Exploring Business contains all of the usual topics covered in an introductory business course and goes into sufficient detail in each area that it might be used for mid-level business courses, as well. read more
Reviewed by Benton Jones, Assistant Professor, Anderson University on 4/30/24
Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less
Exploring Business contains all of the usual topics covered in an introductory business course and goes into sufficient detail in each area that it might be used for mid-level business courses, as well.
Content Accuracy rating: 4
The text is accurate to its year of publication.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
Most basic business concepts and terms have a long life, but any textbook will contain information that is no longer correct and thus should be supplemented with contemporary sources for studying the current state of the field.
Clarity rating: 5
Exploring business is written a level that is accurate but easy to understand.
Consistency rating: 4
It does seem like some sections were written by different people. That is probably a good thing considering the breadth of the text and the depth of some topics.
Modularity rating: 5
Instructors could easily teach these lessons in a different order or choose to exclude some topics and still use the remaining topics in the order they choose.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
Interface rating: 5
Lots of links to external sources referenced. Images are in sufficient resolution. Pages are designed for reading, with text wrapped around images.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
Free from serious grammar issues.
Cultural Relevance rating: 4
Consistent with most books on these subjects, the text remains culturally neutral where appropriate.
It may have too much information for an Intro to Business class, so if I were teaching from it, I would decide which sections to assign for students to read.
Reviewed by Karen Gaines, Adjunct Professor, Johnson County Community College on 5/4/22
The book covers all the basic information that should be in an introductory business book. However, there is no index/glossary for the reader. read more
Reviewed by Karen Gaines, Adjunct Professor, Johnson County Community College on 5/4/22
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
The book covers all the basic information that should be in an introductory business book. However, there is no index/glossary for the reader.
Content Accuracy rating: 5
The information presented is accurate and presented in a straightforward fashion.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
As this is an introductory text, the foundation of relevant information is there. However, some of the narrative and visuals are out dated. In some cases it is purely informative but in other cases the information is 15-20 years old and having that outdated information for the specific topics that are discussed may not engage the reader. Suggest a review of the text and update where it is most relevant with narrative and visuals.
Clarity rating: 5
The material was written in a clear and concise manner.
Consistency rating: 5
The format and design is consistent throughout the book.
Modularity rating: 5
The chapters were broken down into smaller subsections, which is a benefit to the reader and to the instructor, should they choose to not include or rearrange the order of the reading materials.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
The material was presented in an orderly manner. The subsections under each chapter helped enable the reader to choose which section(s) to read.
Interface rating: 5
There were no interface issues.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
Did not find grammatical issues.
Cultural Relevance rating: 4
Cultural relevance might be better addressed in a review and update of the text.
Reviewed by Carole Splendore, Director of Assessment and Accreditation, University of Saint Francis on 12/11/21
The book has good comprehensiveness overall in that it it begins with a theoretical foundation in economics, ethics and social responsibility, and global trade. Then the book pivots into the knowledge one must have for the decisions which must be. read more
Reviewed by Carole Splendore, Director of Assessment and Accreditation, University of Saint Francis on 12/11/21
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
The book has good comprehensiveness overall in that it it begins with a theoretical foundation in economics, ethics and social responsibility, and global trade. Then the book pivots into the knowledge one must have for the decisions which must be made upon starting a business such as business type and developing a business plan. Finally it moves into managerial aspects. I think the book would be benefitted with a section on emerging trends (other than globalization and ethics and CSR, there is the speed of information, the rate of change, the knowledge worker, democratization and the flattening of the hierarchy). Leadership styles is lacking. There needs to be examples of charts and forms for planning and accounting.
Content Accuracy rating: 5
I think leadership styles was oversimplified to the point of being somewhat inaccurate. Otherwise, the book is ok.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
The consumer price index chart only goes to 2002. The data for wages are from 2010. Same with other charts. But I think it will be easy to update the charts. In strategic planning, it lays out the elements of a plan without showing what a plan looks like, so has limited utility. Also, TQM is discounted today in leadership studies.
