Business Marketing
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Online Degree Program

Management Information Systems is designed for business students who want an in-depth look at how business firms use information technologies and systems to achieve corporate objectives. Information systems are one of the major tools available to business managers for achieving operational excellence, developing new products and services, improving decision-making, and achieving competitive advantage.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Evaluate the role and key terminology of information sytems in global business today.
• Demonstrate an understanding of information technology infrastructure.
• Evaluate key system applications for the digital age.
• Examine key components and best practices of building and managing information systems.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to information systems.

Human Resource Management examines the concepts, models, procedures, tools, and techniques of human resource management. Aspects of the individual and how the work environment influences people at work is explored, and the emphasis on recent and relevant findings from the behavioral sciences and other disciplines is discussed to help students apply appropriate human resource management approaches in their organizational settings.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and discuss human resource management and its importance in modern organizations, legal issues, strategic planning, and trends related to the field.
• Examine issues and best practices impacting employee staffing and recruiting.
• Demonstrate an understanding of employee development and management.
• Evaluate the key components of compensation including incentive pay and employee benefits.
• Discuss factors related to protecting and expanding organizational reach such as workplace safety, ethics, diversity, social responsibility, and global issues.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to human resource management.

Marketing Management explores various marketing theories and practices with emphasis on four key dimensions of holistic marketing: internal marketing, integrated marketing, relationship marketing, and performance marketing. We will also discuss today’s economic, environmental, and technological changes in marketing, as well as address the topics of corporate social responsibility, business ethics, sustainability, and the importance of growth to organizations.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and understand the scope of marketing management.
• Examine the process of capturing marketing insights.
• Discuss forces influencing the field of marketing management including data collection, current trends, customer relationships, best practices, and globalization.
• Analyze the importance of creating, delivering and communicating value in marketing management.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the key elements of marketing including branding, positioning, identifying segments and targets, and research.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to marketing management.

Financial Management is designed to help aspiring nonfinancial managers and executives communicate better with financial managers, accountants, and controllers within their organizations. Through the use of real-world examples and case studies, financial concepts are applied and reviewed as they relate to various areas of finance and management.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify and define financial management including commonly used terms, concepts, key principles, and best practices.
• Examine the processes related to valuing stock and bonds, and understanding risk and return.
• Analyze the processes for capital budgeting.
• Demonstrate an understanding of financial planning and evaluating performance.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to financial management.

International Business Management examines a variety of international business issues. Topics include national economic and cultural differences, international trade policies and institutions, foreign direct investment, global competition, outsourcing and current international business trends and developments. New theories of international trade are explored and the unique challenges organizations face in the global marketplace are discussed.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and examine the foundations of the international business environment including cultural and human resource factors.
• Demonstrate an understanding of issues affecting international business including ethics, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and culture.
• Describe the role of strategy and opportunity assessment in international business.
• Evaluate the processes and best practices for entering and working in international markets.
• Analyze the role of marketing, international organization structures, international operations/supply chain, and information technology within the global firm.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to international business management.

Organizational Behavior provides students with an in-depth review of various theories and research on the behavior, structure, and process of organizations. Formal organizations and their structure will be critically examined, and human motivations and their constructive application to oneself and others will be explored. Applicable behavioral science theories will be analyzed and students will be able to effectively apply the relevant concepts to the management of organizations.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define organizational behavior and describe the basic functions.
• Examine key terms, theories and perspectives of organizational behavior.
• Evaluate issues affecting organizational behavior including global issues, diversity, ethics and corporate social responsibility.
• Analyze individual behaviors and the various types of processes in organizational behavior including social and group, leadership and influence, and organizational processes.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to organizational behavior.

Business Ethics provides a managerial framework for integrating ethics into strategic business decisions. The framework provides an overview of the concepts, processes, and best practices associated with successful business ethics programs. The course also prepares students for the ethical dilemmas they may face in their business careers.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define business ethics and examine issues related to stakeholder relationships, corporate governance, and social responsibility.
• Examine emerging business ethics issues and the institutionalization of business ethics.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the decision making process related to business ethics.
• Analyze the implementation of business ethics in a global economy.
• Examine best practices for ethical leadership and providing strategic direction for implementation of sustainability in organizations.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to business ethics.

