MBA in Strategic Human Resources

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Workforce planning and employment involves the processes of developing, implementing, and evaluating sourcing, recruitment, hiring, orientation, succession planning, retention, and organizational exit programs deemed appropriate to ensure that the workforce will meet the organization’s goals and objectives. This course will examine key legislation affecting employee rights, employee privacy, equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, discrimination issues, and employee record management.

Course objectives:

• Understand what strategic workforce planning is: past, present, future
• Obtain an in-depth understanding of employment laws that impact the workforce planning process
• Identify adverse impact and disparate impact – two types of discrimination
• Possess an in-depth understanding of the succession planning process
• Identify the quantity and quality of worker talents/outputs
• Determine the organization’s selection process; e.g., behavioral interviews, testing, background investigation, etc.
• Develop, administer & analyze exit interviews data for improvements/revisions to the recruitment and retention strategy
• Understand the steps that need to be taken during a reduction in force (RIF)
• Anticipate and proactively respond to generational differences that affect workplace performance and productivity

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

The manner in which an organization manages rewards and risks has a significant impact on its ability to achieve its strategic goals and objectives. A carefully crafted compensation plan, offering an appropriate mix of direct and indirect compensation, is essential to maintaining a quality workforce. The careful and strategic management of organizational risk is equally as important. This course will focus on identifying and designing appropriate and effective compensation systems that serve to sustain a highly engaged workforce in full compliance with legal and ethical standards. Today’s HR professionals will be expected to not only understand strategic compensation and risk issues as they relate to organizations, but take a leadership role in designing, revising, and implementing current and relevant compensation and risk strategies in a quickly changing employment and legal landscape.

Course objectives:

• Understand the historical and contextual influences on strategic compensation and risk management practices
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of traditional, incentive, and person-focused pay methods
• Identify and apply methods for building internally consistent job structures, establishing market-competitive pay rates, and creating pay structures that recognize employee
• Understand the appropriate use and application of employee benefits including discretionary benefits and legally required benefits
• Identify the contemporary strategic challenges relating to compensation and risk management facing today’s organizations
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the principles and practices of expatriate compensation and employee benefits as well as relationship of global compensation trends and practices to US practices
• Understand the requirements of a legally and ethically compliant compensation and HR function and the associated risks for organizations

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Employee and Labor Relations is the study of effectively managing personnel and labor relations to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Human Resource department and the organization. The field addresses the social, legal, and psychological dimensions of work and how these influence the employee/employer relationship.

Course objectives:

• The content of the course will cover the major systems of personnel management including the growth and changes of human resource management and labor relations
• Among these systems the legal environment of personnel management, the structure and relative merits of different approaches to managing, and the structure and usefulness of the specialized function of the HR manager will be examined
• Additionally, this course extends beyond the study of the profession and provides a practical approach to implementing the studied material in the workplace. A wide range of topics will be covered as can be seen from the chapter descriptions.

AC 601: Financial Accounting for Decision Making

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
An introduction to accounting concepts and procedures for organizational decision-making.

OR

AC 650: Managerial Cost Accounting

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

A study of accounting concepts as applied in manufacturing and merchandising firms emphasizing analysis of financial statements and managerial use of cost data for decision-making.

Course objectives:

• Use deductive/inductive reasoning to solve business problems (CVP Analysis, Differential Analysis)
• Identify, measure, summarize, and analyze financial and tax data (identify and trace cost flows using a job order cost accounting system; break mixed costs into their fixed and variable components for control and planning purposes, variance analysis)

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course has three purposes: 1) understanding and managing individual and group behavior in organizations; 2) stress-management and well-being; and 3) recognition and management of ethical responsibilities of business.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course integrates learning from the earlier functional course areas as well as MG 698 through a series of simulation-based exercises. Students will sharpen their decision-making by analyzing, formulating, and testing their strategies in a competitive environment. Prerequisite: MG 698

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

The study of microeconomic analysis and models relevant to a broad cross section of decisions within the business firm. This course is designed to enhance the knowledge of Microeconomic Theory to make sound management decisions using both traditional and behavioral economic concepts.

FI 630: Financial Management

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Introduction for managers and entrepreneurs to the fundamentals of the economy, the financial markets, and financial management, including security valuation, The capital budgeting process, capital structure, and working capital management.

OR

FI 635: Financial Analysis & Decision-Making

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

A case study course that prepares entrepreneurs and managers with innovating financial management techniques and skills, with emphasis on data analysis and financial decision-making. Spreadsheet skills are recommended.

Course objectives:

• Build stronger analytical and communication skills to analyze how real business decisions affect the value of the firm
• Learn to make informed corporate investment and financial decisions
• Calculate financial ratios and make business forecasts
• Study capital budgeting decisions and resource allocation
• Manage dividends and repurchases
• Learn about the management of the corporate capital structure

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course aims to provide a framework to gain a competitive advantage in a global environment. Topics covered include industry analysis, resource-based view of the firm, business strategy, innovation, diversification, and multinational strategies.

MK 610: Marketing Management

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Introduction for managers and entrepreneurs to the fundamentals of marketing including product, pricing, promotion, distribution/logistics, segmentation and marketing research with special emphasis on global marketing and ethics

OR

MK 615: Marketing Strategy

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Through case analysis and simulation technology, graduate students learn to analyze opportunities and challenges associated with the development, execution, evaluation, and redirection of marketing efforts in a wide range of organizations. Culminates in a real-world service-learning project. Prerequisite MK 610

Course objectives:

• To analyze problems associated with the development, execution, evaluation and redirection of marketing programs, plans and strategies in a wide range of organizations. This analysis will utilize the growing importance and usage of Internet marketing. The main objective of the course is the completion of a marketing plan as a term project
• The development of the marketing plan requires the student to have a firm grasp of all the components of the marketing system specifically and the problem-solving process in general.