Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA)

Course Descriptions

Core Courses

BSCI 650. Personal and Leadership Development Workshop (1 unit)
This workshop orients students to the MBA program. Each student receives guidance on ethical behavior and personal career development and learns to form effective business teams. This workshop is taken in conjunction with BSCI 651 Behavior in Organizations in the Fully Employed program and BSCI 607, Personal Development for Leadership, in the Full-time programs. This course is graded credit or no credit.

BSCI 651. Behavior in Organizations (4 units)
Students learn to apply the behavioral sciences to management issues through integration of conceptual and experiential approaches to self-awareness, perception, communication, motivation, productivity, group behavior processes, leadership, organizational change, diversity, ethical issues, career planning, and the management of personal and organizational stress. Development of oral and written communication skills is stressed in this course. In addition to regular class sessions, a required personal and leadership development workshop, BSCI 650, assists students in attaining an accurate understanding of their patterns of communicating and relating to others. Students must complete the workshop in order to continue in this course.

ACCT 652. Accounting Information and Control Systems (4 units)
This course provides a structural model of business and its operation. Financial accounting information is examined as a means to make rational strategic decisions. Students learn to gauge a firm's position of liquidity and profitability. Business operating cycles are explained. Pro forma and budgeted financial statements are constructed using Excel® spreadsheets. Traditional and globally competitive management control systems are critiqued for their utility in guiding management's resource allocation decisions.

LEGL 653. Political, Regulatory, Ethical, and Legal Issues of Business (4 units)
This course examines the impact of the diverse political and social forces upon business and the law. Students will explore the historical, cultural, political, philosophical, and religious foundation of the legal and social systems as they relate to the ethical and profit dimensions of the economic complex. Honing critical thinking skills is accomplished through analysis of the above in relation to policy and implementation procedures inherent to the international and domestic markets. Key to the process is management's understanding of how the legal and regulatory environment impacts most business issues such as employment, competition, and transaction enforcement. Emphasis also is directed to formulating, negotiating, and implementing the business agreement; evaluating the various forms of business ownership; anticipating, neutralizing, and defending against liability; and successfully functioning within the environment of opportunity and constraint.

ISTM 654. Information and Process Systems (4 units)
Modern information business processes must make efficient use of resources, be effective in meeting growing consumer demands, and be readily adaptable to changes in the environment. This course examines production processes and service delivery processes, their different information requirements, and the critical role of information systems in supporting them. It explores how businesses are applying different information technologies to improve the vital functions of information gathering, information processing, and information sharing. The application of IT to automate, streamline, reengineer, and integrate business processes enables advances such as mass customization, quality management, supply chain management, and knowledge management. Both the potential challenges and the potential benefits of developing effective processes and systems will be emphasized.

FINC 655. Financial Management of the Firm (4 units)
Students learn to define, comprehend, and apply a market-driven theory for ethically based, strategic financial decisions. Important issues include the return and risk of the activity in which to invest, the size of the investment, and the sources for financing the investment. Each decision is part of the overall financial strategy that adds value to the shareholder. Topics include financial markets, financial reporting, the cost of capital, portfolio analysis, capital structure, dividend policy, options, cash management, and international monetary issues. Prerequisite: ACCT 652 Accounting Information and Control Systems.

DESC 656. Quantitative Analysis for Business Operations (4 units)
The focus of this course is on the application of quantitative analysis techniques to strategic business decision making. The course is designed to support the integration experience and includes an introduction to production and service operations. Specific business modeling applications include forecasting, decision analysis, simulation, linear programming, and project management. These quantitative decision support techniques assist managerial decision making in the dynamic and highly competitive world of business, including applications to finance, marketing, engineering, manufacturing, quality, service, and human resources problems in such industries as healthcare, aerospace, high technology, entertainment, global business, and banking. Software technologies, spreadsheets, and the Internet are used extensively throughout this course inside and outside the classroom.

