Business (Major, Minor)

Begins with the learner developing a profile of her ideal work experience and explores how that ideal may be met through a career in business. Placing the learner in the role of a new business entrepreneur, the course exposes the learner to all the disciplinary aspects of starting a new business (management, marketing, finance, accounting, human resources, legal and economics) by focusing on the tasks that must be accomplished. This hands-on approach to starting and running a business exposes students to the complex world of the small business entrepreneur and helps them determine which area of business they wish to study in depth. [3 credits]

Examines organizational, human resources, operational, and functional aspects of ethically managing activities of diverse workforces in organizational settings. Analyzes traditional managerial functions of planning, organizing,leading and controlling within the context of changing demands in orgsnizations that compete effectively in an interconnected, global environment. [ 3 credits ]

Emphasizes the foundation areas of data management, interpretation, and analysis.  The course focuses on methods tomanage and explain data, describe and interpret data quantitatively using statistical techniques, and apply the results to make better management decisions. Data Analysis involves using statistical methods to understand and interpret data acquired in business applications. In this course students will learn techniques to manage data using Excel tools, explain data through charts and graphs, and describe and interpret data in probabilistic terms.  [3 credits]

Introduces principles and practices leading to the preparation of a balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flow. Presents the basics of accounting principles and its applications in the business world. The course explores the concepts and techniques of accounting for individual proprietorships and corporations. [3 credits]

Builds on material covered in the Financial Accounting course. Focuses on understanding and developing managerial accounting skills that help analyze the cost of production in a manufacturing environment. The course introduces the topics of budgeting, planning and controlling of costs in a business operation. Prerequisite: BUS-253 or BUS-211. [3 credits]

Explores the legal environment of business, including contracts, implications of the Constitution and our structure of government, sales and employment law, legal substitutes for money, consumer and creditor protection including bankruptcy, and types of business organizations. Focuses on the implications of law for the business leader and practical ways to track changes in the law. Prerequisite: BUS-202 or equivalent. [3 credits]

Builds on material covered in Legal Environment of Business I. It explores commercial paper, debtor-creditor relations, real property and estates, accountants' liability and secured transactions. In addition, students examine the legal aspects of the various business forms in greater detail. Prerequisite: BUS-304 or permission of chair. [3 credits]

Explores communications contexts within organizations and refines written and oral communications skills used in business and professional settings. Emphasizes appropriateness, effectiveness, and nuance while taking into consideration situation, audience, and delivery mode. Learners use common business communications tools and technologies as well as social media. Prerequisite: ENG-101 or NDMU-100 (honors section). [ 3 credits ]

Emphasizes the foundation areas of finance to educate students in financial decisionmaking. Introduces concepts including time value of money, net present value and alternative measures used in financial decisionmaking, financial ratio analysis, capital budgeting, cost of capital, and asset valuation. Prerequisites for Business majors: BUS-253, BUS-254. Prerequisites for International Business majors: BUS-253. Recommend completion of general education requirement in math. [3 credits]

Investigate and employ inferential statistical techniques frequently used to inform business decision-making. Students will examine, in depth, the uses, calculations, limitations, and business applications of interval estimation and sample size, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. Prerequisite BUS-225 [ 3 credits ]

Analyzes the dynamics, structure and function of teams in businesses and other organizations. Examines the framework and components of conflict resolution and negotiation in both organizational and personal situations. Learners will assess and strengthen key interpersonal skills. This course utilizes active learning pedagogy extensively including role plays, small group exercises, and simulations. [3 credits]

Introduces cost data as a tool for management decisionmaking. The course provides an in-depth examination of volume-profit analysis, budgeting, job order costs and variance analysis. Prerequisite: BUS-254. [3 credits]

Covers collecting, adjusting and presenting of accounting information. Emphasizes understanding published financial statements and developing a framework for analyzing a wide variety of financial reporting issues. Students examine topics including cash, short-term investments, receivables, payables, inventories, and operational assets and liabilities. Prerequisite: BUS-254. [3 credits]

Builds on material covered in BUS-337. Provides information on stockholders' equity, long-term investments, long-term debt, pensions, leases, financial statement analysis and price-level accounting. Prerequisite: BUS-337. [3 credits]

Focuses on federal tax laws as they apply to the individual. Introduces gross incomes and exclusions, tax determination, passive activity losses, itemized deductions, tax credits and property transactions. Students examine tax planning considerations and tax avoidance techniques. Prerequisite: BUS-254. [3 credits]

Focuses on federal tax laws as they apply to corporations, S corporations, partnerships and estates. Students examine tax analysis and determination for management decisionmaking, filing requirements for estates and trusts, and choosing an entity selection to minimize tax liability. Prerequisite: BUS-254. [3 credits]

