4 Business – General

Building Relationships with Business Communication

Linda Macdonald (Dalhousie University)

2021

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Building Relationships With Business Communication combines some of the best available open access content for introductory courses in business communication and supplements this content with new material on personal and social identity; rhetorical listening; inclusive language; storytelling; and territorial Land Acknowledgements. The textbook is focused on a Canadian audience of first-year Commerce students. H5P interactive content, the infusion of real-world examples, and an engaging layout make this textbook highly readable for this audience.

Format: Online

Suggested for: ADMN 233

Business Fundamentals – 1st Edition

Kerri Shields, Centennial College

2025

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Business Fundamentals is an all-encompassing introductory textbook designed to introduce readers to the business world. Geared toward college and university students, especially those with little to no prior experience in business, this resource lays a strong foundation for individuals embarking on their academic journey with ambitions of pursuing a business career. The book delves into key functional areas of business, illustrating how departments within organizations work together to generate sales, boost revenue, manage finances, develop innovative products and services, attract and retain customers, manage resources, and make sound decisions. It also addresses essential topics such as corporate social responsibility, business ethics, teamwork, risk management, personal finance, and strategies for academic and professional achievement. Furthermore, it provides an introduction to entrepreneurship and highlights the pivotal roles of managers and leaders in business operations. Tailored for first-year students, the text includes Canadian-specific insights on economics and banking while maintaining a global outlook with examples from Canada, the United States, and other countries. By blending content from various open educational resources (OERs) with original material, this textbook offers a thorough and engaging overview of the business field.

Format: Online, PDF, Ebook, XML

Suggested for: ADMN 201

OER Lab (Ontario Tech University)

2020

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Formats: Online

Suggested for: ADMN 100

Business Math: A Step-by-Step Handbook

Jean-Paul Olivier (Red Deer College) (Lyryx)

2021

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Business Mathematics was written to meet the needs of a twenty-first-century student. It takes a systematic approach to help students learn how to think and centers on a structured process termed the PUPP Model (Plan, Understand, Perform, and Present). This process is found throughout the text and in every guided example to help students develop a step-by-step problem-solving approach.

This textbook simplifies and integrates annuity types and variable calculations, utilizes relevant algebraic symbols, and is integrated with the Texas Instruments BAII+ calculator. It also contains structured exercises, annotated and detailed formulas, and relevant personal and professional applications in discussion, guided examples, case studies, and even homework questions.

Format: PDF

Suggested for: ADMN 100

Business Math: A Step-by-Step Handbook Abridged

Sanja Krajisnik, Carol Leppinen, and Jelena Loncar-Vines (Conestoga College)

2022

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

This book provides an introduction to a variety of topics in business math including simple and compound interest, annuities, payment schedules, mortgages, and more. This supplemental textbook covers topics from Chapters 8 to 13 inclusive, adapted from the original Business Math: A Step-by-Step Handbook by J. Olivier and Lyryx Learning Inc. providing extra resources, examples, and storytelling activities.

Formats: Online and EPUB

Suggested for: ADMN 100

John Morris and Julie Zwart (Oregon State University)

2018

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Communication for Business Professionals – Canadian Edition

Ontario Business Faculty and eCampusOntario Program Managers

2018

Licence: CC BY-SA

This book provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to the study and application of written and oral business communication to serve both student and professor. The text includes a number of features such as learning objectives, exercises, real-world examples, key terms, and post-chapter assessments. This text is adapted from Business Communication for Success. This 2018 adaptation has significantly reduced the size and scope of the original publication and added Canadian examples.

Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and more

Suggested for: ADMN 233

Developing Organizational and Managerial Wisdom – 2nd Edition

Brad C. Anderson (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)

2020

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

This book presents the results of novel research into the dynamics of values, rationality, and power in organizations. Through this understanding, readers will gain insights and frameworks with which to understand the actions of others within their environment.

Formats: Online

Suggested for: ORGB 364, LMOC 551

Essentials of Project Management

Adam Farag (Fanshawe College) 

2021

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

The Essentials of Project Management is designed specifically for college students enrolled in a business program including business accounting, administration, supply chain and human resources. It describes the project management process and the role of the project manager in implementing such a process. The book is designed to help students build understanding of the importance and applications of project management.

