Course Descriptions: Undergraduate Upper-division

BUS2000 Management Principles and Organizational Behavior (3)
Studies contemporary organizations and management principles and practices and the application of behavioral and social sciences in the areas of socialization, motivation, group dynamics, leadership, concepts of organizational design, and management functions.

BUS2008 Legal Environment of Business (3)
Explores how the law is used to resolve potential and actual conflicts of interest in society, including those between and among business, government, individuals, and private institutions. Evaluates the effectiveness of specific laws, including securities, consumer, employment, and environmental.

BUS2012 Business Leadership (3)
Surveys the major concepts, examples, practices, and theories of organizational leadership with a special emphasis on analyzing and developing one’s own personal leadership skills in a business context.

BUS2016 Change & Conflict Management: Theory and Practice (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2000
Surveys the major theories, research, and resources on the origins, significance, and methods of managing and resolving change and conflict in the organization.

BUS2024 Comparative International Management [CDIV] (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2000
Examines the impact of cultural influences within the contexts of multinational and transnational organizations through the use of student presentations and project development. Examines factors which influence perceptions, communication, behavior, and decision-making in various geographical spheres of international business (course is designated CDIV and units can be applied towards the Cultural Diversity requirement).

BUS2032 Management Planning and Decision-Making (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2000
Studies planning and decision-making as rational processes. Examines the nature and kinds of organizational decisions, behavioral and organizational barriers to effective decisions, and models, tools, and techniques to improve decision-making performance.

BUS2040 Women in Management [CDIV] (3)
Studies contemporary issues and problems facing women in roles as organizational leaders and managers. Uses recent research and cases to explore personal and organizational barriers and success factors. Appropriate for both women and men (course is designated CDIV and units can be applied towards the Cultural Diversity requirement).

BUS2048 Human Resource Management (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2000
Focuses on staffing functions of job analysis, recruitment, selection, compensation, performance appraisal, training and development, bargaining, negotiation, and equity issues relevant to effective human resource planning.

BUS2100 Managerial Economics (3)
Prerequisites: BUS1108
Application of economic theory to managerial decision making problems within firms. Topics include demand and cost analysis, market structures, and pricing decisions.

BUS2108 Comparative Capitalist Systems (3)
Gives an overview of the development, major theorists, and principles underlying the various economic systems. Includes capitalism, mercantilism, socialism, and communism.

BUS2116 Economic Development of Less Developed Countries [CDIV] (3)
Introduces the concept and measurement of development and some theories devised to explain it. Examines the culture and institutions of various less developed countries, their policies, strategies, and values (course is designated CDIV and units can be applied towards the Cultural Diversity requirement).

BUS2124 International Economics [CDIV] (3)
Prerequisites: BUS1100
A study of international trade and capital flows. The impact of international economic policies on domestic and world welfare is examined. Topics include theory of Comparative Advantage, gains and losses from trade, trade policies, balance of payments, determination of exchange rates, and the international monetary system (course is designated CDIV and units can be applied towards the Cultural Diversity requirement).

BUS2200 Business Cycle Accounting Concepts (3)
Prerequisites: BUS1232, MTH1214
Utilizing accounting software, implementing internal control within a firm, creating an audit trail that conforms with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), raising money for a firm utilizing debt and equity, and financial planning and budgeting for the firm.

BUS2208 Accounting Analysis for Managers (3)
Prerequisites: BUS1232
Reviews principal procedures and concepts utilized in contemporary financial accounting and reporting from a non-financial manager's perspective. Emphasizes use and interpretation of financial statement/reports.

BUS2216 Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets (3)
Prerequisites: BUS1232, MTH1214
Addresses critical business problems via quantitative routines and electronic spreadsheets. Students will learn market survey techniques and the use of spreadsheets to analyze results.

BUS2224 Financial Management I  (3)
Prerequisites: BUS1108, MTH1214
Introduction to the field of finance, including principles, techniques and uses of finance as a business function. Study of financial information and analysis, valuation of future cash flows, valuing stocks and bonds, and capital budgeting. Focuses are on financial decision-making process and applications of NPV, IRR and other investment rules. A financial calculator is required for this class.

BUS2232 Financial Management II  (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2224
A continuation of study in the field of finance, covering risk and return analysis, long term financing strategies, and short term working capital management. Spreadsheet modeling techniques will be utilized.

BUS2240 Money, Markets, and Financial Institutions (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2224
Gives an introduction to the principles of money, banking, and financial markets. The course considers the processes and instruments by which transaction costs are minimized as financial institutions and markets create value by transferring funds from savers to users.

