Accounting	Business Law	Finance
Management	Marketing	Operations & Information Management

Accounting Course Descriptions:

ACCT 5895 (300) – Accounting & Security Fraud
An introduction to accounting concepts essential to the detection and prevention of accounting and security fraud and to the appropriate internal control measures necessary for a creation of a culture of corporate compliance. The course will build a knowledge base of financial accounting principles (GAAP) created by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); internal controls mandated by the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley; and security rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Students will learn to detect fraudulent patterns of accounting in corporate annual reports, proxy statements, and corporate prospectuses. Corporate governance and corporate compliance will also be addressed. Prerequisite: ACCT 5121 (321)

ACCT 5895 (300) – Financial Statement Analysis
An introduction to the fundamental concepts associated with analyzing financial statements that are reported to shareholders and regulators.  The current financial reporting atmosphere (Post Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley) has been volatile.  Users of financial statements have lost confidence in the numbers reported, and thus, a principle objective of this course is not only to ascertain when the numbers are misleading, but whether the numbers are fraudulent.   Discussions will include the role of accountants as to their professional responsibility to present fairly the activity of the firm.  On completion of the course, students should be able to detect when a firm has reported accurate, reliable, suspect, fuzzy, or misleading financial numbers. Prerequisite: ACCT 5121 (321)

ACCT 5121 (321) - Financial Accounting & Reporting
Accounting is an information system. This course is designed to introduce students to accounting concepts essential to the preparation and interpretation of financial statements issued to management and to external users such as stockholders and creditors. While appropriate consideration is given to procedural aspects of accounting, more emphasis is placed on understanding the conceptual bases of generally accepted accounting principles and the effects of using alternative accounting methods on financial statements.

ACCT 5123 (323) - Cost Analysis & Control
Internally, managers need timely information in order to plan and control operations. This course focuses on managerial uses of accounting information for decision-making within the business enterprise. Decisions considered include product pricing, transfer pricing, make or buy, and capital budgeting. Formation of budgets establishing an internal control structure, performance evaluation, and cost control techniques are also discussed. Prerequisite: ACCT 5121 (321)

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Business Law Course Descriptions:

BLAW 5894 (300) – Cyber Law
An examination of the case law and statuses pertaining to E-Commerce. Special attention will be given to issues of jurisdiction and property rights. Constitutional issues in regard to expression will also be examined. Criminal law consequences will be included in the examination of this course. Prerequisite: BLAW 5175 (375)

BLAW 5894 (300) – Employment Law
This course aims at providing the graduate MBA student with an insight into the issues posed by discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability and gender orientation. The student will understand their responsibility as future managers to ensure that the workplace is freed from acts of discrimination as well as more subtle forms of harassment. Case law and actual decisions will be the principal teaching tools to achieve this purpose. Prerequisite: BLAW 5175 (375)

BLAW 5894 (300) – International Business Law
This course deals with the legal issues consequent upon the globalization of American business enterprise. Cases in the areas of jurisdiction, contract negotiations and interpretations and liability for delivery and quality of foods will give the student a sensitivity to the new international culture of which our students will soon be part. Attention will also be given to the roles of varied government in this creation of an international free market. Prerequisite: BLAW 5175 (375)

BLAW 5175 (375) – Business, Law & Ethics
In order to survive, business must meet the legal and ethical standards imposed by a changing society. Business enterprise is not an island and business decision-making must be undertaken in light of current legal and ethical demands. Such demands may take the form of globalization of the business enterprise, reactions to hostile takeovers, concerns with market concentration and efficiency, changes in legal philosophy and corporate ethics, and developments in international law and administrative regulation. By examining the philosophical, legal, social, historical, and political/economic regulatory environments, this course places business decision making in the legal and ethical perspective so critical in today’s markets.