Clarity rating: 4
It is clear. It goes over a lot of topics quickly, but not in depth. This leaves me a bit concerned that students will not understand the complexities of what they are reading. For example, it describes how to be a good team member but does not disclose how to handle difficult conversations which is what is underneath much of the advice given.
Consistency rating: 4
The book was mostly consistent. Ethics and global issues came into the assignments in later chapters. Finance included personal finance. The book seems to have a directive perspective in leadership but then a collaborative perspective in followership which is inconsistent.
Modularity rating: 5
The book is well segmented, and the flow of the chapters is well-considered.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4
The structure is very good from theoretical grounding in the first three chapters to decisions points in the next two chapters to managerial aspects in the eleven. It is lacking a section on innovation and a final chapter on emerging trends and future considerations. It leaves the student with no tools to imagine how they could excel in business. The learning objectives, diagrams, takeaways, and exercises which bracket each section are helpful for memory. Assignments bring in concepts from earlier chapters.
Interface rating: 5
The interface looks fine. It is not confusing. After engaging in an interface though, the reader gets brought back to the beginning of the book.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
The grammar was fine.
Cultural Relevance rating: 4
To begin with Apple in a book with a chapter on ethics is tone deaf. Why discuss Adam Smith but not Marx? Why was Foucault necessary? The ethical case studies were good.
It would be helpful if the business plan and accounting forms were presented in a way so they could be filled out.
Reviewed by Dhruba Banjade, Lecturer, University of Texas at Arlington on 6/1/21
The book covers must of the relevant topics in Finance. However, I suggest to include more on Time value of Money, Risk and Return concept. read more
Reviewed by Dhruba Banjade, Lecturer, University of Texas at Arlington on 6/1/21
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
The book covers must of the relevant topics in Finance. However, I suggest to include more on Time value of Money, Risk and Return concept.
Content Accuracy rating: 4
Yes. The book is excellent in terms of accuracy.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 2
The authors discuss most of the events based on old data. For example, Unemployment and workplace deaths. Authors use the data from 1970 to 2010 only. Unemployment and workplace deaths must be explained based on the recent data.
Clarity rating: 4
The text is written clearly.
Consistency rating: 4
Yes. The text is consistent.
Modularity rating: 4
There are 16 chapters in the book. Each chapter is sub-divided into small sections. It helps to readers to understand clearly.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4
The topics are presented in the logical manner.
Interface rating: 4
The test is clearly written. The readers will not confuse.
Grammatical Errors rating: 4
There are no grammatical errors.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
The text is not culturally insensitive.
Yes. The book briefly discusses the time value of money part. Most of the finance courses (introductory courses) discuss the time value of money (present value, future value, annuity, annuity due, perpetuity) and risk and return concepts. Thus, I suggest authors include one or two more chapters and incorporate these concepts also.
Reviewed by Louis Bruneau, Part Time Faculty, Portland Community College on 8/15/17
This book covers everything normally covered in an text introducing business. There was no index or glossary with the review edition I had. read more
Reviewed by Louis Bruneau, Part Time Faculty, Portland Community College on 8/15/17
Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less
This book covers everything normally covered in an text introducing business. There was no index or glossary with the review edition I had.
Content Accuracy rating: 5
I did not find anything to be concerned about with respect to accuracy, errors or biases.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 5
The world is moving rapidly and textbooks thus have a limited life. This book seems to be current/up-to-date and likely to be stay so for a reasonable time (about three years).
It should be easy to revise/update given its modular format. Instructors may want and should be able to update easily.
Clarity rating: 5
The book is very readable; ideas are well supported with explanations and illustrations.
Consistency rating: 5
I found the book to be consistent within chapters and mostly consistent chapter-to-chapter. The few little things I found were not a problem , but an opportunity for class discussion.
