BUSI 101 Week 1 Forum 1 Thread Example

Course	BUSI 101 Introduction to Business (BUSI101)
Module/Week	1
Assignment	Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread
Paper type	Discussion thread
Length	about 332 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of 300 to 500 words showing course-related knowledge, with a Scripture reference, at least 2 scholarly peer-reviewed sources and the course text, in current APA format
Format	APA 7 citations and reference list
Points	40
School	Liberty University Online
Program	BS in Business Administration
Where it sits	Module/Week 1 in Liberty's published BUSI 101 course guide; current sections can differ
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 101 Week 1

Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread: The Purpose of a Business

BUSI 101 Introduction to Business, Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread

Thread by [Student Name]

The thread answers a composite prompt on the purpose of business; the studies, textbook and Scripture cited are real.

Why this part earns its pointsThe thread takes a position in its first sentence, which the 500-word limit rewards.

A business exists to make a profit, but it can only make a lasting profit by creating value for the people it affects. Nickels et al. (2018) define profit as the amount a business earns above what it spends and describe it as the reward for taking risk, and in the same chapter they list the stakeholders whose interests a business must weigh: customers, employees, owners, suppliers, dealers, lenders and the community. The question is whether those stakeholders are a means to profit or a purpose in their own right.

Jensen (2002) offers a useful middle position. He argues that a firm needs a single objective, long-run value, but that it cannot reach that objective by ignoring any important stakeholder, because customers, employees and communities all affect what the firm is worth over time. A company that underpays workers or misleads customers may raise this year's profit while destroying next year's.

Why this part earns its pointsThe second source adds evidence and a caution, so the thread does not overstate its case.

Evidence supports the idea that serving stakeholders and earning profit can go together. In a meta-analysis of 52 studies, Orlitzky et al. (2003) found that corporate social performance and financial performance were positively related, and that the relationship ran in both directions. Doing good and doing well appear to travel together more often than they collide. The studies show association rather than cause, so a company cannot assume that every social program will pay off, but the evidence undercuts the claim that responsibility always costs money.

Scripture points in the same direction. Writing to the Philippians, Paul asks each believer to weigh what others need alongside personal gain (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Philippians 2:4). For a Christian in business, profit is legitimate, but it is earned by serving others, not by using them.

A local example makes this concrete. A family-owned hardware store that trains its staff well and gives honest advice earns customers' loyalty, and that loyalty is what lets it compete with larger chains. Its profit is the result of serving people well, not a substitute for it.

References

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Jensen, M. C. (2002). Value maximization, stakeholder theory, and the corporate objective function. Business Ethics Quarterly, 12(2), 235-256. https://doi.org/10.2307/3857812

Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., & McHugh, S. M. (2018). Understanding business (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Orlitzky, M., Schmidt, F. L., & Rynes, S. L. (2003). Corporate social and financial performance: A meta-analysis. Organization Studies, 24(3), 403-441. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840603024003910

What the BUSI 101 Week 1 instructions ask

Module/Week 1 of BUSI 101 is busy: besides the syllabus checklist and a hello to classmates, students work through Nickels et al.'s opening two chapters, finish Connect Assignment 1, help their group submit a research paper topic and post the Forum 1 thread. Length is capped as well as floored, 300 to 500 words, and the post should draw on what the chapters teach. Each thread also needs a Scripture reference, at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed sources and the course textbook, all cited in current APA format. Two replies to classmates follow in Module/Week 2. Because the ceiling is 500 words, a focused answer to one question usually works better than a survey of every idea in the chapters.

How this BUSI 101 Week 1 example is built

Its opening line commits to an answer, and four brief moves follow. A paragraph uses the textbook's definitions of profit, risk and stakeholders to show where the question comes from. A scholarly article supplies the argument that a firm maximizes long-run value only by attending to its stakeholders. A meta-analysis adds evidence that social and financial performance tend to rise together, with a caution about what the evidence cannot show. A verse from Philippians connects the argument to how Christians view work and others. The thread closes with a short example of a local business and stays well within the 500-word limit.

BUSI 101 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go

Instructors grade BUSI 101 threads on whether they answer the prompt with knowledge from the chapters, stay between 300 and 500 words, and include every required source: a Scripture reference, two scholarly peer-reviewed articles and the course text, all in current APA format. Threads that use websites or news stories in place of peer-reviewed articles lose points even if the writing is good. A verse earns its place when the post explains how it bears on profit and people, not when it is tacked onto the last line. Clear writing and correct terms from the textbook, such as stakeholders, profit and risk, show that the reading has been done, and a definite position gives classmates something to reply to. Correct APA citations for the Bible and the textbook are part of the score as well.

BUSI 101 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points

Work through the prompt and Nickels et al.'s opening pair of chapters before hunting for sources, so your thread uses the textbook's own terms. Take a clear side in your first sentence. Find two peer-reviewed articles through the Jerry Falwell Library databases instead of relying on websites, and say in a sentence what each one found or argued. Choose a verse that speaks to the question, explain how it applies and cite it in APA style. Cite the course text at least once. Count your words before posting, since threads over 500 words lose points as easily as threads under 300, and leave your classmates a point they can agree or disagree with.

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BUSI 101 Week 1 questions, answered

What is the BUSI 101 Forum 1 Thread?

It is the first graded discussion post, worth 40 points in Module/Week 1, kept between 300 and 500 words and built on a Bible verse, a pair of journal articles and Nickels et al.

Where can I find a free BUSI 101 Week 1 sample paper?

This page has a complete BUSI 101 Week 1 thread arguing that a business earns profit by serving its stakeholders, with research and Scripture cited.

What is a stakeholder in business?

Anyone who stands to gain or lose from what a business does, including customers, employees, owners, suppliers, lenders, the surrounding community and the environment.

Does corporate social responsibility hurt profits?

A large meta-analysis found that social and financial performance tend to be positively related across studies, though the link does not prove that doing good causes higher profits.

What else is due in BUSI 101 Module/Week 1?

Students complete the Course Requirements Checklist, a class introduction, Connect Assignment 1 and their group's research paper topic, and read chapters 1 and 2 of Nickels et al.

Use it as a model, or ask for your own

This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

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BUSI 101 Week 1 Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread Example