Kathlynn Spencer

Business R030/CRN 31226  Spring 2009 

Catalog Description 

This course provides a review of math fundamentals and relates math principles and operations to business oriented problems such as payroll, invoicing, financial statements and ratios, markups and markdowns, and interest. Business math is required for the following certificate and degree programs: Accounting, Retail Management, and Administrative Assistant. 

Student Materials 

Textbook:  Practical Business Math Procedures, 9th ed., Jeffrey Slater

Instructor website:  http://faculty.oxnardcollege.edu/spencer/business_math/index.shtml 

Grading Policy 

There will be a series of 20 quizzes in all: 

10 in class based on the problems/exercises in each chapter

10 take home word problem exercises 

Each quiz will count for 10 points each for a total of 200 points possible for the quizzes. 

Grading Scale 

A          200 - 160 points
B          159 - 120 points
C          119 - 80 points
D          79   - 40 points
F          39 or less 

There will be extra credit activities worth 5 or 10 points depending on the exercise. These will be made available via in class handouts and on the instructor's website as they develop over the course of the class.

The first 10 point extra credit assignment is to complete a research project focused on how to create a start up business.  This would include deciding on the type of business to be created, what is required for the creation/start up (equipment, software, research into local/city/state/federal requirements for business license, etc.) This is a semester long  project designed to give students a fundamental understanding of what is involved in the process of a startup business.

The second 10 point extra credit assignment will be a take home quiz to be done over spring break with word problems taken from all chapters covered by end of class on March 31^st.  This quiz would be due on April 14^th.

Week Topic or Class Activity (dates are approx based on how the class progresses) 

1.  Introduction of Materials, Course Overview (Jan. 13^th)
2.  Chapter One: Review of basic computational skills - writing of whole numbers, rounding, addition, subtraction,  multiplication, division.  Word problem dissection and solving methods.   First in class   quiz  (Jan 20^th)
3.  Chapter Two: Study of fraction to decimal and decimal to fraction conversions; second in class quiz (Jan 27^th)
4.  Study of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions; third in class quiz    (Feb 3^rd)
5.  Chapter Three: Study of rounding decimals, fraction and decimal conversions; fourth in class quiz (Feb 10^th)
6.  Study of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of decimals (Feb 17^th)
7.  Chapter 4: Study of checking accounts, bank statement and reconciliation process; fifth quiz on  (Feb 24^th)
8.  Chapter Five:  Study of how to solve equations for an unknown; sixth in class quiz  (March 8^th)
9.  Study of how to solve word problems for the unknown   (March 10^th)
10. Chapter Six:  Study of percents & their application: conversions and the Portion = Base x Rate formula as a problem solving tool (March 17^th)
11. Chapter Seven: Study of trade discounts (single, chain and payment of freight); seventh in class quiz   (March 24^th)
12.  Study of cash discounts, credit terms & Partial payments. Optional take home quiz - word problems from all chapters  covered to date of class.  (March 31^st)
13. Tuesday, April 7^th  NO CLASS  Spring Break Week
14. Chapter 8:  Study of markups based on cost and selling price; eighth in class quiz   7(April 14^th)
15. Study of markdowns, perishables & breakeven analysis (April 21^st)
16. Chapter 9:  Study of various employee gross pay calculations; ninth in class quiz  (April 28^th)
17. Chapter 10: Study of simple interest and maturity value calculations  (May 5^th)
18. Study of finding the unknown in simple interest formula (May 17^th)
19. LAST CLASS/10^th QUIZ (May 19^th)