Master Business Administration (MBA)

Introductory assessment and information for the Masters of Business Administration.

Analysis of methods used by sales and service departments in hospitality and tourism. Emphasis on selling, planning for, and servicing all aspects of meeting and convention business.

Planning, organizing and analysis of a beverage facility. Problem solving methods and solution techniques are applied through written projects. Topics include alcoholic beverage control regulations, examination of product, service methods and computerized control systems. Minimum age of student must be 21 years.

International Business practices was designed for students interested in understanding the intricacies of doing business in an international environment, including language and religion. Each course will focus on a specific region and provide students with an overview of the existing and emerging business landscapes, including the smallest, largest, and fastest growing languages, folklore, festivals, philosophy, religion, family, education, literature and daily life. This course will be taught through a lecture, discussion, reading and film evaluation format.

A study of development and application of accounting for management decision-making. Includes cost flows in a manufacturing environment with emphasis on job order and process cost systems. Other cost accounting topics include: cost allocation with joint and by-products, back flush accounting, factory overhead analysis, and activity-based costing.

An intensive study of financial accounting and reporting. Accounting topics covered include: accounting standards, conceptual framework, income statement, balance sheet, time value of money, cash and receivables, inventories, acquisition and disposition of property, depreciation, and financial statement analysis.

This course is an introductory fundamental course in auditing. Topics will include purpose, scope, concepts and methods used in examining and attesting to financial statements. Study and evaluation of internal control, statistical sampling, working papers, planning the audit engagement, professional standards and auditor liability are specific topics.

Introduction to the basics of revenue management practices in the hospitality industry. Focus areas include forecasting, pricing, market segmentation, cost controls, financial analysis, economic analysis, and applications as it emphasizes practical aspects of decision-making. Both tactical and strategic approaches will be discussed.

This course will review basic service management concepts and apply them in real life scenario using case studies of Hospitality firms and businesses. Students will analyze the nature of the issue, discover the connection of the unique service characteristics to the nature of the issue, and evaluate different strategies to address the issue while learning about a specific hospitality company in the case studies

Successful business operations involve effectively securing resources, building strong partnerships, and seamlessly moving products from Point A to Point B. This course seeks to help students from all majors gain a deeper understanding of supply chain management. It focuses on integrating strategic planning and risk management to achieve competitive advantage. Students will examine real-world challenges and emerging trends to gain a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage sourcing and logistics strategies to drive organizational success. Through a mix of theory and practical insights, future leaders will be equipped to innovate and excel in the ever-evolving world of business operations.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a broad understanding and knowledge of transportation concepts and critical issues affecting the flow of materials and people. The concepts will include (but are not limited to) freight movements, transportation policies, modal characteristics, 3rd party logistics (3PL), security, globalization, and sustainability aspects related to transportation. In addition, the course will focus on developing transportation models. Emphasis will be placed on the application of these concepts to actual business situations. Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to: Understand the role of transportation in a supply chain, Understand the regulations and public policies related to transportation logistics, Obtain knowledge about the pricing and costing for transportation, Understand the characteristics of various modes of transportation such as roadways, railroad, airlines, and water carriers, Learn about risks in transportation, global transportation planning and execution, 3PL, Understand the critical issues while developing transportation strategies, Develop optimization models to find efficient transportation in a supply chain

Analysis and simulation of a hotel/resort operation. Competency-based skills developed by student analysis, written reports, and on-site learning opportunities in major departments of a hotel/resort including: General and Administrative, Rooms Division, Food and Beverage, Sales and Marketing, and Sports and Activities. The focus of this course is on analysis and understanding of the interdependent nature of major departments within a hotel/resort operation.

The marketing concept has always focused on meeting the customers needs. Those needs, in order to be properly fulfilled, must be predicted on an unbiased understanding of the consumers attitudes and perceptions. To develop that unbiased method of sampling the target population in a manner that will be reassuring as being valid, correct research principles must be implemented. This course will offer actual hands-on experience in developing an understanding of research principles. Specific organizations will be targeted and research projects will be completed in their behalf as part of the course offering. The critical issues of ethical procedures coupled with sound statistical processes will be included in the course content.

Upon completion of the course, students will have a working understanding of:1. The evolution of unions in the United States.2. How unions influence organizational strategic direction.3. The advantages and disadvantages of unionization for organizations.4. How the external environment influences both labor and management.5. Legal aspects relative to labor-management relations.6. The phases involved in developing a relationship between labor and management.7. How labor agreements are developed and administered.

In this course, students are exposed to experiences in the form of project-based learning within the broad areas of for­ profit, nonprofit, and philanthropic ventures. A feature of this course is its coordination with the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Southwest Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Students will learn baseline skills or tools to assist in advising clients on a venture chosen by the class. The project approach to this course will culminate into a final report and presentation to the client.