Critically analyzes factors affecting business operations in the global marketplace. Introduces theories and practical strategies for evaluating constraints and opportunities resulting from economic, cultural, legal, and ethical differences to political and financial realities at home and abroad. Provides hands-on opportunities for analyzing international business opportunities, developing international competitive strategies, and for comparing and contrasting different entry modes. Prerequisites: ECO-211 or ECO-212. Fulfills general education requirement in cross-cultural studies. [3 credits]

Introduces students to key sources of secondary data and basic research methods that enable them to define the research problem, develop the research plan, collect, evaluate and organize relevant information, develop findings and conclusions and recommend a preferred course of action supported by analysis. Students will learn core primary research concepts such as how to locate key industry and customer information via secondary databases as well as to design an electronic survey and conduct a focus group. [ 3 credits ]

Identifies important leadership concepts used to critically evaluate students' perceptions about leadership and describe relevant leadership attitudes, behaviors, and skills. Incorporates a variety of experiences including self-assessment, skill development, and small group team activities to strengthen personal and organizational leadership. Integrates course learning, experience and feedback to assess individual leadership skills and identify personal development needs. Prerequisites: Junior/Senior standing. [3 credits]

Provides a thorough overview of the complete process of developing and launching for-profit, non-profit or social business ventures. Topics include idea generation strategies, executive summaries, brand creation and selection of business names. Students will gain an understanding of bootstrapping, scalability, promotion, distribution and pricing. The importance of laws and regulations for all aspects of a new venture will be explored. Patents, copyrights, contracts and regulations will also be discussed. The major component of this course will be application of market research skills to research databases and primary/secondary sources of information to complete a formal assessment of the viability of a business idea. This course will culminate in the completion of a feasibility analysis to test assumptions derived from market research. Prerequisite: BUS-303 or permission of chair. [3 credits]

Continues the progression set forth in Entrepreneurship I by teaching students the process for developing a comprehensive business plan for an entrepreneurial start-up endeavor. Additionally, students will be assigned a successful entrepreneur from the student's field of interest to serve as their mentor throughout the semester. Students will learn how to prepare a financial plan. They will analyze actual business agreements to gain familiarity with the language of and issues contained in those documents. Students will build marketing competencies essential to building and sustaining a new venture, such as how to identify customer needs, determine correct target markets and develop sales/marketing tactics and strategies. Students will also prepare and deliver an oral presentation of their plan from the perspective of an entrepreneur presenting to potential investors. Prerequisite: BUS-401. Corequisite: BUS-416 or BUS-321 or permission of chair. [3 credits]

Examines the core problems organizations and individuals face as they move through the dynamic processes of innovation and change. Students will identify highly successful change efforts and evaluate the strategies and techniques used. The key issues of changing behaviors, overcoming resistance to change and the role of leaders and followers in the process will be important themes. [ 3 credits ]

Explores principles and practices of auditing through use of problems, questions and specimen working papers applicable to a balance sheet audit. Emphasizes techniques and routine procedures by applying the principles to a realistic audit. Prerequisites: BUS-212 or BUS-254, accounting concentration or permission of chair. [3 credits]

Provides students with an overview of the accounting and financial tools necessary for managers. Addresses the development and analysis of basic financial statements, the development of budgets (both operating and capital), and other techniques of financial analysis for management decision-making. Prerequisite: general education mathematics requirement. Business majors may not take this course; students who have taken BUS-255 may not take this course. [3 credits] 

Focuses on more complex topics in financial accounting. Emphasizes accounting theories and practices used in partnerships, business combinations and consolidations. Prerequisite: BUS-338. [3 credits]

Provides opportunities for students to apply knowledge gained from their core business courses to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of strategic management initiatives through case studies of specific organizations. Designed as a capstone experience. Prerequisites: BUS-302, BUS-303, BUS-321 and senior standing. [3 credits]

Studies and analyzes the increasing pressures on organizations to make the right decisions by acting in ways that benefit society and reduce negative environmental impacts. Students will complete research on organizations that use sustainable and responsible models; utilize case studies to identify current and best practices; and develop guiding principles for decision making. [3 credits]

Examines opportunities and risks associated with international finance. Studies the international banking system, international money market, international bond markets and international equity markets. Explains exchange rate behavior and examines currency derivatives including future and options on foreign exchanges, currency and interest swaps, and international portfolio investments. Students will evaluate strategies to hedge against foreign exposures, including economic, translation, transaction and cash flow exposures. They will also analyze and evaluate the impact of central banks and financial policies around the world. Prerequisite: BUS-321. [3 credits]