Modularity rating: 5
This is the feature that I most appreciated. With each chapter having six to ten modules it allows an Instructor great flexibility in class presentation. I also liked the modularity which allows for substitution with Instructor selected modules or additions/deletions to customize the material.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
The structure of the book is logical and clear. I lays the groundwork and builds nicely upon it.
Interface rating: 5
There were no interface issues noted in my reading of the book.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
I noted no grammar, capitalization, punctuation or mechanical errors with the book.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
The book is not insensitive or offensive in any way.
Clearly, I like the book. Were I able to use it I would.
The length of the book, 737 pages-without appendix or glossary, might put some students and/or Instructors off, but the modular format more than compensates.
Reviewed by Kim Gravelle, Business Management Instructor, Century College on 6/20/17
This text introduces students to the many facets of business, including business ethics and social responsibility, operating in global business environment, marketing, accounting, and finance. The topics covered are in close alignment with the. read more
Reviewed by Kim Gravelle, Business Management Instructor, Century College on 6/20/17
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
This text introduces students to the many facets of business, including business ethics and social responsibility, operating in global business environment, marketing, accounting, and finance. The topics covered are in close alignment with the textbook I am currently using. There are many figures and tables sprinkled throughout each chapter to support the text and to add interest. I have a printed copy of this textbook, and key words are defined in the margins. These are missing from the PDF version.
Content Accuracy rating: 5
The content is accurate, error-free, and unbiased. The examples used appear to be carefully prepared, although some of them are outdated.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
the content is relevant, although some examples are a bit outdated as stated earlier. Some of these could easily be refreshed.
Clarity rating: 5
The text is very clearly written, and the author has an easy to follow writing style. Definitions of key terms are clearly and concisely presented.
Consistency rating: 5
The textbook is consistent. Each chapter starts with an interesting opening vignette; each chapter is broken down into several sections with clearly articulated learning objectives. The subsections contain key takeways and relevant exercises. All chapters end with a Cases and Problems section. This includes an "Ethics Angle" and "Team-Building Skills."
Modularity rating: 5
The text is readily divisible into smaller reading sections. There are several subheadings in each chapter to facilitate this. It appears that the chapters could be used out of sequence to a large extent.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
The topics are presented in a logical, clear manner. The book is well organized, with the key takeaways boxes and section exercises breaking up the lesson.
Interface rating: 5
I did not experience interface issues. The book was easy to navigate, and the links that I followed worked as expected. Images and charts were colorful and did not appear distracting or confusing.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
I did not see spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. The book is well written.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
The textbook does present examples that are inclusive of varying race, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
Reviewed by Linda Davenport, Program Lead, Business Administration, Klamath Community College on 6/20/17
This textbook appears to cover the subjects typically taught in an Intro to Business course in good depth. The marketing chapters are a bit condensed, but the most significant components are clearly defined. The textbooks that I typically use. read more
Reviewed by Linda Davenport, Program Lead, Business Administration, Klamath Community College on 6/20/17
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
This textbook appears to cover the subjects typically taught in an Intro to Business course in good depth. The marketing chapters are a bit condensed, but the most significant components are clearly defined. The textbooks that I typically use have more charts and graphs to present, for example, a comprehensive list of HR laws, but there are many other ways to access those resources (and since they are frequently updated, it probably makes more sense to use an outside reference for items like that).
Content Accuracy rating: 5
I spot reviewed throughout numerous sections and found no errors.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
Please see my reference on #1. This book appears to provide a tremendous foundation, but outside resources will need to be included as laws change, businesses shift their leadership, etc.
Clarity rating: 5
This book is extremely comfortable to read. Technical terms are explained and used, and supporting examples are provided in numerous chapter sections.
Consistency rating: 5
This book has a very consistent flow and "pattern" of delivery. it appears to be easy to follow as each chapter has a common framework.
Modularity rating: 5
The chapters in this book are broken down in understandable "chunks" which certainly make for easier reading and more comprehension.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
The flow of the topics makes sense. I have used and/or reviewed at least 10 similar textbooks over the past 13 years for my Intro to Business course and there is a common approach to organizing the topics. This book follows that and even adds in additional components that are often missing from other texts.
