Master of Business Administration (MBA)

This course is designed to provide the graduate student with those skills necessary to be able to interpret and understand the benefits and limitations of quantitative models in the company. Topics will include univariate and multivariate statistics and generative models.

The investigation of a realistic problem in marketing, management, economics, or finance using statistics. It reinforces the issues of data reliability and proper inference in the managerial context.

The main thrust of this course is to survey different theories and concepts of business that students will be exposed to in the MBA program, and demonstrate how the concepts can be used to solve real-world business problems. This course is an elective providing an overview of the business disciplines. *An additional course fee will be charged.

Addresses the external environment in which an organization resides, studying the relationship between business and society by drawing on economic, political, sociological, and legal theories and applying them to specific business contexts. The regulatory and global environment will also be studied. An understanding of how broader societal issues can affect business decisions will be gained. Emphasizes case studies of current business practices.

This course examines the foundations of ethics and values exploring how they shape individual behavior, leadership, and organizational decision making. The course emphasizes how social, environmental, and stakeholder responsibilities inform responsible business practices.

This course is designed to enable students to analyze both the formal and informal aspects of behavior in organizations to manage effectively. Students will examine how to build effective relationships, promote successful teamwork, investigate motivational issues, evaluate power and influence, assess organizational culture, improve leadership practice, and diagnose organizational change efforts.

Analysis of how the economic environment impacts the management of business. Topics include the impact of fiscal and monetary policy on business decisions, the impact of the Federal Reserve on both interest rates and effective money supply on business decisions and the impact of international trade, exchange rates and monetary flows on business decisions.

Substantive law affecting American business: contracts, the Uniform Commercial Code, creditors and debtors, kinds of business organizations litigation, and other means to resolve disputes, consumer protection, torts, anti-trust law and legal aspects of management labor relations. Public law and government regulations of business. Social responsibilities of business and ethics in business practice.

The course introduces managerial techniques in product and process design, implementation and control. These issues are most relevant to today's business executive in the private and public sector. Traditionally, Operations management techniques were intended for manufacturing operations - industrial engineering based. More recently, many of these techniques were modified to meet the needs of service operations executives in service industries: healthcare, transportation, financial services, education, public utilities, government, retail, fast food, entertainment and many others. The areas covered in the course include: Productivity and competitiveness, forecasting, product and process design, location and layout, quality management, supply chain concepts and long and short-term scheduling.

Analysis of business financial management: sources and uses of funds, raising funds from internal versus external sources, long-term versus short-term funding decisions, the cost of capital, alternate uses of capital, using leverage, security in borrowing/lending, dividends versus retained earnings, and use of the financial market.

This course deepens students' understanding of marketing management by examining how marketing decisions support business and corporate strategy. Using a managerial, research-informed, and case-based approach, students will analyze consumer and business-to-business markets, evaluate competitive and environmental conditions, and develop evidence-based marketing recommendations. Core topics include consumer behavior, segmentation and targeting, positioning, demand analysis, and the design of strategic marketing campaigns. Students will apply theory to real-world scenarios to create customer value, strengthen competitive advantage, and address ethical and social considerations in marketing practice.

This course focuses on the strategic use of human resources. Major topics covered include: equal employment opportunity laws, job analysis human resource planning, recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, training and development, and compensation and benefits.

Intensive five-day seminar (8a.m. - 6p.m.) focused on better managerial results through the study of behaviors, leadership styles, communication and motivation. Course completion graded on Pass/Fail basis. Prerequisites: Two to three hours of pre-work assignments which must be completed prior to the seminar. Course may be taken any time during the program. LTPS is offered at the sites on a rotating basis. Advance notice to MBA office of intent to enroll is recommended. *An additional course fee will be charged.

The action project is a concrete action activity undertaken for an organization, not simply planning or analysis although those activities can be included. Focus should be on either strategic problems or opportunities for the organization. Thus, the project will have a direct impact on the goals of the unit or organization. Projects should look to involve something that has never been done before at the organization, something that has/is being done but which is currently failing, something where the solutions are not immediately obvious or that there is controversy over likely solutions. The projects should specify challenging but attainable goals. It might be a part of an overall change effort underway at the organization. Faculty serve as resource and dialogical guides.

Designed to trace the entrepreneurial process from the initial idea through business operations to the harvest. It is organized into four parts: entrepreneurial process; evaluating opportunity and developing the business concept; assessing and acquiring resources; and managing and harvesting the venture. The purchase of businesses and franchises are also discussed. Cases are extensively used throughout the course.

Effective management of a project is a skill many (if not all) MBA students will need to have at some time during their professional career. The goal of this course is to give students the effective tools and knowledge to accomplish this successfully. Students will learn how projects get started, how to successfully manage a project and its resources, and how organizations select the "right" project to work on.

The course's focus is to develop advanced skills and understanding aspects of the law that impact human capital in the workplace. This is an ever-changing topic and will be imperative for businesses to stay abreast of the legal aspects of managing people.

