Course Descriptions
An introduction to the basic financial and managerial accounting topics: GAAP, the major financial statements, accrual accounting, financial reporting alternatives, financial statement analysis, cost behavior, cost systems, short- and long-term decision-making and product costing. (3-0-3)
MBA 503 Organizational Behavior
Builds awareness and understanding of the behavior of individuals and groups in organizations, preparing managers to be more effective within their organizational contexts. Topics include individual differences in motivation, perception, culture and learning style; group and organizational dynamics; and the impact of organizational structure and culture on behavior. Leadership techniques for influencing other organizational members, creative problem-solving and decision-making, ethics and values-based managing are covered. This course helps students relate basic theories, concepts, and techniques to real-world situations through the extensive use of case studies. (3-0-3).
MBA 505 Managerial Economics
The behavior of firms and households and the determination of prices and resource allocation in a market economy. Topics include empirical demand, production and cost functions, monopoly, oligopoly, and pricing practices. (3-0-3)
MBA 507 Managerial Decision-Making
The course introduces the business research process and teaches analytical statistical methods that can be used for managerial decision-making. It also covers managerial decision-making under uncertainty. Topics include probability, sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, linear regression, and goodness-of-fit tests. (3-0-3)
MBA 509 Managerial Finance
An introduction to the basic concepts and practices used by managers in making financial decisions. Topics include cash flow analysis, capital budgeting, short- and long-term financial planning, cost of capital, financial leverage, and dividend policy. (3-0-3)
MBA 511 Marketing Management
This is an introductory course in marketing designed for graduate students. It takes the "customer value" perspective and defines marketing as a business process that chooses value, creates value, communicates value and delivers value. This course helps you understand intricacies involved in the value creation and delivery process in a 21st century firm that competes for customers in a highly competitive global marketplace. In terms of teaching pedagogy, the course employs a theoretically rigorous, yet practically relevant, approach. There will be interactive lectures and analyses of real-life marketing decisions. The course will also feature an exciting computer simulation project which gives students an opportunity to "get their hands dirty", and allows them to learn not only the development of marketing strategy, but the implementation and execution of such strategy. (3-0-3)
MBA 513 Operations Management and Technology The course focuses on decisions to be made by operating managers in managing the technology, capital, and human resources of organizations in the process of producing goods and services. Topics include: equipment, technology, and process selection; product/process integration and innovation and the basic tools required for process design; work force, materials, and quality management; and aggregate planning and scheduling. (3-0-3)
MBA 515 Strategic Information Systems
The effective planning and deployment of information technology [IT] will enable your organization to compete aggressively, rapidly, and globally in this digital age. A critical ingredient of success is the alignment of expectations by senior executives and IT management for leveraging IT investments to create business value. We will analyze the key decisions involved in the planning, operations, and control of IT. Additional emphases will be devoted to e-business integration, knowledge management, and emerging information technologies. Cases and PC exercises will provide practical applications of IT. Tools include business process analysis, IT portfolio management, online analytical processing, and data mining. (3-0-3)
MBA 517 Strategic Competitiveness
The student will gain an understanding of the concept of Strategic Competitiveness (SC), with a command over powerful concepts including strategic positioning, industry clusters, the economic diamond, the corporate value chain, and the global supply chain. The student will apply the appropriate SC concepts through analysis of "real-world" situations. The goal is to equip students to be able to articulate economic strategies in a compelling way to private and public leaders. The student will understand the important dynamic operations among the various societal sectors and the concept of economic development in urban environments within a global economy. The student will apply "cutting-edge" business and social science methods by means of case studies, class discussions, and project requirements. The course offers students a strategy and leadership laboratory, with peer and external interactions essential for success in today's fast-changing business environment. (3-0-3)
MBA 519 Business Tactics: Integrated Functional Management
Through the CAPSIM simulation project, students will learn how to implement business strategy and tactics. Emphasis is on how the various business functions could be integrated for the purpose of creating superior customer value. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 520 Strategic Management
