Business Course Descriptions
BUS 250 Introduction to Business and Decision Making (3)
An exploration into the modern world of business from innovation and entrepreneurship, to small business development, financing, accounting, management, marketing, operations, and more. Students discover the essential roles of methodologically sound problem solving, numeric analysis, critical thinking, and decision making. The course is a valuable foundation for 300-level business courses and overall academic development at the Mount. Business and non-business students are welcome. Majors should take by the end of the sophomore year.
BUS 301-302 Business Law I-II (3, 3)
Introduction to legal rights and remedies. An analysis and study of the law of contracts, agency, employment, negotiable instruments, personal property, sales and insurance.
BUS 304 Business Communications: Written and Oral (3)
An advanced communication course focusing on the forms and techniques most frequently encountered in business communications, including business letters and memos, letters of application and resumes, email and other electronic communications, and various types of reports. Oral briefings also comprise a major part of this course.
BUS 306 Advertising and Promotion (3)
A study of advertising as a management tool to further organizational objectives including the social, economic and managerial aspects of advertising; the impact of advertising practices on the consumer; and the full promotional mix of public relations and sales promotion. Prerequisite: BUS 313 or permission of instructor.
BUS 307 Business Management and Organization (3)
A study of the principles and processes of management, and the vital role played by the manager in the organization. Practical application includes a semester-long small business case analysis and a field research project.
Prerequisite: BUS 250 or permission of instructor; junior level standing or permission of instructor
BUS 309 Money and Banking (3)
History, structure and functions of commercial banking and the Federal Reserve System; an analysis of money, financial intermediaries, money and capital markets, financial innovation and recent banking legislation. An evaluation of both Keynesian and monetarist views of monetary theory and policy.
Prerequisites: ECON 101-102.
BUS 310 International Trade, Investments and Economics (3)
An introduction to the economic principles underlying international trade structures, international monetary arrangements, and international business and investment.
Prerequisite: ECON 101-102.
BUS 311 Information Systems (3)
An introduction to the essential role of information and its management in the modern corporation. Emphasis is on computer-based information systems. Surveys several topics including systems development, database, hardware and software concepts, the Internet and e-commerce, and ethical implications of information systems development.
BUS 312 Environmental Economics (3)
Examines the economics behind natural resource use and environmental issues. Studies in resource economics will consider problems such as forest use, fishing stock depletion, consumption of natural resources such as oil and minerals. The course then examines environmental problems such as pollution, global warming, acid rain, and land conservation. In each case, the economics will be used as framework for studying the source of the problems, as well as the policies used to solve them.
Prerequisites: Econ 101 or 102.
BUS 313 Principles of Marketing (3)
An examination of the problems faced by the marketing manager in making decisions concerning markets, products, prices, channels, promotion and basic marketing strategy. Findings from the behavioral sciences will be applied to practical marketing problems.
Prerequisite: BUS 250 or permission of instructor; junior level standing or permission of instructor.
BUS 319 International Marketing (3)
An examination of the strategic approach and tactical application in marketing effectively in an international environment. Emphasis on developing effective and efficient marketing channels, product approaches, promotion and pricing strategies. Discussions also directed towards market penetration, market research, uncontrollable variables, consumer perceptions and segmentation approaches in global markets.
Prerequisite: BUS 313.
BUS 320 Statistics (3)
A detailed study of the principles and methods underlying the organization, analysis and interpretation of data. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability models, probability distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, nonparametric methods and regression analysis.
BUS 322 Thinking Strategically: An Introduction to Game Theory (3)
An examination of game theory applications in business, economics and political science. A study of strategy in elections, legislative voting, bargaining, auctions, cooperative business ventures and economic decisions. Only high school-level math required.
BUS 325 Personal Finance (3)
This course is designed to enlighten students on the areas of personal finance. Some of the major topics to be covered are: time, value of money, career planning, money management, tax planning, consumer credit, costs of credit, housing decisions and various insurances.
BUS 327 Introduction to Sport Management (3)
An examination of the diverse and expanding field of sports and recreation. Designed to provide a comprehensive look at the basic organizational structures found in the sport industry. Students examine applications of managerial concepts and processes and the ways in which organizations interact with each other and with the government.
Prerequisite: ECON 101 & 102.
BUS 328 Facility and Event Management (3)
An in-depth look at the practices, procedures and operations of major event and facility management, including planning, funding and managing these events. The main focus of these principles will be on sporting events and facilities, but the principles can be applied to many different areas, including corporate and social events.
Prerequisite: BUS 327or permission of instructor.
