FEM301 / Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is designed to address the complex workings of small family-owned and run businesses. It will give students a working knowledge of the tools and concepts involved in preparing a business plan. Topical coverage includes foundations of entrepreneurship, forms of ownership and franchising, methods for determining the value of a business, marketing and financial considerations in building a business plan, managing inventory in small businesses, quality control and just-in-time techniques, managing human resources in the family businesses, techniques for enhancing profitability, and global aspects of entre­preneurship.

Prerequisite: MGT201/Introduction to Management

FEM304 / Family Business Management [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is designed to address the challenges unique to family-owned and run businesses. It will help students develop action plans for their family businesses. Topical coverage includes concepts of corporate governance versus classical governance, structures of a family business, key elements of a govern­ance structure, family businesses versus board of directors, securing succession as a key governance measure, handling the control task as a key governance measure, ownership and developmental dimensions, founders and entrepre­neurial experience, and the structures and plans guiding developments. Other topics include families as sources of capital, leadership in family businesses, separating family life and work life, how to work with family relations, children in the family business, working with siblings, working with the expected fam­ily, divorce/marriage, and other complexities affecting the business, dynamics of succession, managing the transition, sibling rivalry, and multi-generational issues.

Prerequisite: MGT201/Introduction to Management

FEM311 / Small Business Startup Laboratory [3-0, 3 cr.]

The objective of this course is to encourage students to start new businesses and to address functional ways of startups. It will include topics such as the types of new businesses, new markets and the web, how to start marketing on the web, creating and designing your webpage, electronic commerce and the future, how to find new products, how to sell online, evaluation of potential startups, site selection and layout, competitive advantage and marketing research, pricing and credit policies, and preparing small businesses to go glob­al. The course includes a laboratory and students will end up with a feasibility study or a business plan.

Prerequisites: Senior standing, MGT201/Introduction to Management and MKT201/Introduction to Marketing

FEM322 / Entrepreneurial Marketing [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course addresses the marketing challenges facing entrepreneurial firms in their pre and post-start-up. In a small business, the marketing function cuts across the entire company affecting every aspect of its operation, from finance and production to hiring and purchasing, as well as the company’s ultimate success. As the business environment becomes more turbulent and competition becomes more intense, small business owners must understand the importance of developing creative business strategies. However, the entrepreneur is often undercapitalized, understaffed, and lacks the time and resources needed to respond to these challenges in traditional ways. Therefore, this course looks spe­cifically at how to develop and implement a marketing plan in such a context. The focus is on the strategies and tactics that work for entrepreneurs on limited budgets with special attention to conventional marketing strategies.

Prerequisite: MKT201/Introduction to Marketing

FEM333 / Venture Capital & Entrepreneurial Financing [3-0, 3 cr.]

Raising money to launch and grow a new business venture has always been a challenge for entrepreneurs. However, achieving success depends heavily on the financial knowledge and skill of the entrepreneur. This course introduces students to the financial theories, concepts, and methods that entrepreneurs need to start, grow, and harvest the business. It looks at the process of financing, managing and evaluating a venture including: exploring external financing options (equity-debt capital), the super angel market, cash flow management, forecasting, feasibility, valuation, legal considerations, and exit strategies. In addition, this course introduces a variety of financial topics that relate to small businesses, such as: initial public offering, growing via strategic alliances and valuing the business.

Prerequisites: FIN301 / Managerial Finance Equivalent to: FEB321 / Venture Growth Strategies for Entrepreneurs

FEM488 / Topics in Family and Entrepreneurial Business [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers a wide range of topics, focusing on the latest developments in entrepreneurship, and setting-up and managing small and medium enterprises. The course could be taken more than once for credit when topics differ.

Prerequisites: Refer to Family & Entrepreneurial Business requirements, and the specific topics offered.

IBS311 / Managing the Multinational Corporation [3-0, 3 cr.]

