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2017 - 2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

School of Business Course Descriptions

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Raymond A. Mason School of Business

Courses

Online MBA

  • BUAD 5107 - Accounting

    (4)

    This course introduces students to the roles that accounting systems play in organizations and in global capital markets. Accounting is often called “the language of business,” which emphasizes the prominent position it has in business communications and decision making. Reports derived from accounting systems are often the primary way information within organizations, and from organizations to various stakeholders, is communicated. Such information is essential input for, and serves a fundamental basis for, managerial and stakeholder decisions. By the end of this course, students should know the fundamentals of this language so that they can communicate effectively about important business matters.

  • BUAD 5227 - Integrated Technology

    (4)

    This course is designed to introduce students to the basic information technology and digital fluency. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how managers can participate in opportunities to select and successfully implement information technologies in order to promote business strategy. Interactive analytic tool will be used to solve business problems involving various functional areas.

  • 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Master of Accounting (MAcc)

  • BUAD 5029 - Accounting for Complex Financial Transactions

    Fall (3) Picconi

    Expands and integrates knowledge of US and international generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in a rigorous study of financial reporting issues with significant income statement and balance sheet implications. Builds on the Financial Markets Module to develop an in-depth understanding of complex financial transactions. Incorporates related academic literature and research into financial reporting standards.

  • BUAD 5039 - Current Issues in IT & Accounting Analytics (Sprint)

    Spring (1) Jones

    Develops an understanding of current issues in information technology and accounting analytics, such as the design and security of large accounting databases. This intensive, hands-on course emphasizes the use of analytical and statistical tools in the context of current issues affecting the accounting profession. Students will conduct analyses, interpret findings, and use data visualization tools to communicate the results of their analyses.

  • BUAD 5049 - Valuation & Fair Value Accounting

    Fall (3) Jones

    Reviews theories of equity valuation and applies these theories by building valuation models using financial statements.

  • BUAD 5069 - Professional Accounting

    Fall (2) Smith

    Enhances several key abilities necessary to function in a professional accounting environment. Topics include: clearly communicating technical knowledge, exercising professional judgment, protecting and upholding professional integrity, how to develop and maintain professional relationships, how to generate and provide useful data to help inform business decisions, and the responsibility to help boards fulfill fiduciary duties and in maintaining safe and productive financial markets. Particular focus is on oral and written communication, data analysis, and project leadership.

  • BUAD 5079 - Financial Instruments & Derivatives

    Fall (2) Merrick

    Expands the accounting professional’s understanding of the most important financial instruments and derivatives. Examines their economic functions, contractual features, market mechanics, valuation, and specific uses in investment and corporate financial practices such as risk management. Special attention is given to debt securities and the securitization process, as well as commonly used derivative instruments.

  • BUAD 6129 - Integrated Winter Field Exp

    Spring (4) Foster

    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 the field.

  • BUAD 6149 - Driving Organizational Performance

    Spring (3) Woods

    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 6159 - Taxation and Business Strategy

    Spring (3) Bertolini

    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

    Spring (3) Stauffer

    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 6179 - Tax Research and Current Topics

    Spring (3) Stephens

    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 6189 - Estate and Financial Planning

    Spring (3) Stephens

    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

    Fall (3) Foster

    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

    Spring (3) Foster

    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 6229 - Financial Statement Analysis

    Spring (3) Shane

    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

    Spring (3) Staff

    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 6249 - Data Analysis & Simulation for Accounting

    Spring (3) Guerrero

    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 6269 - Advanced Federal Taxation

    Spring (3) Stephens

    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 6279 - Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination

    Spring (3) Staff

    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 & Acquisitions

    (3)

    Selected Problems in the Taxation of Mergers & Acquisitions This advanced course focuses primarily on corporate transactions and by using a series of examples, this course will explore different ways to structure both nontaxable and taxable combinations of business entities considering the tax goals and consequences of such transactions, and the role of the tax lawyer in representing a party to a business combination.

  • BUAD 6299 - Partnership & LLC Taxation

    Spring (3) Richardson

    This course examines the fundamental rules governing the federal income taxation of partnerships, including LLCs treated as partnerships for income tax purposes. An overview of S corporation taxation and federal income tax issues to consider in choosing the appropriate entity are also covered. .

  • BUAD 6319 - Tax Compliance, Research & Planning

    Fall (3) Bertolini

    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 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.

Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA)

  • BUAD 5012 - Competing Through Business Analytics

    Fall (3) Bradley

    This intensive course will include a survey of the state-of-the-art in business analytics: A review of companies that have used business analytics for competitive advantage and how they have done it. These topics will be initiated with a panel discussion on the first day of class. This course will teach business acumen and how the field of analytics fits within the context of business. Topics will include subjects such as:  understanding balance sheets and income statements, budgets, business metrics as used for performance measurement and incentives, communicating with impact, visualization, the functions of a company; how they interact, and what data they have, and project management techniques.  The course will also include:  Survey of opportunities for problem solving using business analytics in operations, supply chain, human resources, finance, and marketing, and also an introduction to the tools that are covered in this program.

  • BUAD 5022 - Optimization

    Fall (3) Koehl Corequisite(s): BUAD 5272

    Optimization is an analytics methodology found in all business analytics programs at the master’s level. This course will provide knowledge in optimization and analytics that are the foundations of analytics methodology including the theory and application of optimization techniques such as linear programming, integer programming, mixed-integer programming, and stochastic programming.