Formats: Online, EPUB and PDF

Suggested for: MGSC 205, EEPM 675

Foundations of Business – 2nd Edition

Holly Jackson, Virginia Commonwealth University

2025

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Business Foundations was created for use in Virginia Commonwealth University’s BUSN 201, Foundations of Business. In this course, students study basic foundational concepts of business environments, as well as business functions and practices. The content of this text, and the course, strives to also build awareness of corporate social responsibility and ethical business behavior. The practical application of the concepts gained in this course, and through this text, also assists students in gaining an integrated awareness of business, while practicing analytical skills needed for their advanced business courses and careers. The second edition contains updates for relevancy, plus a new section on Mentoring.

Formats: Online, EPUB and PDF

Suggested for: ADMN 201

Fundamentals of Business: Canadian Edition

Business Faculty from Ontario Colleges and eCampusOntario Program Managers

2018

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

An introductory textbook in business that covers a variety of topics: The Foundation of Business, Economics and Business, Ethics and Social Responsibility, Business in a Global Environment, Forms of Business Ownership, Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business, Management and Leadership, Structuring Organizations, Operations Management, Motivating Employees, Management Human Resources, Union/Management Issues, Marketing: Providing Value, Accounting and Financial Information, and Personal Finances.

This textbook was developed by business faculty from Ontario Colleges and from eCampusOntario program managers. It incorporates introductory business topics, from ethics to marketing to entrepreneurship, in a Canadian context. It has received positive faculty reviews.

Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and more

Suggested for: ADMN 201

Fundamentals of Global Strategy

Cornelis A. de Kluyver (University of Oregon) and Saylor Academy 

2012

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Crafting a global strategy requires making decisions about which strategy elements can and should be globalized and to what extent, and de Kluyver’s Fundamentals of Global Strategy can help you illuminate these facts to your students. Fundamentals of Global Strategy poses the following questions for your students to analyze:

• What markets and/or regions should a company compete in and why?
• To what degree can and should products and services be standardized?
• Is it advantageous to adopt a more or less uniform market positioning worldwide?
• What value-added activities should it keep in-house, outsource, or relocate for competitive advantage?
• How can competitive responses be most effectively coordinated on a global basis?

Formats: Online, PDF

Suggested for: ECON 401, STMT 500

Gateway to Business Analytics with Microsoft Excel®

Humberto Barreto (DePauw University)

2025

Licence: CC BY

Business analytics is a new, expanding subfield with fuzzy edges that overlap into a variety of other established disciplines, including economics, econometrics, computer science, data science, finance, statistics, mathematics, and even psychology. Business analytics includes such traditional techniques as regression and data visualization, but also newer methods such as web scraping, big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Its key distinguishing feature is using data to make and communicate business decisions. This textbook utilizes Microsoft Excel to present a mix of topics appropriate to an undergraduate level introduction to business analytics course with an engaging delivery style.

Formats: PDF, Online

Suggested for: BTMA 444

Global Business

Jacobus Boers (Georgia State University) 

2020

Licence: CC BY

The material presented in this collection is intended for use in teaching a business course that places all traditional disciplinary business courses in a global context. However, this material could also be valuable to any instructor teaching a course such as global business, international business, leading a study abroad program, or a senior-level disciplinary course with international or global business elements in a business college.

Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI

Suggested for: ECON 401

Global Value Chain

Kiranjot Kaur and Iuliia Kau (Conestoga College)

2022

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

This book guides readers through important aspects of Global Value Chain and explains logistics cycle in detail. By reading this book, learners will learn more about Distribution Logistics, Procurement, Sourcing and Outsourcing, Transportation, Inventory Management, Material Handling, Warehousing, Incoterm Rules, Trade Facilitation and Promotion, Vulnerability in global value chains, Sustainable value chains, Reverse Logistics, Role of ICT in value chain and Humanitarian Logistics.

Formats: Online, PDF

Suggested for: MGSC 418

Good Corporation, Bad Corporation: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Global Economy

Guillermo C. Jimenez (Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY) and Elizabeth Pulos (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production-WRAP)

2016

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

This textbook provides an innovative, internationally-oriented approach to the teaching of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business ethics. Drawing on case studies involving companies and countries around the world, the textbook explores the social, ethical, and business dynamics underlying CSR in such areas as global warming, genetically-modified organisms (GMO) in food production, free trade and fair trade, anti-sweatshop and living-wage movements, organic foods and textiles, ethical marketing practices and codes, corporate speech and lobbying, and social enterprise. The book is designed to encourage students and instructors to challenge their own assumptions and prejudices by stimulating a class debate based on each case study.

