Business Administration (Undergraduate)

Introduction to the functional areas of modern business. Topics will include analyzing the business environment, management theory, organizational structure, marketing, finance and accounting, human resource management, and information systems.

Development of students’ interpersonal and team-working skills. Students will examine issues in organizational behavior, with a special emphasis on assessing leadership competencies and change management.

Examination of data summaries and descriptive statistics. Students will be introduced to a statistical computer package and study probability, distributions, expectation, variance, covariance, portfolios, central limit theorem and statistical inference of univariate data, statistical inference for bivariate data, and difference for intrinsically linear simple regression models.

Provides familiarity with accounting concepts and terminology, preparation, use, and analysis of accounting data and financial reports issued for both internal and external purposes. Application of accounting techniques to simple problem situations involving computations and the rationale for generally accepted accounting principles and procedures will be examined.

This course provides students with a theoretical introduction to the practice of meditation and mindfulness from different scientific, spiritual, and cultural traditions as it relates to and accentuates the quality of more traditional concepts of Business Leadership. Students will examine the psychology of attention and how it can play a significant role in the quality of leadership in business.

Introduction to the fundamentals of marketing. Students will examine the role of marketing in society and within a firm, consumer and organizational markets, and marketing strategy within the context of social, cultural, and political issues. Other topics include international marketing, ethics, marketing research, and not-for-profit marketing.

An introduction to the study of individual consumer behavior and small business decision making as well as an examination of the economy as a whole. Topics include consumer decision making, individual firm profit maximization, determinants of aggregate demand and aggregate supply, monetary and fiscal policy tools and other institutional structures, such as the Federal Reserve Bank and the monetary policy tools it uses to stabilize economic fluctuations.

An introduction on how to make decisions on tough moral problems in the workplace. Students will be introduced to basic theories of normative ethics and use these theories to apply their own value system to difficult moral issues at work. Students will also examine moral issues in the larger system of international business including cross-cultural moral problems.

The concepts, theory, and practice of the cost-control function of management. Students will learn what information is needed, where to obtain it, and how managers can use the information to plan, control, and make decisions. Topics include cost behavior and forecasting, capital budgeting, activity-based costing and management, costs of quality and productivity improvement programs, cost-volume analysis, tactical decision making, and transfer pricing.

A critical exploration of research language, ethics, and approaches. Students will be introduced to the language of research and critical elements of the research process within quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Students will use these theoretical underpinnings to begin to critically review literature relevant to their field.

Basic principles and terminology of information systems in the business environment. Students will learn how information technology creates a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Topics include hardware and software components, database technology, telecommunications and networking, e-commerce and e-business, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Decision Support Systems (DSS), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Expert Systems (ES), systems development and implementation, along with the ethical and societal issues involved in using technology.

An introduction to the human resources function. Students will examine the roles and functions of the human resources department, training, and the importance of maintaining equitable compensation and benefit programs. Specific areas addressed: employee counseling, training and development, staffing strategy, discipline and termination, Equal Employment Opportunity, discrimination and harassment, and other the legal issues surrounding it.

Financial decision making in corporations. Topics include credit procedures, financial operation, transaction financing, corporate venture, corporate resources of funding, capital budgeting, capital structure, financial risk management, dividend guidelines and corporate conditional claims, and international finance, and the financial procedures for corporate financial decision-making in terms of short-term and long-term considerations.

Students explore managerial perspectives of marketing. Topics include considering economic principles, analyzing operational needs, distribution and financial alternatives, marketing information, pricing products and services, developing product/service planning strategies, promoting products and services, purchasing, and professional sales in a global economy.

Introduces the key concepts, tools, and principles of strategy formulation and competitive analysis. Students will explore managerial decision making and how that affects the performance and survival of business enterprises. Topics will include information analysis, organizational processes, and skills and business judgment managers use to devise strategies, position their businesses, and maximize long-term profits in the face of uncertainty and competition.

