MBA COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

MSBA 5500 - Accounting for Managers

The basic concepts of accounting and their significance to management are studied. Students will work with the accounting statements, and understand the principles of cost and managerial accounting. Efforts to establish international accounting standards for foreign currency transactions and international operations are introduced. (Core Course)

MSBA 5110 - Leadership Workshop

The class will examine human behavior in organizations at the individual, interpersonal and group levels. The interplay of human, technological, and structural factors in organizations will be examined. Important issues to be considered will also involve motivation theories, communication, and group decision theories for managerial applications. The class will look at how we can design jobs and organizational structures and techniques to be used for evaluating and rewarding performance. Similarly, the class will look at techniques for the development of team building, leadership and conflict resolution skills. Focus is given to leadership approaches, job enrichment, quality of work life and employee attitudes and achievement. (Core Course)

MSBA 5510 - Finance for Managers

The class will examine discounted cash flow techniques for decision-making applications. Topics to be examined will involve operational budgeting, capital appropriation requests, investment planning, new product introductions, acquisitions, divestitures, shutdowns, and other special project decisions. The course will combine theory, cases and computer application projects. (Core Course)

MSBA 5700 - Quantitative Analysis

This class will cover descriptive and inferential statistics.  Concepts such as probability, distribution, estimation, hypothesis tests, correlation and regression, Chi-square tests as well as nonparametric methods will be stressed. Emphasis will be on quantitative analysis for managerial decision-making. (Core Course)

MSBA 5200 - Management Information Systems

This course addresses three major computer issues. First, this course examines the business aspects of computer information systems, with a focus on hardware, software, and computer systems management. Second, it introduces business productivity software. In particular, it explores presentation and spreadsheet programs providing the students with considerable hands-on experience. Third, the course offers a case-oriented study of statistical data analysis for business decision making. Here, topics include: data summary measure, methods, population and sample characteristics, and linear regression, all implemented using the spreadsheet technology. (Core Course)

MSBA 5300 - Managerial Economics

Managerial Economics deals with a diversity of issues. For instance, the class will discuss ways of directing scarce resources in an efficient manner so as to attain managerial goals defined by the firm. To this end, students will learn to apply economic ideas, theories, and methodologies in a strategic manner to enhance corporate performance. Students will also analyze organizational structures in order to maximize corporate behavior in the multitude of industrial and service sectors in which firms operate. Discussion of additional pertinent topics will provide students with further ways of using managerial economics, tools and procedures in the modern business environment. (Core Course)

MSBA 6000 - Strategic Management

This course will enable students to identify, comprehend and appraise an organization’s strategies and policies. Topic will include industry and competitive analysis, corporate and competitive strategies, competing in global, fragmented and integrated industries. The course provides students with the methodology to formulate and implement strategy, and to analyze possible consequences of strategic and policy actions.  This course is designed to offer a capstone experience in which students will assimilate the various methods, concepts, and leadership tools offered throughout the MBA program. (Core Capstone Course)

MSBA 5710 - Operations Management

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a sound conceptual understanding of the role that management science plays in the decision-making process.  The focus is on the part of management science referred to as quantitative approaches to decision making.  This course will cover several quantitative techniques that are used in decision making processes such as linear programming, transporting problems, project management, inventory models, waiting line modes, decision analysis, and forecasting. (Elective Course)

MSBA 5400 - Business Environments

This course is designed to introduce current developments involving societal and ethical challenges modern society presents to the corporate environment.  Emphasis will be placed on areas such as stakeholders, corporate citizenship, social responsibility, globalization, and ethics. Students will examine how business law principles apply in the daily operation of a business.  Discussion will be geared toward gaining an understanding of the legal problems and issues that occur in business transactions.  Topics include:  Uniform Commercial Code; court and civil dispute resolution; contracts; commercial paper; sale of goods; and forms of business organization such as sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation. (Core Course)

MSBA 5600 - Marketing for Managers

The course will introduce marketing research and consumer behavior to the students. Topics such as product policy, pricing, promotion and distribution will be discussed. Case studies will be used to apply the concepts of marketing in the class. (Core Course)

MSBA 5520 - Project Finance

Project Finance refers to the techniques of financing projects which are dependent on cash flows for repayment, as defined by the contractual relationships within each project. An effective alternative to conventional direct financing, Project Finance is an innovative and timely financing technique that has been used on many high-profile corporate projects. Project types include: large multiparty projects, large single-asset purchases, and broad-based financing programs for fleets of assets. By their very nature, these types of projects rely on a large number of integrated contractual arrangements for successful completion and operation. Project Finance is an element within the larger field of project management.  (Elective Course)

MSBA 5810 - Project Management

The course introduces the concepts of operations research, scheduling, optimization and network techniques. The course will also cover on contract management especially with a focus on the government sector. Contract bidding, specifications compliance and other topics related to the industrial and government projects will be discussed. (Elective Course)

MSBA 5610 - Supply Chain Management

The course will cover the topics of logistics and distribution management. Topics such as inventory management, transportations, warehousing, procurement, location analysis, electronic data interchange, web applications in B-B transactions, etc. will be discussed. (Elective Course)

MSBA 5800 - Knowledge Management

The course will introduce concepts on Research and Design (R&D) management. Topics such as design concepts, technology and product life cycle concepts, patents and commercialization will be discussed. Best Practices Concepts and Knowledge Management (KM) practices including knowledge acquisition, storage and dissemination systems will be discussed. (Elective Course)

MSBA 5100 - Personal Development Workshop

The course will focus on self assessment, development and actualization issues. Autobiography and biographic exercises will be used to explore the self. Also, topics such as work-life balance, personal financial management, career planning will be discussed. (Elective Course)