Interface rating: 5
This book's interface is high quality. I had no problems accessing any of the resources that were included throughout the chapters. If there are issues, I did not encounter them.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
The grammar seems very appropriate.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
I looked at particular sections that could potentially raise a concern and found that they were carefully and tactfully worded. Good examples to support the topics!
I am delighted and surprised that this author has offered this text for use as an OER. the textbook is high quality, comparable in content to many other "highly recommended" texts that I have used in previous years, and I look forward to seeing the instructor resources. Aside from the lack of an author name, this textbook seems to be a superior choice for an Intro to Business course!
Reviewed by Robert Eliason, Lecturer, James Madison University on 4/11/17
With 16 chapters, this Foundations of Business text provides a wide view of the field. Additional chapters that expand the content include: starting a business, the role of accounting, personal finances, and legal aspects of business. Areas. read more
Reviewed by Robert Eliason, Lecturer, James Madison University on 4/11/17
Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less
With 16 chapters, this Foundations of Business text provides a wide view of the field. Additional chapters that expand the content include: starting a business, the role of accounting, personal finances, and legal aspects of business.
Areas missing in this book but are found in many current textbooks include a growing interest in analytics and big data, decision-making, or project management. Social media is not featured. The in-depth chapter on teams does not cover how to run meetings.
Content Accuracy rating: 5
No content errors were found.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 3
The core theories and business structures that are the basis for the textbook will remain the same for future years. With the last major update being in 2012 and many examples from the previous decade, some examples that seem current and relevant at the time are now no longer in the popular business news.
Clarity rating: 4
The reading level is appropriate for college-level readers. Business terms are highlighted but no glossary is provided.
Consistency rating: 5
Each chapter is divided into sections. Each section has learning objectives, clear division of content with headings, a Key Takeaways summary, and exercise or brief case, and references. Each chapter ends with expanded problems and a short case.
Modularity rating: 4
Constructed with concise, stand-alone chapters, the text can be easily modified by removing unwanted chapters, sections, or individual content while allowing additional information or features, such as videos, to be added. Missing in the digital text reviewed are the Instructor’s Manual, an integrated business plan exercise and supporting finance spreadsheet, and a major case on Nike.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3
The overall order of the chapters matches similar textbooks. It does order some chapters similar to what would be needed to start a new business. The construct of the chapters does allow picking and choosing chapters or to teach the content out of the presented order.
Interface rating: 5
The text is available in PDF, Kindle, e-pub, WordPress, OpenDocument text, and .mobi formats. The digital text formats do create hanging titles and widowed lines.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
The text is free of spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors. Links to videos correctly connect to YouTube video pages outside of the text.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
The text considers cultural barriers, diverse employees and customers, communication issues, and international business.
Exploring Business, Version 2.0, provides a solid introduction to the principals of business. It reflects a refined content developed over years of development and classroom experience. Both theoretical and practical content is provided. With over 2000 pages, this text provides a wide range of topics that exceeds those found in most introductory or principals of business textbooks.
Reviewed by Shayne Narjes, Marketing Faculty, South Central College on 2/8/17
Exploring Business is being used as the textbook for the Introduction to Business course I am teaching this term at South Central College. Overall, the book provides good coverage of the topics that would be expected from a survey course for. read more
Reviewed by Shayne Narjes, Marketing Faculty, South Central College on 2/8/17
Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less
Exploring Business is being used as the textbook for the Introduction to Business course I am teaching this term at South Central College. Overall, the book provides good coverage of the topics that would be expected from a survey course for business as a discipline.
Content Accuracy rating: 4
The only issues with accuracy that I have noted so far are due to timeliness of the examples since the book was originally published in 2010. That said, the examples seem correct in terms of facts at the time of publication.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
Although some of the examples have evolved since the book was published the examples are relevant. For example, the Tylenol case study from 1982 occurred before many of the students in my class were born but it is still a relevant example.
