Erivan K. Haub School of Business 

Elective Course Descriptions

MBA 3115 Accounting Concepts 3 credits
The basic principles and procedures for classifying and recording business transactions and interpreting the results for investors, business managers, and other users of financial information.

MBA 3615 Marketing Concepts 3 credits
This course covers basic marketing theory and practice. Topics include the social role of marketing within our economic society, the marketing process, the marketing environment, the role of marketing within the organization, the process of developing marketing strategies and programs, the concept of diffusion of innovation, new product development, marketing research, the concept of customer value, the process of targeting, segmentation, and positioning, and the marketing mix variables. PLEASE NOTE: Students have the option of taking a challenge exam to waive this course. The challenge exam must be successfully completed prior to beginning the second year of course work and there is a small fee. If the challenge exam is not passed, students must take Marketing Concepts in order to graduate from the program.

MBA 3615 Managing Work Environments 3 credits
This course focuses on both the behavioral and technological aspects of work organizations. The behavioral aspects of organizations are discussed at three different levels. On a societal level, the place of work organization relative to other institutions in contemporary society will be considered using a stakeholder model of the firm. On an organizational level, the concepts of organizational structure, technology, job design, and culture will be examined, emphasizing the importance of each to the goal of organizational effectiveness. On an individual level, the roles and responsibilities of the manager will be analyzed, helping students to recognize the critical managerial practices for achieving organizational effectiveness.PLEASE NOTE: Students have the option of taking a challenge exam to waive this course. The challenge exam must be successfully completed prior to beginning the first year of course work and there is a small fee to take this exam. If the challenge exam is not passed, students must take Managing Work Environments before beginning MBA 4515 - Stakeholder Theory and Social Responsibility.

MBA 4515 Stakeholder Theory and Social Responsibility 3 credits
This course addresses corporate social responsibility through a stakeholder theory of business. The course will center on the question, " Which interests of which stakeholders impose obligations on business?" The internal and external stakeholders addressed include investors, employees, customers, and the natural environment among others. Some issues will be analyzed by exploring international differences in the treatment of stakeholders. The course exposes students to some of the ethical dilemmas confronted by employees in the workplace, and serves to enhance student skills in resolving these dilemmas.

MGT 5015 Human Resource Management 3 credits
This course identifies and defines the role of key functional areas of Human Resources and examines how these areas support management. The course takes a strategic approach and examines how Human Resource functions such as recruitment, selection, performance appraisal and development can impact organizations' productivity and success. The course emphasizes the role of legal issues in Human Resources and underscores the need to understand the dynamic nature of Human Resources in organizations.

MGT 5205 Leading Change in Organizations 3 credits
This course focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for leading, Planning, and implementing organizational change. Students will examine their own leadership skills and abilities, and will have the opportunity to develop skills critical to achieving effective change, including communication, leadership, and team development.

MGT 5215 Employment and Labor Law 3 credits
This course will provide an overview of the major laws that govern employer-employee relations in both union and non-union workplaces. Labor topics include , inter alia , the historical development of labor law, union organizing, unfair labor practices, concerted activities by unions, and dispute settlement. Employment law topics include employment discrimination, testing, evaluation, and privacy, and laws that govern wage and salary, health and safety, income security, benefits continuation, and family and medical emergencies.

MGT 5225 Human Resource Information Systems 3 credits
This course will examine the issues of information systems from several HR perspectives. First, the course will review basic information systems concepts. Next, software systems (e.g. PeopleSoft) designed to support HR functional operations will be described. Systems using web-based modules for employee benefits administration will also be described. Finally, the course will examine some of the HR issues surrounding the management of information technology personnel, such as special training issues, appropriate career paths and retention policies.

MGT 5345 Finance and Accounting for Managers 3 credits
This course develops students' practical skills in the interpretation and use of financial and accounting information for managerial decision-making. Students will learn how to (1) understand and analyze financial statements, (2) evaluate relevant costs for decision-making, (3) perform present value analyses, and (4) make sound capital budget decisions. Prerequisite: MBA 3115.

MGT 5375 Human Resource Research/Survey Methods 3 credits
This course is designed to introduce students to the processes involved in measuring the effectiveness of human resource programs. It will provide a thorough grounding in survey methodology, from survey design through data collection and data analysis. The overarching goal of the course is to prepare human resource professionals to effectively lead a survey project and to interpret the results of research conducted by others. Prerequisite: MGT 5015.

MGT 6025 Strategic Human Resource Management: Design and Implementation 3 Credits
This course requires student to apply their knowledge of business strategy and human resource management in the development of a strategic human resource management plan for a real organization. Through this course, each student will demonstrate their ability to fulfill four strategic human resource management roles serving as a strategic business partner, a change agent, an employee advocate, and an efficient administrator. Prerequisites: Completion of all required foundation and core MSHRM courses: MBA 3115, MBA 3615, MBA 4515, MGT 5015, MGT 5205, MGT 5215, MGT 5225, MGT 5345, and MGT 5375.