Management Courses (MGMT)

If a student takes noncore, upper-level business courses before acceptance to the School of Management, those courses will not count on an undergraduate degree application for any major in the school (except as general elective credit). A grade of C or better must be presented on the graduation application for each upper-level course in the major. Prerequisites are strictly enforced.

Related Mason Website: School of Management (http://gbi-sba.gmu.edu/)

302 Organizational Behavior and Administration (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Completion of at least 48 credits including COMM 100, 101, 220, or 260. Review and application of major theoretical issues in organizational behavior. Analysis and critique of research methods used in the field. Particular emphasis on microfactors and their application to development of effective managerial styles.

312 Principles of Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 302. Discussion of principles of management, emphasizing managerial functions. Emphasis on internal management of organizations with advanced, in-depth study of theoretical and behavioral concepts as applied to practical management problems.

321 Human Resource Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 302. Presentation of principles and procedures related to recruitment and selection of a labor force, job analysis, employee evaluation, and legislation. Emphasis is on their relationship to management.

331 Employee-Management Relations (3:3:0). Examination of American trade unions and unionism. Topics include the labor contract, the bargaining processes, the philosophy of unionism, the use of bargaining techniques for nonwage issues, the legal context of labor-management relations, and the responsibilities and duties of unions and management.

341 Business Communication (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 302. Introduction to theory and practice of effective business communication. This includes inquiry into principles of communication, communication through correspondence and reports, and business research methods.

381 Management Problem Solving and Decision Making (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 302. Application of principles and techniques of management to cases drawn from business, public, and nonprofit organizations. Emphasis is on internal management of organizations, applications of systems theory and methodology, and techniques used to analyze problems effectively.

391 Special Topics in Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 302. Objective is to offer coherent and organized coverage of important contemporary topics. Specific topics are announced when course is scheduled.

411 Organization Theory and Development (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 302. Study of complex organizations from the perspective of developing theoretical models and applied research designs. Emphasis is on systems approach as an integrative framework. Organization development techniques for effective management of change are provided through analytical and experimental exercises.

421 Current Issues in Human Resource Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 321. Examination of more complex areas of human resource management: noneconomic compensation, health and safety, wage and salary administration, management development and employee training, and internal communication.

431 Employee-Management History and Issues in Industrial Relations (3:3:0). Examination of employee relations throughout U.S. history, up through the present day. Supplemented with videos and guest speakers, this course looks at causes and effects of past and present employee-management issues and conflicts.

451 Small Business Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 312. Study of the entrepreneur and entrepreneurial organizations through use of Small Business Institute (SBI) cases. Emphasis is on the entrepreneurial process and the factors affecting behavior. SBI cases come from a variety of high-technology and service-related businesses.

471 Organizational Management and Environmental Change (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 302 or 312. Examination of organizational management concepts and applications in response to changing environments. The organizational impact of various stakeholders, as well as the interaction between organizations and processes, are reviewed. Management practices, structures, and processes are emphasized.

491 Seminar in Management (3:3:0).Prerequisites: MGMT 312. Advanced study of management concepts and selected topics and intensive analysis of management problems that represent long-term strategic significance or current urgency for organizational planning and operations. Significant contemporary research findings are included.

492 Field Experience in Management (3:3:0).Prerequisites: MGMT 312. Faculty-governed field experience in a Northern Virginia business. Teams of students, matched with client firms through the Entrepreneurship Center, propose action plans relating to a major problem or opportunity faced by the company.

493 Management of Technology (3:3:0).Prerequisites: MGMT 302, MKTG 301, and DESC 301. Cross listed as DESC 493. Technology development and implementation is a key to business success in the 21st century. This course examines issues involved in managing technology including technological lifecycles, sourcing technology (internal or external development), choosing to lead or to follow in innovation, and designing the innovative organization.

498 Business Strategy and Policy (3:3:0).Prerequisites: Final semester (senior standing) and DESC 301, FNAN 301, MGMT 302, and MKTG 301. A capstone course designed to acquaint the student with the nature of strategic management and the shaping of business policy. Emphasis is on managerial decision making as it relates to business strategy formation and implementation in large, medium, and small enterprises, both domestic and international.

499 Independent Study (1-3:0:0).Prerequisite: Management majors with at least nine upper-level management credits. Research and analysis of selected problems or topics in management must be arranged with an instructor and approved in writing by the undergraduate program director before registration. Written report required.

600 Organizational Behavior and Development (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Graduate degree status. Development, theories, and practice of management within organizations. Particular emphasis on human behavior and how it influences organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Student skills improved through case studies, readings, exercises, and class discussion.

711 Organization Theory (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 600. Survey of the theoretical and empirical literature in organization theory, including organization/environment relationships, organization structure, organization design, and dynamic processes in organizations. Focus is on understanding theory, evaluating research, and recognizing factors that influence organizational effectiveness.

721 Seminar in Personnel Administration (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 600. Current and emerging theories and practices of manpower management. Problems of white-collar and professional employees in "knowledge" industries. Research in contemporary problems.

722 Seminar in Staff Planning (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 600. Introduction to the study of concepts and issues in human resource staffing and planning, which is a natural base for work in the general personnel function of an organization.

750 Strategy and Policy Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Completion of all MBA 650 core courses. Provides students with an integrative learning experience by examining the strategic management concepts and practices across all operational and functional areas. A generalist, senior-level executive perspective emphasized. Case studies, lectures, group projects, and field work.

751 Small Business Ventures and the Entrepreneur (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 600. Small business and its economic, competitive, and social environment. Lectures, case studies, and research illustrate and develop solutions to potential problems of initiating, organizing, and managing a small business.

791 Seminar in Current Management Problems (3:3:0).Prerequisite: MGMT 600. Develops practical solutions to selected problems of managers. Readings, discussion, case analysis, and action exercises.