An integrative approach to the role of the general manager and the tasks of creating an effective business unit: crafting strategy; designing and maintaining an organization for implementing strategy; leadership and change management; and corporate governance. The course is designed around a model of the "fit" between industry structure-business strategy, organization design, and financial, operational and behavioral outcomes-and the complex task of maintaining that "fit" over time. Special attention is paid to drivers of change and sources of complexity, such as size, market diversity, and rate of growth. Case studies are used to develop total organization perspectives, to focus on individual leadership and management skills, and to emphasize the linkages between theory and practice. As the capstone course of the MBA program, this course must be taken during the final semester. Prerequisite: Consent of adviser. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 531 Financial Statement Analysis
After reviewing the content of the major financial statements, the course examines ratios, inventories, long-lived assets, income taxes, debt, leases, and pensions, among other topics. U.S. practices are compared to practices in other major countries. This course is intended for those who will examine financial statements of outside organizations. Prerequisite: MBA 501 or consent of instructor. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 532 Cost Management
This course builds upon the management accounting foundation presented in MBA 501. Competitive strategy is linked with the following managerial topics: activity based costing, the theory of constraints, strategic decision-making, management and operational control, cost estimation, budgeting, and cost allocation. This course is intended for those who will use accounting information within their own organization. Prerequisite: MBA 501 or consent of instructor. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 533 Data Mining
The digital enterprise enables significantly more data about customers, suppliers, and partners to be captured. The challenge, however, is to transform this vast data repository into actionable business intelligence. Data mining can provide valuable business insights. An introduction to a leading data mining tool, e.g., SPSS Clementine will be used to investigate hypotheses and discover patterns in enterprise data repositories. Both data cleaning and analyses will be discussed and applied to sample data. Case studies will address business analytics system implementation and benefit measurement challenges. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 534 Data Mining Applications
This second course will include advanced data mining tools, e.g., neural networks and discriminant analysis to address more complex business intelligence issues. The data mining toolset will be expanded to include new approaches, e.g., geographical, text and web data mining. More sophisticated applications of data mining will be discussed. Software exercises, case studies and a major project will provide experience with advanced data mining techniques. Pre-requisite MBA 533 or instructor consent. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 535 Health Informatics
The course provides the student with knowledge on the use and applications of information technologies in healthcare delivery, so that the student gains an understanding of how these technologies contribute to the delivery of health services and how they influence the economics and the medical efficacy of these services. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 536 Organization, Policy and Strategic Management of Healthcare
This course offers an integrative approach to the management of health organizations. The course covers the crafting and implementation of health strategy, planning, and assessment of change processes. The design and impacts of health policy on the healthcare delivery organization is discussed, as well as policy implications on other components of the health sector, such as insurance, financial institutions, government, industrial companies, and society. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 537 Project Management
You will study analytical and behavioral skills for effective project management. You will learn how to create a project team and a work breakdown structure, estimate task times and costs, allocate resources, prepare visual Gantt and Critical Path charts, and assess earned value. MS Project will be the project management tool. Much of the course content will be drawn from the Project Management Institute Common Body of Knowledge and Certification Program. Project management concepts and methods will be applied through exercises and cases. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 538 Project Management Applications
This second course will include advanced project management topics, e.g., crashing project time and resource leveling using MS Project. Further exploration of project team management issues will be experienced through role playing exercises. A Project Management simulation game provides an opportunity to apply your team-based skills. A variety of project management cases across industries will be studied. Pre-requisite MBA537 or instructor consent. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 541 Competitiveness of Western Global Enterprises