Clarity rating: 4
The book contains the business terminology required to impart the concepts relevant to an introduction to business course. The writing style is easy to follow and in an informal survey of my students they suggested the book presented information in a way they could understand. One minor issue involves the use of figures in which the figure is on one page of the PDF while the figure caption is on the previous page.
Consistency rating: 5
The text is consistent in they way terminology and concepts are presented. Each of the chapter subsections includes learning objectives at the start of the section and the end of each section includes: "Key Takeaways", exercises or activities and a references section.
Modularity rating: 5
Each of the chapters is divided into smaller sections of 3-7 pages and this is a particularly effective approach given the format is a PDF file. This allows my learners to easily move between different parts of the chapter using the PDF bookmarks.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
There is a clear and logical structure to Exploring Business which comes primarily from the consistency mentioned earlier in this review.
Interface rating: 4
The main issue with the interface involves the book page numbers and the page numbers of the PDF document being different. This cannot really be helped but it does require some explanation when directing students to page 428 of the book which is actually page 444 of the PDF.
Grammatical Errors rating: 4
There seem to be few grammar errors. The prolific use of dashes and colons may present a slightly different way of reading information for some learners but the use of the different grammatical devices appeared to be correct.
Cultural Relevance rating: 4
Overall, the book seems to be from an inclusive perspective and the chapter on The Global Business Environment encourages students to "learn about the habits and traits of other cultures."
Some of my students have mentioned that they miss having physical book and I reminded them they can print the book if they wish.
Reviewed by Steve Skripak, Professor of Practice, Virginia Tech on 12/5/16
The text covers a multitude of areas of business. Even instructors that do not want to use every chapter can find applicability to their introductory business courses. However, the version of the book that I was able to access did not have an. read more
Reviewed by Steve Skripak, Professor of Practice, Virginia Tech on 12/5/16
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
The text covers a multitude of areas of business. Even instructors that do not want to use every chapter can find applicability to their introductory business courses. However, the version of the book that I was able to access did not have an effective index or glossary, making it hard to pinpoint specific content without thumbing through entire chapters.
Content Accuracy rating: 3
Most chapters of the book are accurate, although some of the examples have gotten very dated and others, like using Caesar's Palace for the technology chapter, were probably outdated when the book was first released. In several places, most notably economic systems, the book seems very biased - a graphic in that chapter positioned socialism as the middle ground. In order to use this book, I had to do a major rewrite of that chapter to remove what I considered to be a sociallistic bias.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 3
As with any business textbook, some examples are rather outdated. This book is neither better nor worse than other texts, with the exception of the material on Caesar's previously mentioned. Business changes and updates are needed; it's just a fact of life.
Clarity rating: 3
The book is clearly written and conversational in tone, which will likely appeal to many undergraduate students. Its main shortcoming is a sometimes verbose and repetitive writing style. It often employs a series of rhetorical questions to get students thinking, but some of those series contain so many questions that it is easy to envision students becoming irritated by the repetition and skipping on to the end of the section.
Consistency rating: 5
No issues with respect to consistency were noted in my review.
Modularity rating: 2
The text is divided into logical chapters, though some of them are so long as to merit further division considering the reading attention span of an undergraduate student (as well as this reviewer). However, there are numerous self-references within the book, both within and between chapters, which would create challenges in using a subset of the book.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
The book follows the flow of topics that is typical of an introductory business textbook.
Interface rating: 4
No navigation or display issues were noted, though a fair number of graphics were extremely basic and did not add great value for the reader.
Grammatical Errors rating: 4
Grammatical errors were infrequent, though writing clarity could be improved in many instances.
Cultural Relevance rating: 3
In editing the book for my course, I did remove a very small number of examples that I was concerned could be a bit offensive. I found the economics chapter and the union chapter to be rather biased to the left and edited them to be what I view as more balanced.
