Graduate Studies-Business (GSB)

Advanced study planned and completed under the direction of the Director of Graduate Programs. Open only to graduate students who have demonstrated ability to do independent work. A formal written proposal must be accepted by the Associate Dean of OCOB Graduate Programs before work begins.

Advanced individual research planned and completed under the direction of a member of the college faculty. Designed to meet the needs of qualified students who wish to pursue investigations which cannot be followed effectively in regularly offered elective courses. A formal written proposal must be accepted by the Associate Dean of OCOB Graduate Programs before work begins.

Collaborative business project with a client organization that allows graduate level students the opportunity to apply knowledge, skills and competencies to address a business problem. Small teams work in collaboration with a client organization and a faculty advisor. A formal written proposal must be accepted by the Associate Dean of OCOB Graduate Programs before work begins. The project may last up to one year. Course may be offered in classroom-based or online format.

Principles of data visualization and storytelling. Data visualization tools for different types of data in the context of business analytics. Communication of results for business actionable insights. Software use includes Excel, Tableau and R. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Emphasis on development of the ability to read and interpret public and internal financial reports. Public reporting responsibilities of companies and management's responsibilities for developing and maintaining effective internal control systems. 4 lectures.

Focus on a variety of statistical techniques that help to transform data into useful information that can be used to make informed business predictions and decisions. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 seminars.

Application of behavioral, social and organizational science concepts to management. Individual, team and organizational levels of analysis, including such topics as expectations, perception, motivation, communications, creativity, leadership, cultural and ethical behavior, group dynamics, team effectiveness, work design, organization change and development. 4 seminars.

Legal and regulatory environment in which business operates. Consideration of historical, societal, and global perspectives reflecting political, social and/or economic beliefs and values. Strong emphasis on fundamental concepts of law and analytical tools to understand interaction between law, ethics and management decisions. 4 seminars.

Analysis of customer information, using a broad range of tools and techniques including predictive, statistical, and optimization models. Integration of data into reporting platforms. Application of findings to marketing decision-making. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Application of business analytics approaches and techniques to understanding and managing human resources. Emphasizes problems addressed using people analytics, including which methods are best and under what conditions, data quality and validity issues, and interpretation in the HR context. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Statistics background needed for analysis of business data and econometrics. Topics include basics of probability theory, random variables, distribution functions, conditional distributions, independence, expectations, covariance, correlation, random samples, estimation, asymptotic theory, hypothesis testing, and confidence intervals. Couse may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Exploration of data management including relational databases, data warehouses, and NOSQL databases. Foundation for analyzing, designing, implementing and using information repositories in a business environment. Topics include the database development life cycle, data modeling, SQL programming, data quality and integration. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Apply cloud resources for business analytics. Identify business benefits of cloud computing, storage, networking, data management and security. Use web services to analyze big data including query, statistical analysis, machine learning and visualization. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Analysis of the challenges, successes, and failures managers face when planning for and implementing information system initiatives, particularly enterprise systems such as supply chain management, customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning systems. Focus on the strategic and operational impact of emerging information technologies in modern day business management. Design and development of knowledge worker applications including database and decision support systems. 4 lectures.

Managerial economics, or microeconomics, focuses on private markets. Choices made by firms and consumers within topics that include demand, supply, efficiency, marketing structure, and government intervention. Development of an analytical framework for analyzing how these topics are important for managers. 4 lectures.

Introduction to marketing management. Concepts and principles necessary to plan, direct and control the product, promotion, distribution and pricing strategies of the firm. 4 lectures.

Focus on project management tools and processes required to establish priorities for and management of projects within normal and abnormal scope, money and time constraints. Planning, organizational and resource challenges common to a variety of project types. Product life cycle, normal operational, new product introduction and profit oriented product family projects reviewed in service and production environments. 4 lectures.

Enhancement of business writing and oral presentation skills, organized around two areas: 1) preparing written business documents and reports, and 2) professional oral presentation skills. Preparation of a variety of business reports and documents. Multiple business presentations. 4 lectures.

Exploration of the concepts, tools and techniques of data mining in the business context, using case study and problem-solving approaches. Topics include multidimensional data modeling, predictive analytics, pattern discovery, forecasting, text mining, and data visualization. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Theories, practices and tools of corporate financial decision making. Topics include valuation of fixed income securities and stocks, capital budgeting, capital structure, dividends, and an overview of financial markets and institutions. Introduction to valuation of derivative securities, market efficiency, and agency costs. 4 seminars.

