2001-2002 University Catalog -- George Mason University 2000-2001 Catalog

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Master of Business Administration (MBA)

School of Management

603 Managerial Economics and Decisions of the Firm (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Provides a fundamental understanding of how microeconomics concepts are usefully applied to managerial decision making. Principles of microeconomic theory are explored fully, including market supply and demand, production and costfunctions, industry structure, and product and resource pricing.

612 Managing Costs and Evaluating Performance (1.5:1.5:0). Prerequisite: MBA 613. Examines the impact of cost and cost allocation on performance and evaluation.

613 Financial Reporting and Decision Making (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Foundation course focusing on the economics and analysis of business transactions and related financial reporting issues. Topics include an introduction to the accounting framework used in financial reporting, analysis of economic events and their impact on financial reports, analysis of the impact of accounting method choices on financial reports, and financial statement analysis.

623 Marketing Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Develops abilities to make marketing decisions in a wide variety of institutional and competitive situations. Emphasis on the use of technology to aid in analysis, decision making, and communication of decisions to relevant publics. Emphasis on case studies, team work, and projects.

633 Statistics for Business Decision Making (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Use of statistical methods as analytical tools for understanding and solving business problems, and for supporting business decision making. Extensive use of both applied business scenarios to illustrate concepts, and computer software for data analysis.

638 Managing Operations and Technology for the Digital Enterprise (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Focus on the design, planning, and control activities needed to produce and deliver goods and services in modern organizations. The course introduces a wide range of operations management decisions such as operations strategy, process analysis and design, capacity planning, supply chain management, total quality management, and project management. Quantitative modeling, case studies, and computer software are used to analyze and solve operations management problems.

643 Managerial Finance (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Introduction to the theory and practice of finance within corporations. Topics covered include Inter Temporal Choice, Valuation, Capital Budgeting, Capital Structure, Working Capital Management, and Risk/Return Analysis.

653 Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Emphasizes development of conceptual tools for understanding and analyzing individual and group behavior in organizations and organizational processes. Considerable focus on development of relevant skills for working in groups and teams. Course consists of lectures, discussions, case analyses, and inclass exercises.

673 Legal Environment for Management (1.5:1.5:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Introduces contemporary legal and ethical doctrines and examines how they can be applied to guide and enhance the decision-making processes of managers in the global economy. Lectures, class discussions, cases, and projects.

678 Strategy and Organizational Leadership (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Admission to M.B.A. program. Capstone course in the M.B.A. program focused on strategy development at the business unit and corporate level. Uses cases, readings, and a project format to familiarize students with the strategic management function, and to develop analytical, organizational, and formatting skills necessary to analyze complex business situations. Provides opportunities for students to integrate knowledge gained in prior course work.

701 Business Analysis and Valuation (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Develops a framework for business analysis and valuation using financial statement data. Management decisions such as equity valuation, creditworthiness, merger valuation, corporate financial structure, and management communication strategy are analyzed.

702 Corporate Financial Policy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Applies the theories and methods of corporate financial management to a series of complex case problems/situations. Topics include capital projects as real options, cost of capital/capital structure, firm valuation, project finance, and merger/acquisition analysis.

703 Financial Markets (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Brings into perspective the relationship between financial markets ranging from global equity markets, to the market for U.S. Treasury securities, to markets for numerous exchange-traded and over-the-counter financial derivative instruments such as futures, options, swaps, or asset-backed securities.

704 Risk Management and Financial Innovation (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Considers how to identify, measure, and manage financial risk using innovative financial instruments and diversification strategies. The course focuses on derivatives as tools in the risk management plan of a firm or institution.

705 Venture Capital and Private Finance (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Considers the market microstructure of venture capital and private finance: the costs and benefits from employing private financing, interaction between the financiers and entrepreneurs, financial analysis of potential ventures, and investor exit strategies.

706 Investment Analysis (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Focuses on the analysis of equity securities and debt instruments given the implications of the efficient market hypothesis and modern capital market theory.

707 Accounting Systems (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Focuses on the analysis, design, and implementation of information systems as they relate to the accounting function and the financial management of the firm. Administration (MBA)

708 Global Tax Strategies (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Provides a framework for making managerial decisions in a global tax environment. Business decisions such as location of facilities, employee compensation, mergers and acquisitions, capital and asset structure, and business form are examined.

711 Entrepreneurship (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Considers the fundamental aspects of entrepreneurship and the process of new venture creation. Draws on a broad range of business disciplines including management, marketing, finance, and accounting to develop evaluation and execution skills.

712 Project and Cost Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Focuses on project scheduling, time-cost tradeoffs, budgeting, cost control, and project monitoring. Special emphasis on cost-management aspects of projects in technology in intensive industries. Use of software and case studies.

721 Marketing Decision Systems (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Develops the skills necessary to plan and implement an effective market research study. Topics include research design, statistical analysis, data mining and modeling, and the use of database systems. The course offers a perspective on how managers can use market data to develop successful product or service strategies.

722 Consumer Behavior (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Examines behavioral science concepts useful in understanding and predicting marketplace behavior. The course emphasizes applications of product and service strategies, with a focus on how the information age affects the way consumption occurs.

723 Supply Chain Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Examines the logistics of supply chain systems, including inventory management, distribution channels, and information systems. Strategic alliances and international issues are emphasized.

724 Marketing Communications (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Examines all forms of communication and all sources of brand or company contacts as potential message channels in building a relationship with the customer. The course focuses on an integrated planning process for all communication elements, including consumer and trade advertising, public relations, direct and database marketing, promotions, and sales presentations to achieve synergy in communicating with various constituencies.

725 Leadership (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Provides an overview of the major conceptualizations of leadership and motivation in organizations. The course integrates theory, research, and applications. Students apply the principles of leadership and motivation to their own work situations and to the evaluation of cases.

731 Business Systems Development (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Studies methods and tools for analyzing and designing business information systems with an emphasis on business processes. Topics include data modeling, process modeling, interaction analysis, and user interface.

732 Knowledge Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Examines the firms that use knowledge management principles and approaches: intellectual capital, human capital, customer capital, tacit and explicit knowledge, the new role of the Chief Knowledge Officer, leveraging of knowledge management.

733 Business Data Communications (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Introduces datacommunications and telecommunications technologies and their application in business, including LANs, WANs, PBXs, voice services, network operating systems, corporate internetworking, the Internet. Analysis of the datacommunications industry. Business applications of datacommunications in manufacturing and service sectors, along with regulatory issues and impact of globalization.

734 Electronic Commerce (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Applies skills and knowledge in designing and building a business-to-business or business-to-consumer web commerce site. Emphasis is on products, strategies, and website design.

735 Systems Thinking and Business Simulation (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Systems approach to design, analysis, and improvement of cross-functional business processes. Use of business simulation software for modeling and analysis. Application areas include E-commerce, online services, and technology management.

736 Managing Digital Business (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Develops a strategic understanding of the new electronic marketplace. Emphasis is on technical, legislative, and social issues influencing digital business. Changes in business processes and organizations enabled by electronic commerce technologies and applications are studied.

798 Global Business Perspectives (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Applies the M.B.A. core courses to global business enterprise, typically through site visits to facilities located outside the United States.

799 Special Topics in Business (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of M.B.A. core requirements or permission of instructor. Sections established as necessary to focus on various topical issues that emerge in the practice of business administration.


George Mason University: 2001-2002 University Catalog: Catalog Index: Course Descriptions:
Master of Business Administration (MBA)