The course focuses on the different forms of capitalism in the western world. It deals with the sources of competitive advantage that have enabled American and European enterprises to achieve global pre-eminence. The course further analyzes the present challenges western firms encounter as a result of the rise of Asia. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 542 Competitiveness of Asian Global Enterprises
Asian firms are rapidly rising as a major force in the global economy. The course deals with the evolution and strategic competitiveness of Japanese, South Korean, Chinese, Indian, as well as other emerging market enterprises. It further contrasts the strategic competitiveness of western and Asian firms. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 543 International Trade
The course provides rigorous economic analysis of the modern theory of trade as well as government trade policies. It deals with the factors that determine the exchange rates under the floating and fixed exchange rate systems. Furthermore, the course analyzes the crises in emerging markets and the need to revamp the international financial system. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 544 Contemporary Issues in International Business
To operate in the complex environment of a globalized world, managers must develop an in-depth understanding of current events. The international business professional must develop an appreciation for topics such as the OPEC oil cartel, international risk analysis, technological advances as a driver of global markets, major international strategies, cross-cultural competence, the political economy of modernization, collaborative ventures, and international acquisitions. In the area of trade, topics covered include: the Doha round, economic integration (i.e. the EU, free trade areas), and the meteoric rise of sovereign wealth funds (SWF). (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 545 Operating Systems Design and Management
A survey of the concepts and techniques of design and management of enterprise operating systems. The course includes studies of different topologies for delivery of products and services and of the underlying infrastructure, such as MRP and scheduling and control mechanisms. Performance measures of operating systems, such as flow time, service level, and asset utilization are studied to understand their impact on competitive advantage. Prerequisite: MBA 513 or consent of instructor. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 546 Supply Chain Management
Forecasting, order size, safety stock, service levels, and SKU's. The production plan, master production schedules, materials requirement planning, capacity planning, and just-in-time. Warehouse planning and management, distribution, transportation, packaging and third party logistics. Costs, design, and management on the inventory flow between suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, distribution centers, stores, and customers. Prerequisite: MBA507, MBA513. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 547 Corporate Social Responsibility
This course covers the various aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large. The course includes all forms of ethics expected by the corporation. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 548 Introduction to Business Law
This course will introduce graduate business students to legal issues that are pertinent to working in the American business environment. It will cover legal issues pertaining to business organizations (e.g., essentials of forming a partnership or corporation and corporate governance); ethics; transactions (e.g., basics of the Uniform Commercial Code, anti-trust issues in pricing and market share; representations to customers, contract formation, performance, contract disputes); personnel (e.g., hiring practices, anti-discriminations laws, including those that address age, gender, etc., and accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act); international business (e.g., U.S. boycott and anti-boycotts laws; U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; Contract for the International Sale of Goods); and e-commerce. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 549 Individual Effectiveness
This course is aimed at preparing the student to better cope with and succeed in organizational life by expanding self awareness, improving personal creativity, sharpening logical reasoning and problem solving skills; and by developing the student's ability to collaborate, lead and communicate with others in wide range of settings. The course covers a variety of topics related to individual performance and effectiveness within organizations, but several common themes are: using written tools and instruments to improve self knowledge, becoming more objective in observing and analyzing behavior (one's own and others'), and applying proven tools and techniques to enhance creative and critical thinking. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 551 Insights on the "Next" Economy Consumer
This course will acquaint students with state-of-the-art theories in consumer behavior, provide opportunities to conduct quantitative analyses with scanner databases/UPC databases, include several group-based case analyses, and other assignments organized around emergent topics in the marketing domain. Students will be exposed to marketing and related inter-disciplinary perspectives. They will also gain a better understanding of the ‘next’ economy participants – both from production and consumption viewpoints.Prerequisite: MBA 511.(3-0-3).
