Jun 15, 2024  
2015 - 2016 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2015 - 2016 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Explanation of Course Descriptions

Graduate courses may be taken by persons other than regular or provisional graduate students in Arts and Sciences only with the consent of the chairperson of the department/program committee concerned.

Pairs of numbers (501,502) indicate continuous courses. A hyphen between numbers (501-502) indicates that the courses must be taken in the succession stated.

Courses involving laboratory or studio activity are so labeled. All others are classroom courses.

Semester hour credit for each course is indicated by numbers in parentheses.

 
 

Business
  

  • BUAD 5215 - Managing Information Systems

    (2.5)

    The course focuses upon strategic influence of information technology (IT) within organizations. Designed primarily for non-IT executives, the course will prepare for understanding of technological vocabulary, emerging technologies and how they enhance core business functions, and demonstrating the business value of IT investment. Practice based exercises will augment the learning experience through modeling IT choices and information utilization.

  

  • BUAD 5221 - IT Enabled Business Transformation

    (2)

    The focus of the second IT module is on the “information” part of “Information Technology.” Through readings and case discussion, students will gain an understanding of how IT is enabling fundamental transformations in firms, markets, products, and business processes. These transformations have important implications for the way companies organize (both internally and with customers and suppliers) and compete. Accordingly, this course addresses the management issues surrounding the impact of information technology in organizations. It is designed with the line and general managers in mind, rather than the managers of the IS function.

  

  • BUAD 5223 - Management Information Systems

    (3)

    The focus of Management of Information Systems is on the technology that enables its use in the business and organizational setting. Issues such as hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, and the Internet will be discussed. Students will experience hands-on applications in some areas. An understanding of how Information Technology enables fundamental transformations in firms, markets, products, and business processes will be gained. This course addresses the management issues surrounding the impact of information technology in organizations. It is designed with the line and general managers in mind, rather than the managers of the IS function.

  

  • BUAD 5227 - Integrated Technology

    (4)

    This course is designed to introduce students to basic modeling, analysis and simulation techniques. Emphasis will be placed on problem identification and formulation, sensitivity analysis and model construction. Spreadsheet tools will be used to solve business problems across various business functional areas.

  

  • BUAD 5301 - Financial Management

    (1.5)

    This course emphasizes alternative approaches to valuation. Topics covered include financial markets; financial analysis and forecasting; approaches to risk and return; project evaluation; financial policy. Selected advanced topics, such as international financing transactions, new venture finance, and risk management will also be covered.

  

  • BUAD 5303 - Finance

    (3)

    The course covers basic principles and theories of financial valuation, risk pricing and risk management. These principles are applied to corporate finance topics such as: how a firm decides to invest its resources in long term assets and growth opportunities; how a firm will manage its sources of capital and raise funds to finance chosen investments; and how the firm will plan and control funds flow.

  

  • BUAD 5305 - Financial Management

    (2.5)

    This course is structured on the concepts and tools of valuation. It covers financial and project analysis, financial forecasting, risk and return, cost of capital, mergers and acquisitions, and valuation.

  

  • BUAD 5307 - Finance

    (4)

    Students will learn about concepts and tools of valuation, financial and project analysis, financial forecasting, risk and return, cost of capital, mergers and acquisitions, and valuation.

  

  • BUAD 5325 - Corporate Financial Policy

    (2.5)

    Building on the topics in Financial Management, Corporate Financial Policy covers advanced topics in financial markets and strategy, including debt and equity management policy, financing, derivatives and risk management, and international finance.

  

  • BUAD 5401 - Marketing Management

    (1.5)

    Focuses on developing integrated marketing programs that address customer needs, competitive activity, channel and supplier behavior, macro environmental factors, and market evolution. Emphasis is placed on assessing the market and developing a responsive marketing mix: product policy, pricing, channels of distribution, integrated marketing communications, and support structure.

  

  • BUAD 5403 - Marketing

    (3)

    Examination of marketing from a managerial viewpoint; emphasis on evaluating marketing alternatives and in choosing from these alternatives.

  

  • BUAD 5405 - Marketing Management

    (2.5)

    This course focuses on the problems of building an integrated marketing program in light of external forces, such as the consumer, the trade, the competition and the regulatory environment. Specific emphasis is placed on the marketing concept, the marketing mix, market definition and dynamics, segmentation and positioning, and product/market evolution.

  

  • BUAD 5407 - Marketing

    (4)

    Focuses on developing integrated marketing programs that address customer needs, competitive activity, channel and supplier behavior, macro environmental factors, and market evolution. Emphasis is placed on assessing the market and developing a responsive marketing mix: product policy, pricing, channels of distribution, integrated marketing communications, and support structure.

  

  • BUAD 5425 - Marketing Strategy

    (2.5)

    This course focuses on the formulation of marketing strategy, including balancing market opportunities and threats with available resources and alternative responses, as well as analysis of markets, product and pricing strategies.

