Quizzes.
Chuck Bowles, Pikes Peak Community College, developed the PowerPoint Presentation Slides.
Kim Richmond, St. Joseph’s University, developed the Video Learning Segments.
I am sincerely grateful to a great team of individuals at Flat World Knowledge who made working on this project an enjoyable experience. Special thanks to Jeff Shelstad and Eric Frank for their confidence in me and in the project and to Sharon Koch for her enthusiasm. Thanks to Joanne Butler and Sharon Hughes for their dedication to quality and their positive attitudes. Thanks also to several very special friends who made substantial contributions to the textbook project: Ron Librach, Joseph Manzo, Judy Minot, and Eleanore Stinner.
Thanks to the members of the Introduction to Business faculty team at Lehigh University who are a constant source of ideas and advice. Their excitement about the course and dedication to our students create a positive and supportive teaching environment. I enjoy the hours we spend in the “bullpen” sharing teaching tips, brainstorming ways to improve the course, and just having fun.
Finally, I thank my husband, Bill, my sons, Don and Mark, and their wives, Courtney and Tara, for their support and encouragement during this project. They’re the best of my world.

Cite this Content
Citation Information
APA Format:Collins, Karen., Exploring Business. Retrieved Mar 15, 2010 from http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/node/27984 .
MLA Format:Collins, Karen. Exploring Business. 1969 . Flat World Knowledge. 15 Mar, 2010. <http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/node/27984> .
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