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Finance Course Descriptions:

FNCE 5894 (300) – Financial Engineering
Financial engineering is the application of advances in related technologies that permit the diagnosis, analysis, design, production, pricing, and customization of solutions to the problems in finance. The scope of these technologies encompasses conceptual advances in pricing and hedging that support more comprehensive derivative securities markets and risk management systems. Financial engineering can be viewed as the means of implementing financial innovation, and financial engineers can create and price an uncountable array of financing vehicles for corporations. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5894 (300) – The Global Economics of Energy
Energy has been in the news a lot recently. It is something modern societies cannot live without. This course examines where energy comes from, how it is transformed into useful products such as gasoline, fuel oil and electricity, and what impact it has on the world economy. The course starts with an examination of crude oil, the basis for much of the energy value chain. Students will examine where the reserves of oil and natural gas are found, the geopolitics of energy, who the large producing countries and companies are, how crude oil is transformed into useful products, and how it gets to the end user. Discussion will also include study of the electricity industry, both public and independent power producers, study of the stocks of some companies that operate in this space, and alternative energy, including solar, wind, and biomass. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5894 (300) – International Investments
Proper international investment is not an easy task. It requires a familiarity with foreign cultures, financial instruments, and markets. Financial traditions vary across the world and strongly influence the organization and functioning of markets. Investors are no longer content to focus exclusively on domestic markets, and many investors, academics, and investment professionals claim that superior returns can be achieved from investing in global markets. This course will explore the opportunities and risks involved in foreign investments. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5894 (300) - Investment Valuation
In the volatile stock market environment that has existed since the dot-com bubble burst, investors need a solid grounding in valuation techniques now more than ever.  During the semester students will learn three different approaches to investment valuation: Balance Sheet Reproduction, Earnings Power Valuation and Discounted Cash Flow analysis. This course starts out with classic Graham and Dodd methodology, and progresses to more recent value scholarship.  The course will utilize real time company studies and practical applications of the value approach, including a project that requires researching and placing a valuation on an investment idea. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5894 (300) – Mergers & Acquisitions
The primary objective of this course is to provide the student with the theoretical background as well as the analytical and technological tools necessary to analyze corporate combinations, restructurings, and bankruptcies. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5101 (301) - Financial Management
All major business decisions have financial implications, and therefore, the financial manager's contribution to directing the operations of the firm has become increasingly critical in the last decade. This course provides an overview of techniques for effectively studying financial decisions and their impact on the company. The course covers the basic concepts and tools necessary to understand the financial decision-making process. The fundamental issues of timing and uncertainty are integrated into the problem of asset valuation. Financial analysis models for determining appropriate sources of capital and effective use of long term and short term assets are discussed. Prerequisites: ACCT 5121 (321) & OPIM 5103 (303)