Formats: Online, PDF, and EPUB

Suggested for: ECON 401, INTR 483, POEC 483 EMGT 692

Introduction to Business (2nd Edition)

Lawrence Gitman, Carl McDaniel, Amit Shah, Monique Reece, Linda Koffel, Bethann Talsma, and James Hyatt (OpenStax)

2026

Licence: CC BY

Introduction to Business 2e provides a strong, multidimensional foundation in the concepts, skills, and real-world examples of contemporary business. Welcoming and relevant narratives support students as they engage in core themes such as decision making, ethics, customer satisfaction, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing technological and societal changes. The material includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations. Extensive illustrations, case studies, review materials, and assessments offer instructors and learners the tools needed to develop a deep, practical understanding. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for success in further studies and careers.

The Second Edition was written with extensive input from faculty, industry experts, and students. Revisions focus on currency, emerging technologies, changing business practices, and evolving legal and ethical dynamics. The authors emphasize course-wide themes, including the impacts and implications of artificial intelligence, the changing nature of the workplace, and new approaches to team dynamics. A detailed transition guide is available in the instructor resources.

Formats: Online, PDF, Audiobook

Suggested for: ADMN 201

Introduction to Logistics

Robert Adzija and Michael Kukhta (Conestoga College)

2022

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

This OER is an introduction to logistics with a focus on moving and storing products in supply chains. This resource includes interactive components, activities, and links to external resources that will inspire learners to deepen their understanding of logistics in supply chains.

Formats: Online, PDF

Suggested for: LOSL 559

Introductory Business Statistics with Interactive Spreadsheets – 1st Canadian Edition

Mohammad Mahbobi (Thompson Rivers University) and Thomas K. Tiemann (Elon University)

2015

Licence: CC BY

Introductory Business Statistics with Interactive Spreadsheets – 1st Canadian Edition is an adaptation of Thomas K. Tiemann’s book, Introductory Business Statistics. In addition to covering basics such as populations, samples, the difference between data and information, and sampling distributions, descriptive statistics and frequency distributions, normal and t-distributions, hypothesis testing, t-tests, f-tests, analysis of variance, non-parametric tests, and regression basics, the following information has been added: the chi-square test and categorical variables, null and alternative hypotheses for the test of independence, simple linear regression model, least squares method, coefficient of determination, confidence interval for the average of the dependent variable, and prediction interval for a specific value of the dependent variable. This new edition also allows readers to learn the basic and most commonly applied statistical techniques in business in an interactive way — when using the web version — through interactive Excel spreadsheets. All information has been revised to reflect Canadian content.

Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI

Suggested for: MGSC 301, MGSC 312

Inventory Analytics

Roberto Rossi (University of Edinburgh)

2021

Licence: CC BY

Inventory Analytics provides an introduction to the theory and practice of inventory control. The book outlines the foundations of inventory systems and surveys prescriptive analytics models for deterministic inventory control. It further discusses predictive analytics techniques for demand forecasting in inventory control and also examines prescriptive analytics models for stochastic inventory control.

Formats: PDF

Suggested for: MGSC 418, MGSC 368, RSCM 689

Leading Innovation

Kerri Shields (Centennial College) 

2022

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Innovation today considers the economic, environmental, and/or social sustainability of an innovative initiative from its inception or idea generation through to its commercialization or implementation. This concept applies to many types of innovation such as products, processes, services, technologies, and business models. Companies use innovation as a means to gain a competitive advantage and bring value to business stakeholders.  This book introduces business innovation, from incremental innovation such as enhancing the performance of an existing product, service, or process, to radical or disruptive innovation such as one that has a significant impact on a market. The content examines how leaders foster a culture of innovation, how companies turn creativity into innovation, and how innovation transforms not only organizations but economies as well.

Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, and more

Suggested for: ADMN 415

Management Communication

Management Communications Group, Marriott School of Business (Brigham Young University)

2025

Licence: CC BY-SA

This comprehensive resource covers the full spectrum of business communication: personal branding and employment communication, communicating with generative AI, navigating the writing process, developing information and data literacy skills, professionally formatting documents and presentation media, giving and receiving feedback, delivering difficult messages, communicating collaboratively, and delivering world-class business presentations. Focusing on practical application to real-world scenarios, the content prepares future business leaders to clearly, concisely, concretely, and confidently communicate with diverse audiences. This textbook is an indispensable guide for those seeking to master the art of business communication.

Formats: Online and PDF

Suggested for: ADMN 233

Mastering Strategic Management – 1st Canadian Edition

Janice Edwards (College of the Rockies) 

2014

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Mastering Strategic Management is designed to enhance student engagement in three innovative ways. The first is through visual adaptations of the key content in the book. It is well documented that many of today’s students are visual learners. To meet students’ wants and needs (and thereby create a much better teaching experience for professors), Mastering Strategic Management contains multiple graphic concept pages in every section of every chapter of the book. Think of graphic concept pages as almost like infographics for key concepts in each section. This feature sets Mastering Strategic Management apart from any strategic management book on the market today. The second way the authors capture student interest through their textbook is by using a real-world company as the running example in each chapter. For example, Chapter 1 in Mastering Strategic Management utilizes Blackberry to harness the conceptual coverage of the chapter in a running, corporate, application to which students will relate. The third inventive way Mastering Strategic Management holds the attention of strategic management students is through the “strategy at the movies” feature in each chapter that links course concepts with a popular motion picture. The 1st Canadian Edition is an adaptation of Mastering Strategic Management. Adaptations include Canadian-specific content, images, and references, removal of copyright images, and inclusion of PowerPoints, which can be downloaded from the book’s appendix.

Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and more.

Suggested for: ADMN 404, ADMN 415, STMT 500

Navigating the 21st Century Business World

Dorottya Sallai, London School of Economics and Political Science

Alexander Pepper, London School of Economics and Political Science

2025

Licence: CC BY-NC

Case studies have long been an integral part of business and management education. As artificial intelligence transforms teaching and learning, they are assuming even greater importance. Cases provide the opportunity to learn from real-life scenarios, equipping students with the analytical skills required to critically examine data, apply theory, and interpret complex situations in what is an increasingly noisy and uncertain world.

Navigating the 21st Century Business World: Case Studies in Management is a fully open access collection of management cases, featuring examples from the health sector, media, oil and gas industries, fast fashion, financial services, and the public sector.

Written by LSE academics and tested in the classroom, the case studies in this book challenge students to evaluate classic issues of management, such as corporate governance and leadership, and to address contemporary dilemmas, from considering a company’s responsibilities in the face of man-made climate change to how to create inclusive workforces.

Each case details the core dilemmas raised and includes questions for students to consider when preparing the case. Academics and industry trainers can use the collection to make their lessons more hands-on and to enhance their curriculum. The case studies provide practical examples of management decision-making to spark thought-provoking discussions for university students, experienced executives looking to improve their leadership skills, and entrepreneurs seeking a competitive edge.

Formats: PDF, Ebook, Hardcopy

Suggested for: MGSC 368, ADMN 415

Next Generation Supply Chains: A Roadmap for Research and Innovation

Rosanna Fornasiero (STIIMA-CNR), Saskia Sardesai (Fraunhofer IML), Ana Cristina Barros (INESC TEC), Aristides Matopoulos (Aston University)

2021

Licence: CC BY

Part One of this open access text focuses on the identification of the trends and related industrial scenarios for the next decade and the analysis of the implications for the Supply Chain (SC) processes and the consequent challenges. Part Two identifies the enabling technologies for SCs. Finally, Part Three presents the roadmap for future SCs proposing 10 SCs strategies and the related research and innovation priorities for the full integration of the production and distribution processes; moreover, in this part policy recommendations are provided to support companies facing cross-sectorial and horizontal issues through suitable policy actions.

Formats: EPUB, PDF

Suggested for: MGSC 418, LSCM 550

Principles of Management

Anonymous (LibreTexts)

2020

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Principles of Management teaches management principles to tomorrow’s business leaders by weaving three threads through every chapter: strategy, entrepreneurship, and active leadership.

