Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration Course Descriptions

Students in this course are introduced to the fundamentals of business and examine the importance of business and management in the U.S. capitalist system. The structure and functions of business are explored with a special focus on topics such as business culture and the business context of Latino markets.

In this course students examine determinants of effective self-management. Students explore the importance of self-efficacy for personal and professional success and complete a self-efficacy assessment. Students prepare professional development plans that guide their coursework throughout the program.

Note: This course is nontransferable.

This course introduces the role of market systems in solving production and distribution problems. Topics covered include consumer and producer theory, the behavior of firms, market equilibrium, monopoly and oligopoly, and the role of governmental regulations.

Prerequisite: MAT 100

This course covers the accounting processes; recording transactions; preparing financial statements; forms of business organization; and select asset, liability, and owner's equity accounts. Students also perform ratio analyses.

This course covers the theory and application of probability and statistics for managerial decision making. Students learn to collect, analyze, and present data; evaluate and explain conclusions drawn from analyzing measurements of central tendency dispersion and probability distributions; compute correlation and regression analyses; and perform hypothesis testing. In addition, students apply modeling tools to analyze business problems and opportunities.

Prerequisite: MAT 100

This course introduces principles of effective business writing used in today's organizations. Students apply best practices for business writing in a variety of formats, such as emails, reports, and presentations. The course focuses on effective techniques for virtual communication so that students learn to communicate effectively by knowing their audience, understanding their subject matter, and expressing themselves with clarity and distinction.

Prerequisite: ENG 100

This course examines the connection between ethics and law in the business environment. Students analyze the laws applicable to business institutions and their operations and address ethical conflicts in the U.S. and international business environments. Topics include the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), federal and state employment law, torts, contracts, and agency relationships.

This course presents an overview of the essential computer skills needed to become a leader in today's changing business environment. The course explores basic and intermediate features of common software applications for word processing, presentation, database, and spreadsheets. Students focus specifically on the many applications of spreadsheet software in the business environment, how to enter and format data, and how to use functions and calculations in order to solve business problems.

In this course students examine career-planning tools and use them to develop resumes to be refined throughout the program. Students assess their progress toward achieving their personal and professional goals and update their BUS 113 development plan. They will also familiarize themselves with the capstone project process and start the capstone journal.

Prerequisites: BUS 113, lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

Note: This course is nontransferable.

In this course students integrate classic management principles with current management practices. Topics include analysis of the environment of the organization, the four functions of management (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling), and managing cultural differences.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course teaches marketing principles and policies. It addresses the marketing functions of product, price, and promotion as well as marketing process and management. Concepts covered include development of a marketing plan, competitive analysis, government regulations, and the integration of a marketing plan with activities of the business enterprise.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course provides students with an overview of the concepts, methodologies, and applications of business operations management. Topics include supply chain, product design and management, process selection and design, process-flow analysis, managing quality, forecasting, and capacity planning.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course examines core concepts of human behavior in organizations. Topics include basic human processes, the individual in the organization, group dynamics, influencing others, and organizational processes. Emphasis is placed on understanding the interdependencies among the components and the totality of the organization. Organizational development and transformation in a diverse and global environment are also addressed.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course includes integrative study, case analysis, and discussion analyzing the interrelationships of managerial decisions and/or actions with and between the firm and its environment(s). It applies multidisciplinary techniques to diagnose and recommend actions.

Prerequisite: Senior standing.

This course addresses the time value of money, risk, securities valuation, and capital budgeting. It also examines the concepts of working capital management, long-term capital structure, and dividend policy.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course examines the concepts of the hiring process including recruitment, selection, and placement. Other topics include training, development, performance evaluations, job descriptions, diversity, roles and tasks, and career paths.

Prerequisites: BUS 381, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

This course addresses the design of systems of rewards, workforce assessment, and development. It examines the interaction of selection, placement, training, personnel evaluation, and career ladders within an organization. The role of the staff manager is also covered. The course includes a critical examination of behavioral research versus language-oriented (interpretive) approaches for solving human resource management problems.