ECNM 657. Prices, Profit, and the Market Economy (4 units)
This economics course examines the domestic and global production and distribution of goods and services as guided by the market economy. Emphasis is on how the firm remains competitive through the improvement of resource allocation, production, and profits under changing economic conditions. A study of changing and competitive industries in which firms operate is also an area of focus. The impact of the external economic environment on the firm's microeconomic decision making also is studied.

MKTG 658. Marketing Management (4 units)
This course analyzes the environment relevant to the creation and distribution of goods and services. This environment includes the global, ethical, political, social, legal, and regulatory issues. The course examines buyer behavior, marketing research, and marketing information from a managerial perspective. Also included is the analysis of product pricing, marketing communications, and distribution decisions in market planning and marketing program implementation. Emphasis is placed on the practical application of marketing concepts to case problems and the student's current employment experiences.

STGY 659. Strategic Management (4 units)
This capstone course examines the running of an enterprise from the chief executive officer's point of view. It is designed to help students conduct external and internal assessments of an organization, identify its key strategic issues, identify and choose from alternative strategies, and defend those decisions. In addition, the course illuminates the interplay between organizational structure, design, human resources, culture, technology, and the global environment. This knowledge gives the student the foundation for understanding and managing change. In summary, students learn to conduct a strategic analysis, make sound strategic decisions, and implement strategic change.The course is integrative of all prior subject matter. A variety of experiential methods are used, including case studies and a strategic project on an existing company. This course is taken after completing all required core courses, except for the final simulation, STGY 670c Integration in Business Operations: Strategic Management. This course is taken in conjunction with STGY 670c Integration in Business Operations: Strategic Management. Prerequisites: FINC 655 Financial Management of the Firm and MKTG 658 Marketing Management.

STGY 670c Integration in Business Operations: Strategic Management (1 unit)
This integration course covers all core courses and the focus is on integrated strategic management. This course is taken in conjunction with STGY 659 Strategic Management. This course is graded credit or no credit.

GSBM 670x Integration in Business Operations (2 units)
The purpose of this integration module is to provide an experiential learning opportunity to allow students to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the core curriculum to managing a simulated business. The focus of the integration module will be on making decisions related to the internal operations of the firm. Students working in groups will assume the role of the senior management team responsible for running the simulated business. Prerequisites: BSCI 650 Personal and Leadership Development Workshop; BSCI 651 Behavior in Organizations; ACCT 652 Accounting Information and Control Systems; FINC 655 Financial Management of the Firm; DESC 656 Quantitative Analysis for Business Operations; and ECNM 657 Prices, Profit, and the Market Economy or MKTG 658 Marketing Management.

Elective Courses

ENTR 660. Opportunities for Entrepreneurship Seminar Series (0 units)
The course offers seminars designed to help students find personally compelling, high-potential ideas for new ventures. Each seminar will provide an overview and basic explanation of a cutting-edge technology or field of inquiry, and discuss a broad range of potential applications for new products and services. This immersion experience will assist students in discovering market problems that might be solved by new ventures utilizing the technologies presented in the seminar. Students will receive no academic credit for taking ENTR 660, but should attend at least one of the seminars prior to or concurrent with enrollment in ENTR 661 Entrepreneurship and the Generation of New Venture Ideas.

ENTR 661. Entrepreneurship and the Generation of New Venture Ideas (2 units)
The course is an introductory focusing on the individual entrepreneur, the generation of innovative business ideas, the protection of intellectual property, the process of venture creation, and the role of entrepreneurship within society. Students will acquire the skills and process knowledge needed to create innovative for-profit solutions to real-world market opportunities, and to pitch their ideas. Pre- or Co-requisite: ENTR 660 Opportunities for Entrepreneurship Seminar Series.

ENTR 662. The Feasibility of New Venture Ideas (2 units)
The course concentrates on testing the personal, technical, financial, and market feasibility of entrepreneurial ideas generated to address perceived opportunities in the market. Students will learn how to assess the personal desirability, technical difficulty, financial viability, and market demand for products and services that are new to market, and/or for which no market currently exists. Prerequisite: ENTR 661 Entrepreneurship and the Generation of New Venture Ideas.