FNCE 5202 (302) - Investment & Security Analysis
A rigorous foundation in risk/return analysis, asset valuation, the use of derivatives, and financial engineering techniques in risk management and overall portfolio management. Information technology is applied, including computerized financial modeling and asset management software. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5301 (303) - Corporate Finance
A markets-oriented approach to corporate finance issues, especially capital structure and dividend policy. Modern concepts of agency theory and asymmetric information are integrated. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5504 (304) - Options and Futures
Analysis and valuation of speculative securities including options and futures with emphasis on their use for hedging and speculative motives. Major valuation models are discussed and applications of contingent claim valuation framework to corporate finance problems are also explored. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5205 (305) - Global Financial Management
An exploration of global finance topics such as 1) international trade, 2) balance of payments, 3) exchange rate determination, 4) currency exposure, and 5) the cost of capital in global financial markets. Information technology is applied. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5206 (306) - Financial Institutions
Investigation of the structure financial services companies (banks, insurance companies, securities firms, and so forth). Emphasis is on the tools used by these firms to compete to provide basic financial services like pooling resources, managing risk, transferring economic resources, pricing information and clearing and settling payments. Financial services product development and the role of information technology in financial services, including software and data. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5507 (307) - Working Capital Management
Working capital management is critical in determining whether a firm is competitive and profitable. Each component of working capital cash, marketable securities, receivables, inventories, and payables is studied and is related to the firm's operations. The course concentrates on applications and includes lectures by working capital managers from major corporations. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5508 (308) - Asset Allocation & Capital Market
Provides an integrative overview of issues in financial theory. Contemporary theoretical developments in corporate finance and financial markets are addressed. Major topics include agency theory, option theory, term structure theory, CAPM, APT, market efficiency, capital structure, and dividend policies under full and asymmetric information. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5610 (310) - Personal Financial Planning
This course is for the professional working in the area of financial services as well as for one's personal planning. It is the application of finance theory to the individual and family. This integrated approach covers lifetime cash flows, asset accumulation and allocation, debt management, retirement planning, and risk management. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5611 (311) - Financial Modeling
This course is a "hands-on" use of computerized decision aids to analyze a variety of financial problems. Applications will be drawn from corporate financial planning, modern portfolio theory, options pricing, dynamic trading, and so forth. No computer experience is required; this course will help students develop the necessary programming skills to build fairly sophisticated models. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5512 (312) - Fixed Income Instruments
This course examines contemporary portfolio management of fixed income institutional investors, issuers, and broker-dealers. It assesses current practice and presents a theoretical framework for anticipating change. Coverage includes pricing, assessment of return and risk, and the development of overall strategies, for these markets:  government, corporate, municipal, and international bonds; mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities; and derivative securities including futures, options, swaps, and other interest rate contracts. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5513 (313) - Advanced Corporate Finance: Capital Investment
This course in dynamic capital budgeting applies corporate finance theory to the real-world problems that financial analysts face every day, integrating theory and practice, facilitated through the use of simulation analysis. These tools include both an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of sound capital budgeting techniques and a mastery of the technology necessary to practically implement this knowledge in a real-world setting. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5151 (317) - Introduction to Economic Markets
Provides a foundation in the economics of markets, with particular application to financial markets and the role of information. Specific topics include the following: (1) the basic principles of supply, demand, profit maximization, price determination, international trade, and exchange rates; (2) the basic structure of modern, global financial markets, as an application of the basic economic principles; (3) the use of information and information technology in financial markets, including use of the internet, Bloomberg, Dow Jones and other computerized sources of information; and (4) a review of the "efficient market hypothesis.

FNCE 5521 (321) - Risk & Insurance

A study of the recognition, analysis, and treatment of pure risk from the viewpoint of the enterprise. This course considers various methods of risk management but emphasizes the role of insurance. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5630 (330) - Real Estate: Personal Investment Perspective

Real estate is a major component of household wealth. Important household real estate decisions include, for example, where to buy a house; renting versus owning a home; choosing between alternative mortgage instruments; understanding the house purchase transaction; and the risks and returns of real estate investing. This course surveys the fundamentals of real estate from a personal investment perspective. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5534 (331) - The Internet and Information Systems Applied to Real Estate

Specialized information technology is now available for all segments of the real estate industry. For example, investment firms are particularly interested in information technology that helps them monitor, understand, and manage risks associated with mortgage-backed securities. Database management systems and geographic information systems (GIS) give the decision-maker unprecedented power to manage data and analyze risks. The Internet opens up vast new sources of timely information. This course stresses the use of GIS and of the Internet. Students will gain hands-on experience with these tools through projects that are organized around business problems. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5533 (332) - Real Estate Capital Markets

This course covers the structure and operation of the mortgage market. Topics include the identification, measurement and management of risk from the perspective of borrower, lender, and investor. The course stresses the integration of the real estate debt markets with the global capital market, and considers the role and impact of mortgage-backed securities for residential and commercial real estate lending. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

FNCE 5532 (333) - Real Estate Investment & Portfolio Management

This course provides an overview of real estate investment decision-making. Topics include: risk-return analysis of alternative types of real estate investments; leases, operating costs, and tax consequences; valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow and option pricing; real estate portfolio management; and alternative forms of equity securitization such as real estate investment trusts. Prerequisite: FNCE 5101 (301)

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Management Course Descriptions:

