Mastering Business Essentials will give students the perfect introduction to the wide range of concerns facing businesses today. Students will be introduced to the critical concerns facing the CEO and the Director's of Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, and Operations at the fictional online entertainment company, CanGo. The videos and exercises in this series will help students apply what they have learned in class and from their textbook in all the key areas of business. In addition, since the videos all take place at CanGo and all make use of the same set of managers and their staff, students will be able to see how the concerns of one department affect the efforts of the others.

For example, students will watch Ethel, the Director of Accounting, provide information to various stakeholders of CanGo. They will also see how accounting is part of a communication process involving the accounting department, management, and external users, and not simply a bookkeeping activity performed by the accounting department. Essential economics topics are explored as students observe how CanGo managers examine the factors businesses that influence the demand for new products and the effects of new technologies and changing input prices on supply decisions.

In the Mastering Business Essentials project, students will watch as CanGo's management team works through critical financial decisions such as raising capital, expanding into new areas of business, and evaluating their financial performance. Through the use of the CanGo Web site, students will be encouraged to use technology as a learning tool and as a way to solve financial problems.

Key Management and Human Resource issues, such as how to best motivate and lead employees will also be addressed. Another key issue today is getting employees to work together effectively in teams. Students will watch CanGo employees grapple with these issues and they will learn more about them as they apply their knowledge from class to help solve these problems.

Students will use their understanding of marketing principles to help CanGo's marketing department develop marketing strategies for CanGo. They will explore factors that affect buying behavior of consumers and look at marketing research techniques that enable them to gather such information. Students will also learn how operations management concepts are helping today's organizations to improve their efficiency and thus their ability to stay competitive in today's highly volatile business environment.

A Variety of Issues - One Setting

By exploring all these issues in one setting - the world of the online company CanGo - students will get an opportunity to see how decisions made in one department can impact the operations of another.

Many students choose a college major and then fail to see how courses in other areas of business are important to the success of a company or how these courses relate to their interests. The Mastering Business Essentials series will help provide a foundation for this understanding and will also show students how a company can be successful when all these pieces come together.

Managerial Accounting and Cost Behavior
	Ethel and Clark discuss CanGo's financial reporting methods as the company prepares for an IPO. Since the company must change its financial reporting system to meet standardized practices required by investors, some staff members have trouble understanding the new methods. The team learns that the value of financial reports lies in their labeling and content. CanGo's managers realize these benefits and make use of the new system.
The Economic Way of Thinking
	CanGo is looking for ways to branch out in the e-commerce world. This episode addresses decision-making and the trade-offs that come from making various choices. Online gaming is thought to be a great way for CanGo to expand and compete, but since CanGo is a young company and has not yet settled on an IPO, it is faced with the dilemma of how to expand without the needed resources.
The Goal of the Firm and Social Responsibility
	The issue of corporate social responsibility is raised as the CanGo management team discusses the potentially adverse effects of violent online games. They search for a way to balance the company's reputation and the market's demands.
Raising Capital
	CanGo has reached a plateau in its development and needs a large amount of capital to expand its operations. The managers talk about how to take the next step with an investment banker. Without the cash infusion, the company faces other unexpected problems. The CanGo team learns that when a firm accepts capital from investors it agrees to certain restrictions as well.
Work Motivation
	The CanGo management team faces the task of preparing a group of young employees to design CanGo's new online game site. To meet this goal, the management team must motivate the employees to take on a set of new and challenging tasks. In the process, students learn essential concepts of motivation.
Leadership
	Liz faces the challenge of leading two very different groups of followers, one an experienced group of senior managers, the other a group of young employees. Through this episode, students learn about a variety of approaches to leadership.
Groups and Teams
	Maria heads a team charged with the task of putting together a promotional presentation for CanGo. The problems she faces in getting the team to act in an organized and effective manner gives students a chance to explore key issues in team formation and performance.
Ethical Issues
	In this episode Andrew faces a difficult dilemma. One of his staff members confides that she is thinking of leaving the CanGo. Soon after, Andrew has to decide whether to give this person access to potentially important information about the company. Andrew's problem serves as an opportunity for students to wrestle with the complexity of business ethics.
Marketing Concept/Strategy
	Andrew, Director of Marketing, is challenged to define explicitly CanGo's competitive position. He discusses the issue with Elizabeth, who charges him with developing a general marketing strategy for online gaming. Students review the basic types of marketing strategy and the concept of core competency. They then use that knowledge to help CanGo develop its marketing strategy and growth plans.
Understanding Consumer Behavior
	Andrew and his staff try to understand customers' behavior by tracing their progress through the CanGo Web site. With the help of a program that analyzes consumer preferences, they learn where they can improve the site. Later, Andrew is confronted with a mysterious surge of interest in CanGo by Japanese consumers. Students review the consumer buying process and the influences that shape it. They also evaluate CanGo's efforts to guide customers into a purchase.
Strategy and Operations
	A difficult holiday season has just passed. Elizabeth, CanGo's CEO, calls a meeting to compare last year's performance with this year's performance. Through their review the team discovers several factors that played a role in the recent holiday confusion and they brainstorm ways to prevent a repeat of this situation.
Concepts of Strategic Management
	Elizabeth is named Business Leader of the Year and delivers a speech on how she and CanGo came to be a success. CanGo's management team meets to decide if the company should enter the online gaming market. In the process, students are introduced to the basic concepts of strategic management.