Many of the Key Takeaways boxes, intended to be a short recap of key points, were practically verbatim repeats of the previously mentioned content. These sections often added unnecessary length to the chapters without being of any additional value. In the interest of brevity (my objective being a book targeted enough that students would actually read it), I also removed the case studies since this kind of material is the most difficult to keep current.
Reviewed by Amanda Everhart, Academic Advisor/Lecturer, University of North Carolina, Greensboro on 12/5/16
This is a total teaching package that breaks down all of the basic areas of Business and then presents them in a fun and interesting way. Materials are up to date and provide flexibility in their use as a whole or individually. read more
Reviewed by Amanda Everhart, Academic Advisor/Lecturer, University of North Carolina, Greensboro on 12/5/16
Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less
This is a total teaching package that breaks down all of the basic areas of Business and then presents them in a fun and interesting way. Materials are up to date and provide flexibility in their use as a whole or individually.
Content Accuracy rating: 5
The content covered is accurate and up to date with no obvious errors or biased opinions given.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 5
Business as a whole is constantly growing and changing with technology but is based on firm foundations that have withstood the test of time. This book does a great job of laying the ground work of these foundations and then covers the changes that have taken place over the years as well as leaves room for future changes.
Clarity rating: 5
The text is very clear and concise with great visuals added to enhance the clarity. It is written in a way that can be understood by many different levels of student.
Consistency rating: 5
The format of the book is very consistent and uses terminology that is easy to understand throughout its entirety.
Modularity rating: 5
The breakdown of the books sections is very easily divisible and each section has multiple sub sections that can be used in the same lesson or as a stand alone class topic.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
Each topic within the book is laid out in a logical structure with key takeaway points for each section as well as an exercise that incorporates all of the key points at the very end.
Interface rating: 5
The book is broken into sections using bold color coding to make finding a particular component easy and all of the graphics are clear and visually appealing.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
I do not see any grammatical errors within the text.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
The book primarily focuses on business practices within the US but a large chapter of the book is devoted to the global business environment. The information that is given is not in any way offensive or biased.
I feel that this is a really good resource for a basic Business Studies class. It supplies everything that the student and instructor need for a course.
Reviewed by Dr. Randall Wade, Instructor and Chair, Business Technology, Rogue Community College on 8/21/16
This text covers all of the major topics taught in an introductory business class. Students are provided with a good foundation of business, including coverage of business ethics, social responsibility, international aspects of business, and a. read more
Reviewed by Dr. Randall Wade, Instructor and Chair, Business Technology, Rogue Community College on 8/21/16
Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less
This text covers all of the major topics taught in an introductory business class. Students are provided with a good foundation of business, including coverage of business ethics, social responsibility, international aspects of business, and a discussion of economics. The basic functions of business (management, marketing, accounting, and finance) are thoroughly covered, while additional chapters on personal finance and business law are also included. The drawback is that the various digital formats (other than reading the book on-line) were missing a Table of Contents. In addition, students do not have access to an end-of-chapter (or even end-of-text) glossary or an index. This is a major flaw to this text.
Content Accuracy rating: 4
I did not find any glaring errors in regard to accuracy. Much care has been taken to ensure that the pictures and writing are unbiased, as well as gender and culturally diverse. Many of the chapters start out discussing the opening vignette which is missing, so the reader comes in with no idea of what the author is talking about.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 3
While I am not a fan of publishers updating texts on a two-year cycle with minimal changes to warrant a new edition, the reality is that this text was published in 2010. That means that the currency of the book is at least a decade old. While the author has added some additional current topics (sustainability and social media), the references are still over a decade old (accessing them on the Internet in 2012 does not make them current).
The companies referenced in many chapters could clearly be updated. Using former Senator George McGovern as an example in Chapter 16 is not relevant to today’s students. He was current news in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, but the majority of students today would not know who he even was (he passed away in 2012). Discussion of new digital currency (Bitcoins) would be a nice addition to the text. Overall, I have not seen that Exploring Business 2.0 is that much different from the original version.
