This course is the first step in the development of the path that students will take as they move through the MBA program. The course focuses on three core activities. First, they will work on the development of goals they hope to achieve in their MBA education. Next, students will discuss and receive individualized guidance from 360 Degree feedback assessments designed to help them improve and enhance critical career and professional skills. Finally, students participate in an experiential exercise that introduces them to the role of business in society and the basics of business success. The importance of leadership in this environment is stressed.
Taken as students near completion of the MBA program, this course revisits topics addressed in MBA 501. The course combines a look back with a look forward. Students will evaluate progress they made in reaching the goals set as they began the program and articulate new goals focused on the next phase in their careers. They will again participate in a 360 Degree feedback exercise designed to help them assess how their management skills may have changed as a result of their experience in the program as well as highlight areas that should be addressed as they enter the next phase of their careers. They will also participate in activities that enable them to analyze and apply the leadership skills they have developed in their program of study.
This course focuses on the development of skills and behaviors required for successful leadership. Emphasis is placed on enhancing the students’ communication skills, both written and oral. Extensive coverage of the techniques of report preparation and presentation, negotiations and public speaking are included. This course is designed to follow immediately after MBA 501.
An application of microeconomic theory to management decisions. A review of traditional neoclassical production and cost theory is used as a platform to delve into modern business economics. The focus is on how firms fit in the analysis of market activity, how economists see the problem of organizing economic activity, understanding when markets solve that problem and why sometimes they do not. The course ends with an examination of the impact of macroeconomic policies (fiscal and others) on business decisions, and the importance and impact of these decisions on businesses when viewed from a global economic perspective.
The use of accounting information in management decision making is examined. Specific topics include cost/volume/profit analysis; product costing systems; use of accounting data in pricing, capital expenditures and product decisions; and planning and control systems, including budgeting and measures of divisional performance.
Concepts and techniques of planning, implementing and controlling the marketing function are the focus of this in-depth study. Monitoring conditions and assessing opportunities, delineating target markets, consumer/buyer research and planning, and strategy procedures are given considerable attention.
Selected topics in corporate finance are examined through case and seminar approach. Major topics include enterprise valuation, risk management strategies using financial derivatives such as options and futures, and international financial management.
Managers face constant challenges when designing and implementing improvements in business processes for manufacturing and service organizations. This course provides tools for the assessment of performance, analysis of business processes, the evaluation and implementation of process change. Integration of information systems technology within and across organizational boundaries is often a critical component of the change process. Effective use of information technology requires an understanding of database tools and the relationship between process and information flows. This course introduces database tools for managing and analyzing organizational information and explores the implications of emerging eCommerce, supply chain and cross-functional software applications.
The second in our series of three courses (511, 562, 585) that focus on the development of the skills needed to manage and lead organizations. Analysis of work behavior from the viewpoint of both behavioral research and managerial practice. Understanding of issues such as motivation, individual differences and managing change provides students with foundation needed for managing performance, quality and operations. Students will focus on the traditional and nontraditional approaches to leadership, followership, to understanding leaders and leadership.
The first of two management workshops. These are half-semester experiences that integrate material from the MBA core courses. Working in teams, students participate in active, project-oriented workshop experiences that stress application of course-based knowledge. This course should be taken at the start of a student's program.
The second of two management workshops. This course is to be completed toward the conclusion of the program and assumes and expects the application of a more advanced set of skills. As with Management Practice Workshop I, students will work in teams on active, project-oriented workshop experiences that explore the overall strategy of a firm.
The nature of this course will be to research and analyze the key components involved in establishing and operating an international business. International trade mechanisms and the operations of facilities abroad are analyzed. A major thrust of the course is the study of foreign exchange and international money markets, balance of payments adjustments, the legal environment of international trade, and the assessment of socioeconomic and political conditions in trading-partner and/or host countries. We will discuss strategic positioning, organizational structure, and legal, financial and regulatory requirements. One option available to students enrolled in the course is the opportunity to visit a foreign country, a trip that will provide on-site visits to U.S.- and foreign-owned firms.
This course focuses on the competitive and environmental issues confronting organizations, and discusses how firms identify, seize and defend market opportunities in today's rapidly changing global economy. The key to organizational success in this environment is not a static strategic plan, but the agility of strategic thinking. Borrowing heavily from marketing, industrial economics and strategic management literature, related concepts such as competitor analysis, target marketing, strategy formulation, environmental analysis, market research and critical success factors are integrated throughout the course.
This class is organized around the analysis of "live" business issues, typically a specific firm. Students will analyze the firm's current position and prepare recommendations that address problems that confront the firm's actual management. A feature of the class is the participation of a professional manager or consultant who will guide the class through the analytical techniques they employ in the management of their own business.
Working in teams, students will participate in research-oriented projects that focus on current topics that are shaping the practice of business. These topics can include ethics, globalization, innovation, sustainable business practice, e-commerce, and others. Students will develop written and oral presentations that summarize their findings.
This course is designed for later stage MBA students who are interested in applying previously-learned business concepts to an entrepreneurial setting. This course uses discussion, case studies, and research to guide students in the development and understanding of the concepts of entrepreneurship and the characteristics, competencies, skills, know-how and experience that are required for successful pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities. The course will culminate with the development and presentation of a well-crafted business model for a new business opportunity. Pre-requisites: Finance foundation, MBA 531 and MBA 541.
This course focuses on developing an in-depth understanding of time-series forecasting analysis and econometrics using economic, financial and business applications. The course begins with a review of basic statistics and simple linear regression. More advanced topics in multiple regression, such as the detection, affects and possible solutions to regression “problems” (i.e. autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity and multicollinearity), are also discussed in the first half of the course. The second half of the course focuses on numerous time-series forecasting techniques such as exponential smoothing models, moving averages and more sophisticated techniques such as time-series decomposition, ARIMA (Box-Jenkins) and others. Excel with the add-in package ForecastX and SAS Enterprise Guide software will be used.
This course is designed to provide MBA students with opportunities to build their competency in and understanding of areas of finance not usually covered in an MBA corporate finance class. The course will address a particular topic or particular topics in finance. Its content can vary from offering to offering, but its format will normally include readings, class discussions and practical applications.
This course allows students to develop independent projects relevant to their current place of employment or industries and careers that they may wish to explore. The class will be divided between on-site and online work and meetings. Working under the guidance of a management faculty, students will identify and analyze their proposed projects in the class for review and discussion by the entire class. Students will outline the scope and structure of their projects. Working online, students will develop those projects, sharing their progress with the instructor and fellow class members for continued review and discussion. The class will then conclude the semester with several on-site classes for final review and presentation.
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