  

  • BUAD 5501 - Organizational Behavior & Proc

    (3)

    Designed to provide you with the analytic frameworks and tools to diagnose events in and to take effective action in today’s changing organizations. The course draws on knowledge from the domains of Organization Behavior (OB), Organization Theory (OT), and Human Resource Management (HRM) to provide you with the understanding and skills that you need to be an effective manager of people in these changing organizations. OT, OB and HRM are concerned with developing understanding about how human beings act in organized settings and how organized systems affect human behavior through policies, structures and strategies. In addition to conceptual understanding, ongoing assessments and experiential exercises provide you opportunities to reflect on your own behavior in order to develop new and more effective ways of interacting with others to accomplish work.

  

  • BUAD 5503 - Organizational Behavior

    (3)

    Designed to provide you with the analytic frameworks and tools to diagnose events in and to take effective action in today’s changing organizations. The course draws on knowledge from the domains of Organization Behavior (OB), Organization Theory (OT), and Human Resource Management (HRM) to provide you with the understanding and skills that you need to be an effective manager of people in these changing organizations. OT, OB and HRM are concerned with developing understanding about how human beings act in organized settings and how organized systems affect human behavior through policies, structures and strategies. In addition to conceptual understanding, ongoing assessments and experiential exercises provide you opportunities to reflect on your own behavior in order to develop new and more effective ways of interacting with others to accomplish work.

  

  • BUAD 5505 - Leadership in an Uncertain Era

    (2.5)

    This course is designed to improve your effectiveness as a manager by deepening your understanding of how organizations work. To succeed in the business world, you must (a) analyze organizational events and processes and (b) design and implement actions to increase organizational effectiveness. These critical leadership skills are even more important today, as organizations enter a period of enormous upheaval and change. The course begins with an intensive two-day leadership forum that focuses on heightening your awareness of leadership challenges and enhancing your ability to address them. As the semester continues, we build upon that seminal experience by exploring how the structure, power relations, and culture of organizations shape and constrain the behavior of individuals within them. The course culminates in a project in which you apply both conceptual tools and leadership skills to events in your current organization.

  

  • BUAD 5507 - Organizational Behavior

    (4)

    Organizational behavior is a field of study that seeks to understand, explain, and improve human behavior. The structure of this course is organized around how renaissance managers can improve two aspects of human behavior: (1) job performance - the degree to which employees perform the behaviors needed for the organization to achieve its goals, and (2) organizational commitment - the degree to which employees remain loyal to the organization rather than seeking employment elsewhere. This course will guide you through a model that seeks to explain these two areas of organizational behavior.

  

  • BUAD 5511 - Leadership Advantage

    (0-1)

    The Leadership Development Experience accelerates students’ development of personal and interpersonal competencies critical to early career success. This program is comprised of ongoing assessment and feedback, personal development planning and activities, and executive coaching.

  

  • BUAD 5515 - Leading Change in Organizations

    (2.5)

    Building on the concepts from Leadership in an Uncertain Era, this course examines the leader’s role in diagnosing, anticipating, planning, implementing, and evaluating change within organizations. Case studies and group projects focus on organizational analysis, barriers to change, overcoming resistance to change, change intervention strategies and methods, and change evaluation.

  

  • BUAD 5517 - Leadership in the 21st Century

    (4)

    Leadership in the 21st century involves much more than the traditional topics of culture, networking, change management, and diversity. In a society in which technologies are constantly disrupting modes of communication and teams are increasingly global, today’s manager needs to understand coping with constant change, messaging and empathy, and the powerful emerging leadership trends.

  

  • BUAD 5601 - Design/Control Mod Ops Fn

    (3)

    Provides an introduction to the responsibilities and decisions facing the modern operations manager. The course is decision making and tool focused, with emphasis on the acquisition of information for decision-making. It covers the topics most associated with today’s complex operation management activities: planning and scheduling, process selection and design, managing the supply and value chains, decision tools, day-to-day control (quality, inventory, demand management, capacity planning, etc.), and managing and controlling complex projects.

  

  • BUAD 5603 - Operations Management

    (3)

    Study of the design, operation, and control of production and operating systems from a managerial standpoint, with emphasis on quantitative methods of analysis.

  

  • BUAD 5605 - Operations & Supply Chain Mgmt

    (2.5)

    To achieve competitive advantage, managers must understand how to design and control products and services, as well as the systems for their delivery. To reach that understanding, this course focuses on issues of planning and control of complex products and services, managing quality and continuous improvement, and control of the supply chain.

  

  • BUAD 5607 - Operations

    (4)

    To achieve competitive advantage, managers must understand how to design and control products and services, as well as the systems for their delivery. To reach that understanding, this course focuses on issues of planning and control of complex products and services, managing quality and continuous improvement, and control of the supply chain.

  

  • BUAD 5701 - Data Analysis

    (3)

    The aim of this course is to supply the student with the analytical tools needed to succeed in business. The material will be closely coordinated and integrated with the other course offerings in the first year core (marketing, finance, etc.). The course covers various tools that are necessary to analyze and understand the implications of collected data.  These include statistical tools (hypothesis testing, correlation and covariance analysis, probability distributions, simple and multiple regression, and forecasting) along with statistical decision making, simulation, constrained optimization, and sensitivity analysis. Emphasis will be placed on a student’s ability to understand and interpret the results of their analyses.

