Business Courses (BUS)
100 Introduction to Economics (4)
Provides students with a solid foundation in economic literacy and reasoning. Topics include scarcity, incentives, and choice;
resource allocation; exchange, competition, and markets; economic efficiency; investment, production, and income; money, interest rates, and GDP; business cycles and governmental policies. Emphasizes active learning and current economic issues and problems. Students may not receive credit for this course after earning credit for MBE 201 or MBE 202. Offered every semester.
101 Introduction to Business (4)
A general survey course designed for students who desire information about commercial activities to build a foundation for more advanced courses, to decide on a major, or to complement a major. Offered every semester.
112 Problem Solving and Decision Making (2)
Designed to provide the basic skills of management and to improve thinking skills regardless of a student’s major. Examines various methods of problem solving and decision making, progressing from simple decisions under certainty to complex decisions under uncertainty. Both quantitative and creative methods are used. No prerequisites, but students should have elementary algebra skills and English skills beyond the 105 level. Offered intermittently.
201 Introductory Macroeconomics (4)
A study of contemporary economic systems and the analysis necessary to achieve the “economic way of thinking.” Prerequisites: elementary algebra skills (MATH 104 or placement level H, A, B) and sophomore status or above. Offered every fall.
202 Introductory Microeconomics (4)
The second semester of this two-part course enables students to understand and apply the tools of micro-economic analysis to contemporary profit or non-profit organizations. Prerequisites: elementary algebra skills (MATH 104 or placement level H, A, B) and sophomore status or above. Offered every spring.
203 Accounting I (4)
A study of the basic principles and systems of accounts that underlie general purpose financial reporting. Includes the analysis of accounting transactions and how they affect the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. Introduces students to financial statement ratios commonly used in evaluating for-profit organizations. Offered every fall.
204 Accounting II (4)
The second semester of this two-part course covers the collection and interpretation of accounting data for use by
management in planning and controlling business entities. Introduces students to cost-volume-profit analysis, budgeting, standard costing, and analysis of variances between budgeted amounts and actual results. Prerequisite: MBE 203. Offered every spring. Offered every spring.
206 Sustainability Accounting (2)
An overview of sustainability accounting. Includes traditional profit-oriented accounting and evaluates its impact on society. Introduces identifying, measuring, and reporting a firm’s commitment to its stakeholders and the planet. Offered every spring.
207 Economics and the Environment (4)
Examines the harnessing of economic forces to both prevent and solve environmental problems in the context of current regulatory approaches to dealing with environmental issues. Prerequisite: MBE 100 or MBE 202. Formerly MBE 106. Offered every spring.
209 Study Away: Business in Emerging Markets (4)
This course investigates the opportunities and challenges of doing business in emerging markets. It examines the political, legal, cultural, and economic factors that shape the business environment in such markets. The course also investigates business entry mode strategies, negotiating and relationship building in emerging markets and methods to assess risks and opportunities. The course starts at VWU with an on-campus component followed by study away at the destination. Prerequisite: Consent. Offered intermittently, typically every other year.
216 Taxation (4)
A study of the tax environment and the codes, regulations, and court decisions as they relate to income tax problems of individuals, including tax preparation and tax research. Prerequisite: sophomore status or above. Offered fall of odd- numbered years.
222 Introduction to Financial Management (2)
An introduction to Financial Management for students not majoring in Business, the course provides students with the basic tools of financial analysis and planning - leading to better decision-making in both their professional and personal lives. Topics include analysis of financial statements, the time value of money, and capital budgeting. Prerequisite: MBE 206. Offered every spring.
246 Personal Financial Planning (4)
Introduces the principles of individual financial planning. Topics include goal setting and decision making, career planning, saving and investing, credit, and insurance. Prerequisites: MATH 104/105 or equivalent and sophomore/junior/senior status. Offered in selected January Terms.