ENTR 664. Managing Entrepreneurial Ventures (2 units)
The course highlights the foundational principles and best practices for managing the start-up process, determining the organizational structure, planning operations, handling compensation and human resources, and exiting a new venture. Students will learn how to organize a new business, as well as how to select, train, compensate, and promote employees. Prerequisites: Students concentrating in Entrepreneurship must have completed ENTR 661 Entrepreneurship and the Generation of New Venture Ideas and ENTR 662 The Feasibility of New Venture Ideas. Open to all other Graziadio School students with no prerequisites.

ENTR 667. New Venture Creation (2 units)
This is a capstone course designed for students actively involved in creating a new business. Students will complete a business plan around a personally compelling, high-potential venture idea, to be presented to a panel of venture capitalists and angel investors for potential funding. Prerequisites: Open only to students pursuing a concentration in Entrepreneurship and who have completed ENTR 661 Entrepreneurship and the Generation of New Venture Ideas, ENTR 662 The Feasibility of New Venture Ideas, FINC 663 Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures, ENTR 664 Managing Entrepreneurial Ventures, and MKTG 665 Marketing Entrepreneurial Ventures.

MKTG 660. Services Marketing (2 units)
This course will be an examination of the special challenges of managing the marketing function in organizations whose product mix contains services. Special attention will be given to developing an understanding of the integrative nature of the marketing, operations, and human resource management functions in service organizations. This emphasis will be highlighted by the use of a computer-based
simulation that requires students to manage a service organization. May be taken in conjunction with, or after, MKTG 658 Marketing Management. Prerequisite: MKTG 605 Marketing Management or MKTG 615 Marketing.

MKTG 661. Product Innovation and Management (2 units)
This course is designed to help students deepen their understanding of product innovation and development. In the course the student will be exposed to identifying, developing, and commercializing new products as well as modifications of existing products and new products. There will be a focus on the diverse processes of product teams. The curriculum will seek to develop students' critical thinking, decision-making skills, and creativity as needed for successful product development. May be taking in conjunction with, or after MKTG 658 Marketing Management. Prerequisite: MKTG 605 Marketing Management or MKTG 615 Marketing.

MKTG 662. Marketing Communications (2 units)
This course expands upon the student's understanding of marketing communications by emphasizing the role of the integrated marketing communications (IMC) program in both building and maintaining the brand image and health of an organization. The student will study the process by which IMC programs are planned, developed, and executed through exposure to the various IMC tools used in contemporary marketing such as advertising, direct marketing, Internet and interactive marketing, sales promotion, publicity and PR, events, and internal marketing efforts. The balance between the theoretical and practical aspects of IMBC make this course relevant to those interested in careers in promotion or product/service marketing management. May be taken in conjunction with, or after, MKTG 658 Marketing Management. Prerequisite: MKTG 605 Marketing Management or MKTG 615 Marketing.

MKTG 663. Strategic Issues in Marketing (2 units)
Marketing strategy involves the commitment, organization, and allocation of a firm's resources in an attempt to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. This course examines both the development and implementation of marketing strategies. The higher order, or abstract, nature of this course demands that students understand the integrative nature of all the functional areas of management. This course is taken near the end of the program. Prerequisite: MKTG 605 Marketing Management or MKTG 615 Marketing or MKTG 658 Marketing Management.

MKTG 664. Marketing Consulting: Education to Business (4 units)
Underscoring the Graziadio School of Business and Management's focus on "practical and relevant," this course is designed to provide students with real work experience in marketing consulting by integrating and applying core curriculum concepts as they work directly with company executives to resolve an actual business issue in the classroom. Under faculty supervision, the class, working in teams, will complete a marketing consulting project (Education to Business) for an assigned company secured by the Graziadio School. Teams will interact with company management as they analyze the company issue and/or opportunity, gather information, and develop recommendations for action. Students will gain real-life insights in a practical, applied setting that the students can utilize in their career development. Prerequisite: MKTG 658 Marketing Management.