BUS2244 Corporate Governance (3)
Considers the issues encountered by the public corporation that result from the separation of ownership and control, which may lead to management’s failure to perform for the benefit of stockholders, creditors, and society. Surveys the provisions of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; examines the role of the corporation, methods to monitor managers’ performance, and incentives to align their interests with stakeholders’.

BUS2248 International Finance (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2224
Examines international financial issues and operations, including balance of payments analysis, impact of tax policies, theories of trade, tariffs, quotas, bills of exchange, and short and long term international financing.

BUS2300 Marketing Principles (3)
Surveys the activities involved in transferring goods and services from producers to consumers. Strategic decisions concerning product, pricing policies, promotion, and channels of distribution are studied.

BUS2304 Market Analysis & Research (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Surveys methods for obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting results of research designed to help organizations make critical marketing decisions. The course covers the use of both primary and secondary sources of marketing information as well as current methods in research design, measurement, data collection and analysis.

BUS2316 Consumer Behavior (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Covers in depth the culture, psychology, motivation, and decision process of the consumer.

BUS2324 Channel Marketing (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Addresses issues in designing and managing marketing channels, including direct marketing. Explores channel conflict, slotting allowances, privacy of personal data, and new developments in retailing.

BUS2328 Service Marketing (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
This course teaches students how to effectively build and manage a market-driven service brand. Topics covered will include unique characteristics of service offerings, relationship building; and the pricing, branding and communication of service offerings.

BUS2332 International Marketing [CDIV] (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Studies strategic issues in marketing products and services across national borders. Examines cultural, legal, ethical, and economic constraints (course is designated CDIV and units can be applied towards the Cultural Diversity requirement).

BUS2336 Market Mapping Management (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Course focuses on planning and decision-making for potential markets, expansion of existing markets, products, and services using multiple sources of geographic, demographic and economic data available through the use of the GIS (Geographic Information System).

BUS2340 Entrepreneurial Management and Marketing (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2000, BUS2300
Focuses on policy formulation and implementation in smaller firms. Covers theories of entrepreneurship, startup and acquisition analysis, financial, personnel, and marketing issues relevant to effective small business management.

BUS2348 Finance & Marketing for a Developmental Stage Venture (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2224, BUS2300
Utilizes a business plan perspective to understand how to analyze the profit potential, to identify sources of capital, and to determine the sales, marketing, and distribution channels needed for success. Applies to a variety of development stage enterprises including startups, expansion or change in product, and transition for sales or public offering.

BUS2356 Sales and Sales Management (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Addresses selling as a basic human behavior and studies techniques and methodologies to support this concept. Analyzes selling and customer buying cycles, relevant motivational factors, and management of the sales force.

BUS2364 Advertising (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Examines the role of advertising in strategic promotional mix. Includes consumer, business-to-business, not-for-profit, and global advertising issues.

BUS2372 Business to Business Advertising in a Technology Environment (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2300
Examines the role of the advertising of goods and services to business and institutions, using electronic tools to conduct research, identify objectives, and design strategy with a focus on the high technology environment in our community.

BUS2400 Corporate Communication (3)
Provides in-depth study of internal and external communication in companies, including public relations, advertising, integrated marketing and media relations, and crisis and issue management.

BUS2408 Media, Politics, and Society (3)
Focuses on effects of mass media on society and the conflicts that arise in the political, social, legal, cultural, and economic arenas. How the media presents political leaders and national issues that shape society are examined. Emerging new media are critically analyzed for persuasive content.

BUS2416 The Holocaust [CDIV] (3)
Provides a history of anti-Semitism, racist ideology of National Socialism, the death camp experience, propaganda analysis, and media usage of the Third Reich and psychological strategies of survivors, perpetrators, and bystanders. Responses of Christians, Jews, and the student's individual response are compared. Guest speakers include survivors and Jewish and Christian clergy. Applications are made to contemporary genocide (course is designated CDIV and units can be applied towards the Cultural Diversity requirement). Fulfills three units of the Religion and Spirituality requirement.

BUS2420 Oral Communication (3)
Students develop their skills to become confident and effective speakers and learn how to research and organize information from a variety of sources for making informative or persuasive arguments. Course methodology includes group discussions and extemporaneous presentations of prepared speeches. Students advance critical thinking skills by conducting extensive analyses of outside speeches.

BUS2424 Web Communication (3)
Students create Web sites with text and graphics. Textual requirements of electronic media, principles of visual communication, basic HTML, models for project development, and implications of the World Wide Web as a communication medium are emphasized.

BUS2428 Communication Technology (3)
Students learn advanced desktop publishing skills using software, such as InDesign and Photoshop, for document design for internships, personal and classroom use, and on the job. Special attention is paid to the mechanics and psychologies of design in print and web publications.