301 Principles of Management: A Project Approach (4) W
A study of the art and science of management in relation to the functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling in a project environment. Students learn the principles of management through project-based group experiences, with substantial writing about such experiences. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher, MBE 201 and 203 or MBE 100 and 206, and junior status. Offered every semester.
303 Financial Accounting Theory I (4)
A study of the theory and application of generally accepted accounting principles. Emphasizes financial statement presentation, current assets and liabilities, intangible assets, and operational assets. Prerequisites: MBE 203 and 204. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.
304 Financial Accounting Theory II (4)
A continuation of MBE 303. Emphasizes corporate equity accounts, long-term investments and liabilities, cash flows, pension costs, current value accounting, and foreign currency transactions. Prerequisites: MBE 203, 204, and 303. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
305 International Accounting Theory (4)
A study of accounting for firms engaged in international commerce: translation of foreign currency financial statements, and for branches, subsidiaries, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures of multinational corporations. Prerequisites: MBE 203 and
204. Offered intermittently.
306 Business Law (4)
A study of contract law and the Uniform Commercial Code. Prerequisites: MBE 100, 101, 201 or 202 and junior/senior status. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
308 Markets, Communism, Socialism (4)
An in-depth, integrated study of the development and functioning of the American economic system compared with those of other countries. Prerequisite: MBE 100, 201 or 202. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
310 Money, Banking, and Financial Institutions (4)
The basics of monetary policy in terms of public policy. Includes the study of the Federal Reserve System, commercial bank lending, investments, money, and capital markets. Prerequisites: MBE 201 and 202. Offered every fall.
315 Managing Diversity in Organizations (4)
Promotes an awareness of cultural differences and positive attitudes toward these differences. Includes topics related to effective management of people who vary in race, gender, age, disability status, nationality, or sexual orientation. Prerequisite: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.
316 Marketing Principles (4)
Builds upon the analytical and communication skills gained in lower-level courses. Students gain an understanding of products and services, channels of distribution, pricing strategies, and elements of promotion. Prerequisites: MBE 201 or 202, MBE 203, and junior status. Offered every semester.
317 Advanced Taxation (4)
A comprehensive study of income tax problems relating to business entities. Topics include flow-through taxation
(partnerships and limited liability companies), double-taxation (corporations), either/or taxation (estates and trusts), and other derivations from the three fundamental approaches. Additional topics include tax administration and the Federal estate tax. Prerequisite: MBE 216. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
322 Financial Management (4)
Students learn how to determine in what assets a firm should invest and what sources of funding are appropriate. Topics include mathematical analysis of operating and financial leverage, the cost of capital, management of working capital, and sources of money and capital. Prerequisites: MBE 201, 202, 203, and 204, and MATH 210 (formerly MATH 106). Offered every semester.
324 Human Resource Management (4) W
A study of the human resource process including such issues as recruiting, selection, training, performance appraisal, and compensation. Learning activities include experiential and group exercises, discussions, readings on HRM framework and application to cases, analytical issue papers, and oral reports. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher and MBE 301, or consent. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.
330 History of Economic Thought (4) W
An introductory course in the development of economic thought from Adam Smith to the present. Emphasizes on the correlation between successive stages of growth in economic theory. Writers covered Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Marshall, Keynes, Galbraith, and Friedman. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with grade of C or higher, MBE 201 and 202. Offered intermittently.
331 Managerial Economics (4)
Emphasizes business applications of micro-economic tools and concepts. Includes analysis of demand, cost, production functions, and alternative pricing theories. Prerequisites: MBE 201 or 202, and MATH 210. Offered intermittently.
332 Economic Development (4) W
Introduces the student to the major problems and issues in economic development and the economies of less developed countries with respect to achieving social and economic goals. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with grade of C or higher, MBE 100, 201 or 202. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.
333 International Business (4) W
Focuses on the increasing degree of international trade and multinational corporations. Analyzes international exchange, marketing, and personnel policies. Prerequisite: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher. Offered every fall.