FINC 663. Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures (2 units)
This course addresses issues related to financing small business enterprises, family firms and entrepreneurial ventures. Various sources of available financing are examined including commercial banks, venture capital, angels, and government financing. In addition, collateralizing the firm's assets for financing, such as inventory and receivables financing equipment financing, and real estate financing, is discussed. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) process is examined as a means for growing enterprises to continue by accessing public capital markets. A major focus of the course is creating effective business plans to secure financing. Prerequisites: ENTR 661 Entrepreneurship and the Generation of New Venture Ideas, ENTR 662 The Feasibility of New Venture Ideas for students pursuing an Entrepreneurship Concentration, ACCT 602 Cost Accounting or ACCT 652 Accounting Information and Control Systems and FINC 604 Managerial Finance or FINC 614 FINCE or FINC 655 Financial Management of the Firm.

FINC 664. Business Analysis Using Financial Statements (2 units)
This course examines the viability of the firm and its strategies within the framework of accounting rules and conventions. Methods of credit analysis, securities analysis, and performance analysis will be developed. Pro forma financial statements for investment decisions also will be created using various forecasting techniques. These principles are applied, in conjunction with information from financial markets, to a variety of managerial decisions including firm valuation, credit scoring and bond ratings, distress prediction, and determining value-enhancing capital structures and financing choices. Prerequisites: ACCT 602 Cost Accounting and FINC 604 Managerial Finance, FINC 614 Finance or FINC 614b Advanced Financial Management.

MKTG 665. Marketing Entrepreneurial Ventures (2 units)
Recognizing that many managers today find themselves working in the context of start-ups or smaller businesses generally, this course will examine the unique marketing challenges present in such circumstances. In addition to examining the marketing of the entrepreneurial venture's products, the use of marketing concepts in efforts at attracting resources such as financial and human to the entrepreneurial venture will be explored. May be taken in conjunction with, or after, MKTG 658 Marketing Management. Prerequisites: ENTR 661 Entrepreneurship and the Generation of New Venture Ideas, ENTR 662 The Feasibility of New Venture Ideas for students pursuing an Entrepreneurship Concentration, MKTG 605 Marketing Management or MKTG 615 Marketing.

FINC 667. Global Capital Markets and Institutions (4 units)
This course examines the operations of financial markets and financial institutions in allocating capital in an international macroeconomic environment. A major focus will be on debt contracts and securities and on innovations in credit and money markets. Specific topics include history of the international financial system, foreign exchange and exchange rate determination, the balance of payments, open economy macroeconomics, corporate financing in international capital markets, and hedging and arbitrage. The functions of financial intermediaries and regulation also are discussed. Prerequisite: FINC 655 Financial Management of the Firm or both ACCT 500 Advanced Topics: Accounting and FINC 502 Advanced Topics: Finance.

FINC 668. Valuation and Corporate Combinations (4 units)
This course examines methods for measuring and managing the value of companies. Valuation methodologies studied include discounted cash flows, discounted abnormal earnings, comparables, liquidation, replacement cost, and book value. These methodologies are applied to investment decisions related to control transactions. Among the transactions studied are mergers, acquisitions, hostile takeovers, going private transactions (MBOs and LBOs), asset restructuring, and voluntary and involuntary liquidation. Methods for creating takeover defenses also are developed. The influences of the legal and regulatory environment as well as competition in input and product markets are considered in developing a framework for understanding merger waves and industry consolidation. Prerequisite: FINC 655 Financial Management of the Firm or both ACCT 500 Advanced Topics: Accounting and FINC 502 Advanced Topics: Finance.

FINC 669. Investments and Portfolio Management (4 units)
This course establishes the foundations for analysis of optimal security selection, examines procedures for constructing investment portfolios, and considers strategies that investors can employ to meet various alternative investment objectives. The full scope of the investment management opportunities is considered by examination of investment across all classes of securities (equities, fixed-income instruments, real estate, derivatives, etc.) in both domestic and foreign markets. Selection of individual investments is discussed within the context of portfolio creation, target returns, and risk tolerance and management. Core concepts in this course include measures of risk, diversification and risk management, expected returns and covariance of returns between securities, and the tax implications associated with various asset classes. Prerequisite: FINC 655 Financial Management of the Firm or both ACCT 500 Advanced Topics: Accounting and FINC 502 Advanced Topics: Finance.

