Business Education On The Cheap

A foundational knowledge of both Microeconomics and Macroeconomics ( don't let the micro and macro intimidate you, micro economics is the study of small scale economics , such as how a business firm operates, while macro economics studies takes a larger view , such as the study of how countries operate) helps you understand some of the economic forces that shape our global market place.

The study of macro/micro economics provide common sense explanations for market place phenomenon, such as the effects of supply and demand. But a study of economics will also shed light on lesser know concepts, such as how of specializations in concert with international trade, improves our lives and the nation as a whole. I've also included some less expensive textbooks, in case the sticker price on business school textbooks shock you.

No business education would be complete with out a firm understanding of economics , so your business education on the cheap must include excellent textbooks on this subject. Below are books currently used or was used in my economics courses.

Love it or hate it , you can not deny the usefulness of accounting in the modern business environment. It has been commented that accounting is the language of business , so it is essential for your business education to have some understanding of accounting. Accounting , unlike other business disciplines has a practical nature in everyday life. From being able to doing your own taxes, to being able to understand financial reports on your beloved stocks, its hard to deny the practical discipline that is accounting.

Personally, I find the subject quite dull , but I do have healthy respects for the discipline. Since a good foundation in accounting makes studying other business subjects much easier , be prepared to spend a good deal of time studying accounting and it will pay dividend quickly. Besides , some love the puzzle like nature of accounting, hopefully you will be one of those individuals.

The bane of most business student is statistics due to the quantitative nature and the lack of familiarity with the subject. But, in the modern business environment you must have some understanding of statistics because it plays an important role in other business disciplines such as computer information systems and finance.

If you wish to understand how our capital markets work and want to study advance financial subjects such as bond pricing and derivatives, then a firm grasp of statistics is mandatory. But to be honest with you , I think the everyday applications of statistics is quite limited. I think you should defiantly have a basic understanding of statistic concepts in order to have a well rounded business education, but a deep understanding is not necessary.

Finance is an arcane science that has baffled many business students due to its heavy usage of math, but an understanding of finance will change the way you look at money. You begin to perceive the time value of money and have a new found respect for debt and interest rates. After a course in finance, most business students marvel at the ideas of compound interests.

Finance is a practical business discipline and a must in a well rounded business education but be warned that at high levels, finance can become increasing complex and its practicality in everyday life diminishes rapidly ( I have a finance concentration, and even my professor admits that the things he teaches us have limited uses outside the classroom). So unless you are seeking a job on wall street, I suggest a foundational understanding is adequate for your business education.

Being able to work effectively with computers and computer programs is an essential skill for business students. A quick glance at job postings on job boards, one will find that most will require proficiency with computers and most of the time that means the Windows Office products: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access. Other important computer programs include Photoshop and a working knowledge of the internet.

Depending on your interest and career aspirations, different computer programs will be of importance to you. Excel is essential for finance related jobs , while PowerPoint maybe more important for marketing related jobs. So choose and focus on certain computer programs, while having a general working knowledge of the most popular business programs

Not being able to work efficiently with computers usually the kiss of death for most business students, so do not slack in this area of your business education. Computer information systems is one of the most practical subjects of the entire business education curriculum.

Marketing is where the creative business students shine. Marketing is seen as the fun and easy business course, but do not be fooled, marketing is not for slackers. Modern marketing takes into account qualitative approaches, such as buyer psychology as well as quantitative approaches, such as data mining. That means modern marketing students must have a wide breadth of knowledge, having both the statistical skills to understand data mining, while also coming up with creative and effective marketing campaigns.

Marketing is a practical study and can benefit all business students because in every industry you are trying to sell something , be it a product or yourself. So do not skimp in this area of business, since marketing has a high effort to reward ratio, out of your business education curriculum.

In order to have a well rounded business education, we had a few business classes that did not fit into the above listed courses. So i decided to group them here. Some of the courses that I felt were more relevant and had practical usage in everyday life were , commercial law, business strategy and human resource management.

At our university, you also had to choose a concentration within business( for example Business Administration Diploma with a concentration in Finance) , since business is such a broad subject. That meant that as you headed into your 3rd or 4th year , you took advance classes in that concentration. Hopefully after being exposed to the various disciples within business, you also develop a passion in a certain area of business and decide to pursue it at a higher level.