  

  • BUAD 5703 - Quantitative Methods

    (3)

    Role and application of statistics in the analysis of business problems including estimation, statistical measures, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, simple and multiple linear regression and time series analysis.

  

  • BUAD 5705 - Data Analysis (Part 1)

    (1.5)

    This course focuses on data analysis and how managers use data to make better business decisions. We will examine the role and application of statistics in the analysis of business problems including estimation, statistical measures, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and regression models.

  

  • BUAD 5707 - Business Analytics

    (4)

    The aim of this course is to supply the student with the analytical tools needed to succeed in business. The material will be closely coordinated and integrated with the other course offerings in the first year core (marketing, finance, etc.). The course covers various tools that are necessary to analyze and understand the implications of collected data.  These include statistical tools (hypothesis testing, correlation and covariance analysis, probability distributions, simple and multiple regression, and forecasting) along with statistical decision making, simulation, constrained optimization, and sensitivity analysis.  Emphasis will be placed on a student’s ability to understand and interpret the results of their analyses.

  

  • BUAD 5713 - Modeling & Simulation

    (1.5)

    This course is designed to introduce students to basic modeling, analysis, and simulation techniques. Emphasis will be placed on problem identification and formulation, sensitivity analysis, and model construction. Tools such as MS Excel, Solver, Crystal Ball, and @Risk will be used to solve business problems across all business functional areas: Finance, Accounting, Operations, Marketing, Information Systems, Policy, and Human Resource Management.

  

  • BUAD 5715 - Data Analysis (Part 2)

    (2.5)

    This course is designed to introduce students to basic modeling, analysis and simulation techniques. Emphasis will be placed on problem identification and formulation, sensitivity analysis and model construction. Spreadsheet tools will be used to solve business problems across various business functional areas.

  

  • BUAD 5721 - Economic Analysis & Insights

    (1)

    Economic Analysis and Insights (2.0 hours).  Decision-making is one of the most crucial roles of managers in public and private firms, large and small.  This course draws on microeconomics to develop concepts and techniques that help managers allocate resources efficiently and determine appropriate strategies across their organization including pricing, production, and marketing in the context of various competitive market conditions. This is an applied course where students are actively engaged in using the concepts being covered, culminating in a major team project/presentation.

  

  • BUAD 5723 - Managerial Economics

    (3)

    This course studies economic analysis applied to managerial decision making. Besides basic topics of demand, cost and production, and market structures, this course also covers demand forecasting, pricing strategies, game theory, and information economics.

  

  • BUAD 5725 - Managerial Economics & Public Policy

    (2.5)

    This introductory applied economics class examines the basic concepts and applications of demand and supply analysis. The course also explores topics of production and pricing in both domestic and international markets. Furthering the understanding of different market structures, this course focuses on the causes and consequences of market failures, the application of game theory to corporate decision-making, and the impact of technological change, international competition and government regulation.

  

  • BUAD 5801 - Leadership Development Experience & Ethics

    (1.5)

    All first year MBAs will experience a class designed to help them grow and develop as a leader by blending the best of an interactive classroom atmosphere and experiential learning opportunities.  Through ongoing assessments and feedback, development activities and executive coaching, students become aware of their own value systems, accountability for their own professional development and recognize their own personal and professional responsibilities as ethical leaders.

  

  • BUAD 5805 - Ethical Accountability

    (1)

    In a world of increased global trade and commerce, this course focuses on understanding and managing the differing standards for everything from earnings to ethics. The course serves to help us better understand values, our accountabilities, and the impact of our decisions and actions in the workplace. To reach this understanding, issues of business ethics, business strategy and emerging technologies, and managing conflicting interests in a global economy will be discussed.

  

  • BUAD 5811 - Global Issues Discussion Group

    (1)

    This offering provides students the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions on important topics of the day with a small group of classmates. Students select the topics for each group and develop the resources, which may include books, business publications, speakers, faculty, etc. Students organize these weekly meetings in order to explore and expand their understanding of the particular topic. Course progress is recorded weekly in a group wiki, and each group will present a summary of what they have learned to the class and core faculty as the end of each Module. Grading is pass/fail, based on the value of each student’s contribution to the group.

  

  • BUAD 5815 - Global Business Immersion

    (2.5)

    An examination of the distinctive management issues that arise when firms are either contemplating or already doing business across national boundaries. This course requires the integration and application of knowledge and skills learned in earlier courses and also introduces the critical business skills of understanding and managing strategic issues in international settings.

  

  • BUAD 5901 - Global Competitive Strategy

    (3)

    Covers analysis for decision making at industry, firm and business levels, focusing especially on multi-business firms and global industries. Firm resources and competencies, business and environmental demands, and the sources of competitive advantage are the major focus points of this course, which stresses practical applications of theory.

  

  • BUAD 5903 - Global Competitive Strategy

    (3)

    Pre-req: Complete Phase II courses and two electives. Covers analysis for decision making at industry, firm and business levels, focusing especially on multi-business firms and global industries. Firm resources and competencies, business and environmental demands, and the sources of competitive advantage are the major focus points of this course, which stresses practical applications of theory.