Clarity rating: 5
The text is well written, with many pictures, graphs, and figures interspersed to make it easy to follow. I like the conversational writing style and succinct definitions of key words. I would have preferred to have a glossary of terms (either at the end of the chapter or end of book), instead of the highlighted links. By clicking on the highlighted word, the same definition comes up that is already on the same page.
Consistency rating: 4
Terminology was easy to understand (although the hyperlinks were redundant). In many cases, the Key Takeaway boxes were also redundant. For example, Chapter 4 spends one page covering questions to ask in selecting a form of business ownership, and then the Key Takeaway box virtually repeats the same material on the next page – redundant! Otherwise, the reader is able to build on key terms as they progress through the course.
Modularity rating: 3
While each chapter was segmented into logical modules, overall, the book was not. Typically, an introductory text would be divided into units (foundation, business ownership, management, marketing, accounting, finance). This text does not have that division (unless provided by the instructor) and the student just moves from one chapter into the next.
Sixteen chapters provides ample material for a semester course, but for a school on a quarter system, the adopter would have to eliminate some chapters from coverage. Personally, I would leave out Chapter 8 (writing e-mails and memos is covered in a business communications class – not introduction to business); Chapter 14 (nice material but it does not fit with the rest of the subject matter); Chapter 15 (again, nice material but one that can be covered in both a marketing class and/or an introductory computer class) and Chapter 16 (Business Law is a standalone class – contract law can be covered in more depth in a separate class and the legislation needs to be updated).
Chapters 9 and 10 could easily have been divided into 4 separate chapters covering the four P’s of the marketing mix.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
As mentioned previously, the text covers the primary topics one would expect to find in an introductory business book. Each chapter builds on the previous one with the recurrent theme of building a business plan. While I would not have included the last three chapters (they really were written as more stand-alone chapters and did not relate well to the previous material), some instructors may find them useful. I would have liked more elaboration on the history of labor unions and their evolving role in the service sector as the manufacturing sector has diminished.
Interface rating: 4
I was able to access the definitions of the hyperlinked terminology in each chapter using the on-line reader, but they would not work in the .pdf version on my tablet. Many of the reference links were also inaccessible on my tablet. However, the .pdf file worked well on my PC and I was able to access all terminology and hyperlinked references without any trouble. The charts and images came up successfully (both on a PC and a tablet). I found the graphics did a good job in breaking up the writing, while supplementing the material in the text.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
Grammatical and spelling errors are a pet peeve of mine, especially in textbooks. I found the text to be very well written and easy to read, without any grammatical or spelling errors to distract the reader.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
The illustrations and examples in the text have included a variety of races, ethnicities, gender, and other culturally diverse backgrounds. The writing style was neither left-, nor right-focused, but rather inclusive and considerate of all cultures appropriately.
Because of the lack of an index and glossary, I would most likely not consider this text for an introductory business course. The exercises at the end of each chapter were thought provoking and required the student to do actual research and formulate some logical responses to the questions, rather than just reciting verbatim from the chapter.
While the author has over a decade of using the business plan project successfully, after 40 years of teaching graduate, university, and community college students, I’m not convinced that the first business course a student is exposed to should tackle such a project. Students do not have the foundation in business to create an effective plan, nor do they have the expertise to prepare the financial section of the plan (even with a simple to use Excel component). Exposing students to the basic components of a business plan as outlined in Chapter 5 is a positive step in giving them the skills to prepare a business plan later on in their business studies.
The author-written instructor manual is a big plus in adopting this book. No one knows the book better than the author and well-structured teaching materials are key to success in the classroom. I would hope that these materials, as well as the test bank, are compatible with the major Course Learning Systems (such as Blackboard).
