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ECO 102 · Unit 2 of 7

Business Cycles

Macroeconomics and the Global Business Environment

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Learning objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • to business decisions
  • Apply the frameworks in "Business Cycles" to a real management decision
  • Make progress on your Macroeconomics and the Global Business Environment case analysis applied project

Why this matters

Business Cycles is essential to Macroeconomics and the Global Business Environment. Complete all lessons in this unit, then finish the assessments on the unit page.

Lesson

Unit overview

Work through each lesson in order. This unit covers Business Cycles as part of Macroeconomics and the Global Business Environment. Lessons build on one another; complete the knowledge checks and applied work on the unit page after finishing all lessons.

Connection to applied work

This unit feeds directly into Macroeconomics and the Global Business Environment case analysis. As you read, capture notes, examples, and data you can reuse in that deliverable. Strong students finish each unit with a draft section of their project, not just highlights.

Practice

  1. Write a one-page summary of this unit in your own words without looking at the lesson.
  2. Find a real company example (public filing, news article, or personal experience) that illustrates the main concept.
  3. Draft one paragraph recommending an action a manager should take based on this unit.
  4. Add at least three terms from this unit to your course glossary.

Knowledge check

Answer these without notes before marking the unit complete:

  1. What is the central idea of "Business Cycles"?
  2. What mistake do beginners most often make when applying this material?
  3. How does this unit help you complete Macroeconomics and the Global Business Environment case analysis?
  4. What is one decision you face this month where this unit applies?

Key takeaways

  • to business decisions
  • Business concepts only matter when they change a decision.
  • Your ECO 102 assessment (Business cycles, monetary and fiscal policy, global economy, and macro strategy.) rewards applied understanding, not memorization.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

40% applied project35% knowledge checks25% reflections

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Business Cycles45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Business Cycles**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under ECO 102.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Business Cycles30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your ECO 102 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Case analysis

Analyze a case using frameworks from this unit.

CaseCase analysis: Business Cycles60 min
Analyze a real business case through the lens of **Business Cycles**. Choose a public company event, HBR-style case, or documented decision. **Deliverable structure:** 1. Situation summary (150 words) 2. Analysis using this unit's frameworks (400 words) 3. Recommendation (150 words) 4. Risks and what would change your mind

Deliverable

2-page case write-up in your portfolio.

Rubric

  • • Case facts are accurate and sourced
  • • Analysis uses unit frameworks explicitly
  • • Recommendation is justified with tradeoffs
  • • Risks are specific, not generic

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. Harborline orders fell two quarters before GDP turned negative. This pattern is common because:

2. NBER recession dating relies on:

3. AD down + SRAS left (cost shock) at Harborline most likely yields:

4. Harborline should weight capital goods orders over retail sales because:

5. Tobin's q falls from 1.1 to 0.9. Harborline should emphasize:

6. LEI falls 1.2% (3mo ann.) while coincident IP is flat and claims rise 8%. Harborline traffic light:

7. Harborline protects application engineers through downturns because:

8. Mild U.S. GDP −2% with Germany industrial −6% hurts Harborline exports through:

Next unit: Monetary Systems →