  

  • BUAD 5905 - Strategic Management

    (2)

    This course is the study of the management of organizations with special focus on the roles and tasks of individual managers. The course deals with analyzing external and internal environmental forces; formulating organizational objectives; understanding the often conflicting needs and expectations of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders; defining and appraising alternative courses of action; formulating and executing action plans; and establishing systems for monitoring and measuring results.

  

  • BUAD 5907 - Strategy

    (4)

    Covers analysis for decision making at industry, firm and business levels, focusing especially on multi-business firms and global industries. Firm resources and competencies, business and environmental demands, and the sources of competitive advantage are the major focus points of this course, which stresses practical applications of theory.

  

  • BUAD 5911 - MGJW Core Capstone

    Summer 4.5 Staff

    The MGJW Core Capstone course is a project based course where small teams of 3-4 officers work on a real-world Lean-Six Sigma project for the U.S. Army. Students work full-time on the projects over an approximately 6 week period. The course involves research, in-depth analysis using both Lean and Six Sigma tools, development of a solution to the problem as well as multiple presentations to different audiences including members of the Senior Executive Service and General Officers. Students are expected to coordinate, and successfully work with, numerous parties including staff at government agencies, contractors and vendors. Students also write a major technical report on the project as well as a shorter article suitable for publishing in one of the Army journals. Students who successfully complete the course requirements receive their Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from the Mason School of Business.

  

  • BUAD 5941 - Bus, Govt, & Global Economy

    (2)

    This course introduces the basic macroeconomic concepts in the global economy for both industrialized and developing countries. Students are encouraged to analyze business and economic policies and money and capital markets.

  

  • BUAD 5943 - National & Global Economies

    (3)

    This course is intended to provide information that can be used to interpret economic events and assess their impact on the economy and an organization. Part of this information concerns not just economics but an understanding of how some political choices are made in various countries. This knowledge is critical for risk assessment and a realistic planning of business operations over the next year. You leave the course with some fundamental “rules of thumb” that allow you to assess potential large scale economic risks to your organization.

  

  • BUAD 5945 - Global Environment of Business

    (2.5)

    This course focuses on how domestic and international product and financial markets operate. Students will develop expertise in applying models to generate qualitative forecasts of economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation. Through the analysis of case studies, the students will develop an understanding of policy decisions at the Federal Reserve and the effect that these policies have in the money and exchange rate markets.

  

  • BUAD 5947 - Global Managerial Economics

    (4)

    This course explores essential macro- and microeconomic theories and evidence on how markets work and factors that impede their proper functioning in an applied, global framework. In this course students will relate the effects of countries’ differing monetary and fiscal policies to competitive conditions in various industries. They will apply demand and cost analysis as well as industrial structure to frame and answer questions of optimal pricing, resource allocation, global outsourcing, and competitive strategies.

  

  • BUAD 5961 - Field Consultancy

    (1.5-4.5)

    Corporate Field Consultancy

    Each year, the Mason School’s Corporate Field Consultancy Program contracts with major companies across the mid-Atlantic region. Teams of second-year MBA students work as consultants charged with identifying, researching and proposing a solution for a real business problem faced by their client organization. Each project focuses on different issues, based on the needs of our clients.  Each project team works under the guidance of a Faculty member and Executive Partners to address management issues, develop a deeper understanding of the interdependence of functional areas, and polish teamwork and communication skills.

    Entrepreneurship Field Consultancy

    Selected teams comprising second-year MBA students, third year law students, and undergraduates work as consultants charged with identifying, researching and proposing a solution for a real business problem faced by their client organization.  Each project team works under the guidance of a Faculty member and Executive Partners to address management issues, develop a deeper understanding of the interdependence of functional areas, and polish teamwork and communication skills.

    Batten Fund

    The Batten Fund project tasks 16 - 17 selected second year MBA students to research stocks in depth, develop an investment thesis, complete valuation analysis, sell the idea to fellow Batten analysts and track the performance of stocks within the Fund if their stock is selected by the group.  The funds used are real dollars, donated 17 years ago by Frank Batten. 

  

  • BUAD 5967 - Revolutionary Leader Practicum

    (4)

    Revolutionary Leader is a supervised business practicum in which each student applies the functional as well as design skills that they have learned to the “wicked” problem of their choice.  The final deliverable is a detailed description of the problem to be solved, the approach(es) taken to address it, results, lessons learned, and next steps.

  

  • BUAD 6001 - Internship Issues

    Summer (1) Graded Pass/Fail.

    This course is for international students completing CPT or students needing educational credit for a summer internship. Two parts will include: a mandatory written paper evaluating the internship due in the fall, and two class sessions in the fall semester of your second year. The credit associated with this course does not count towards your degree requirements.

  

  • BUAD 6119 - Acct IT & Advisory Services

    (3)

    Reviews and further develops knowledge about using databases to store, manipulate, and retrieve accounting information transactions.  Introduces businesses’ design and development of accounting information systems, including current practices for requirements specification, software application selection, and analysis and design of information system applications.  Equal emphasis is placed on developing technical skills and integrating company-wide strategic planning with information technology strategic planning.