ECNM 670. Global and Macroeconomic Environment (4 units)
This course deals with macroeconomic issues and applications as they affect contemporary business decision making. It covers, from a domestic and global perspective, such topics as price stability, unemployment, monetary and fiscal policies, capital markets, and business cycles. The course also addresses the fundamentals of international economics and business, with emphasis on political, social, and cultural forces from an economic point of view. International trade and finance are also of concern. A key objective of the course is to support the student's understanding of how the external macro/global economic environment can pose opportunities and threats to firms. Prerequisite: ECNM 657 Prices, Profit, and the Market Economy.

GSBM 670y. Education to Business (2 units)
This course is designed to provide students with a structured opportunity to gain real work experience in integrating and applying prior class concepts. Under faculty supervision, each class, working in teams, will complete a strategic project for a company as arranged by the Graziadio School or independently arranged by the team, with prior approval. Teams will interact with senior management as they analyze the company issue and/or opportunity and develop recommendations for action. Prerequisites: BSCI 650 Personal and Leadership Development Workshop; BSCI 651 Behavior in Organizations; ACCT 652 Accounting Information and Control Systems; FINC 655 Financial Management of the Firm; DESC 656 Quantitative Analysis for Business Operations; and ECNM 657 Prices, Profit, and the Market Economy or MKTG 658 Marketing Management.

OTMT 670. Advanced Principles of Organizations and Leadership (4 units)
This course examines the interactions among human resources, technologies, organization design, external forces, and management practices from a macro-organization perspective. Study concentrates on organizations as systems and managerial, technical, structural, and cultural subsystems as they relate to the broader environment. The course also examines the concepts of system design, work design, and management theory. Prerequisite: BSCI 651 Behavior in Organizations.

OTMT 671. Cross-Cultural Management (2 units)
This course explores cultural influences on organizations and on the people working within them. Emphasis is placed on learning how to "learn culture" using methods for scanning the cultural assumptions of groups; bringing personally held cultural assumptions to consciousness; gaining exposure to the cultures of a variety of different regions, nations, and groups and considering their organizational and managerial implications; and facilitating communication and cooperation across cultures. Personal and managerial skills are developed to enhance performance in multicultural environments and on transpatriate assignment.

OTMT 672. Organizational Dynamics and Managing Change (4 units)
Contemporary organizations exist in social, political, and economic environments that change rapidly and unpredictably. This course deals with how to manage changes by looking at strategy, organization design and processes, and multi-organizational systems. Theories and practice of change management, which deal with the individual, group, intergroup, and organizational levels, are discussed. Methods for diagnosing organizations and designing interventions that will increase an organization's effectiveness are explored. Specific topics include traditional and contemporary approaches to change management, organization learning, consulting skills, and organization development.

LEGL 673. International Business Law and Its Environment (4 units)
This course develops competency in the broad aspects of the integration of the various legal systems of the world into an international legal system and the application of that international system to society in general and business in particular. The student will be able to recognize, identify, and apply legal and analytical methods and principles important to business and work transactions, relationships, and projections dealing with the international trade environment; grasp the legal aspects of the subtleties of legal terminology and varying applications in the world of international business; utilize and select internationally qualified legal representation to the greatest advantage; understand the relative legal purposes and advantages of various forms of business organization in the international environment; apply learned analytic skills to effectively avoid conflict or liability in achieving contractual and other international business goals; and recognize the influence of United States law in international business activities. Prerequisite: LEGL 653 Political, Regulatory, Ethical, and Legal Issues of Business.