Evaluates opportunities, issues and complexities that women face in the workplace. Analyzes differences between gender style and content in communications and behavior; critiques societal expectations of women and men in the workplace and in leadership roles; connects management and leadership precepts through the lens of gender; examines leadership attributes through nontraditional sources. Cross-listed as a graduate course to promote co-mentoring and networking. Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of chair applies to Women's College students only. Fulfills general education requirement in gender studies. [3 credits]

Connects academic learning with professional experience. Develops and reinforces business related skills, especially those needed by women in business today. Provides peer support to discuss and reflect on work-related issues. Students examine individual strengths and areas for improvement.  Required for Women's College students, only required for CAUS and NDMU Online students with less than 2 years of FT professional work experience.  Prerequisites: Business major with senior standing and permission of instructor. [4 credits]

Investigates consumer and organizational buyer behavior theory and its impact on the formulation of marketing strategy. Provides students with an opportunity to examine current buyer behavior theory including digital behavior and its use by marketers to influence consumers. Through the analysis of case studies, a thorough examination of current empirical buyer behavior research, students will design, implement and analyze buyer behavior mini-research projects. This class is designed as an interactive, collaborative seminar. Prerequisite: BUS-203, Principles of Marketing or permission of chair. [3 credits]

Provides an overview of integrated marketing communications programs and the role they play in the implementation of successful marketing strategy. Students will examine the integration of traditional and non-traditional forms of communication. Traditional forms of communication include advertising, public relations and personal selling. Non-traditional forms of communication include online advertising, blogs, pod casts, social media and direct response marketing. Students will gain experience gathering and analyzing market data and developing an integrated marketing communications plan. Designed as a capstone experience. Prerequisite: BUS-303 Principles of Marketing and junior or senior standing. [3 credits]

Emphasizes the foundation areas of investment management, including securities markets, stock and bond valuation, portfolio theory, the efficient market hypothesis and investment decisionmaking. Students will complete a research project as well as build a diversified investment portfolio for a hypothetical client. Projects involve written and oral reports. Prerequisites BUS-225, BUS-321. [3 credits]

Provides in-depth analysis of financial management decisions and decision-tools. Topics may include capital structure and capital issuance, dividend policy, corporate financial planning, derivatives for hedging stock volatility, derivatives for hedging interest rate risk and financial institutions. Students will complete a research project and develop strategies to manage an external environment challenge. Projects involve written and oral reports. Prerequisites: BUS-225, BUS-321. [3 credits]

Develops knowledge and skills in the human resource management functions of strategic human resource planning, job design, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, employee relations and compensation and benefits. Focuses on the legal environment of human resource management and its impact on the entire human resource system. Enhances background students will need to make informed human resource decisions in organizations. Prerequisite: BUS-302. Cannot be taken if student took BUS-315. [3 credits]

Focuses on the United States economy and its relations with the world. Examines how interactions among consumers, businesses, government and the rest of the world impact economic growth, inflation, unemployment and business cycles. Investigates the impact of monetary and fiscal policies on the overall performance of the economy. Fulfills general education requirement in social science. [3 credits]

Examines the manner in which prices are determined and limited resources are allocated efficiently through mastery of basic supply and demand. Considers the behavior of producers and consumers under various competitive conditions. Assesses the role of government in responding to market failures. Fulfills general education requirement in social science. [3 credits]

Examines the interactions between the United States financial system and the wider economy. Studies current developments in monetary policy and financial markets and explores the impact of money on the productive sector of the economy. Analyzes current economic, financial and international issues and tracks a variety of economic indicators to predict the actions of the Federal Reserve. Prerequisite: ECO-211 or permission of instructor. [3 credits]

Focuses on fundamental algebraic concepts and the solution of real world problems through the use of basic mathematical models. Provides a thorough study of linear functions as well as an exploration of a variety of nonlinear functions. Data analysis and mathematical modeling focus on real world problems from a variety of fields including science, finance and business. Graphing calculator is used throughout the course. Intended for students of science, finance and business who have limited algebraic skills. The course may be taken to prepare for MAT-107 Elementary Functions or MAT-215 Basic Statistics. Prerequisite: minimum of one year of high school algebra. Satisfies the General Education Requirement in Mathematics.  This course may not be completed for credit after successful completion of MAT-100. [3 credits]

Provides preparation for study of calculus, and is also designed for pre-service elementary educators with a strong interest in mathematics. Covers polynomial, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions and their applications. Graphing calculator is used throughout the course. Prerequisite: Successful completion of two years of high school algebra. Fulfills the General Education Requirement in Mathematics. [3 credits]