Business Administration (MBAA)

This course presents insights from a variety of academic disciplines, including management, psychology, sociology, economics, and political science, to understand the processes through which people work together in organizations. Focus on topics such as leadership, motivation, diversity, decision-making, and organizational culture.

To be successful in contemporary organizations, individuals must understand the complex interaction of individual, team, and organizational-level phenomena. This course presents insights from a variety of academic disciplines, including management, psychology, sociology, and economics, to understand the processes through which people work together in organizations. We focus on topics such as leadership, ethics, employment legislation, motivation, decision making, communication, organizational culture, diversity, negotiations and performance management. The case studies, simulations, class discussions, activities and reflective exercises allow participants to explore and apply insights to their own professional life.

This course surveys the basic concepts of the accounting discipline, encompassing principles, current practices, and trends, and the activities involved in understanding and interpretation of accounting systems from a manager's perspective. Emphasis is placed on developing an interface with other areas of business.

In this course, students will acquire foundational knowledge in financial and managerial accounting to prepare and analyze external financial statements and for internal decision-making. Students will gain exposure to various standard setting bodies and investigate and evaluate real world financial reporting, disclosure, compliance and legal issues. Students will apply methodologies for planning, controlling, analyzing and evaluating firm performance. Students will cultivate professional judgement and ethical decision-making within the business and in external financial reporting. The course requires analysis in Excel and application and interpretation of standards, laws and regulations.

This course adopts a thematic approach to applying economic concepts to solving contemporary real-world business problems. These problems are analyzed from the perspective of an entrepreneur, a business manager, and an economic policy maker. Specific themes include understanding economic terminology, issues and methods; identifying determinants of supply and demand; understanding the economics of the firm, characterizing alternative market structures, measuring aggregate demand and supply, and understanding the implications of various government economic policies.

In this course, students are introduced to the field of social entrepreneurship, focusing on using entrepreneurial mindsets and business skills to create innovative, ethical solutions to societal problems. The course explores various concepts and examples of social entrepreneurship, encompassing both not-for-profit and for-profit models, through theoretical discussions and case studies. A key component of the curriculum is the integration of ethics, emphasizing the importance of ethical decision-making and responsible leadership in business. Students will engage with topics such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainable development goals (SDGs), and the ethical implications of business practices. Through this course, students will develop their creativity to devise their own solutions to social issues, while maintaining a strong ethical foundation.

An applied, case-based course which covers the essential principles of marketing as a vital component of a business operation, emphasizing marketing's strategic bases and the real-world utilization of both traditional and innovative techniques to influence both the trade and the consumer in making a purchase decision. The primary foci of the course will be upon the effects of uncontrollable factors in the environment and the controllable variables essential to marketing success including market analysis, product decisions, pricing, distribution, and promotion.

This course is an applied, case-based exploration of essential marketing principles, emphasizing their strategic significance within a global context. It combines traditional and innovative marketing techniques to influence trade and consumer purchase decisions, while addressing uncontrollable environmental factors and controllable marketing variables. Key topics include market analysis, product decisions, pricing, distribution, promotion, and customer relationship management.

The course further delves into global marketing strategies, examining concepts, principles, processes, and implications crucial for gaining competitive advantage in the international marketplace. Students will analyze company environments, assess market segments, identify target markets, and construct competitive strategies. The curriculum covers entry and expansion strategies in the global marketplace, development of global positioning and marketing strategies, and the balance between standardization and adaptation to local markets.

The course is an overview of modern concepts in Operations Management. Emphasis is placed on Productivity Management/Operations Strategy, Time Series Forecasting, Facility Location Strategy, Processing and Layout Strategy, Aggregate Planning Strategy, Supply-chain/Inventory Management, and Quality Management.

An applied course which develops strategic thinking skills to enable managers to position the business to achieve and sustain superior competitive performance. Addresses issues of both strategy design and implementation in the complex global economic environment. The course requires students to draw upon and integrate knowledge and skills developed throughout their business education.

Prerequisites: MBAA 6041, MBAA 6071, and MBAA 6091.

This integrative capstone course is designed to equip future business leaders with the analytical frameworks and tools to navigate complex global business environments and make effective strategic decisions for long-term success. The course covers key topics, including the global and macro-environment, industry and competitive analysis, internal analysis, business strategy, corporate strategy, global strategy, and strategy implementation. It emphasizes the importance of integrating various business disciplines and functions into a cohesive strategy that aligns with organizational goals. Through activities such as class discussions, case studies, and capstone projects, students will develop and enhance their skills in formulating and implementing strategies to achieve sustainable competitive advantages in the global market.

The course covers the methods and instruments useful to financial managers of business enterprises for making investment, payout, and financing decisions, and in managing working capital.

Prerequisite: MBAA 6021

This course covers the core concepts and tools required by managers in analyzing and making financial decisions. Students will learn the theory and technique of corporate finance and apply them to real world situations. Topics include financial statement analysis, valuation and capital budgeting, and risk and return. The course emphasizes the use of Excel in solving financial problems.

Prerequisite: MBAA 6021

The course introduces students to the process of understanding, displaying, visualizing, and transforming data into insight in order to help managerial decision makers make better, more informed, data-driven decisions. The course provides a basic introduction to descriptive analytics, including visualization, predictive analytics, and preliminary exposure to some aspects of prescriptive analytics. The approach taken by the course is very practical and applied: hands-on learning is the central focus of the course. For each topic, a case/problem analysis will require the use of Excel and other specialized analytics and decision-making software.

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of key business analytics techniques, focusing on data visualization, predictive and prescriptive modeling, and AI applications. The course covers time series forecasting, regression analysis, and AI-driven decision-making, with practical applications in finance, marketing, and operations/supply chain management. Students will learn to create effective data visualizations, create linear programming optimization models to improve operational efficiency, and conduct simulation and scenario analysis to assess risks for different decision options. By the end, students will be equipped to leverage advanced analytics tools to enhance business performance and make data-driven decisions.

This course is designed to introduce the MBA student to key IT concepts and to enhance understanding of the issues that business executives face when developing and managing information systems. By completing the course, the student will be better equipped to make IT-related decisions, to participate in IT projects, and to knowledgeably communicate with IT experts.

For any organization to be successfully managed, it is necessary to provide management with valid information about the organization’s products and services, its resources, and its environment. Most organizations now recognize that information technology (IT) is one of their most valuable resources and that computers and telecommunications technology are among their most powerful tools to assist in managing this information. This course is designed to introduce you to key IT concepts and to enhance your understanding of the issues that business executives face when developing and managing information systems. By completing the course, you will be better equipped to make IT-related decisions, to participate in IT projects, and to knowledgeably communicate with IT experts.

This course broadens MBA students' perspective and helps them develop in-depth understanding of international business theories and practices. Students will learn about complex issues in different political, legal, economic, monetary, and socio-cultural systems and how they influence business operations. Students will study the key theories, government policies, and current trends of international traded and foreign direct investment. Students will also examine various market entry modes, strategy choices, as well as organization and management approaches. Through this course, students will acquire skills and knowledge necessary for evaluating international opportunities and challenges and for managing international expansion and operations.

Prerequisites: First-year MBA core courses.