BUS2432 Technical Writing (3)
Emphasizes clear, succinct writing. Fundamentals of preparing technical documents such as memos, letters, and proposals are studied. Analytical decision-making in the writing process and teamwork are developed.  Meets upper division writing proficiency requirement.

BUS2435 Newswriting (3)
Focuses on learning the craft of news writing, including reporting, interviewing, composing a variety of leads, gathering quotes, brevity, specificity, fact-checking and ethics. Uses a workshop approach to wordsmithing and graceful writing.

BUS2440 Writing for the Media (3)
This course covers the mechanics of effective writing for various media: identifying the story, collecting data, writing under deadline, and journalistic ethics and applications to media as they meld onto the Internet. This course is especially suitable for those interested in careers in public relations or marketing. Meets upper division writing proficiency requirement.

BUS2448 Video Production (1-3)
Focuses on creative and technical requirements needed for planning a successful video production for broadcast, Webcasting, or CD-ROM. Also covered are production, setup, camera movements, composition, lighting and sound techniques, and nonlinear editing.

BUS2456L Journalism Lab The Argonaut (1-3)
Produces the campus newspaper, The Argonaut, and its website, www.theargonaut.net, which provide hands-on instruction in all aspects of news production including news, editorial and feature writing, editing, headline writing, layout, design, photography and advertising design and sales. May be repeated for credit. This is a writing intensive course.

BUS2500 Public Relations (3)
Focuses on writing as a tool for developing effective media relations through press releases, press kits, newsletters, direct mail, flyers, and crisis management. 

BUS2508 Persuasion and Presentation (3)
Prerequisites: BUS1408
Focuses on advanced public speaking using presentation software to support persuasive presentations. Students learn effective persuasive strategies applicable to professional and corporate settings. Students integrate researched information from a variety of sources to create and present compelling presentations for a variety of persuasive purposes.

BUS2600 Operations and Information Technology Systems (3)
Provides and overview of business information systems a survey of technical components within systems and with a focus on the implications for business professionals.

BUS2608 Telecommunications Management (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2000
Surveys contemporary communications technology and the impact on the organization, including advances in integrated systems, regulatory challenges, networks, and the role of the manager in a telecommunications environment.

BUS2616 Project Management (3)
Prerequisites: BUS2000
Focuses on planning, organizing, and implementing complex projects: project initiation, planning, organizing, staffing, scheduling, monitoring and control, conflict management, cost effectiveness, quality, software tools for project management, team processes, and leadership styles.

BUS2980 Business Policy (BS Capstone) (3)
Prerequisites: completion of all Major Core coursework
This capstone course integrates skills and knowledge attained through previous business courses in a case-method seminar that requires students to evaluate a firm's condition, formulate policy, and determine strategy to be pursued.

BUS2981 Communication  Seminar (BA Capstone) (3)
Prerequisites: completion of all Major Core coursework
This capstone course helps students integrate and build on prior learning in communication for future application either in graduate school or in the workforce.

BUS2985 Senior Project (3)
Prerequisites: consent of program director
Permits a student to research, develop, and implement a business related project that integrates skills and knowledge attained through previous business courses.

BUS2986 Special Topics (1-3)
A course to be utilized for seminars and special lectures in topics which are not offered on a regular basis. The course will addresses a specific need, or current interest and/or a trend in the field pertaining to the program’s curriculum. Consult syllabus as content will vary from semester to semester depending on the research interests of the Faculty member teaching the course.

BUS2990 Internship: For-profit (3)
Prerequisites: senior status or by permission of program director
Provides students with the opportunity to work in an industry to gain career-related experience. The internship will require 120 to 150 hours where they will acquire further industry knowledge and develop skills necessary for professional advancement.

(course may be repeated up to a maximum total of six units of credit).

 

BUS2991 Internship: Non-profit (3)
Prerequisites: senior status or by permission of program director
Provides students with the opportunity to work with a nonprofit organization to gain real-world experience. The internship will require 120 to 150 hours where a student will put theories and skills to work on selected projects agreed upon by the student and her/his supervisor.(course may be repeated up to a maximum total of six units of credit).

 

BUS2994 Teaching Assistant (1-3)
Prerequisites: consent of instructor
Provides an opportunity for advanced students to earn credit for assisting instructors.

BUS2999 Independent Study (1-3)
Prerequisites: by permission of program director
Provides an opportunity for independent study or research under the direction of an instructor. See Undergraduate Policies and Procedures section on Independent Study.

Undergraduate Lower Division Course Description