  

  • BUAD 6129 - Integrated Winter Field Exp

    (3)

    This course is designed to assist students in successfully integrating workplace issues into past and future academic education. Students will learn to use academically rigorous conceptual frameworks in analyzing and solving problems that arise in field.

  

  • BUAD 6139 - Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting

    (3)

    Expands and integrates knowledge of US and international generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in a rigorous study of current financial reporting issues under discussion by regulators, standard-setters, and the broader accounting profession.

  

  • BUAD 6149 - Driving Corporate Performance

    (3)

    This course will cover managerial accounting topics such as: customer lifetime value estimation, cost of service delays, cost of quality analyses, time-driven Activity-Based-Costing, profit planning along the value chain, financial and operational forecasting, outsourcing, supplier choice and performance measurement, and analyses of profit drivers.   This course replaces the Accounting for Business Strategies course, which met the cost credit requirement.

  

  • BUAD 6151 - Influence of Taxtn on Business

    (3)

    The course provides the student with an overview of the influence of Federal income taxation on the business decision- making process. A conceptual foundation is established that links Federal income taxation and cost/benefit analysis in terms of the impact on business decisions. The student will understand tax terminology, develop and awareness of tax reduction techniques, and utilize tax planning.

  

  • BUAD 6159 - Taxation and Business Strategy

    (3)

    This economics-based course provides a conceptual framework for understanding tax issues in the context of business decisions and business strategy. Students learn about the role of taxes throughout the firm’s life cycle: choice of organizational form, employee compensation, investment opportunities, capital structure and dividend policy, financial innovations, international operations, and business combinations. The key conceptual components include: (a) consideration of the tax implications for all parties to the transaction; (b) consideration of both explicit and implicit taxes, such as lower before-tax rates of return on tax-favored investments; and (c) consideration of both tax and non-tax costs. Ultimately, the course provides a useful framework for thinking about taxes in all tax regimes (i.e., across countries and over time).

  

  • BUAD 6169 - Business Law

    (3)

    Following an introduction of the American legal system, Business Law will expose students to an in-depth look at contract law, commercial law, including the Uniform Commercial Code’s Articles on Sales, Negotiable Instruments, Secured Transactions and Creditors Rights. Additional topics covered include bankruptcy, agency law, business organizations, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLC, and corporations.

  

  • BUAD 6171 - Adv Auditing & Audit Rsrch

    (3)

    This course is designed to expose graduate business students to the current professional environment for providing auditing and assurance services in the United States, and generally world-wide.  The primary course objectives are 1) to expand the student’s fundamental knowledge of auditing concepts and principles, 2) to practice research skills using authoritative literature, including the AICPA, the SEC and the DOJ, and to use that research to summarize major points, 3) to practice executive writing skills in the form of short memos and a longer research paper, 4) to focus on the significance that ethics plays in the auditing world, 5) to practice decision-making skills, using quantitative data and qualitative information, to form a specific conclusion,  and 6) to exercise professional judgments based on the review of numerous case studies, including the identification of fraud risk factors.  Students will review the body of generally accepted auditing standards, and the dynamic business environment where these guidelines are developed and applied.

  

  • BUAD 6179 - Tax Research and Current Topics

    (3)

    Expands and integrates knowledge of domestic and international tax topics in a rigorous research-based study of U.S. tax law, tax planning and tax compliance, including contemporary topics such as comparative forms of doing business, compensation and benefits, international and multistate taxation, corporate reorganizations, and tax exempt entities. Incorporates relevant academic research, as well as statutory and case-based research into tax laws and regulations related to contemporary tax issues.

  

  • BUAD 6181 - Tax Comp Res & Planning

    (3)

    The objective of this course is to broaden the ability of the student to engage in tax compliance, tax research, and tax planning in a team-oriented environment. Group communication opportunities, both oral and written, are emphasized.

  

  • BUAD 6189 - Estate and Financial Planning

    (3)

    This course provides an introduction to the principles of estate and financial planning, with an emphasis on tax planning opportunities. Topics include a study of the estate and gift tax laws, effective use of trusts and life insurance, valuation techniques, integrated family tax and financial planning, succession planning for the closely-held business, and elections available to taxpayers. Also featured are debt management, retirement planning and investment planning, with an emphasis on issues facing both younger professionals as well as high net worth individuals.

  

  • BUAD 6199 - Advanced Auditing & Audit Research

    (3)

    Expands and integrates knowledge of US and international generally accepted auditing principles (GAAS) in a rigorous study of financial reporting issues with significant balance sheet implications. Topics include advanced treatments of analytical procedures, audit planning, risk assessment, internal controls, audit evidence, audit documentation, and auditing fair. Incorporates related academic research, research into auditing standards, and contemporary auditing issues.