BUS 329 Business and Economics of Sports (3)
Students examine the economic relationships surrounding professional and intercollegiate sports in the United States. Students develop a business plan for a professional sports franchise and manage the franchise through a number of economic environments, including salary caps, revenue sharing, insurance contracts, expansion and stadium/arena financing. They obtain a greater understanding of the market forces that shape professional leagues, the factors that determine player compensation and the relationship between economic forces and competitive balance in professional sports.
Prerequisites: ECON 101 and 102.
BUS 333 Sport Marketing and Communications (3)
An in-depth examination of the marketing practices, procedures and operations of professional, collegiate and recreational sport organizations and enterprises. The course also examines the relationships that exist between the media and sport organizations as well as the technology they use. Students refine their marketing skills by examining the ways in which sport marketing organizations exercise promotions, market research, sponsorship and fundraising in the sports industry.
Prerequisite: BUS 313.
BUS 335 Sport Law (3)
A presentation of the basic legal system, its terminology, and principles as applied to professional and amateur sport. Emphasis is on identifying and analyzing legal issues, the ramifications of those issues, and the means of limiting the liability of sport organizations. Prerequisite: BUS 327 or permission of instructor.
BUS 336 International Sport Management
An examination of several transformational forces in the world today: the end of communism, the global economy, the electronic village, and their impact on management within the sport industry. This course investigates the positive and negative effects that globalization has had on sport and, in turn, the positive and negative effects that the sport industry has had on the global community and how sport management professionals address these issues.
Prerequisite: BUS 327 or permission of instructor.
BUS 340 Management Science (3)
An introduction to some of the contemporary quantitative methods used in management science and economics. Topics include probability concepts, forecasting, decision theory, linear programming, queuing theory, network models, MONTE CARLO simulation and Markov analysis.
Prerequisite: MATH 105 or BUS 320; BUS 311 and BUS 250 are recommended.
BUS 344 Operations and Supply Chain Management (3)
An examination of the transformation process that converts inputs into outputs, and how it adds value to the outputs. Also investigates the concepts, insights, practical tools and decision support systems that are important for the effective managements of supply chains. Long-term strategic design issues, shorter-term tactical and operational issues are closely examined. State-of-the-art concepts of globally optimal decision making, often across traditional organizational boundaries are emphasized.
Prerequisite: BUS 320; BUS 311 and BUS 250 are recommended.
BUS 350 Marketing Research (3)
A study of research methods, procedures and techniques, and their effective use by marketing managers in decision making. Attention afforded to the gathering, analysis and flow of marketing information and the use of qualitative and quantitative tools.
Prerequisite: BUS 313.
BUS 360 Corporate Finance I (3)
First of a two-course sequence introducing the field of corporate financial management. Major topics to be covered include time value of money, financial statement analysis, risk and expected return, security valuation, cost of capital and capital budgeting.
Prerequisite: ACCT 101, BUS 250, or permission of instructor; junior level standing or permission of instructor.
BUS 370 International Finance (3)
A study of corporate finance and investment theory as it applies to the international arena. Special topics include international financial management, sources of international funds, the management of foreign exchange risk and foreign investment analysis. Also a study of the efficiency conditions of international markets and the international banking system.
Prerequisite: BUS 360.
BUS 375 Project Management (3)
Project management is a strategically integrative business approach to defining, developing, executing, and managing organizational projects for private and public sectors. The study and application of project management skills and techniques is from both a socio-cultural and technical perspective to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational resource allocation and risk management. The evolution of strategic-thinking and leadership skills emerge from an understanding of how project management is integrated within the strategy of an organization to provide a competitive advantage.
Prerequisite: BUS 307.
BUS 385 Consumer Behavior (3)
Consumer behavior lies at the crossroads of the marketing, psychology, economics and anthropology. In order to create and sustain competitive advantage, marketers need to understand how consumers shop, buy, and consume products and services. The focus of this course is to learn and apply knowledge in consumer behavior.
Prerequisite: BUS 313.
BUS 390 E-Commerce (3)
This course investigates the use of computer networks such as the Internet to perform various business activities. Working in groups, students will create an e business plan that uses the concepts from the course.
Prerequisite: BUS/IFSY 311.