334 Economic Modeling and Forecasting (4)
Develops and refines the ability to produce, interpret, and evaluate empirical research encountered in graduate study and professional pursuits. After a review of basic statistics, the course focuses on the bivariate regression model. Multiple regression, forecasting, and various topics in the verification of statistical models are also investigated. Prerequisites: MBE
100, MBE 201 or 202, and MATH 210.
335 Accounting Information Systems (4)
Students develop a conceptual framework for the development, implementation, and evaluation of an accounting information system. Primary topics include system understanding and documentation, risk analysis, and typical accounting transaction cycles. The lab experience provides application of system concepts to popular software applications. Prerequisite: MBE 203. Offered fall of even-numbered years.
340 Forensic Accounting (4)
The application of accounting methods to assist in solving economic-based crimes. The course includes discussion of criminal statutes relating to financial crimes, fraud investigation and prevention, techniques used in solving financial crimes, and current issues in financial investigation. Prerequisite: MBE 203. Identical to CJ 340. Offered intermittently.
343 Government and Not-For-Profit Accounting (4)
A study of appropriate accounting for such entities as governments, colleges, churches, hospitals, charities, and clubs.
Prerequisite: MBE 203. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.
345 Managerial Cost Accounting (4)
A study of cost accounting, budget analysis, and other advanced concepts used by manufacturers and other large businesses or non-profit organizations. Prerequisites: MBE 203 and 204. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.
348 Social Marketing Management (4)
Marketing in the for-profit sector is primarily concerned with generating financial gain, while social marketing’s primary aim is
societal gain. Social marketing focuses on influencing behaviors to improve health, prevent injuries, protect the environment, and contribute to the welfare of communities. The objective of this course is to help students apply traditional marketing principles and techniques to influencing positive public behavior. Prerequisite: MBE 301 or MBE 316. Offered spring of even- numbered years.
350 Supply Chain Management and Logistics (4)
Provides an understanding of supply chain management and logistics processes as they apply to both service and manufacturing organizations. Special consideration is given to identifying ways in which the strategic use of supply chain management can create competitive advantages for firms. Prerequisite: MBE 301 or 316. Offered in selected January Terms.
355 Auditing (4) W
Primarily focuses on financial audits, but also addresses reviews, compilations, and other account attestation engagements.
Additional topics include fraud detection, statistical sampling, account liability, and preparation of accountants’ reports. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher, MBE 203 and 204. Offered fall of even-numbered years.
360 Operations Management (4)
Reviews essential qualitative and quantitative techniques used in business decision-making and problem solving. Includes decision analysis, forecasting, linear programming, project scheduling, inventory cost minimization, TQM, process and queuing analysis. Emphasizes the practical application of these techniques to production and operations management problems in
both the manufacturing and service sectors. Prerequisites: MATH 210 and MBE 301. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
371 Special Topics in MBE (4)
Applies Management, Business, and/or Economics concepts to a variety of topics. Topics are available before registration begins each semester. May be repeated for credit as topics change. Prerequisites: MBE 201 or 202. Offered on demand.
373 Conflict Management (4) W
Examines conflict processes within and between organizations and alternative approaches to conflict management, drawing on the contributions of several disciplines and experience in organization, community, and labor dispute management. Prerequisite: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher. Identical to POLS 373. Offered every fall.
389 Field Experience in Management (4)
Students participate in a non-paid or paid internship for at least 100 hours of field work undertaken after they complete a formal learning and work agreement. All internships are reviewed by the department. Pass/fail grading. Prerequisites: junior status; a 2.5 GPA; MBE 301, 316, or 322 preferably taken concurrently. Offered every spring.
400 Seminar in Managerial Ethics (4) W
A course in which students construct for themselves a conceptual framework for examining and making decisions about
ethical practices in managing organizations. Learning activities include self-evaluation exercises, class discussions, readings on ethical frameworks and applying them to cases, analytical issue papers, and oral reports. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher, MBE 301, 316, 322, and senior status, or consent. Offered every semester.