  • BUAD 5032 - Intermediate Probability & Statistics

    Fall (3) Koehl

    Intermediate Probability and Statistics is a foundation course in the study of business analytics.  It provides an understanding of the principles associated with modeling of stochastic processes.  The topics will include: probability theory (important probability distributions, sampling from distributions, interaction of multiple stochastic processes); statistical analysis (descriptive/inferential/predictive statistics, multivariate statistics, time series models); and modeling (modeling concepts, Monte Carlo simulation, decision analytics). Students will also be introduced to a variety of statistical modeling packages.

  • BUAD 5042 - Heuristic Algorithms

    Fall (1.5) Bradley Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5022

    Most business problems are too large or too complex to solve optimally, where the strict meaning of “optimal” means finding the “probably” best solution to a problem.  Satisficing, or finding a heuristic solution that approximates the optimal solution is, therefore the predominant mode of problem solving found in industry.  Having the capability of designing and executing heuristics that more closely approach optimal solutions creates a competitive advantage for companies.  This course focuses on such methodologies where quick but good solutions to complex problems are needed so that they can be acted upon in a timely manner. The type of heuristic covered in this course is the algorithm, which is a sequence of steps taken to provide a solution to a problem.

  • BUAD 5072 - Machine Learning I

    Fall (3) Murray Corequisite(s): BUAD 5032

    This course is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the theory and practice of regression and classification, two of the most commonly used techniques in the data scientist’s toolkit. These predictive analytics techniques are important members of a family of analytics often referred to as machine learning techniques, and they are the basis for more elaborate machine learning techniques that will be covered in a sequential course called Machine Learning 2. An important part of this course will cover a powerful and ubiquitous software package called R, which is used extensively in labs and assignments in this class and subsequently reappears in other classes throughout the program.

  • BUAD 5082 - Machine Learning II

    Fall (3) Murray Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5072

    This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive working knowledge of a family of analytical techniques that have grown out of the Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining and Machine Learning communities over the last several decades. In recent years, these techniques have come into widespread use for business by data scientists, principally because they lend themselves to the discovery of relationships among variables that can only be found by examining the very large quantities of often unstructured data that characterize the world of big data. This course is designed to provide students with a deep, practical understanding of several of the most common and powerful analytical Machine Learning techniques in use by today’s data scientists such as resampling methods, non-linear methods, Tree-Based Methods, Support Vector Machines, Text Mining and, from the Unsupervised Learning family of techniques, Cluster Analysis and Association Analysis.

  • BUAD 5272 - Database Management

    Fall (3) Tremblay

    Internet-scale applications and modern business processes generate voluminous data pertaining to business vital signs, market phenomena, social networks that connect millions of users, and the habits of users and customers. Data produced in these settings hold the promise to significantly advance knowledge and provide business opportunity. This course covers fundamentals of database architecture, database management systems, database systems, principles and methodologies of database design, and techniques for database application development. The course also examines issues related to data organization, representation, access, storage, and processing. This includes topics such as metadata, data storage systems, self-descriptive data representations, semi-structured data models, semantic web, and large-scale data analysis.

  • BUAD 5722 - Big Data

    Fall (3) Wilck Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5272

    The data storage and retrieval techniques that have served the information processing industry for decades have proven inadequate in the face of the huge collections of data presently being created by the web and the so-called “Internet of Things.” Businesses are requiring a new set of technologies that are specifically designed to deal with these huge data sets. In this course, MapReduce techniques will be taught which will include parallel processing and Hadoop, an open source framework that implements MapReduce on large-scale data sets. Other Big Data tools will be taught that provide SQL-like access to unstructured data: Pig and Hive. Finally, we will teach so-called NoSQL storage solutions such as HBase.

  • BUAD 5732 - Data Visualization

    Fall (1.5) Ganeshan

    This course introduces principles and techniques for data visualization for business. Effective visuals communicate information to maximize readability, comprehension, and understanding. Information visualization principles are drawn from the fields of statistics, perception, graphic and information design, and data mining. Students will learn visual representation techniques that increase the understanding of complex data and models. Human information processing and encoding of visual and textual information will be discussed in terms of selecting the appropriate method for displaying of appropriate data, both quantitative and qualitative. Topics include charts, tables, graphics, effective presentations, and dashboard design. Cases will be used from a variety of industries.

  • BUAD 5742 - Artificial Intelligence

    Fall (3) Blossom Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5022

    This course provides competence in an essential set of tools that are not covered in other courses.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods perform well in cases of large, complex problems, which is the focus of cutting-edge business analytics endeavors.  This course covers AI methods such as genetic algorithms, neural networks, and fuzzy logic.  AI comprises a set of essential analysis techniques for the modern data scientist who solves problems that encompass vast data sets and involve complex relationships.

  • BUAD 5792 - Business Analytics Capstone

    Fall (3) Bradley Prerequisite(s): BUAD 5012, BUAD 5022, BUAD 5032, BUAD 5072, BUAD 5272, BUAD 5722, BUAD 5042, BUAD 5732, BUAD 5742, BUAD 5082

    This course is taught in the last two and a half weeks of the Business Analytics Program and requires students to complete a comprehensive business analytics project, from start to finish. The projects require that students apply the knowledge gained in the preceding courses. Students will identify the most appropriate techniques for their projects and then apply one methodology effectively. Projects are characterized as requiring the analysis of vast data and solving complex problems. Several projects hosted by businesses would be offered, with the goal of representing multiple functions and industries to suit students’ interests. They will define and frame a complex problem, develop a systematic approach to solving it using analytics, generate an innovative solution and persuasively convey that solution using data visualization techniques and communication skills. A unique faculty supervisor will be assigned to each business analytics capstone team (average 4-5 students per team).

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