Human Resource Management
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Online Degree Program

Human Relations reviews the basics of human interaction, the organizational framework, organizational activity, and strategies for improving organizational behavior and performance. Business and organizational leaders repeatedly stress the need for increased worker education and preparedness in communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, leadership, and ethics.

Course Objectives

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

• Develop an understanding of human relations and the importance of managing the self.
• Examine best practices in dealing effectively with other people in relation to communication, managing conflict, leadership, and cross cultural competence.
• Explain how to develop career thrust by implementing good work habits, and lifelong learning.
• Discuss the importance of staying emotionally healthy and managing stress.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to human relations.

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.

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.

Advanced Human Resource Management covers the contexts of human resource management—staffing, employee development and compensation (with an emphasis on developing employee relations), working with organized labor, managing workplace safety and health, employee privacy, risk management, and international human resource management challenges.

Course Objectives

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

• Define how human resource management operates and adapts within an organization including its functions and challenges.
• Analyze the various components of human resource management such as job analysis, employee retention, recruitment, and job placement.
• Examine best practices for training, talent development, and making compensation decisions.
• Evaluate key issues affecting employee wellbeing, employee/labor relations, and global human resource management.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to advanced human resource management.

Strategic Compensation examines best practices for using compensation strategically in organizations for talent management and retention. This course will help students develop an understanding of the importance of compensation, negotiation, bargaining, and training within the organization. The course also covers issues related to employee benefits, stock options, compensation analytics, and constraints on pay.

Course Objectives

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

• Define strategic compensation and discuss the role of compensation to an organization’s goals and objectives.
• Analyze the effect of compensation analytics, contract failure, wage theft, and constraints on pay in organizations.
• Examine best practices for employee training, employee compensation, turnover management, and talent retention.
• Demonstrate an understanding of designing compensation packages, benefit packages, and stock options.
• Evaluate processes related to strategic compensation including negotiation, bargaining, and promotions.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to strategic compensation.

Leadership provides students with a current and in-depth view of the history of leadership encompassing traditional theories and current research perspectives. This course examines the personal side of leadership and leadership within organizations. Students will analyze best practices for leading teams, addressing diversity and inclusion, and creating a leadership vision for the rapidly evolving world.

Course Objectives

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

• Define leadership examine its importance and discuss how it is different from management.
• Demonstrate an understanding of research perspectives on leadership including key theories and models of leadership.
• Analyze the personal side of leadership including the role of emotional intelligence, morals, ethics, and personality in leadership.
• Evaluate the leader as a relationship builder and examine best practices for motivation, engagement, communication, teambuilding, and diversity and inclusion.
• Explore the leader as a social architect in terms of implementing change, shaping culture and values, and setting the stage for followership.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to leadership.

Employee Training and Development provides students with insight into the different methods of training and development for company—as well as personal—success. The course addresses new technologies, such as virtual learning and big data, that allow for greater accessibility to various training content and revision of traditional training and development techniques. The course emphasizes that there are effective and relevant training and development methods for every stage of an employee’s career.

Course Objectives

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

• Demonstrate an understanding of the context of training and development.
• Identify and describe the fundamentals and best practices of training design.
• Evaluate different training and development methods available.
• Examine issues related to social responsibility, and analyze future trends and implications for training.
• Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to employee development and training.

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.

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 Human Resource Management 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.