Building a Solid Foundation

Seminars in various developmental areas of leadership including communications, social responsibility, and personal development.
(2 credits)

Career assessment, development and planning designed to offer a career model for the future. The course entails: career assessment including your interests, skills and personal profile; job search skills and activities including how to write effective cover letters and resumes and asking for references; and interviewing and negotiation of offers. The course is taught by a variety of individuals from career experts to company representatives.
(1 credit)

Concepts, principles and models of marketing. The relationship between marketing and other functional areas of business. Emphasis on how the marketing manager can achieve desired outcomes with the target market. Includes analyzing marketing opportunities; researching and selecting target markets; developing marketing strategies; planning marketing programs; and organizing, implementing and controlling the marketing effort.
(3 credits)

Interpretation and analysis of financial information. Framework for understanding contemporary financial reporting practices, the forces that shape those practices, and how those practices influence the usefulness of financial information in applied decision settings. Topics are organized around three modules: (1) measurement rules and bookkeeping procedures for production of corporate financial statements and use of the information for credit decisions; (2) strengths and weaknesses of alternative accounting methods and financial disclosures; and (3) analysis for valuation purposes.
(3 credits)

Introduction to techniques of quantitative modeling and statistical analysis for management decision-making. A unifying element of the course is the use of Excel to perform various kinds of analysis in a spreadsheet environment. Major topics include decision analysis, statistical inference, regression, and linear programming. The course also develops required background material in probability.
(3 credits)

Provides an overview of the basic concepts and principles of financial management and insight into the decision making process of financial managers. Topics include: the time value of money, the tradeoff between risk and return valuation techniques, capital budgeting, capital structure, and the role of financial markets. Emphasizes the mathematical tools of financial decision making and the reasoning and concepts in appropriately applying these tools.
(3 credits)

Introduction to organizational behavior principles and human resource practices relevant to any new manager. Provides students with practice in using these concepts to solve problems encountered when managing people on the job. The course also encourages the development of analytical and critical thinking skills, ability to work in teams, and oral and written communication.
(3 credits)

Introduces basic economic concepts. Value creation and how alternative economic institutions accomplish this. Drivers of demand, the concept of economic cost and its relation to accounting data, and pricing decisions.
(2 credits)

Planning and decision-making activities associated with the management of an organization’s operations. Operations management, planning and decision-making activities, insights into the basic trade-offs associated with operations management decisions, tools and techniques for helping operations managers implement their decisions and reach their goals. Topics include: production and service delivery strategy, capacity planning, product and process design, total quality management, demand management, production and service planning, scheduling, materials control, emerging production and service technologies.
(3 credits)

The role of marketing, operations, and finance in strategic planning; integrative approach to strategic management; case studies.
(1 credits)

Determinants of business cycle and asset price fluctuation in an open economy (movements in real output, interest rates, inflation, exchange rates); monetary and fiscal policy in international co-movements.
(2 credits)

This capstone course focuses on the competitive strategy of the firm. The course adopts a manager’s perspective on strategy and places the student in the role of a key decision maker or advisor to key decision makers within a firm. A variety of managerial disciplines and conceptual schemes are introduced. Developing and implementing strategy are both stressed. Particular emphasis is placed on the issues of technology, economic and social change, teamwork, and development of oral and written communication skills.
(3 credits)

During this course you will participate in a complex business simulation exercise. You and your teammates run a start-up firm, competing with other teams for company profitability and market share. Each team conducts an organization and industry analysis, evaluates and assesses market opportunities, and defines their company’s strategic direction. You create plans and compete for funds from venture capitalists.
(1 credit)