BUS 395 Program Development and Implementation: Special Olympics
An in-depth study of program planning and implementation as applied to a non-profit sport organization: Special Olympics. Students will learn the processes of sport event program planning on a community-wide basis. The course discusses practical applications of event and program planning, promotion, evaluation, equipment and facility use, program budgeting, and staffing considerations, including volunteer recruitment and retention, and much more. Special Olympics serves as a real- world, practical illustration of how these program planning and event management principles are put into practice. Students will gain valuable hands-on experience throughout this course and have a unique opportunity to apply concepts while earning course credit through various practica and internships associated with the Special Olympics Fall Festival on the Mount campus. (Preference is given to Sport Management majors)
BUS 400 Business in Society: Leadership, Ethics and Social Responsibility (3)
A required capstone course for senior business majors. Examines the critical role of values, character, ethics and social responsibility in creating a moral leader for all sectors of society. Explores the responsibilities of business to different stakeholder groups, based on society’s changing expectations and new social issues. Introduces key concepts of servant-leadership, stewardship, corporate social responsibility and community. Demonstrates the necessity of moral leadership at the personal, interpersonal, organizational, societal and global levels. Prerequisites: ACCT 101,102; BUS 301,307,313, AND 320; senior status.
BUS 404 Business Policy (3)
A study of the design and execution of a firm’s competitive strategy. Analytic, decision-making and communication skills are developed through guiding a firm in an Internet-based strategic management simulation.
Prerequisites: ACCT 101, 102, BUS 301, 307, 311, 313, 320, 345, 360; ECON 360 and senior status.
BUS 410 Entrepreneurship (3)
A course in planning and development of new business ventures from the standpoint of the entrepreneur as innovator. Topics include idea development, venture planning, market analysis, initial financing, startup and related aspects of accounting, finance and management; also includes acquisition of a going business.
Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of the instructor.
BUS 412 Leadership in Organizations (3)
An interdisciplinary focus on leadership in formal organizations in both the private and public sectors. Presents a broad survey of leadership theory, research and practice. Explores current issues in leadership, including ethics, and provides students with opportunities to view various aspects of their own leadership styles and skills through self-assessment instruments, structured exercises and individual and group projects. A central thread of the course is the development of a personal operational model of leadership with a focus on servant-leadership.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
BUS 424 Management and Leadership in Sport Organizations (3)
An in-depth look at management and leadership theories and practices as they relate to sports organizations. Provides students with a solid foundation in research and application of human resource management and leadership principles for success in the sports industry. Prerequisite: BUS 307 or permission of instructor.
BUS 440 Ethics in Sport Management (3)
Our complex and rapidly changing environment imposes new demands on managers of sport organizations. Increased pressure to address ethical issues is one of the new demands. While there is no simple prescription describing how ethical issues should be dealt with, the purpose of this course is to indicate how managers can more effectively address them. Current issues, ethical dilemmas in the sport environment, organizational responsibility and professional ethics will be discussed. The course provides some essential components of the student’s management tool kit—theories, concepts, models and techniques to use in managing ethical dilemmas.
Prerequisite: BUS 327 and BUS 335 or permission of instructor.
BUS 444 China and India: Business, Globalization and Poverty (3)
This course is designed to explore the rich and complex cultures of China and India, two countries that are destined to play an increasingly important role in global politics and economics in the 21st century. The history, religions, politics, and social structures of the two countries will be studied, especially as they influence the conduct of business activity. Finally, the course looks at how each country is responding to the rapid growth of globalization in business activity throughout the world, and whether, looking through a moral lens, that globalization can help reduce the extreme poverty still so common in the two countries.
BUS 453 Corporate Finance II: Cases (3)
Second in a two course sequence offered in corporate financial management. Topics include capital structure analysis, common and preferred stock, dividend policy, working capital management, international finance, cash management and investment banking. Use of case studies and financial modeling.
Prerequisite: BUS 360. Accounting students: ACCT 101 and 102.
BUS 454 Human Resources Management: Cases (3)
Study of the basic functions of a human resource operation, including employee recruitment and selection, compensation, performance appraisal, training and development, and labor relations. Practical application includes extensive case analysis and a real-world group research project.
Prerequisite: BUS 307 or permission of instructor.
BUS 455 Marketing Strategy: Cases (3)
A capstone, case-based seminar designed especially for business majors pursuing a marketing concentration. Offers an opportunity to integrate all the ideas and concepts from the various marketing courses studied previously and emphasizes the strategic dimension of marketing decisions.
Prerequisites: BUS 313 and at least one other marketing course.
BUS 460 International Management (3)
A study of management practices in terms of international settings and the cultural impacts on global management and leadership. Through the use of contemporary readings, exercises and individual projects, students develop a clear picture of how managers and leaders operate successfully in international settings. Practical application includes analysis of comprehensive real world cases and an integrated term group research project on a selected country.
Prerequisite: BUS 307 and BUS 310 or permission of instructor.