  

  • BUAD 6209 - Govt & Non-profit Accounting

    (3)

    This course is designed to expose graduate business students to the financial accounting and auditing issues related to state and local governmental and not-for-profit organizations in the United States. Students will review the body of accounting and auditing literature, specifically related to organizations in the public sector. Due to time constraints, Federal government accounting will not be addressed.

  

  • BUAD 6219 - Accounting Information Systems

    Spring (3) Staff

    The course provides a forum to discuss and apply the principles of Information Systems as applied to accounting systems. The course will cover how businesses use and develop databases to store, manipulate, and retrieve accounting information transactions. Both theoretical concepts and practical skills will be addressed within the scope of the class.

  

  • BUAD 6229 - Financial Statement Analysis

    (3)

    This course introduces students to the elements of financial statement analysis and increases students’ ability to extract and use information from financial reports. While financial statements are prepared in accordance with specific accounting rules and principles, most of the numbers in financial statements are based on a set of assumptions and choices made by management. In this class, students learn how to identify and adjust for the effects of accounting choices on the comparability of reported earnings and other accounting performance measures across countries, across firms, and over time. Students also learn how to evaluate circumstances where accounting rules can cause disruptions in trends making it difficult to forecast earnings and free cash flows. In addition, students learn techniques to identify earnings management, as well as assess whether the financial statements reflect the riskiness of the firm. Finally, because many large companies operate in a global environment, the class will examine problems created by differences in accounting standards across countries (e.g., U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles versus International Financial Reporting Standards), as well as issues inherent in multinational companies such as how foreign currency affects financial statements.

  

  • BUAD 6239 - Auditing Information Systems

    (3)

    Develops in-depth knowledge about conducting an information systems audit, developing frameworks for management and application control, using audit software, conducting concurrent auditing techniques, evaluating data integrity, system effectiveness, and system efficiency. Also introduces: technical security controls to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber-attacks; risk and vulnerability analysis to select, design and evaluate security controls; and legal, ethical, and privacy aspects of information assurance.

  

  • BUAD 6245 - EMBA Elective

    (2)

    EMBA students get to choose an elective towards the end of the third semester of residency.

  

  • BUAD 6249 - Data Analysis & Sim Acct

    (3)

    This course is designed to introduce students to basic modeling, analysis and simulation techniques. Emphasis will be placed on problem identification and formulation, sensitivity analysis, and model construction. Tools such as MS Excel, Solver, Crystal Ball, and @Risk will be used to solve accounting-related business problems.

  

  • BUAD 6259 - Key Bus Topics in Taxation

    (3)

  

  • BUAD 6269 - Advanced Federal Taxation

    Spring (3)

    To provide the accountant and the manager with the ability to recognize tax factors that influence business decisions and to integrate them into the business decision-making process. This will include the development of a tax foundation, the ability to read and apply the Code and Regulations, the ability to conduct tax research using both online and offline tax research data bases, the ability to engage in effective tax planning, and the ability to present the identified tax consequences in both oral and written presentations. Ethical influences will be identified and discussed as related to taxation and the related business decision.

  

  • BUAD 6271 - Database Management

    (3)

    This course considers the application, logical structure and physical implementation of databases to aid in developing business intelligence. Primary topics include data modeling, relational databases, structured query language, data analytics and visualization, amongst other contemporary data management topics. Multiple database management systems and analytical platforms may be introduced.

  

  • BUAD 6279 - Forensic Accounting

    (3)

    This course is an introduction to forensic accounting.  Forensic accounting encompasses those services an accountant provides to assist a court or a client in settling a legal dispute and includes the following specialized knowledge and skills:  1) accounting, auditing, economics, finance, business law, quantitative methods, statistics, and tax; 2) investigative skills to collect, analyze, and evaluate evidential matter; and 3) written and oral communication skills.  The content of this course will include:  1) fraud and financial investigation services; 2) litigation consulting and expert witness services; and 3) computer forensics.  To illustrate concepts, the class will discuss high profile cases (e.g., investment frauds such as Madoff and financial statement frauds such as WorldCom, Enron, etc.).  Guest speakers who possess specialized expertise may present on selected topics (e.g., fraud investigation, interviewing and interrogation techniques, cybercrime and digital forensics analysis, and the legal environment).

     

     

  

  • BUAD 6289 - Taxation of Mergers & Acqstns

    (3)

    Focusing primarily on corporate transactions, this course will explore different ways to structure both nontaxable and taxable combinations of business entities, the tax goals and consequences of such transactions, and the role of the tax practitioner in representing a party to a business combination.   This course will build on concepts introduced in the Corporate Tax course, completion of which is a prerequisite unless waived by Professor Richardson.

  

  • BUAD 6299 - Partnership & LLC Taxation

    (3)

    Partnership Taxation: This course is an introduction to the federal income tax treatment of partnerships, including LLCs treated as partnerships, and their owners. Topics covered will include the tax classification of business entities as partnerships, partnership formations, allocations of partnership income and losses to partners, transfers of ownership interests by partners, distributions from partnerships to partners, terminations of partnerships, and a comparison of “S corporations” to partnerships. Prerequisite: Law 311 Federal Income Taxation Recommended: Law 320 Business Associations.