Entrepreneurship is a driving force in the national and global economy, with entrepreneurs starting new businesses, stimulating ancillary businesses and economic growth. Entrepreneurship blends innovation and creativity, risk, and planning. Students may find themselves presented with entrepreneurial opportunities at any time in the future. Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship will provide students with the background of todays entrepreneurial mindset, the process of initiating entrepreneurial ventures, the development of the entrepreneurial plan, and growth strategies for entrepreneurial ventures.

This is a new course that complements the proposed Entrepreneurship Concentration in Management. Social Entrepreneurship is a growing field of study that examines social needs in the context of entrepreneurship. In particular, it examines the creation of a social value in the context of entrepreneurship practices, theory, and applications. This course looks at different forms of social ventures to include philanthropic, hybrid, or for-profit and identifies tools available to positively impact communities

This will allow for specialized study for graduate students who seek more in-depth study in particular areas within the Business discipline.

The internship course is created primarily for students with no prior full-time work experience, and to encourage students to seek practical experience where they can apply theories and concepts learned in their area of concentration. Students are expected to find a place of employment and seek authorization from their advisor before they begin the internship to ensure that job experience satisfies the concentration requirements. The course is repeatable for a maximum of three credits. Instructor permission required.

Will introduce the design, development and use of accounting systems; development and analysis of accounting data for managerial planning, control, and decision-making; and discussion of current trends and issues of managerial accounting. This will be presented as a course for non-accounting professionals and executives.

This course is designed for the graduate student that either has some elementary exposure to marketing as an undergraduate or has no foundational exposure to the subject. The class content will briefly review basic marketing principles as they relate to solving case studies. Teams will be assigned and given approximately four preliminary cases and one final strategic case. The feedback gained from each case presentation is designed to enhance the students understanding of the subject and prepare them for the next case that increases in difficulty with each progressive round during the term. At the conclusion of the course, the student should be better prepared to understand how marketing is a fundamental guiding principle to business decisions in todays globally competitive marketplace.

This course is devoted to an organizations conversion of resources into products and services. Both long-term (strategic) and day-to-day operations (tactical) level decision-making will be studied. Topics will include operations strategy, process/service development, aggregate planning, theory of constraints, JIT, TQM, and related topics.

This course examines the role of negotiations and mediation in conflict resolution. With the former, we consider theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential to being effective negotiators. With the latter, the course delves into the mediation process. In so doing, the role of the third-party neutral, or the mediator, is examined in its role in assisting disputing parties reach resolution. With both, the course overlays law topics that are relevant to managers in the legal environment. Such legal topics will require students to employ negotiation strategies to resolve conflict.

Provides an exposure to management decision paradigms that are most widely used in the business sector of the economy. The topics extend the range of decision tools beyond those used in other coursework in the program.

Organization development (OD) is concerned with planning, researching, and implementing interventions aimed at organizational change and renewal. The course focuses on understanding and developing process consulting skills. The course will also engage in in-depth exploration of various intervention strategies, including human process, technostructural, systemwide, and strategic change.

This course seeks to provide students with a sound understanding of legal principles within the context of management decision making and commercial transactions. In addition, this course examines the ethical implications for certain business decisions. That is, this course examines ethical standards of proper conduct within business decisions, and where appropriate, applies those standards.

Analyzes the financial strengths and weaknesses of companies both qualitatively and quantitatively. Analysis includes evaluation of financial statements, national and international economic conditions, industry trends, strategies of the firms as well as accounting principles and procedures underlying financial statements. Includes both assessment of existing problems and opportunities as well as development of alternative courses of action.

Focuses on the role of technology in organizations. A top-down approach is used which will range from considering technology as a strategic variable for competitive advantage to applying technology as a means of improving operational efficiency and customer service. The course considers the challenges of innovation as well as the potential conflicts and resistance resulting from technological change.

Examines the international business climate and the success of American firms in the global marketplace; different modes of penetrating foreign markets; international finance and the international banking system. Factors affecting American competitiveness in the global economy will be reviewed. Students will successfully complete a term project involving a simulated negotiation to set up an operation in another country.

This course will prepare the student in the area of economic reasoning, a capability that is an important element in the tool kit of all successful executives in business, government, and nonprofit enterprise. Much of the work will be grounded in microeconomic theory, although some applications of macroeconomic thinking will be employed. Microeconomic decision models are robust, used in a wide spectrum of applications to help think through the likely behaviors and outcomes. Powerful economic models will be utilized to analyze business scenarios, predict market outcomes, and recommend policies and decisions. Topics include operations strategy, process/service outcome, aggregate planning, theory of constraints, JIT, TQM, and related concepts.

Studies the pursuit of the organizations mission while integrating the organization into its environment. This course examines techniques of long-range organizational planning, strategy formulation, and strategy implementation. The purpose of the course is to develop insights and a working knowledge of major strategic management processes.

This course will provide a general management perspective of current and emerging issues facing organizations. Students will be required to address and analyze the many dilemmas and problems managers encounter in fashioning short-and long-term solutions and in taking action. The focus of the seminar will be Management of the Future.