Business – General

Admission Requirements
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
Grade 12 English (C, U)
Grade 11 Math (C, U)
Or equivalent.
Or mature student status (an applicant who does not have a high school diploma or equivalent, and will have reached the age of 19 years on or before the start of the program). Mature students must undergo academic testing prior to admission into a program. Call the Admissions Office at 705-235-7222 for more details. Note: Academic prerequisites for this program may be obtained free of charge through Academic Upgrading.

Application Process
Fall intake – Apply to this program on OCAS. When studies commence, you are automatically registered in the first year Business Fundamentals which is a common first year business program for Northern College’s two* and three year business programs in accounting, human resources management, marketing, and business general studies.

The two year Office Administration – Executive program has a unique first year Office Administration-General.

January intake – Apply directly to the January intake program codes for the common first year Business Fundamentals program and upon completing this first year, you can register for the fall into the second year of the 2- or 3-year business program of your choice.

Semester 1
Same as Business Fundamentals.

Semester 2
Same as Business Fundamentals.

Semester 3
AC3044 Managerial Accounting
BU3103 Macroeconomics
BU3044 Operations Management
BU3113 Organizational Behaviour
MR3063 Professional Selling
EL1103 General Education Elective I (PC)

Semester 4
BU4003 Business Law
BU4053 Corporate Social Responsibility
BU4073 Entrepreneurship
BU4084 Business Simulation
BU4113 Project Management
MA3004 Statistics
EL2003 Business General Elective

Semester 1
Same as Business Fundamentals.

Semester 2
Same as Business Fundamentals.

Semester 3

AC3044 Managerial Accounting
This course will cover the following concepts related to Managerial Accounting:
Compare and contrast financial and management accounting. Apply costing concepts from a business point of view. Analyze cost behaviour as an aid to managers in making important decisions about future courses of action. Apply cost behaviour concepts as an important management accounting decision-making tool: cost-volume-profit analysis. Analyze the job-order costing model. Analyze activity-based costing. Compare and contrast variable versus absorption costing. Complete all components of a master budget. Calculate material, labor and overhead variances. Prepare an analysis for a variety of situations that will aid decision-making.

BU3103 Macroeconomics
In this course, students will discuss large-scale economic phenomena. Students will examine the behaviours of individual nations in a global economics context. Further, they will review the explanations for such things as prices and output in aggregate for an entire economy. Finally, they will examine technological change, global trade and the effect of tariffs.

BU3044 Operations Management
This course will cover the following concepts related to Operations Management: Illustrate the importance of operations management in the context of an organization’s strategic plan. Assess the role of supply chain management, logistics, and inventory strategies to support operational requirements. Determine the layout for goods and service producers to maximize efficiency and support organizational goals. Assess the impact of product/service design processes and benchmarking on productivity to support the organization’s goals. Assess strategies for the scheduling of production and staff which support the most productive operations of a facility. Assess the impact of quality control and quality assurance systems and programs to support the organization’s goals. Apply qualitative considerations and quantitative methods to the management decision making involved in the day to day operations of a business. Appreciate the scope of subjects and knowledge necessary for effective and efficient management of business operations, and to optimize the customer value created. Understand the connection between the different types of decisions made by operations managers, and the different types of mathematical models available to support management decision making. Communicate clearly the results of analysis and the application of quantitative methods to operational decisions to the managers involved.

BU3113 Organizational Behaviour
In this course, students will assess the impacts of human behaviour on organizational performance through the study of personal values and perceptions, motivational techniques, effective utilization of teamwork, conflict resolution options, negotiation processes, leadership styles, approaches to decision making, options for organizational structure, and change management. Students will learn to predict potential impacts of human resources policies and practices on employee behaviour as well as recommend management practices to effectively address specific employee behaviours.

MR3063 Professional Selling
This course will explore the world of building relationships in the sales field. Students will examine the steps in the preparation, presentation and the follow up of a professional sale. This course deals with a hands-on approach to developing the tools to be successful in most selling situations. Emphasis is placed on building a relationship based on rapport and trust. Students learn and practice the fundamentals of the sales process including, needs analysis, preparing sales presentations, handling objectives, confirming and closing the sale and the strategic importance of follow-up and providing exceptional customer service. Throughout the course role playing and case studies will be utilized to allow students to apply sound reasoning skills to solve
sales challenges.

PH2103 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (CK/KL/HL)

EL1103 General Education Elective I

Semester 4

BU4003 Business Law
This course presents a practical study of Canadian business law, including the legal and administrative systems,torts, contracts, employment laws, and general legal considerations that arise for a business. In addition, students will assess intellectual property, patent, trademark, copyright, and franchising laws and apply them to business cases. Students will outline the structure of the Canadian legal system, describe torts and professional liability issues, determine the requirements that form contracts, explain the circumstances that enforce contractual obligations, describe legislation and its function in the marketplace, outline the concepts of real and personal property, and relate Ideas and information laws as they apply to business.

BU4053 Corporate Social Responsibility
In this course, students will study the impact which corporations have on the environment, employees, communities, and stakeholders and will examine related ethical issues and concerns in these areas. Students will define “good corporate citizenship” and will look at government and private legislation/regulations which aim to make corporations socially accountable. Various approaches to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and CSR policies will be reviewed and assessed.

BU4073 Entrepreneurship
Many entrepreneurs plunge into the world of business with minimal training and may lack key skills to help maximize their chances of success. This course instructs the learner on essential skills to survive as an entrepreneur. This course focuses on two skill categories for entrepreneurs: Interpersonal business skills, and self-management skills. The interpersonal business skills portion will focus on the topics of: relationship management, negotiations,networking, and presentation. The self-management skills portion will focus on the topics of: self-care, mental health for entrepreneurs, stress management, diet and nutrition, and self-reflection. Risk management will also be taught in detail.

BU4084 Business Simulation
Students will utilize the knowledge relating to business activities gained through the curriculum in the previous three semesters to develop a winning strategy for their respective companies ( in a computerized business simulation) Students will co-manage the operations of a Simulated Business competing in a national , regional or global market.

BU4113 Project Management
In this course, students will develop managerial skills to propose, plan, secure resources, budget, and lead project teams to successful completion of projects. Students will also learn why organizations have developed a formal project management process supported by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and its Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) to gain a competitive advantage. The case study approach will be used along with an investigation of software and collaboration tools that aid in carrying out activities of project planning and project execution.

MA3004 Statistics
In this course, students will develop the necessary mathematical skills for conducting descriptive and inferential statistical analyses with business applications. Topics will include data description and presentation, probability, probability distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, regression and correlation.

El2003 Business General Elective

Download the complete Articulation Agreement list for Universities and Colleges (PDF, 113KB).

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