MKTG 673. International Marketing Management (4 units)
After reviewing the elements of marketing strategy and implementation, this course explores how similarities and differences in the global environment affect those elements. It explores the strategic issues of and tools for assessing potential, segmenting, targeting, and entering global markets. Mechanisms such as countertrade, time sharing, and appropriate technologies are explored as means for prospering in lesser-developed economies. It then goes on to consider the implications of standardized versus adaptive approaches for the 4-Ps. Central to the course is the development of sensitivity to the ethical and pragmatic issues in operating across multiple cultures. Prerequisite: MKTG 658 Marketing Management.

OTMT 678. Creativity and Innovation for Leadership (4 units)
Business leaders must respond to such contemporary realities as the information explosion, intense competition, accelerated social and technological change, fresh expectations from new generations, and ever-higher customer demands. Therefore, contemporary leaders must be more and more creative and innovative. This course focuses on imagination and invention ("creativity") and on the productive results of such processes ("innovation"). To enhance business problem solving and effective leadership, students will integrate a dozen linear methods with a dozen nonlinear, imaginative tools.

OTMT 680. Leadership: Great Leaders, Great Literature (4 units)
Leadership is one of the most studied and least understood human behaviors. Yet, leadership is critical for organizational success-especially in the hyper-competitive, global world. What is leadership? Who has it? Where does leadership come from? Does it differ by culture? What are the theories of leadership? Do leaders differ from managers? How might an individual become a more effective leader? The objective of this course is to prepare individuals to better understand, accept, and assume leadership roles in increasingly competitive, globalized, multicultural, multi-values organizations by (1) understanding the significant theories, models, and concepts of leadership; (2) analyzing and understanding their unique leadership style; (3) developing, refining, and articulating their individual philosophy of leadership; and (4) examining and considering the values and ethical issues associated with leadership.

LEGL 684. Business Negotiation and the Resolution of Conflict (4 units)
This course addresses the dynamics of conflict, including techniques for its avoidance as well as alternative avenues of resolution should it occur. Communication and decision making will be studied, with attention to various methods of resolving disputes other than traditional litigation. Students will identify useful negotiation and conflict-avoidance procedures and implement them in practical exercises. Class discussion, simulation, role playing, and research methods will be used as part of understanding how the various procedures apply. Students will negotiate, mediate, arbitrate, and argue issues in a variety of circumstances including the litigation environment.

LEGL 675. Environmental Law (4 units)
At the completion of this course, the student will be competent to understand the broad application of major environmental regulation as it relates to business, giving proper attention to statutory detail; gain an understanding of the legally sensitive environmental issues and current trends of which business managers should be aware; take preventative steps to effectively avoid exposing oneself or one's company to liability; utilize corporate or outside counsel to the greatest advantage; recognize and understand the diversity of contemporary environmental law, the separate classification of statutes, the manner in which the courts interpret and apply them, and methods of remaining knowledgeable with regard to important changes; and recognize the role of various administrative agencies in application and interpretation of environmental regulation. (This course can be taken only toward a General Business Administration emphasis.) Prerequisite: LEGL 653 Political, Regulatory, Ethical, and Legal Issues of Business.

GSBM 693 Global Business Intensive (1-4 units)
Hosted by partner schools abroad, Global Business Intensive focuses on critical aspects of doing business in the global economy. The course consists of lectures by distinguished faculty members of the partner schools and recognized experts from companies and research centers on a variety of contemporary business issues. The course involves a series of seminars covering such topics as international economics, culture, marketing, finance, and political and legal context. Some programs also include field visits to internationally recognized companies or organizations in the region for a hands-on look at business opportunities and management strategies. Also included is a study tour of important historical sites. The tour provides an important backdrop of culture and history that flavors the nation's experience.

GSBM 698. Contemporary Issues in Business and Management (0-4 units)
This course will provide students with the opportunity to study specific contemporary issues or topics in business and management. The course may be repeated as content changes.

GSBM 699. Graduate Directed Studies (1-4 units)
Directed study is based on guided reading and independent research, supervised by one member of the faculty. Directed study must be petitioned and approved prior to enrollment. Directed study is used only to complete units which are lacking to fulfill a course requirement as a result of transfer course work and may not be used to fulfill a course requirement in its entirety.

For official course descriptions, please refer to the Graziadio School of Business and Management catalog.