Essentials of Business Management Curriculum

Penn Foster’s online Essentials of Business Management consists of classes geared toward helping students gain foundational knowledge to enhance a business career. Your classes cover an introduction to business, business writing and math, and management essentials.

Business Management Essentials

Essentials of Business Management Curriculum

• 4 courses
• 48.8 continuing education units (CEUs)
• 18 exams
• 4 graded projects

Estimated completion time:

• Fast track = 5 months
• Average time = 6 months

With Penn Foster, you can learn at whatever pace works best for you. Some learners will be more comfortable moving faster, and dedicating more time, and the fast track estimate will apply to them. The average track will apply to most learners who can dedicate a few hours per week to completing their coursework. The estimated completion times are based on completion times for learners enrolled in this program from May 2021 - April 2022, excluding withdrawals.

• Introduction to Business

This course outlines the elements of business and the challenges businesses face in a global environment, such as competition and economic factors. You’ll learn why accounting, technology and information systems, marketing, and management are essential to starting and growing a business. You’ll also learn the basics of managing financial and human resources and the ethical and social responsibilities required of a successful manager.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Identify different elements that distinguish capitalism, socialism, communism, and mixed economies
• Define the role of small business in the free enterprise system
• Assess elements of the global economy, such as labor, capital, trade, and natural resources, and how they influence business
• Analyze the functions of business, such as management, organization, human relations, marketing, financing, and ethics
• Identify the purpose of business policy and strategy

• Summarize the functions of management and the basic steps in various planning processes
• Explain how to make effective decisions as a manager and a leader
• Describe the fundamental elements of an organization’s structure and the components of an organization’s competitive environment
• Explain principles for setting goals that motivate employees, why companies develop control systems, and why teamwork is beneficial
• Analyze why diversity is a critical organizational and managerial issue, and describe the criteria for technology decisions and managing change

This course will provide a foundation in basic mathematical operations. You'll learn about percentages, discounts, interest, present worth, sinking funds, installment buying, pricing, depreciation, investments, insurance, the use of symbols and their applications, equations and formulas, and the importance of statistics.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Analyze functions of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents
• Show calculations involved in simple interest, compound interest, and time value of money
• Prepare various business math applications involving financial reports, installment buying, and depreciation
• Analyze various financial concepts related to taxes, insurance, financial investments, and basic business statistics

Learn how to write business and technical documents.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

• Organize your material logically and systematically
• Use action verbs effectively and construct paragraphs
• Conduct research and document sources

Note: We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.

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