  

  • BUAD 6311 - Forecasting

    (1.5-3)

    The course deals with methods and processes for evaluating the future. About two-thirds of the time will be devoted to short-term forecasting, praparing monthly and quarterly forecasts for the next one-two years.  The remaning one-third of the course will focus on the long-term, the strategic foresight perspective using futuring methods such as scenarios to explore plausible futures for a 5-15 year time horizon.

  

  • BUAD 6319 - Tax Compliance, Research & Planning

    (3)

    The objective of this course is to broaden the ability of the student to engage in tax compliance, tax research, and tax planning in a team-oriented environment. Group communication opportunities, both oral and written, are emphasized.

  

  • BUAD 6321 - Corporate Financial Policy

    (3)

    This course is intended to give the students a forum to investigate both the theory and practice of finance in a corporate setting. It covers a broad spectrum of issues facing a financial manager including: planning and financial control; working capital policy; analysis of financing alternatives; capital structure and equity management policy; investment analysis; resource allocation policy; and corporate restructure and merger analysis.

  

  • BUAD 6329 - Introduction to Academic Research in Accounting

    Fall (1) Staff

    Students will develop a framework for understanding scholarly research in accounting and will gain exposure to classic and current accounting research studies.

  

  • BUAD 6339 - Data and Analysis in Accounting Research

    Fall (1) Staff

    Students will develop findamental empirical skills, such as the use of databases and regression analysis. Applications will include the replication of a published accounting research study.

  

  • BUAD 6349 - Design of Accounting Research Studies

    Fall (1) Staff

    Students will learn to apply the scientific method to accounting research questions by studying research designs used in scholarly accounting research and their effectiveness for causal inference. Applications will include addressing a research question using alternative designs.

  

  • BUAD 6359 - Current Research in Accounting

    Spring (1) Staff

    Students read and discuss current academic research papers presented by William and Mary faculty and external accounting researchers. This course is open to any student interested in how research informs business practices and is well-suited for students considering careers in academia. Attendance at research presentations is required.  Topics change each year so this course may be repeated once for credit.

  

  • BUAD 6361 - Portfolio Management

    (3)

    This course is designed to give students an understanding of the principles of portfolio management in a global capital market. Emphasis is placed on mutual fund management. Topics include individual and institutional investor behaviors, international diversification, latest developments in trading, fundamental analysis and technical analysis, performance measurement, mutual fund structures and management, risk management and hedging. Students will emerge from this course with an understanding of the portfolio management process, and with the ability to evaluate the performance of portfolios with respect to different investor objectives and to articulate recommendations for changes.

  

  • BUAD 6381 - Intl Financial Management

    (3)

    Covers important concepts in international economic and financial analysis, and stresses their use in the financial management of multinational corporations, in international portfolio management, and foreign direct investment decisions.

  

  • BUAD 6391 - Real Estate Finance

    Spring (3) Staff

    The real estate market collapse which led to a global financial crisis has changed the way we view and evaluate commercial real estate. This Real Estate Finance CAM will provide students with an essential understanding of the key forces underlying various real estate related financing decisions from unsecuritized local commercial properties to real estate-based financial derivatives traded on Wall Street.

  

  • BUAD 6421 - Marketing Strategy

    (3)

    Focuses on analyzing market threats and opportunities, assessing competitive advantages, forecasting patterns of market evolution and developing marketing strategies that are consistent with these assessments.

  

  • BUAD 6441 - Customer Experience Mgmt

    (3)

    To be competitive in today’s marketplace, service organizations must provide a quality experience for their customers. Customer experience management (CEM) is the process of strategically managing a customer’s entire experience with a company. Specifically, this course identifies the key dimensions on which customer perceptions of service excellence are based, and describes strategies for offering superior customer service. Key course concepts include: (1) identifying the key drivers of service excellence, (2) reducing problems (i.e., failures) in service performance, (3) measuring customer and employee satisfaction, (4) developing a service recovery system, (5) understanding the role of employees in the service process, (6) managing and measuring financial customer outcomes, (7) developing social media marketing strategy, and (8) managing customer rewards/loyalty programs. Students who complete this course will not only have a better understanding of how customers evaluate service firms; they will also have a “tool kit” of ideas, measures and techniques to help improve service excellence.

  

  • BUAD 6451 - Solving Creative Problems

    Spring (3) Staff

    A study of the processes of creativity and innovation in complex problem-solving, informed by both business and inter-disciplinary approaches. Throughout the course, students engage in a mix of experiential, experimental, and reflective exercises designed to promote integrative and creative problem-solving, with an emphasis on the techniques, frameworks and mindsets that drive innovation in organizations.

  

  • BUAD 6531 - Leadership Devp Exp II

    (0-1.5)

    The LDE Program accelerates students’ development of personal and interpersonal competencies critical to early career success. This program spans a student’s residency in the MBA Program, and is comprised of ongoing assessment and feedback, action planning, and development activities, and executive coaching.

