What is Business?
A course on the fundamentals
Introduction
In this opening section of the course, we'll introduce the course structure, establish learning objectives, and invite you to examine how you'd like to change your relationship to business.
0.0 Welcome!
An intro to the course and why we've created it.
0.1 What's business to you?
Exploring your relationship with business and setting goals for changing it
The Big Picture
In the second section of the course, we'll take a look at how the world of business works. We'll learn different ways of evaluating businesses in order to establish a clearer picture of the variety of different types of businesses.
1.1 Sizes and shapes
A look at businesses by their size
1.2 Industries and sectors
A look at business by what they do
1.3 Legal structures
A look at businesses by their legal status
How Business Works
In this third section of the course, we'll "zoom in" to get an understanding of how individual businesses function. To do this, we'll learn about business models, marketing, value creation, and finance.
2.1 Business models
An overview of the Business Model Canvas
2.2 Creating a customer
A introduction to marketing
2.3 The meaning of value
A look at the core function of business--value creation
2.4 The measure of profit
The basics of finance and profit
The Purpose of Business
As we wrap up the course, we'll ask the big question: Why do businesses exist? We'll challenge the common assumption that businesses exist solely to make money and we'll broaden our understanding of businesses as tools with many functions.
3.1 Why is business?
A new understanding of what business is for