MGMT 5894 (300) - Social Entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurship pertains to the identification and amelioration of social needs inadequately addressed by existing organizations (private, public or not-for-profit). It involves the processes through which opportunities to address socials need are identified, evaluated and exploited; and the set of individuals who discover, evaluate, and exploit them. Meaningful social entrepreneurship can be local in scope, or contribute to the development of cities, regions, nations or even be global in its reach. In this project-based elective, students apply the management and entrepreneurial skills they have developed in their careers and training to a specific social entrepreneurship project. Individually, or in small groups, students will write a business plan that contributes to the mission of an ongoing social entrepreneurship project, or alternatively, develop a business plan for a social entrepreneurship startup.
Course Objectives:

1. To provide students with the opportunity to experientially learn about entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship.
2. To provide students with the opportunity to apply and develop their business training and experience to practical social issues.
3. To provide students interested in applying their skills and training to social causes an opportunity to network with like-minded students.
4. To provide students with the opportunity to make a positive difference by applying their skills and training to address unmet social needs.

MGMT 5894 (300) – Venturing & Value Creation in a Simulated Marketplace

Through a business simulation (Marketplace), students will experience a very realistic business situation by starting up and running a company struggling with business fundamentals and the interplay between marketing, manufacturing, human resources, finance, accounting and business strategy. Students are given full control of a simulated business and must manage its operations through several decision cycles which involve analyzing the situation, planning a strategy to improve it, and then executing that strategy out into the future.  Incrementally, students learn to skillfully adjust their strategies as they discover the nature of real-life decisions, including the available options, linkages to other parts of the business, conflicts, tradeoffs and outcomes. Hence, the simulation serves as a continuing evolving “case” wherein students assume various managerial roles and functions. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5138 (338) - Managing Organizations
Effective managers must possess the leadership and interpersonal skills necessary to manage an increasingly diverse work force. Knowing how to reap maximum benefit from an organization's human capital is essential for today's manager. This course focuses exclusively on the development and improvement of the participant's "people skills" as they relate to managing others and working on teams with others. Participants learn not only the latest concepts, but also receive constructive feedback on their own management and leadership style. Topics such as establishing interpersonal presence and rapport, managing diversity in a multi-cultural workforce, coaching and conducting performance appraisal sessions, managing group dynamics, building an effective decision-making team, developing a motivational climate, and exercising transformational leadership are explored. Through the use of experiential exercises and role playing, participants are given a "hands-on" opportunity to practice and refine their leadership and team skills as well as to gain significant insight into their own strengths and weaknesses as a manager.

MGMT 5639 (339) - Gender Diversity in Workplace

The demographic composition of the international labor force is changing. In the United States, the proportions of both women and people of color have steadily increased in recent years. This course chronicles and examines the transition that is taking place in the workplace due to the increased diversity in employees. It examines gender-related issues such as sex differences and sex role development, occupational choice and organizational entry, peer and manager-subordinate interactions, sexual harassment, career development, the interface between work and family, and strategies for promoting equal opportunity in organizations. It examines diversity issues stemming from differences in individual characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and national origin. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5640 (340) - International Business

The growing impact of a rapidly changing international business environment on organizations today means that few managers can afford to remain indifferent to the issues of international business. It is important to understand the changing patterns of international business, the dynamics of international competition, government-business interactions in other countries, and the organizational challenges of managing strategically across borders. This course addresses these issues through an applied approach in the discussion of cases. Prerequisites: MGMT 5138 (338), FNCE 5101 (301), and MKTG 5115 (315) (recommended)

MGMT 5250 (350) - Managerial Communications

Designed to improve effective oral and written communication skills for managers. Topics in written communications include: organization, structure, and clarity of business communications; practice in writing formal papers and research reports; establishing style and tone in different types of written business communications. Topics in oral communications include: analysis of audiences, presentations to small and large groups, persuasion and motivation techniques, using audio-visual aids, and improving delivery and style using video feedback.