The course covers the strategies and tactics that international managers use to design, operate, control and implement business activities in the modern world, by emphasizing various functions of international business, including distribution and logistics, production, global sourcing, export strategies and sales, strategic alliances, and international human resources management. The course then covers the coordination of complementary tasks among a diverse number of international units, be they branches, subsidiaries, sales offices, or shipping points. 

Prerequisites: MGT201 / Introduction to Management and MKT201 / Introduction to Marketing.           

MGT201 / Introduction to Management [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is a study of the management principles and concepts, specifically its history and philosophy, in addition to the processes, decision-making, plan­ning, organizing, actuating and controlling.

MGT236 / Communication Skills [1-0, 1 cr.]

A fifteen-hour workshop format that relies on in-class discussions designed to introduce students to teamwork and interpersonal communication skills within a business setting. Students will encounter a set of communication practices such as verbal and non-verbal communication, group communication, writing CV and Business letters, listening skills.

Prerequisites: Business Major and ENG 009

MGT301 / Organizational Behavior [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers the organizations’ social psychology, which includes individ­ual perception, motivation, and learning and communication style. It also covers group dynamics, as related to problem solving and decision-making, leadership style, word structuring and the larger environment.

Prerequisite: MGT201 / Introduction to Management

MGT336 / Developing a Business Plan [1-0, 1 cr.]

This course is designed to help students acquire the necessary knowledge and skills needed to prepare a comprehensive integrated written business plan. The course will equip the students with the basis for elaborating the different sec­tions of the plan as expected by financing agents. Through the learning process, the students will learn the principles of undertaking a thorough analysis of the different organizational forms and departments, products and services, human resources capacities, markets and marketing programs, as well as financial status and financing tools.

Prerequisite: Business Major 

MGT401 / Project Management [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers the problems of managing projects on identification, design, appraisal, selection, organization, operations, supervision and control, comple­tion and evaluation.

Prerequisites: Senior standing, ACC202 / Principles of Accounting II and MGT201 / Introduction to Management

MGT420 / Strategic Planning and Policy Formulation [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is intended to be a challenging capstone course for the undergradu­ate business school curriculum. It is first and foremost a course about “manag­ing for success” and achieving competitive advantage. The course is designed to equip students with the core concepts, frameworks and techniques of strategic management. It provides them with tools to understand and manage the strategic planning process. It enlightens students with the fundamentals of strategic planning and grants them broader insights into strategy formulations and implementations. It is tailored to address all business emphases and to provide a comprehensive and in-depth strategic planning techniques that are applicable to different industries. In analyzing multidisciplinary business case studies, students will practically integrate much of the knowledge gained in the core business curriculum.

Prerequisites: At least 27 credits of core courses completed and Senior standing

MGT436 / Personality and Career Development [1-0, 1 cr.]

A fifteen-hour workshop designed to introduce students to the importance of personality styles in shaping their careers. Students will be more knowledgea­ble and understanding of their behavioral preferences that can have significant effects on their career success. Students will also learn how to evaluate and develop their personality styles to match their career objectives.

Prerequisite: Business Major

MGT441 / Human Resources Development [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is based on the functions of management. It provides the students with the tools necessary to run contemporary functions applied in human resources development. Having known the classical functions of personnel management, and based on the continuous change of organizations, students will cover the advanced topics in strategic management of human resources, training and development, performance appraisal management, career plan­ning, technology implementation, and other new happenings in the realm of human resources.

MGT450 / Special Topics in Management [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers management topics not usually included in the curriculum. It offers a detailed understanding of timely issues and applications in the worlds of production and management, both in private and public frameworks. Operations and production management, entrepreneurship, and small-business management are covered, among other topics.

This course requires the consent of the program advisor.

BUS299 / Civic Engagement Course [0 cr.]

This is a mandatory zero credit (Pass/Fail basis) civic engagement course for all students in the B.S. Business Studies program. It is a guided community service experience based on a plan designed by the School in cooperation with the Outreach and Civic Engagement Department.

BUS201 / Introduction to Business [3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is an introductory survey of the business environment. Topics include basic business functions and their interrelationships, accounting, finance, management, marketing and economics.