MBA 561 Models for Decision Making
Models for decision analysis in various functional fields including finance, marketing, and operations. Applications include media selection, capital budgeting, portfolio selection, advertising effectiveness, plant location, distribution planning, and production planning. The focus of the course is building models and using software to aid in decision-making. Pre-requisite MBA507. (3-0-3)
MBA 562 Spreadsheet Modeling
Spreadsheets are a popular model-building environment for managers. Add-ins and enhancements to Excel have made powerful decision-making tools available to the manager. This course covers how to use the spreadsheet to develop and utilize some of these decision-making aids. Visual Basic for Excel allows the nonprogrammer to create modules for functions, subroutines, and procedures. Topics include forecasting (both regression and time series), decision-making under uncertainty and decision trees, using SOLVER for optimization, and probabilistic simulation using @RISK. Pre-requisite MBA507. (3-0-3)
MBA 563 Advanced Data Analysis
An examination of the methods for analyzing data. Topics include analysis of variance, multiple regression, nonparametric methods, Bayesian and decision analysis. Sampling methods and multivariate analysis, including the bivariate normal, confidence interval and hypothesis tests of the centroid, discriminant analysis, conjoint analysis, and factor analysis. Prerequisite: MBA 507. (3-0-3)
MBA 571 Management of Technological Innovation
Management of Technological Innovation and Change is a foundation for managing innovation & technology in a changing and competitive environment with global implications. It requires today's manager to understand, assess, utilize, and develop technological innovations. Technological innovation is viewed as a strategic rather than tactical component in adding value to products and services and creating sustainable competitive advantages. The course takes an integrative rather than functional (i.e., R&D) perspective. Discussion and workshops focus on topics related to technology evolution process, dominant design, threats of disruptive technologies, open vs closed innovation, innovation and business models, organizational architecture and innovation, technology strategy, and development of technological capabilities via global R&D and technical acquisition. Throughout the course, selected evolving industries (i.e., internet, genetic engineering, telecommunication, computer, consulting) and their future evolutions are studied. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 572 Creativity and Contemporary Entrepreneurial Opportunities
This course explores the nature and role of creativity and opportunity recognition in organizations. Theories and modes of creative thinking, and the link between creativity and innovation are presented. This course will provide an overview of the opportunity recognition and evaluation process by examining how people, the industry, and the socioeconomic environment interact as an individual identifies or creates and shapes innovative opportunities. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 573 New Venture Creation
Entrepreneurship focuses on the concepts, skills, and know-how, information, attitudes and alternatives that are relevant for start-up and early-stage entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial managers and the relevant stakeholders. Specifically, this course provides an introductory overview of the knowledge and skills needed for the identification, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities in a variety of circumstances and environments. It concentrates on the study of entrepreneurship, preparation of business plans, methods for evaluating and screening new venture ideas, formulation and implementation of business strategies for new ventures, development of a business plan, the financing of new ventures and venture growth strategies and exits. It integrates knowledge gained from the prior core business courses (i.e., management, marketing, finance, accounting) to sharpen the student's ability to "think entrepreneurially" and form new ventures. Further, it is a course that mixes theory with practice, and you will be challenged to apply principles, concepts and frameworks to real world situations. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 574 Financing New Ventures
This course will focus on identifying, examining and evaluating various sources of original and growth capital. Emphasis will be on legal, financial and tax issues related to capital formation as well as specific problems experienced by the small-to-medium-sized firm undergoing rapid growth. Topics discussed will include venture valuation, financing startups, financial planning and strategy, going public, selling out and bankruptcy. A formal proposal for capital acquisition developed through field research will be required of each student. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 581 Marketing Research
An overview of the marketing research process, the course focuses on basic principles that permit the decision-maker to understand and make better use of research results. Topics covered include problem identification, research and data instrument design, and sampling. Methods for estimating short- and long-term market potential for new and existing products will also be discussed. Prerequisites: MBA 511. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 582 Strategic Marketing: Formulation Development and formulation of marketing strategy including target marketing, positioning and the marketing mix. The course emphasizes B2B marketing, particularly in the context of high-technology products and services. (Prerequisite: MBA511.) (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 583 Strategic Marketing: Implementation
The course covers implementation of marketing strategy including target marketing, positioning and the marketing mix. The course emphasizes B2B marketing, particularly in the context of high-technology products and services. Prerequisite: MBA582. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 584 Global Marketing Strategy
The course undertakes an examination of the role of global marketing in the development of an overall business strategy. Topics include the design of international pricing, promotion, distribution and product strategies. These concepts will be applied to the markets of specific countries, particularly emerging markets, taking into account the cultural and economic environments. Prerequisite: MBA 511. (1.5-0-1.5)
MBA 585 Analysis of Customer Behavior
This course covers the analysis of decision-making behavior of consumers and business buyers. It shows the rich insights that could be gained through such an analysis for the development of marketing strategy. Prerequisite: MBA 511. (1.5-0-1.5)