MGMT 5660 (360) - Management of Technology & Innovation

In today's dynamic organizations, management of research, technology and change are generic processes which constitute irresistible and critical elements of the overall environment of business. Awareness of these processes can be a powerful force for an organization's management of its future. This course introduces the student to the management of innovation in several contexts, dealing with products and services, tangible and intangible outputs. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5672 (372) - Career Dynamics

As individuals pass through organizations, they both shape them and are shaped by them. This course looks at the issues involved in integrating the individual with the organization through the process known as career development. In particular, it focuses on the realities of entry, membership, and advancement that occur in organizations. Topics cover career stages and life stages; career stages and organizational stages; individual self-assessment including personal characteristics, interests, values and interpersonal styles; individual career mapping; and changing jobs and careers. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5674 (374) - Negotiation Strategies

Developing and implementing effective negotiation strategies and tactics is an increasingly important activity in a wide range of managerial positions. This course deals with negotiations both within and between organizations. Effective negotiations skills are essential for successful managers in complex contemporary organizations characterized by changing structures, temporary task forces, multiple demands on resources, and the increased importance of interdepartmental cooperation. Critical negotiation situations with other organizations range from those dealing with labor unions, purchasing, mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures. During this course, participants plan and conduct negotiations simulations, as well as receive feedback on their performance. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5675 (375) - Strategic Management of Human Resource

Effective human resources management (HRM) is one of the most decisive factors in the success of any organization. This course examines how to manage human resources effectively in the dynamic legal, social, and economic environments currently constraining organizations. Among the topics included are: formulation and implementation of human resource strategy, job analysis, methods of recruitment and selection, techniques for training and management development, performance appraisal, compensation analysis and administration, and evaluation of the effectiveness of HRM systems. Attention is also given to the need for adjusting human resource strategies and tactics when applying them in a foreign setting. Emphasis is placed on integrating human resource management with other key aspects of management. A variety of teaching methods are used to help students acquire an understanding and appreciation of HRM. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5676 (376) - Business Improvement Through Training & Development

Planning, implementing, and evaluating training programs designed to meet individual and organizational needs. The course examines training methods, techniques, processes, and strategic and international training issues. Focuses on the process by which organizations train and develop employees. Topics include training needs assessment, program design, training evaluation, and management development practices. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5678 (378) - Compensation & Benefits

Application of compensation principles to organizational objectives. This course includes strategic use of compensation systems for attracting, motivating, and retaining employees; managerial aspects of paying employees at all organizational levels and; focus on managing employee compensation in contemporary organizations. The major objectives are: to examine the current state of compensation decision making, to examine how recent theoretical and research developments inform compensation decisions, and to offer an opportunity to develop competencies in making compensation decisions. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5621 (381) – Everyday Ethics for Managers

Each day the media—whether newspaper, business journal, website, or broadcast news on television—features an event, crisis or issue that relates to a manager or corporation’s activities in relation to ethics.  Who is right?  Who is wrong?  Was someone hurt?  Who acted irresponsibly?  What was gained or lost? Today’s business professionals need straightforward frameworks to thoughtfully and objectively analyze and sort through complex issues in order to make decisions that matter—ethically, economically, socially, legally, and spiritually.  This course addresses a wide range of ethical issues and relies on stakeholder analysis as its basic investigative framework.  Stakeholder analysis is one of the most comprehensive approaches for identifying issues and outcomes relative to complex ethical dilemmas. The course objectives are to recognize the effects of corporate scandals on business and governance practices; learn and apply micro-level approaches to ethical decision making using moral principles and concepts; determine how to lead, manage and be a responsible follower in today’s organizations; and address the implications of cultural difference on ethics in a global marketplace. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5223 (383) - Organization Development & Managing Change

This course focuses on the planned, systematic process in which applied organizational theory and behavioral science principles and practices are introduced into organizations, toward the goal of increasing both individual and organizational effectiveness. Additionally, this course is designed to prepare students to become effective change agents at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The course addresses such topics as assessing organizational effectiveness/performance measurement, fundamental organizational development techniques, change methodologies, individual, group, and organizational change processes, applied research methods for analysis of change problems, process interventions, the power and politics of change, and strategic change. Prerequisite: MGMT 5138 (338)

MGMT 5390 (390) - Strategy, Policy, & Planning (Capstone)