406 Senior Seminar: Management Strategy (4) I, W
A case-oriented course that explains how and why a well-conceived, well-executed strategy nearly always enhances a
company’s long-term performance. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher, senior status, MBE 301, 316, 322, 400, and all other General Education requirements completed at least concurrently. Offered every semester.
407 Senior Seminar: Small Business Planning (4) I, W
By preparing a comprehensive business plan, students sharpen their understanding of management, integrate strategic thinking with operational constraints, and explore the role of small business in the American economy. They synthesize knowledge and skills gained in previous courses. Prerequisites: senior status, ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher, MBE 301,
316, 322, 400 and all other General Education requirements completed at least concurrently. Offered intermittently.
414 Internship Exploration and Design (4)
Students find, design, and maximize the independent learning experience to be undertaken in the spring internship courses, MBE 416. A major outcome is the negotiation of a learning plan agreement with a sponsoring organization. Prerequisites: a major in business with a 3.0 or higher GPA, all required major and General Education requirements completed at least concurrently, and admission to the internship program. Offered every fall.
416 Management Internship (12)
Students implement the work-and-learning agreements devised in MBE 414 for full-time placement (14 weeks or a minimum of 560 total hours) as a professional in a sponsoring organization. They gain practical experience in applying previously acquired knowledge and managerial skills. Students self-evaluate and are evaluated by their organizational supervisor. Pass/fail grading. Prerequisite: MBE 414; must co-register for MBE 417. Offered every spring.
490 Independent Study in Management (1-4)
Students undertake an experience-based project and/or do specific reading, research, and report writing on a topic in management not covered through the regular curriculum. Requires the approval of a supervising professor within the department. Applications must be made no later than the end of the preceding semester. Credit: 1-4 semester hours per semester; may be repeated for a maximum of 8 semester hours. Offered on demand, but preferably during the summer.
Information Systems Courses (ISP)
101 Fundamentals of Information Systems (4)
Introduces students to the fundamental principles and practices of utilizing information systems to help organizations achieve their goals and carry out their missions. While the course serves as the introductory course in the Information Systems Program curriculum, it is a suitable elective for any student interested in the subject. Students should have a working knowledge of Internet use and computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation graphics, and e- mail. Offered every semester.
105 Information Systems and Computer Applications (4)
Students explore current topics in the field of computer science/information systems beyond the introductory level covered in CS 100, including computer networks, Internet use, and ethical and legal issues related to the use of information technology. Students learn to use the more advanced features of software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation programs. Offered intermittently.
205 Database Applications (4)
This course incorporates instruction on planning, defining and using a database. It also provides instruction on how to perform queries, produce reports, and work with multiple files. Additionally, it addresses database programming and concepts, principles of table design and table relationships, entering data, creating and using forms, using data from different courses, and filtering. Offered selected summer semesters and on demand.
400 Project Management for IS (3)
This course provides instruction on the components of complex projects, how to manage those project components, and how to form and lead a project team. Project Management tools and techniques will be introduced, discussed, and used throughout the course. Students will be required to purchase Microsoft Office Suite and Microsoft Projects. Prerequisite: ISP
101 or consent. Offered every summer and on demand.
405 Management Information Systems (3)
Management Information Systems (MIS) provides a more detailed overview of the issues managers face in the selection, use, and management of information technology (IT). Increasingly, IT is being used as a tool to implement business strategies and gain competitive advantage, not merely to support business operations. The course takes a management rather than a technical approach to the material presented. Students will be required to purchase Microsoft Office Suite. Prerequisite: ISP
101. Offered every summer and on demand.
406 Information Systems Development (3)
A case-oriented course that explains how and why a well-conceived, well-executed information systems (IS) strategy nearly always enhances a company’s long-term performance. Students will integrate previous coursework to design a system that would serve to generate competitive advantage for an organization. Prerequisite: ISP 400, ISP 405, and senior status. Offered on demand.