  

  • BUAD 6551 - Teams: Desgn, Slctn, & Devp

    (3)

    Working in teams has become the norm in most organizations (Sundstrom) yet most people have many misconceptions about what makes groups effective. We will cover work in a variety of teams including: project teams, self-directed teams, research teams, consulting teams, and multinational teams. Groups can be exhilarating or maddening. This course is designed to develop the knowledge and skills to enable you to improve the performance of most teams. The course includes arefresher on practical theories of group effectiveness, application of human resource management techniques to teams: selecting team members; developing the team and its members; applying appropriate rewards, and coverage of skills and tools designed to diagnose and improve team functioning.

  

  • BUAD 6561 - Human Resource Management

    Spring (3) Staff

    This course will provide an overview of human resource management (HRM) and the connection between HRM principles and how those play out in organizations.  The course focuses on a) HRM professionals and their role in working with other organizational managers and leaders to develop and implement effective and efficient HRM practices that support the strategic objectives of their organizations, b) the everyday HRM decisions made by all managers (e.g., selection, evaluation, compensation, termination), and c) puts students in the role of a HRM Director for a growing organization and offers students valuable experience with decisions that affect selection, evaluation, compensation, turnover, productivity, diversity, morale, quality, accident rate, grievances, fringe benefits, absenteeism, termination, and budget utilization.

  

  • BUAD 6571 - Leadership and Planned Change

    (3)

    Examines current issues in leadership and managerial strategies for successfully implementing, institutionalizing and evaluating change initiatives.

  

  • BUAD 6601 - Management of Emerging Technologies

    (3)

    This course focuses on the state-of-the-art techniques for developing and managing the development of new products and software, especially those technologies for identifying competitive product and software configurations, rapid prototyping, and discovering what users what and need in a quick, cost-effective manner.  Topics include 3D printing, prototyping, voice of the customer, agile development, maturity models, collaborative design, and Scrum.

  

  • BUAD 6611 - Supply Chain Management

    (3)

    This course deals primarily with the design and operation of logistics networks or supply chains, and the flow of materials and information on them.  Students in this course will be exposed to both the strategic and operational aspects of managing today’s complex supply chains.  Specific topics include vendor-managed inventory; efficient customer response; collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment; planning distribution and supply; managing product variety, transportation, supply chain planning, distribution and supply; managed product variety; transportation; supply chain planning software; eMarketplaces; inter- and meta-mediaries and design and optimization of supply networks.

  

  • BUAD 6621 - Project Management

    (1.5-3)

    This course focuses on the management of complex projects and the rules and techniques, which have been developed in the past 25 years to assist managers with such projects. All three phases of project management - Planning, Scheduling, and Control are explored in detail. In addition to studying various scheduling techniques for projects, this course explores issues dealing with project selection methods, project risk assessment, project team dynamics, new product development projects, runaway projects, and monitoring and control of projects.

  

  • BUAD 6631 - Advanced Project Management

    (1.5)

    This course picks up where Project Management Part I ends. The objectives of this course are to:

    •   extend the student’s knowledge of project management, particularly in the areas of project cost management (cost estimating and application of earned value management) and project risk management. We will use a (30 day trial version) of an add-on software package to MS Project for quantitative risk management.

    •   expand the student’s capabilities with MS Project

    •   extend the student’s knowledge in other areas of project management including (1) project selection, (2) value engineering as well as (3) program management and (4) project portfolio management.

  

  • BUAD 6641 - Lean Toolkit

    (1.5)

    In this course, you will learn the Lean methodology, which uses a particular type of business process mapping in order to document and understand business processes (values stream mapping). This course would not qualify a student for Green Belt Certification.

  

  • BUAD 6651 - Six Sigma Toolkit

    (1.5)

    In this course, you will learn the Lean methodology, which uses a particular type of business process mapping in order to document and understand business processes (values stream mapping). This course would not qualify a student for Green Belt Certification.

  

  • BUAD 6671 - Lean Six Sigma Project

    (1.5)

    Students learn Lean and Six Sigma tools in the Lean Toolkit and Six Sigma Toolkit courses for improving the quality and efficiency of business processes.  These courses also offer a first exposure to the application of those tools.  This course offers additional experience in applying Lean and Six Sigma tools to a project.  Analogous with industry standards, a student who completes this course earns a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.

  

  • BUAD 6681 - Decision Procss Under Uncertainty

    (3)

    Decision Analysis is both a conceptual framework and a broad set of techniques that are extremely useful in formulating and analyzing decision problems.   Some of the topics traditionally associated with the area are: 1) decision problem modeling, 2) decision trees and influence diagrams, 3) Monte Carlo simulation, 4) utility theory, 5) sensitivity analysis, 6) risk tolerance/attitudes, 7) multiple/conflicting objectives, and 8) value of information.  We will cover most of these topics in varying degrees of detail in Decision Processes under Uncertainty (DPUU).

  

  • BUAD 6691 - Engineering Economic Analysis

    (3)

    Organizations that do engineering and/or technology development must address the economic aspects of their projects.  Early portions of the course assume that benefits, costs, and quantities have a high degree of certainty. The latter portion of the course explores risk (uncertainty) with regard to benefits, costs, and quantities.

 

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