A firm's ability to survive and succeed in an increasingly competitive global arena depends on its ability to develop and maintain an effective strategy. This capstone course deals with the two major aspects of strategy: formulation and implementation. Strategy formulation examines such issues as environmental threats and opportunities, the values and priorities of management and societal stakeholders, and the strengths of company resources and competencies relative to principal competitors. Strategy implementation covers such topics as strategic leadership, organizational structure, resource allocation, and building a strategy-supportive culture. The course uses cases and readings to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare students to deal with strategic issues. The student must have completed basic courses in the functional areas of business in order to be ready to assume the holistic perspective required of those who address this important topic. Prerequisite: All core courses. Must have minimum of 48 credits.

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Marketing Course Descriptions:

MKTG 5894 (300) – Business Issues in the Pacific Rim

Today’s business executive can not go a day without hearing about China and its effect on business practices globally.  This is an opportunity to experience both a business and cultural understanding of the world’s most dynamic emerging marketplace. Past visits have included Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Business visits are made to companies such as GE, UBS, Proctor & Gamble, and Chinanet.com. Cultural visits include: Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, Sampan Tour of Hong Kong and the Great Buddha Temple. The goal is for students to understand challenges in international business and marketing, gain experience in economies transitioning to market structures, enhance expertise on the world’s largest single emerging market, and develop appreciation for diverse cultural traditions and their impact on economic institutions. Past travel courses to other destinations have included Business Issues in Latin America and Business Issues in Eastern Europe. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5894 (300) – Consumer Research for Entrepreneurs

The course is designed to help entrepreneurs improve their business models through a better understanding of their current and potential clients. The course will provide a series of lecture/workshop sessions on the most common qualitative and quantitative research methodologies used by entrepreneurs to understand customer market needs and desires for products or services. The main topics covered will be how to conduct and analyze online surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observational research. The analytic tools covered will include basic data analysis, multiple regression, and content analysis using SAS, JMP, and MS Excel. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5115 (315) - Market-Driven Management

The purpose of a business is to create a satisfied customer. To accomplish this objective managers must incorporate both their customers' and competitors' perspectives into their decision-making. This course focuses on the necessity to become a market-driven organization. Topics covered in this course include: market segmentation and target marketing, marketing research for obtaining critical customer information, development of marketing strategies, product development and the key linkage between marketing and R&D, pricing strategies and implementation, working with distribution partners, developing effective promotional programs, control and evaluation of the marketing function. These and other topics are applied in a wide range of market arenas such as global marketing, the new service economy, industrial and high technology products, consumer goods and services, financial services, and health care.

MKTG 5220 (320) - Customer Relationship Marketing

This course discusses the scope of interactive marketing strategies and programs and introduces business models that are suited for this purpose. It covers the concept of customer lifetime value and its linkage to various customer relationship forms including customer, partner, stakeholder, and employee relationship marketing.  Cross-marketing strategies for maximizing customer lifetime value are emphasized.  Brand development and brand equity management are also explored from a relationship marketing perspective.  Integrated marketing communications and interactive marketing tools including digital marketing are discussed. Students obtain hands-on experience of creating detailed marketing plans with appropriate financials for typical interactive marketing situations. Case studies of actual companies are used to better illustrate the concepts. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5625 (325) - Marketing for Global Competitiveness

The United States is the largest market for consumer goods in the world, yet it is also one of the slowest growing markets. Faced with increasing competition from American, Japanese, European and other global competitors, all companies are faced with the necessity of developing truly global marketing strategies. This course helps prepare the manager for these challenges by investigating specific success criteria in the world's major markets. Cultural, political, economic and institutional factors are discussed and their implications for marketing strategies are explored. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5330 (330) - New Product & Innovation Management

This course takes a "whole enterprise" approach to the management of innovation, based on the perspectives of product managers and a CEO.  The course's primary objective is to develop effective conceptual frameworks and analytical tools for managing innovation throughout the firm.  The analytical tools used in the course range from traditional methods for forecasting new product performance (e.g. Bases, Assessor, etc.) to more sophisticated methods that use virtual reality lab environments.  Topics include the nature of innovation, new product development processes, new product sales forecasting, successful integration of marketing and R&D, and acceleration of the new product process from design to commercialization advantages. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5640 (340) – Integrated Marketing