Examines the legal problems and opportunities businesses face. Topics will include court procedures, contracts and property law, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution, constitutional and administrative law, tort law, contract law, product liability, and government regulation including antitrust law, employment law, and securities regulation.

An examination of how to manage in both public and private sector health care organizations. Topics include the politics of health care, legal aspects of the US healthcare delivery system, and the functions and challenges of health insurance programs. Special attention will be paid to the field of counseling and transpersonal psychology.

Examines "B2B" marketing strategies. Topics include product management, pricing, market sizing, and business-to-business communication.

An exploration of financial responsibility within an organization. Students will examine financial and nonfinancial performance measures, budgeting, evaluation techniques and styles, financial incentive structure, strategy implementation and execution, and corporate governance.

Exploration of the principles for turning basic information into actionable knowledge. Students will study knowledge-based systems and contemporary knowledge-management approaches in order to understand how data-driven decision making happens within the organization.

An overview of how to use business application software. Topics include basic computer and microcomputer systems, different operating systems, word processing, using and programming Excel spreadsheets, database management, business graphics, and computer networking.

An examination of the federal tax structure and its implications for personal and corporate taxation. Topics include learning to analyze and prepare individual tax forms, and to read the Internal Revenue Code and common corporate tax forms.

Basic elements of consumer-lending practices and the implications for personal financial decision making. Topics include lending regulations, credit policy, loan closings and loan servicing, product knowledge and the decision-making process.

Examines how search engine optimization (SEO) operates as a tool in digital marketing. Topics include, increasing web traffic, enhancing product/service visibility, and ways to analyze and devise key search strategies that can be integrated into an overall marketing plan.

An exploration of how to manage a supply chain in the global environment. Topics include supply chain management, infrastructure analysis, network design, warehousing operations, inventory management, foreign market entry modes, international trade contracts, payments, insurance, customs, and security.

An examination of global financial markets and the operations of multinational firms. Topics include foreign exchange markets, global financial markets, global banking, global trade tariff and quotas, and role of regional trading blocs (such as the EU or ASEAN).

An examination of the impact of politics on trade in the global economy. Students will study the history, theories, and structures of global politics and the impact politics has on global trade, as well as examining the role of non-governmental agencies (NGOs) in terms of how to build social responsibility, economic and environmental sustainability, and social justice through economics prosperity.

An examination of the role of employee training and development in the modern environment. Topics include technology and design models for digital training, attention to and retention of information in live trainings, and using transpersonal psychology to better connect with the trainee.

An exploration of how sustainable business practices can work in the global business environment. Students will study various types of environmentally sustainable technologies in the context of global, political, and economic incentives and disincentives for investment.

An exploration of issues in managing and integrating marketing communication as it relates to an organization's overall marketing objectives. Students will learn the fundamentals of advertising, the communication process, media strategy, promotions, as well as consider the social and ethical implications of modern advertising practices.

An exploration of the basic principles of speech and communication more broadly in business and professional settings. The course emphasizes the construction and delivery of various types of spoken presentations and the application of interpersonal skills to business, organizational, and other professional settings.

An exploration of the dynamics of cross-cultural communication, cultural identity, and how it affects operating a business in the global environment. Students will learn how to deal with miscommunication and overcome obstacles by learning to recognize cultural differences in body language, expression, and other cultural differences in communicative practices.

An examination of how advertising and social media practices. Students will learn how to develop, and test social media advertisement as well as design budget, and evaluate profitability of strategies.

An exploration of how the techniques of transpersonal psychology can create effective negotiation strategies in the global business environment. Topics include the role of culture in the negotiations process, technology and global communications, rhetoric and cross-cultural norms, and the role of religion and cultural values in the communicative process.

A culminating project, completed individually or in teams, where students synthesize what they have learned in the program, and how transpersonal psychology can be applied and examine a real-world problem in business. In part I students will define the scope of the project, review the literature from which the problem emerges, and gather any information or data needed. If possible, students will select a local business or government sponsor for the project.