BUS-1010 exposes new students to various business perspectives

When the end of the semester rolls around, Business 1010 students have received the bulk of the introduction to the business course’s content. From community service, ethics and the basic principles of each discipline within the College of Business, students should have the information they need to make informed decisions as they pursue their Clemson degree.

But new this year is an overview of a center and two institutes within the business school that present fresh perspectives on business, entrepreneurship and capitalism. A panel of representatives from the three organizations addressed students on the moral foundations of capitalism, entrepreneurial leadership and the prosperity that business provides society.

“Business 1010 introduces new students in the College of Business to all the disciplines and resources offered by the college and university,” said Bill Tumblin, lecturer and advisor in the college’s Academic Advising Center. “In addition to the panel of business alumni we invite each semester, this group of leaders from our centers and institutes familiarize students with different perspectives on business.”

In their last class before finals, students heard presentations from the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism, the Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership and The Hayek Center for the Business of Prosperity.

John Hannon, director of the Spiro Institute, delivered an overview of the hub of entrepreneurial learning on the Clemson campus. He introduced students to internships and events the institute offers, including mentoring by successful entrepreneurs.

“Beyond entrepreneurial classes, we provide students with experiential learning opportunities, including our Pitch Smackdown, and we bring in successful alums, who not only deliver our Big Ideas Lectures, they also mentor students in helping bring their start-up ideas to life.”

Reed Watson, director of The Hayek Center for the Business of Prosperity introduced students to the college’s newest center and explained how it explores the “why” of business and how it benefits society.

“Business is a vehicle for making the world a better place. It’s OK to be profitable. By doing so, businesses are producing something people want and, in the process, they are actually serving other people.”

Watson also recommended an economics course to students offered through the center – ECON-4980 “Why Business,” which is open to all students with no prerequisites, “and it is not loaded with math as the course level might indicate,” he said.

Michael Hoffpauir represented the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. A clinical assistant professor, Hoffpauir is also associate director of the institute’s Lyceum Program. Each year, the institute provides $10,000 to select incoming freshmen through the Lyceum Scholars Program. Additionally, the institute offers a political science minor to all Clemson students through the Lyceum Fellows program.

“We invite students who want to study the moral and political conditions necessary for a free society to join us as Lyceum Fellows.  On your way to earning a minor, you will study great books and take seriously important questions, not the least of which is how ought I to live and what ought I to expect from my government,” Hoffpauir said.

Tumblin said the goal of Business 1010 is to improve students’ Clemson experience by exposing them to all that’s available to them within the college’s five business disciplines.

“For the nearly 1,000 students who go through the course each year, it helps them choose their major and decide how they want to spend their time at Clemson, as well as giving them insight into their future career paths,” Tumblin said.

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