Prerequisites: BUS 381, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

In this course students align human resource management functions and activities with corporate strategic goals. Strategies such as incentive cash and/or stock compensation programs, employee ownership, and nonmonetary rewards are compared and contrasted. The impact on employee motivation and retention is also examined. Emphasis is placed on the role of language and culture as a key element in the practice of human resource management.

Prerequisites: BUS 381, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

This course examines the major aspects of international business environments and operations with an emphasis on the strategic and operational issues firms face when they conduct business abroad, including import-export procedures. Key themes include the political, legal, and economic challenges of operating in a global environment; the design, implementation, and control of international business operations; and the sociocultural aspects of doing business globally.

Prerequisites: BUS 481, lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course introduces students to international finance. Emphasis is placed on international financial markets and the macroeconomics of international financial flows. Topics include foreign exchange, international securities markets, international banking, and trade agreements. International financial institutions in the Americas will be addressed.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course examines foundational concepts in global marketing. Examples and cases cover both developed and developing markets. Topics include culture and marketing, global and local competitors, cross-cultural consumer behavior and research, and intercultural marketing communications.

Prerequisites: BUS 370W, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

This course examines legal forms of ownership as well as management, finance, marketing, and accounting principles for small businesses. Topics include supply-chain and inventory management, staffing and leading a growing company, succession planning, ethics, governmental regulation, and strategies for a successful and profitable business venture.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course examines the major aspects of international business environments and operations with an emphasis on the strategic and operational issues firms face when they conduct business abroad, including import-export procedures. Key themes include the political, legal, and economic challenges of operating in a global environment; the design, implementation, and control of international business operations; and the sociocultural aspects of doing business globally.

Prerequisites: BUS 481, lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course focuses on the opportunities and challenges faced by multinational enterprises when operating in the international arena. The course addresses the formulation and implementation of a global business strategy and examines complexities created by competition from emerging economies. Coursework emphasizes the role of language and culture as key elements in the practice of international business, including the concept of ethical action required in a multicultural global setting.

Prerequisite: BUS 370, BUS 381, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

This course prepares students to develop targeted communication media (written, spoken, broadcast, and printed) that specifically support the marketing initiatives and strategies of any planned effort. Students will use the tools and skills of integrated messaging, image clarity and enhancement, media relations, positioning, and persuasion. Basic principles are applied to evaluate successful and failed marketing communications efforts. Examples of and cases related to Latino markets will be included.

Prerequisites: BUS 370W, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

This course examines foundational concepts in global marketing. Examples and cases cover both developed and developing markets. Topics include culture and marketing, global and local competitors, cross-cultural consumer behavior and research, and intercultural marketing communications.

Prerequisites: BUS 370W, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

This course addresses key issues in developing and implementing marketing strategies with an emphasis on business environments that incorporate a Hispanic cultural perspective. Topics include relating marketing strategy to organizational strategy, research and forecasting approaches, competitive analysis, and implementation of marketing strategies.

Prerequisites: BUS 370W, lower-division core courses completed, and junior standing.

This course addresses the development and management of innovation processes in organizations. Topics include key concepts, models, and techniques of innovation and organizational change management. Students examine the drivers of change and the importance of personal creativity and social interaction for the development and implementation of new ideas, services, products, and processes.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course examines the steps and processes for launching a new business and managing it from the startup stage forward. Students explore the formation of new business ideas and potential funding sources from an entrepreneurial viewpoint. Topics include startup management and the financial forecasting required for preparing a market-ready business plan.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course provides the foundation for understanding project management from a management perspective by examining both the strategic and operations points of view. The course addresses project initiation, planning, execution, control, and closing through the application of case studies and project scenarios.

Prerequisites: Lower-division core courses completed and junior standing.

This course provides a critical and integrative examination of business in a manner that incorporates the student's personal experience, knowledge, and skills developed throughout the program. Students apply culturally aware insights that bring new relevance to the practice of their profession. During this course students evaluate their progress in achieving the objectives in their personal and professional development plan created in BUS 113 and updated in BUS 314. Feedback is provided for preparation of the capstone project presentation that includes an evaluation of a company's strategy and recommendations to improve an organization's competitive advantage.

Prerequisites: All upper-division core courses completed or in progress.

Note: This course is nontransferable.