Formats: Online and PDF

Suggested for: ORGB 327, ORGB 364

Principles of Management

David S. Bright (Wright State University) et al. (OpenStax)

2019

Licence: CC BY

Principles of Management is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the introductory course on management. This is a traditional approach to management using the leading, planning, organizing, and controlling approach. Management is a broad business discipline, and the Principles of Management course covers many management areas such as human resource management and strategic management, as well behavioral areas such as motivation. No one individual can be an expert in all areas of management, so an additional benefit of this text is that specialists in a variety of areas have authored individual chapters.

Formats: Online and PDF

Suggested for: ORGB 327, ORGB 364

Professional Writing and Communications for Business

Kristopher Purzycki (University of Wisconsin – Green Bay)

2025

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Professional Writing and Communications for Business by Kristopher Purzycki is an open-access textbook designed to guide readers through the core competencies of effective workplace communication. Organized into five key sections, the book begins by establishing fundamental concepts like audience awareness, rhetorical appeals, genre conventions, and plain language. It then advances through the practical mechanics of conducting business research, applying professional document design and typography, and drafting essential workplace correspondence such as emails, memos, cover letters, and press releases. Finally, the text tackles collaborative dynamics by providing actionable insights into group communication, teamwork, leadership, and running effective business meetings. Overall, it serves as a highly structured, comprehensive manual for anyone looking to refine their professional voice and build strong collaborative habits in a modern business environment.

Formats: Online, Ebook and PDF

Suggested for: ADMN 233

Joost Groot Kormelink (TU Delft)

2019

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Risk Management for Enterprises and Individuals

Etti Baranoff (Virginia Commonwealth University)

2009

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

This book is intended for the Risk Management and Insurance course where Risk Management is emphasized. It explores the critical importance of effective risk management in the face of global financial crises, with a specific focus on the 2008 credit crisis. By examining the causes and consequences of this crisis, the book highlights the need for comprehensive risk management strategies and provides valuable insights for businesses, individuals, and governments.

Formats: Online, PDF

Suggested for: FNCE 350, FNCE 403, LRKM 575, RMRR 699

Strategic Management

Reed Kennedy (Virginia Tech)

2020

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

Strategic Management offers an introduction to the key topics and themes of strategic management. The authors draw on examples of familiar companies and personalities to illustrate the different strategies used by today’s firms—and how they go about implementing those strategies. Students will learn how to conduct a case analysis, measure organizational performance, and conduct external and internal analyses. In short, they will understand how organizations operate at the strategic level to be successful.

Formats: Online, online, EPUB, MOBI, and PDF

Suggested for: ADMN 404

The Sustainable Business Case Book

Ross Gittell, Matt Magnusson, and Michael Merenda (University of New Hampshire) and Saylor Academy

2012

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

The Sustainable Business Case Book provides readers with a broad overview of the core concepts of sustainability and sustainable business practice. It is intended for use in undergraduate business courses and will also be of interest to students in environmental studies, engineering, urban planning, and government. This book is not meant to exhort all business people on the path to sustainability enlightenment but to highlight some of the benefits, opportunities, and challenges associated with sustainable business practices.

What distinguishes this book is that it provides a conceptual foundation to promote understanding of sustainability concepts and frameworks and also discusses real-world business examples of sustainability in action. It is believed that this is the best way to teach sustainability as it applies to the business world—a conceptual foundation with practical application.

Sustainable business involves businesses operating with interest and concern for their long-term economic, environmental, and social impact. For-profit businesses focus first and foremost on their own economic bottom line, oftentimes, with a short-term perspective. However, with a sustainability perspective, businesses also consider a longer-term and broader triple bottom line that takes into account not only company profits but also environmental and social impacts. The economic, environmental, and social perspectives are increasingly interrelated and relevant for businesses.

Formats: Online and PDF

Suggested for: ADMN 201, ADMN 415, EMDC 644, ESDB 619

Visuals for Influence: In Project Management and Beyond

Bronte van der Hoorn (University of Southern Queensland)

2021

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA

‘Visuals for influence: in project management and beyond’ is a practical guide with 24 visuals to download, adapt and deploy to engage your stakeholders. This practical guide will build your confidence and practical skills to quickly and effectively leverage the benefits of visuals to maximise your influence.

Formats: Online, PDF, EPUB

Suggested for: MGSC 205, EEPM 675