An Introduction to Business
- Last updated
- Sep 15, 2025
- Save as PDF
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
Business plays a central role in shaping economies, creating opportunities, and improving lives, and understanding its foundations is essential for anyone preparing to enter today’s dynamic marketplace. Introduction to Business provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts, practices, and challenges that define the business world. Beginning with the economic and ethical foundations of commerce, the text explores how businesses operate in both domestic and global environments, examines forms of ownership and entrepreneurship, and outlines the principles of management, human resources, teamwork, and communication. It then turns to marketing, product development, operations, accounting, and finance, before considering personal financial planning, the impact of information technology, and the legal environment that governs business activity. Designed to blend theory with real-world application, each chapter integrates practical cases and problems to build the knowledge and skills needed for success in business, whether as an entrepreneur, a manager, or a contributor in any organizational role.
Front Matter
1: The Foundations of Business
2: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
3: Business in a Global Environment
4: Selecting a Form of Business Ownership
5: The Challenges of Starting a Business
6: Managing for Business Success
7: Recruiting, Motivating, and Keeping Quality Employees
8: Teamwork and Communications
9: Marketing- Providing Value to Customers
10: Product Design and Development
11: Operations Management in Manufacturing and Service Industries
12: The Role of Accounting in Business
13: Managing Financial Resources
14: Personal Finances
15: Managing Information and Technology
16: The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business
Back Matter
Thumbnail: A person holding a sign that says open business as new normal (Unsplash License; Teslariu Mihai via Unsplash)