Strategic Management explores strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation concepts and techniques in business organizations. Topics covered include the concept of a business model, the strategic significance of a company’s scope of operations, competing in international markets, and the role of corporate culture and leadership in reaching strategic objectives, as well as ethics, corporate social responsibility, and environmental sustainability as they pertain to strategy.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify and define the study of strategic management including commonly used terms and key principles.
• Demonstrate an understanding of processes related to strategic management including strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation.
• Evaluate key issues in strategic management including business ethics, social responsibility, global applications, the environment, competition, and technology.
• Examine best practices for strategic management case analysis.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to strategic management.

Sales Management provides a thorough, up-to-date, and integrated overview of the accumulated theory, best practices, and research relevant to the field. The course highlights how real managers apply this knowledge in their own organizations and the issues and decisions companies face in developing and managing an effective sales program in the real world. Specifically, the course covers the key considerations an organization must consider when developing, implementing, managing, and evaluating an effective sales program.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Examine contemporary challenges to effective sales management.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the key processes and strategies used in formulating sales programs.
• Examine best practices for implementing sales programs.
• Explain the evaluation and control aspects of the sales program.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to sales management.

Global Marketing takes an environmental and strategic approach to exploring business marketing on an international scale. Topics of discussion include key principles and challenges marketing managers must grasp such as the strategies, tools, and techniques utilized by professionals in this highly competitive field. Students will explore what is meant by global marketing and the various global marketing environments, best practices in global marketing, key elements related to the field, and future trends impacting the field.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the various global marketing environments.
• Examine best practices for implementing global marketing functions and strategies.
• Evaluate the key elements of the four Ps of global marketing.
• Discuss future trends in global marketing including the role of ethics and corporate social responsibility.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to global marketing.

Value Marketing focuses on essential marketing concepts including creating, planning, strategies, research, consumer behavior, target marketing and evaluation. The role of marketing in the organization and the role of marketing in society are also explored with an emphasis on helping students learn how to develop responsive and effective marketing strategies that meet customer needs.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define the various aspects of marketing and value proposition including global and strategic considerations.
• Discuss how consumer behavior informs the development of the value proposition.
• Examine the process for developing the value proposition for the customer.
• Examine delivering and communicating the value proposition.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to value marketing.

Retail Management focuses on the exciting and dynamic aspects of retailing. The course is designed to seamlessly meld the traditional framework of retailing with the realities of the competitive environment and the emergence of high technology as a backbone for retailing in the twenty-first century. Key retail management concepts are reinforced with current, real-world examples that bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Summarize the process of retailing and examine the reasons for studying retailing.
• Describe the process of situation analysis in retail management.
• Examine best practices for targeting customers and gathering information.
• Analyze and discuss how target market consumer behaviors influence retail location decisions.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to retail management.

The Research Process is a required course for all of the master’s degree programs offered at the University. This course provides an overview of the various research methods, research design, guidance in planning research strategy, and documentation of research data. It also explores and analyzes examples of research from many different disciplines, the development and use of computer-aided research, writing skills, and logical argumentation techniques required in the research field.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define research methods, analyze its importance, and examine how it informs policy and practice.
• Discuss the various research strategies for description.
• Examine the statistical tools and interpretations used in quantitative research.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the various strategies for causation in research.
• Evaluate the role of research as it relates to political and ethical issues.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to the research process.

Students enrolled in the M.B.A. in Business Marketing degree program will complete a Final Comprehensive Examination. The Final Comprehensive Examination consists of a combination of four writing assignments and one multiple-choice examination, requiring students to integrate knowledge acquired across the educational program. The Final Comprehensive Examination is sent to students after all the coursework has been successfully completed. The examination is graded on a pass/no pass basis. Students may repeat any portion until they receive a passing score.