Exploration of the critical factors needed for effective marketing communications through market segmentation, targeting, marketing research, promotional strategies and benchmarking. Elements will be explored through individual and team activities. This course will cover the marketing communications mix of advertising, personal selling and public relations. The central focus of the course will be exploring this mix through the strategies, functions, activities and relationships between and within brand marketers and advertising agencies. Students will have the opportunity to experience, as well as explore these relationships in a team structure. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5250 (350) – Marketing Research & Information System

This course discusses the collection and use of information on customers and their needs for designing marketing programs. The course develops skills in obtaining and using customer input for product design, communications, pricing, distribution, and customer service decisions. Some of the topics covered include: research design; use of secondary information sources; decision support systems; sampling techniques; questionnaire design; scaling and measurement; and multivariate data analysis procedures. The applications discussed in the course include the creation and use of data-warehouses; customer satisfaction measurement; customer-based brand equity measurement; and the use of the Internet as an information-gathering tool. Prerequisites: MKTG 5115 (315) and OPIM 5103 (303)

MKTG 5251 (351) - Data Analytics

The course introduces students to the concepts, methods, and quantitative tools for creating and exploiting customer databases. The course will have a strong hand-on methodological orientation with emphasis on applications involving real customer data. Students will learn quantitative tools for estimation of customer lifetime value, customer response modeling (e.g., multiple regression, logistic regression, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and neural network analysis) and experimentation in test markets. Applications will include prospecting, market segmentation and targeting, product customization, and cross-selling. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5655 (355) - Pricing Strategies

One of the most closely scrutinized aspects of the marketing mix, pricing is a critical factor in the success of both new and old products and services. This course examines the price-setting process and the role of marketing, engineering, manufacturing and other business functions in price determination. Students will integrate economic and behavioral aspects of customer response to pricing, legal constraints as they impact the marketing manager's pricing flexibility, and the particular problems of pricing within the context of a global marketing strategy. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5660 (360) - Customer & Market Behavior

Current theories and research of buyer behavior from marketing, psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, and economics are analyzed with special attention to their application in managerial decision-making. Specific theories of buyer learning, attitude development, perception, group interactions and decision-making, organizational dynamics, personality and culture are used to explain and predict customer response to market offerings. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5662 (362) - Services Marketing

An examination of the application of marketing principles to the service arena. This course includes exploration of the differences between the marketing of goods and services. Development of appropriate decision models for services in consumer and industrial market segments and the use of services as a differentiation tool for product marketers. Topics include new service development; the service-profit chain; evaluating service quality; strategic service management; and the impact of customer satisfaction and loyalty on company profits. A variety of service industries are used as points of illustration, including telecommunications; insurance and financial services; health care; and business-to-business services such as advertising, temporary employees, and accounting. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

MKTG 5665 (365) - Digital Marketing

An exploration and evaluation of the potential for digital technology, especially the Internet, to enhance the marketing of goods and services. Emphasis is on strategies and tactics for creating, retaining, and enhancing customer relationships via the World-Wide-Web, and on integrating the digital environment into other elements of the marketing mix. Business models for cyberspace are compared and contrasted with those for physical space. Heavy reliance on the Internet as a teaching tool. Prerequisite: MKTG 5115 (315)

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Operations & Information Management Course Descriptions:

OPIM 5894 (300) – Data Mining

Technology advancements now allow companies to capture and store vast quantities of data (or facts). With so much raw data, organizations need a tool that allows them to effectively sift through these enormous datasets and discover meaningful patterns, trends, and anomalies. One such tool is data mining. Data mining refers to the extraction of previous unknown, yet potential useful information/knowledge from data. It consists of several techniques that can be used to perform activities such as classification, clustering, association rule mining, visualization, prediction. Outputs from these activities help companies to answer business questions such as who is likely to respond to a new advertisement, what transactions are most likely to be fraudulent, what combinations of products are customers most likely to purchase at the same time, etc. The course is practically oriented with applications in various areas such as customer relationship management, fraud detection, click-stream Web mining, component failure predictions, etc. Prerequisite: OPIM 5103 (303)

