Business

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Entrepreneurship, Logistics, Management, and Marketing and Retailing
Contact Information: Program Office 615-353-3400, Program Site, E-mail: business@nscc.edu

The following business degree at Nashville State Community College is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs: A.A.S. in Business.

The primary purpose of this degree is to prepare students for employment immediately following graduation from Nashville State.

Program Mission: The mission of the Business program is to provide practical learning opportunities that prepare students to:

• Excel in the business community;
• Effectively adapt to and manage technological change;
• Develop ethical business practices and a sense of personal responsibility;
• Work independently and as part of a team;
• Communicate effectively with written and oral messages; and
• Gain employment in retail, wholesale, manufacturing, and service industry organizations.

The Business program prepares students entering the business field with the managerial and technical skills necessary to perform in entry-level management positions in small and large companies.

The Entrepreneurship Concentration is designed to offer students the opportunity to focus on various entrepreneurial aspects of business. Instruction in the areas of planning, managing, marketing, accounting, and supervising are emphasized. This concentration provides students with a basis to enter the small business environment.

• Demonstrate an understanding of entrepreneurial alternatives such as startup, buyout, and franchising.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role, activities, and financial analysis of entrepreneurship in a global setting.
• Write a business plan.

The Logistics Concentration prepares students for employment in the supply chain management field. The concentration is designed to introduce logistics principles to students seeking first-time employment in supply chain management or for more experienced individuals desiring to expand their knowledge.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the important role of logistics and supply chain management in today’s business environment.
• Understand and analyze current logistics and supply chain management trends.
• Demonstrate an understanding of globalization, supply chain design, and logistics functions such as transportation, warehousing, and operations.
• Apply current logistics and supply chain theories, practices and concepts utilizing case problems and problem-based learning situations.
• Demonstrate an understanding of professional, ethical, and social responsibilities that impact logistics and supply chain management decisions.

The Management Concentration provides knowledge and skills sufficient to allow a person to be employed in a wide variety of service, merchandising, and manufacturing organizations. This program will be helpful to those individuals who wish to own and operate a business.

• Demonstrate an understanding of how to develop and maintain an organization’s management structure to effectively and efficiently maximize organizational resources.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively, think critically, and develop problem solving skills in business situations.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the American free enterprise system.

The Marketing and Retailing Concentration directs the student toward understanding the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from the producer to the consumer or user.

• Develop a Personal Selling Philosophy, a Relationship Strategy, a Product Strategy, a Customer Strategy, a Customer Presentation Strategy, and explain the process of self-management and the management of others.
• Explain how to create, communicate, deliver, and capture value in exchanges with target markets by utilizing marketing mix and positioning strategies.
• Describe the evolution of retailing, the importance of social, cultural, and technological trends, and operational channels and configurations for building and maintaining customer relationships. Explain how decisions are made in operating, managing, and competing in a retail enterprise environment.
• Segment and create social media audiences, write engaging copy, set up landing pages, track ads, and measure results while observing what works and does not work—and why it does not work.

Graduates of the Business program should be able to:

• Understand how to develop and maintain an organization’s management program that effectively and efficiently maximizes organizational resources;
• Possess basic business management skills in the areas of accounting, computers, economics, marketing, banking, management, team building, and business law;
• Be able to apply basic business mathematics skills;
• Communicate effectively in written form and orally; and
• Think critically and be creative with business solutions.

Career Opportunities

Entrepreneurship Concentration

• Small Business Owner
• Small Business Manager

Logistics Concentration

• Transportation Analyst
• Production Planner/Scheduler
• Supply Chain/Materials Manager
• Executive Team Leader – Logistics
• Logistics Coordinator/Inventory Management
• Operations Manager
• Purchasing Assistant
• Supply Specialist
• Traffic Office Technician
• Inventory Analyst
• Logistics Analyst

Management Concentration

• Product Manager
• Management Trainee
• Store/office Manager
• Director of Sales and Marketing
• Customer Service Representative

Marketing and Retailing Concentration

• Sales Manager Trainee
• Marketing Manager Trainee
• Customer Service Representative
• Marketing Associate
• Retail Sales Associate

Transfer/Advising

The A.A.S. degree is designed to prepare a student for employment upon graduation. Some universities, at their discretion, accept some technical courses for transfer. A student who plans to transfer to a university should consult his/her advisor and the receiving university about transfer and articulation policies. Failure to do so could result in loss of transfer credits.

Marketing and Retailing Concentration

Notes:

Additional course requirements: The Tennessee Board of Regents requires that students either demonstrate the appropriate skill levels in math, reading, and/or writing before enrolling in college-level courses or enroll in appropriate co-requisite experiences with college-level courses to develop competency in those skills while performing college-level work. ACT/SAT scores, classic ACCUPLACER test scores, next-generation ACCUPLACER test scores, or other relevant information determine whether a student needs to enroll in co-requisite courses in math, reading, and/or writing (English).

Internships can be an important addition to a student’s formal classroom work. Business Internship may substitute for technical courses with the prior approval of the instructor. The Career Services Office will provide the correct course numbers.
 
* This course is part of the general education core.