Understanding compensation and benefits as part of an organization's rewards system is critical for today's human resource professionals and managers. Often these costs are the most significant budget line item to an organization. The practices surrounding compensation and benefits are constantly changing and without a solid understanding of this facet of management, managers could make decisions that would possibly incur unnecessary costs to the organization. This course includes tools that are needed to make quality, educated decisions and requires students to apply their learning to evaluate and implement compensation and benefit programs inside their organizations.

Specifically selected courses to meet student needs.

This course discusses the subject of global supply chain management and prepares students for careers in the field of supply chain management. This Global Supply Chain Management course discusses emerging issues in orchestrating a supply chain across borders for competitive success. It studies the roles of global economies, politics, infrastructure and competence in the context of supply chain management.

Making good decisions requires the ability to analyze data in straightforward, direct ways that produce high integrity results. This course requires students to apply the decision support models that are most frequently used in supply chain applications. Quantitative and statistical methods for decision making, hypothesis testing, regression and correlation analysis, forecasting, linear programming, and decision analysis will be explored. Specific case studies requiring data modeling and analysis will be used to demonstrate the use of the tools presented, requiring students to apply the tool correctly, not simply learn about it.

This course covers the methods used to get products to your customers. Advantages of a well-tuned distribution network include: reduced delivery cycle times, lower inventories and resulting increased cash flow, lower costs and higher quality to delivery performance. The choice of the distribution channel, and the performance of the partners operating the distribution mechanics, go a long way towards improving the perception of your organization's performance in the eyes of your customer.

This focuses on developing sustainable supply chain solutions that provide the best TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) in the industrial, consumer and service business sectors. This course will introduce students to a strategic view of Supply Chain Management, how it is used to enhance customer value, and will require them to analyze and evaluate the quality of supply chain management in any organization, as well as develop the critical thinking skills to assure that the strategic management of the supply chain is deeply integrated into every aspect of business.

Pertinent topics involving workers, management, and their common goals; development of improved labor/management relations; identifying risks involved in implementing successful labor/management relations; recognizing barriers to proposed improvements; insights into the structure and responsibilities of unions; and understanding corporate organization charts and their implications.

Substantive law affecting American business: contracts, the uniform commercial code, creditors' and debtors' rights, kinds of business organizations, litigation and other means to resolve disputes, consumer protection, torts, anti-trust law and legal aspects of management-labor relations. Public law and government regulations of business. Social responsibilities of business and ethics in business practice.

This course provides the managerial process by which firms create value for their customers through the exchange of products and services. The emphasis of this course is on how the student can achieve desired outcomes with the target market through the use of strategic sales and marketing approaches. Broad topics include (1) analyzing sales and marketing opportunities, (2) researching and organizing, implementing and controlling the sales and marketing effort. Students will prepare and present a sales and marketing plan.

Introduces the challenges of not-for-profit management. It will explore similarities and differences between the public sector, for-profit management and not-for-profit groups. Historical, legal, ethical, political and financial differences between the three sectors will be included. Also covers financial accountability, i.e. how to manage funds in and funds out in a not-for-profit organization.

This course will focus on the role of the CEO and board of directors in a not-for-profit organization. Covers executive administration, strategic management, executive decision-making and the relationships between CEO, the chair of the board, the staff and other stakeholders in the organization.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the workings of a commercial bank. Topics that will be explored include the functions of banks, regulations, industry structure, evaluating performance and risk and strategic management of the bank.

This course is designed to cover key areas of corporate finance in greater depth than in MBA-675. It will involve applying basic financial analysis techniques, investigation of the latest financial approaches in depth to realistic problems faced by the corporate financial manager. Special emphasis will be given to the relationship of decisions to internal cash flow and various sources and forms of capital available to firms.

The objective of this course is to give the participant an in-depth understanding of corporate and personal security investments. Attention will be given to individual company performance and its effect on its common stock and preferred securities. Attention will be given to understanding the stock exchanges, personal investment analysis, portfolio construction, trading techniques and profit maximization.

This course is an intensive study of the investment portfolios of individual and institutions, focusing on styles of management and risk analysis of such positions. It includes more advanced valuation issues and the use of derivative securities for investment and management of risk positions.

This course is designed to allow for the mounting of various topics in finance not covered in MBA-750 - MBA-753. The determination of the topics will be determined by issues relevant at this time or the interest of both faculty and students to study a particular topic. Examples of topics might be ethics and financial decision-making or mergers and acquisitions.

This course focuses on specific aspects of compensation and benefits systems. Major topics include legal issues, types of compensation plans, job evaluation methods, wage and salary structures, current compensation issues, types of benefits, and benefits administration.

A research-based examination of training and development programs emphasizing societal, legal, and organization factors affecting relationships among training, careers and organizational development management.

Considers issues regarding workplace fairness, procedural justice and employee discipline in both union and non-union environments. Topics include both formal and informal systems of dispute resolution, the union organizing process, and the legal restrictions on both employees, outside organizers, and management during organizing campaigns.

Uncover the theoretical understanding of the conflict process, types of conflict, conflict management styles and behaviors, distinction between distributive and integrative conflict resolution attempts, and types of intervention. Demonstrate understanding by constructing a personal case study of a significant work-related conflict. Each week explore a different aspect of the conflict situation that connects to the theoretical material under consideration.