Development of the theoretical and empirical framework of the macroeconomy in which businesses must operate. Topics include GDP, inflation, unemployment, interest rates and monetary and fiscal policies. The dynamics of the macroeconomic environment over time. 4 lectures.

Introduction to the operations function and its interaction with other areas in an organization. Emphasis on applying lean six sigma thinking to achieve competitive advantage in cost, quality, time, and flexibility in manufacturing and service operations. 4 lectures. Course may be offered in classroom-based or online format.

Examination of ethical risks raised by data analysis, including data collection, ownership and usage. Philosophical examination of topics raised by data analysis, including consent, privacy, transparency, bias and potential harms from data collection and use. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 2 lectures.

Correlation of experience and academic knowledge. Placement in a supervised business or public organization. A formal written proposal must be accepted by the Associate Dean of OCOB Graduate Programs before work begins. Credit/No Credit grading only.

Use of computers for advanced data analysis in business analytics. Topics include computer programming using statistical software, data gathering and cleaning, and machine learning. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Use of computers for advanced machine learning in business analytics. Topics include boosting, ensemble learning, Bayesian methods, and various types of neural networks. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Introduction to Bayesian econometrics with a focus on business decision making. Making appropriate use of prior information; computation of posterior densities; Bayesian forecasting and policy evaluation; model selection and diagnostic tools; alternative loss functions tailored to specific business applications. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Monte Carlo simulation. Decision making under uncertainty. Linear and non-linear programming. Dynamic models of growth and arrivals. Model risk. Applications to finance, operations, strategic planning, and marketing. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

Theory and practice of negotiation in a variety of professional and managerial contexts (e.g., business acquisitions, compensation, business disputes, transfer pricing, inter- and intra-organizational) and in one-on-one, group, and team-based arrangements. Includes impact of culture, ethics, dispute resolution, coalitions and use of creativity to develop integrative solutions. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 seminars.

Exploration of entrepreneurship with emphasis on the formation and management of new business ventures. Analysis of typical operating problems of these firms and application of appropriate techniques for their solution. 4 seminars.

Application of interdisciplinary skills to business and corporate strategy formulation and implementation. Analysis of interdependence between external environments and internal systems. Focus on responsibilities, tasks, and skills of general managers. Case studies, group problem solving. Integrating course of MBA core curriculum. Course satisfies comprehensive examination requirement. 4 seminars.

Business tour exposure to different management systems and their operating environments. Pre-trip and on-the-road meetings, readings, case studies and discussions. Tours of firms, government offices, ministries, etc; interviews of managers and government officials. Conducted in English. Passport required. The Class Schedule will list topic selected. Total credit limited to 8 units. 2 seminars, 2 activities.

The process of financing new and fast-growing firms. Preparation of pro forma financial statements for a new venture. Readings on the venture capital process, from seed capital through the initial public offering (IPO). Valuation of firms seeking venture capital, and those planning their IPO. Valuing convertible securities. Real options valuation. 4 lectures.

Practical legal decisions required to conduct business for or with high technology companies. Methods to protect high technology developments in international markets, including copyrights, patents, trade secrets, trademarks and contracts. 4 seminars.

Directed group study of selected topics for advanced students. Total credit limited to 8 units. The Class Schedule will list topic selected. 1 to 4 seminars.

Career development and preparation with specific focus on the impact of organizational structures on the professions of business analytics and data science. Personal marketing in a dynamic technological environment. Course may be offered in classroom-based or online format. 1 lecture.

An overview of the major functional and support activities in the personnel/human resource field, including strategic human resource planning, job analysis, recruitment, selection, performance appraisal, compensation, employee rights, and employee safety and health. 4 seminars.

Overview of theory and practical tools to improve financing and investment decisions as they relate to the energy industry and markets, and achieve environmental objectives including valuation models, real options, energy derivatives, project finance, impact investing, and managing climate and technological risks. Course may be offered in classroom-based, online, or hybrid format. 4 lectures.

The knowledge and the elementary skills/competencies needed to intervene in an organization in order to improve its effectiveness. Design and use of action to improve organizational effectiveness. 4 seminars.

Selected economic problems analyzed at an advanced level in a particular field, such as international trade, public finance, urban, industrial organization or transportation. 4 seminars.