Colleges and Schools

This course develops an understanding of human behavior in changing organizations and the managerial awareness, tools and methods that increase effectiveness. The course explores principles and theories about individuals and groups at work, motivation and interactive drives and processes for satisfying needs, organization strategies for effectively utilizing people and creating the environment to achieve goals of people and companies. The course also examines ethical issues and the rational integration of ethical thinking and decision-making in competitive organizations. New models of teams, organization structure and organizational development practices are studied as the product of today's transforming organizations.

This course examines the importance of ethical leadership and decision-making to the success of high performance organizations. Ethical issues are examined from a variety of perspectives, analyzed utilizing multiple ethical issue typologies, and possible outcomes determined through the application of a number of decision-making formats. Frameworks for ethics and leadership are assessed and interpreted in light of the leadership behaviors in a number of ethically challenging situations. Finally, students will assess their own ethical leadership views and generate leadership development plans.

Financial accounting develops the ability to read and analyze a corporate financial statement. The course is oriented toward the user of financial accounting data and emphasizes the reconstruction of economic events from published accounting reports. It presents the accounting model, reviews accounting standards used for financial reporting, and considers their impact on managerial decisions. The role of accounting in planning, decision making, control, and performance evaluation is the managerial focus of this course. An examination of the ethical issues encountered when making accounting decisions is undertaken throughout the course. An online test of competency in financial accounting will be required as a part of the course.

Managerial accounting takes an internal decision-oriented approach and examines the information requirements of various techniques and planning models. The course emphasizes the solution of particular types of problems and the structural evolution of costing systems for management planning and control. It covers accounting data used by managers for several purposes: product cost and income determination, routine short-run decision making, fundamental policy formation, and control of various activities of the organization. Stress is placed on the design of accounting systems aimed at encouraging ethical behavior consistent with top-management goals.

Given the ever-increasing, complex interdependency between international economies, this course is intended to give business and nonprofit organizational leaders an understanding of how to better manage operations in the context of supply, demand, competition, economic and trade policies in a global marketplace. The course will focus on macroeconomic topics such as gross domestic product, income and employment and combine them with absolute and comparative advantage theories that drive the continuous need for international trade. Global economic topics, such as the IS-LM model, cultural comparisons and foreign trade policy will help form the fluidity of both domestic and international business interactions from both diverse and Christian ethical perspectives.

In this course, students explore how the economic fundamentals, such as scarcity, supply and demand, business cycles, elasticity and productivity, influence the planning and behaviors of both businesses and nonprofit organizations. Real world examples are used to apply content in professional context. Additionally, attention is paid to the ethical dilemmas and moral responsibilities that accompany managing a firm.

This course challenges students to prioritize and execute on their fiduciary responsibilities to first and foremost provide sufficient returns to investors. Course content includes projecting financial statements, creation of net present valuation models, determination of a firm's optimal capital structure, and ascertaining firm value through valuations. Particular attention is paid to the tension between the fiduciary responsibility and the ethical ramifications of focusing on shareholder returns. Case studies are used to apply content to professional context. An online test of competency in using Excel will be required as a part of the course.

This course covers the theory and practice of corporate finance, especially the application of financial theory to solve practical problems. Topics include the investment, or capital budgeting decision and the financing decision. This course also assists the financial manager in deciding how much to invest, what assets to invest in, and how to raise the necessary cash. It includes the study of dividend policy, debt policy, risk management, and alternative forms of debt. This course covers financial planning, channels for short-term borrowing, the management of liquid assets, and the management of accounts receivable. The role of ethical behavior is incorporated into the study of financial markets, as well as in financial management. Financial models will be solved using personal computers throughout the course. An online test of competency in finance will be required as part of the course.

The objective of this course is to develop quantitative and statistical thinking and problem solving skills. The topics include General Problem Solving, Elementary Probability Models, Linear Regression, Forecasting, Linear Programming, and Inventory Management Models. For each topic, there are analytical and managerial components of the weekly course activities. On the analytic side, quantitative problems must be solved using Excel. From the managerial perspective, online discussions and papers are assigned with the intent to explore and consider how these quantitative tools are used in business as well as understanding both their benefits and limitations. An online test of competency in statistics and quantitative foundations will be required as a part of the course.

This course introduces the substantive and procedural aspects of marketing, sharpens skills for critical analytical thinking, and promotes effective communication. Basic concepts examined include marketing in a changing world; creating customer value and satisfaction; strategic planning and the marketing process; the marketing environment; marketing research and information systems; consumer markets and consumer buyer behavior; business markets and business buyer behavior; measuring and forecasting demand; market segmentation, targeting, and positioning for competitive advantage. Ethical concerns for the use and potential abuse of market research data are woven into the course.

Focusing on the interplay among the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, this course will address the issues and current trends in corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic results will be explored. Topics covered include: sustainability, public private partnerships, corporations' role in climate change, supply chain responsibility, stakeholder engagement, cause and social marketing, environmental responsibility, socially responsible investing, sustainability reporting, transparency, and human rights.

This course covers the core foundations of both business-level and corporate-level strategy. The course is designed to introduce a wide variety of modern strategy frameworks and methodologies, including, mission, goal, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. Strategic techniques include Industry Analysis, Analysis of the Competitive Environment, and SWOT Analysis. Additional topics covered include strategic thinking, competitive advantage, vertical and horizontal integration, global/international strategy, and strategy implementation topics including organization, operations, leadership, and culture. The outcome of this class is a foundation for understanding the strategies and analytics tools needed to develop and improve a firm's competitive advantage, formulate a firm's strategy, and make quality, reasoned business decisions. Case studies are used as the primary teaching method in this course to understand the frameworks/methodologies and gain a perspective on their application.

This course brings together disciplines students have encountered during the North Park SBNM MBA program. Students develop an integrated understanding of business planning and strategy, using a computer-based management simulation (Capstone Business Simulation) to plan and test strategies in a competitive environment. Capstone is built around a complex, multi-round simulation game that requires students to integrate concepts and tools from much of the MBA curriculum. Student teams will compete in a market environment in which they will need to make financing, investment, pricing, production, product choice, channel, and marketing decisions. Supply chain relationships will require negotiations with other teams. Task allocations within teams will require effective teamwork and management. Historical data will provide a basis for modeling and statistical analysis. Additionally, attention is paid to the ethical dilemmas and moral responsibilities that accompany managing a firm. The class will culminate in presentations to a panel of judges who will evaluate each company for potential acquisition based on accumulated cash flow, future profit potential, sustainable competitive advantage, and management's leadership.