This course is designed to broaden and deepen students' understanding of performance management systems in organizations. It includes an examination of the environment for performance management, and how to utilize performance management to reinforce an organizations' strategy. Students will analyze different appraisal methods, and determine how to improve their effectiveness.

Covers contemporary ethical issues in marketing. Subjects include ethical issues that relate to all aspects of the marketing mix: products, pricing, promotion and distribution. The role of the marketing manager with respect to ethics is covered as it relates to products, markets, consumers, society and company strategy. A position paper is required.

This course provides an in-depth familiarity and fluency with the fundamental and exemplary applications of social media in today's business world. It is aimed to provide managers the knowledge and expertise to incorporate social media appropriately into their business processes. The course emphasizes the strategic importance of social media to business leaders and gives them tools to adopt them into their organizations. This course is suitable for business & non-business professionals with aspirations to use social media effectively in their organizations.

Fundamental concepts necessary for designing, using, and implementing database systems. Major topics include: fundamental terminology, the relational data model, network and hierarchical database systems, algorithms for database design, and techniques of implementation.

This course will allow the student to communicate with professional computer information systems personnel, gain experience in the computerization of business principles, learn integrated structured techniques of problem-solving for the user manager, and understand terminals and database systems. Major topics will include detailed analysis and feasibility studies, systems design, system development, implementation, and testing.

Provides an appreciation for the scope of business and industry telecommunications, explain the basic principles that apply to the design of telecommunications, and present methods for solving telecommunications problems. Major topics to be covered are fundamental concepts, transmission systems, software, hardware and overview of telecommunications industry.

This course will give the student an appreciation for the scope of business and industry telecommunications, explain the basic principles that apply to the design of telecommunications and present methods for solving telecommunications problems. Major topics to be covered are fundamental concepts, transmission systems, software, hardware and overview of telecommunications industry.

Global competition combined with the transition to a knowledge-based economy requires organizations to take an integrated, strategic approach to preparing a workforce that can meet the business demands of the future. This course focuses on the history and changes in human resources, understanding business strategies and devising HR practices to support them, identifying how organizations gain sustainable competitive advantage through effective human resource strategies, and how workforce diversity and globalization is capable of enhancing an organization's human talent to drive successful business results. Particular focus will be given to measuring human resource outcomes and the integration with overall business strategy.

This course will be an introduction to the unique characteristics of health care management. The legal, regulatory, ethical, philosophical and economic environment of the health care sector will be the primary focus. An examination of how these areas affect the management of a health care organization will be presented.

The course will examine the use of information systems in health care organization. Potential topics include: clinical and administrative MIS systems and models; collecting, sorting and retrieving data to support management activities; and the use of MIS in the areas of strategic planning and quality management.

This course will examine quality control systems and issues, including how evidence-based medicine is impacting reimbursement, and the quality issues related thereto. Additional topics include understanding basic safety design principles, such as standardization and simplification and measuring quality of care in terms of structure, process and outcomes.

Evaluates reimbursement strategies, social and political factors that affect usage of health facilities and the payments, and changes in patterns of use of health care providers. Budgeting and financial management are considered in relation to these issues. Trends in business forecasting that influence both non-profit and for-profit organizations are studied.

Health care organizations and integrated delivery systems face challenges from marketing in the health care field because of traditional and historical biases which relate to this industry. The use of advertising and promotion has been taboo in the health care field, particularly as relates to not-for-profit organizations and physicians in medical practice.

Focuses on the concept of Integrated Delivery Systems, which has recently become significant in the strategic planning of health care systems. IDS are totally integrated health care systems both horizontally and vertically in the community. The focus of IDS is to provide the community with total management of health and health care services for the prevention, treatment, and management of disease processes. IDS represent comprehensive and complex interrelationships between many community organizations providing health services such as screening procedures, preventive inoculation programs, home health services, long-term care facilities, acute care facilities and outpatient surgical treatment facilities.

Expands on current issues in health care important to the health care manager. Executive seminar course, with case studies and student presentations. Focuses on issues not covered in the prerequisite and ethics courses. Topics include managed care and benefits administration, use of PC work stations as a management tool (spreadsheets, graphs, etc.), health care politics, geriatrics/eldercare and its financing, understanding staffing techniques, total quality management in the health care industry, and CEO management skills in a health care organization.

A concrete action undertaken for an organization which focuses on either strategic problems or opportunities for the organization. Thus, the project will have a direct impact on the goals of the unit or organization. Projects should look to involve something that has never been done before at the organization, something that has/is being done but which is currently failing, something where the solutions are not immediately obvious or there is controversy over likely solutions. The project should specify challenging but attainable goals. It might be a part of an overall change effort underway at the organization. Faculty serve as resource and dialogical guides. Prerequisites: All previous MBA coursework except for MBA-800. This is an eight week course.

This course provides a culminating experience where students apply strategic frameworks to assess organizational performance and competitive positioning. Through individual analyses and team-based projects, students address critical business challenges and develop actionable recommendations. Emphasizing cross-functional collaboration, strategic thinking, and leadership, the course prepares graduates to formulate and implement strategies that drive success in dynamic environments.