OPIM 5894 (300) – Project Management

A practical approach to planning, organizing and controlling projects. The course includes modern planning and analysis methods for solving project execution problems that occur on projects found in all types of organizations and business environments. Prerequisite: OPIM 5103 (303)

OPIM 5894 (300) – Web Design and Evaluation

A well designed web site will clearly communicate a specific message to a target audience that will result in accomplishing specific goals. This qualitative course will cover a range of topics that factor into the proper design and development of a web site throughout its life-cycle. These topic areas will provide the student with an understanding of: the systems process used to manage a project; business functions; the target audiences; fundamental design principles; the technology and skills used to develop, host, manage and maintain a site; the logistics involved in launching a site; the tools and techniques used to evaluate and improve the site at various stages of its life-cycle; channel management and customer-relations management. There is no programming required in this course, however, students will apply the principles learned in this course to evaluate a series of web site designs and make a final presentation of their findings. Prerequisites: OPIM 5165 (365)

OPIM 5602 (302) - Mathematical Analysis for Business

A review of algebra followed by introduction to functions, limits, differentiation, integration, vectors, matrices and linear programming. The course includes examples and applications of mathematical topics to business problems.

OPIM 5103 (303) - Managerial Statistics

A manager is concerned with recognizing and formulating statistical problems in business decision-making. This course covers some of the more familiar classical inference procedures and the basic statistical concepts that are often essential to the interpretation of business data. Methods of understanding variability and detecting changes are explored using descriptive, exploratory, and inferential statistics found in widely available statistical packages. Topics include: discrete and continuous random variables, sampling, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and linear regression.

OPIM 5110 (310) - Operations Management

An operations manager is concerned with designing, operating and controlling a system for producing goods and services. Design decisions include selecting a process technology, organizing jobs, selecting vendors, and developing the location and layout of facilities. Operating the system involves planning and scheduling work and material flow, controlling quality, and managing inventories. General systems concepts and models are developed and applied. Topics include process flow analysis, inventory systems, waiting line analysis, quality design, capacity resource planning, project management, and integrating operations with the firm's strategic plans. Prerequisite: OPIM 5103 (303)

OPIM 5165 (365) - Management Information Systems

A manager is concerned with the solution of business problems by exploiting the information resources that are becoming available through the explosion in information technology. The emphasis is on business applications and how to structure the development and use of information systems for maximum benefit to the organization. Topics include: decision support systems, impact of the computer upon individual and organizations, competitive implications, technology change, telecommunications, and control of information systems resources.

OPIM 5270 (370) - Systems Development

Builds upon the student's acumen in business, IT programming, data structures/data-base, and electronic commerce. The purpose is to integrate the areas of computer technology, information systems analysis, systems design, and organizational behavior to aid in the design of large scale systems and systems applications. Various approaches to information systems design and specification are presented. The topical coverage includes infrastructure issues, IT enabled virtual organizations, and systems to facilitate electronic commerce. Students identify an actual systems problem, and analyze and design a small system. Prerequisite: OPIM 5165 (365)

OPIM 5671 (371) - Decision Support Systems

Examines computer based decision support modeling technologies for loosely structured problems. Emphasis is placed on "hands on" involvement with commercially available decision support systems and on designing and implementing simple decision support systems for special managerial problems. Prerequisite: OPIM 5165 (365)

OPIM 5272 (372) - Data Base Systems

Introduces concepts of databases and how they can be leveraged to manage data for improving business competitiveness. The industry standard relational database model is covered in detail, with hands-on examples on database design, implementation, data storage, retrieval and processing, using a leading DBMS tool. Also introduces SQL, the de facto language for building and querying large-scale databases. Database integrity, security and administration issues are discussed. Features and selection criteria of DBMS tools for various business purposes are highlighted. Prerequisite: OPIM 5165 (365)

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