Reviewed by Daniel Gore, Adjunct Instructor & Teaching Specialist, University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication on 6/10/15
The breadth of the content covered exceeded my expectations. The textbook allows discussions and in-class conversations which help students understand the may externalities affecting a business. There are some introductory conversations about. read more
Reviewed by Daniel Gore, Adjunct Instructor & Teaching Specialist, University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication on 6/10/15
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
The breadth of the content covered exceeded my expectations. The textbook allows discussions and in-class conversations which help students understand the may externalities affecting a business. There are some introductory conversations about economics, international influences, staffing, regulatory considerations, governance, and ethical concerns to name a few. The book integrates exercises to prompt classroom activity and discussion, along with sufficient graphic support to make the textbook easily consumable.
Content Accuracy rating: 4
Dr. Collins took care in writing the book to ensure that the language and examples used are fair and without agenda. While it is written for the mixed economic structure of the U.S., there are some primary discussions about alternative economies--sufficient enough to spark dialogue for critical thinking by students.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
The content is current and relatable, as it uses topics, companies and organizations which are still relevant. As with any text which cites actual cases, they will not remain evergreen. There are some references to WorldCom and other businesses which are no longer top-of-mind, but they are still within the readers' generation to be useful. The references are as current as any can reasonably expect. Dr. Collins takes those case studies and helps elevate the examples beyond the current year, and inspires readers to consider the topics irrespective of their chronology.
Clarity rating: 5
The text is written in a very comfortable lexicon which will be accessible to the college-level student. The book provides sufficient supporting information and references to issues which may be more complex. It was thankfully void of useless business jargon.
Consistency rating: 4
The flow of the book allows the instructor and reader to take a logical walk through the aspects of business which are in scope of the book. The language was consistent throughout the textbook and allowed for a methodical understanding of the content which built on itself chapter after chapter.
Modularity rating: 4
At almost 1,000 pages it's a large textbook for a semester course, if it's use was to complement other aspects of a lesson plan. As such, I think the text could be used out of sequence, or modularly. This adds to the book's utility, as I could easily see how portions of the book could be filled in with independent writings, assignments or in-class speakers on a given topic.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
The flow of the book builds well upon itself, each chapter leading, or preparing for successive chapters' discussions. However, I find that the elegance in the structure is that you could pick up in the middle of the book, without having been required to have read a previous chapter. (In most instances, though this is not universally applicable to the book). I appreciated that the book examined the topic of business at a much broader level than just an operational level. The explorations of the economy, social responsibility, governmental pressures, stakeholder influences and human resource components were a rich teaching for students.
Interface rating: 4
The digital format of the book worked fine in the default .pdf viewer I used on my laptop. The links I tried worked successfully. The images, graphs and graphics all appeared as I expected them. It is not particularly stimulating in its layout and design, which can influence a reader's attention span; however it was not distracting nor unappealing as some textbooks can be.
Grammatical Errors rating: 4
I found the book to be structurally written well, adhering to commonly accepted writing styles. I did not read it with a red pen in hand, but the words, spelling and punctuation did not cause me any concern.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
I felt that the book was very inclusive in its examples and illustrations of issues. In particular, the book discussed globalization considerations of business, and went well beyond simply translating materials into another language. Dr. Collins really opens the opportunity to have lengthy discussions about social inclusiveness--how even in a single country, social issues affect how businesses relate to their marketplace. It was among the first examples of this level of dialogue I've seen in a textbook targeted at introductory business.
I would consider adopting this text for a course. It is useful because it does not have a strong philosophical agenda toward or away from the politics of business. While it does describe situations which may seem to favor the worker, or protecting the worker; the text does not castigate business or big-business.
The author's goals in writing Exploring Business Version 2.0 was simple: introduce students to business in an exciting way.
Exploring Business is adapted from a work produced by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. This adapted edition is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing through the eLearning Support Initiative. Though the publisher has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution, this adapted edition reproduces all original text and sections of the book, except for publisher and author name attribution.
This textbook has been used in classes at: College of Alameda, Columbia Basin College, Flagler College, Johnson County Community College, Pasadena City College, Penn State University, Renton Technical College, San Diego Mesa College, Sierra College, Yuba College.
