The Business School
Undergraduate Courses
ACC 2060. Financial Statements for Decision Making
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course provides students with an understanding of the primary financial statements used for internal and external business decision-making in start-up firms and large corporations. It emphasizes underlying accounting concepts captured in financial statements, while highlighting the interdependence among these statements. The course will cover analytical techniques, such as ratio analyses and sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of changes in strategy and outcomes on efficiency and effectiveness measures. It also describes the various users of internal and external financial statements, and the potential conflicts between these various stakeholders.
ACC 2101. Management Accounting
Cat II (offered at least every other Year).
This course is intended to familiarize the student with the wide variety of ways in which accounting data are used by management as a tool for the attainment of predetermined organizational objectives. The emphasis of the course is on the application of accounting data, rather than on its preparation, and particular attention is given to the use of financial data both in controlling day-to-day activities and planning future operations. Principal topics include: master budgets, cost analysis and classification systems, cost-volume-profit analysis, standard cost accounting and an introduction to capital budgeting. This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.
Recommended Background: ACC 2060.
BUS 1020. Global Environment of Business Decisions
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
The global nature of business is indisputable. This course introduces the students to the complexity of the global environment and adopts a multi-dimensional view (cultural, economic, social, legal, political, and technological) of world economy. It promotes understanding the global environment as integrative forces affecting the success or failure of todays businesses and fosters a global perspective. Topics may include an overview of the world economy, comparative advantage and international trade, cultural distance, FDI/ globalization theory, outsourcing and global supply chain coordination, political and country risk, the global monetary system and currency risk, legal and ethical issues, and risk management.
BUS 2001. WPI Means Business
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course is designed to broaden student perspectives on business through experiential learning in entrepreneurship, finance, strategy and marketing, organizational behavior, and operations. By exposing students to various business disciplines and a wide range of firms and business models, we intend to accelerate student impact through an engaging, immersive experience. During onand off-site situation workshops, students will engage with practitioners to discuss business challenges and decisions in a small-group format. Students will also be matched with alumni to de-brief topics related to cases and prepare a learning portfolio as a culminating assignment. By the end of the course students will have a broader understanding of business domains, increased business fluency, and a better understanding of decision-making within a relevant business context.
BUS 200X. WPI MEANS BUSINESS
This course is designed to broaden student perspectives on business through experiential learning in entrepreneurship, finance, strategy and marketing, organizational behavior, and operations. By exposing students to various business disciplines and a wide range of firms and business models, we intend to accelerate student impact through an engaging, immersive experience. During on- and off-site situation workshops, students will engage with practitioners to discuss business challenges and decisions in a small-group format. Students will also be matched with alumni to de-brief topics related to cases and prepare a learning portfolio as a culminating assignment. By the end of the course students will have a broader understanding of business domains, increased business fluency, and a better understanding of decision-making within a relevant business context.
Recommended background: None
BUS 2020. The Legal Environment of Business Decisions
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course addresses the impact of law on business. The course covers fundamental areas of business law, such as torts, contracts, intellectual property, and legal forms of business organizations, and their effects on business decisions. Particular attention is paid to technology-based enterprises where global business issues intersect with law.
BUS 2080. Data Analysis for Decision Making
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course builds upon students understanding of statistics and introduces them to the concepts and methods for analyzing data to support business decision-making. Students will explore data sets using data mining and analytics techniques to create business intelligence, to be used for understanding and improving customers experiences, supply chain operations, product management, etc. During the course, students will develop an understanding of the uses of business data analytics and associated models for business decision-making, forecasting, and obtaining and maintaining a competitive advantage. Students will learn a comprehensive set of advanced spreadsheet skills, including how to design, build, test, and use spreadsheets for analyzing business decisions.
Recommended Background: Basic statistics, equivalent to that in MA 2611 and MA 2612.
BUS 210X. INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
This course will cover the basics of corporate environmental sustainability with some introduction of social sustainability. The world has come under increasing environmental and social pressures. Corporations strategically and operationally influence the natural environment and social systems. We will offer the theory and practice of how organizations need to function to help decouple economic well-being from environmental degradation. Topics will include building sustainability strategy, green marketing and finance, sustainable supply chains, sustainability performance measurement and monitoring, and other emergent topics.
Recommended Background: None
BUS 4300. Senior Seminar
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course is designed for the senior student who wishes to acquire or strengthen important skills needed for organizational success. Among the subjects covered is power in organizations, what it is, and how to acquire and appropriately use it. Additionally, this course emphasizes presentation skills, organizational etiquette, cross-cultural communication, and the knowledge of current events. The student will be expected to be familiar with and use all forms of media information for both individual and group projects. The course may be counted as a 4000-level elective for BU, MGE, or MIS, or as a Free Elective for any student at WPI.
Recommended Background: Senior standing.
ETR 1100. Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
In the modern competitive and global world confronting todays engineers, innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) are increasingly important perspectives for every engineering career. Individuals proficient in I&E are likely to possess unique competitive advantage over those who do not. This course develops the foundation for developing such proficiency by examining the functional roles of the business/commercial aspects of engineering disciplines as well as establishing a basis for innovative thinking. Specific cases where I&E has led to new products innovation and new enterprise development will supplement course materials.
ETR 2900. Social Entrepreneurship
Cat II (offered at least every other Year).
This course will introduce students to the concept of social entrepreneurship and the ways in which social entrepreneurs are addressing complex social problems with their entrepreneurial ventures. Students will be exposed to the challenges and rewards of running a social enterprise. They will learn valuable business and entrepreneurial tools that can be applied to the design of sustainable social business models. Topics include social opportunity recognition and evaluation, business models in the social sector, social impact assessment, the double-bottom line, scalability of solutions, organizational forms and structures, and social venture financing.This course will be offered in 2021-22, and in alternating years thereafter.
Recommended Background: Familiarity with concepts of creativity, innovation, entrepreneurial and critical thinking, ethics, cross-cultural relations, and social problems (OBC 1010, BUS 1020, ACC 2060 or equivalent).
ETR 3633. Entrepreneurial Selling
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
Selling is a major part of business life, but it is especially important for those who are launching a new venture. They need to sell their business plan to potential investors. Later they need to sell their product or service to a customer. Ultimately they need to create an organization that is focused on meeting customer and other stakeholder needs through effective selling disciplines. This course will examine the elements of the sales cycle in terms of preparation, market research, prospecting, objection handling, closing, techniques for motivating the sales professional and formulation of strategy for the successful selling transaction. As part of the course students will be required to prepare individual sales presentations, one to secure investment for a new venture and one to sell a product or service to a customer. Guest speakers may be used on topics such as sales coaching, inside sales management, and to deliver sales effectiveness training.
ETR 3915. Entrepreneurial Business Models
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course is designed to foster an understanding of entrepreneurship in the context of innovation and the global economy. It also provides the theoretical and practical knowledge for the preparation of business models. The course includes opportunity identification, team formation, capital and other resource acquisition, exit strategies and other aspects of new venture creation.
Recommended Background: BUS 2020, ACC 2060, MIS 3010, OIE 3020 and OIE 2850.
ETR 491X. SPORTS ANALYTICS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
This course is designed to expose students to the burgeoning field of sports analytics and its associated entrepreneurial developments. Professional sports organizations have been using advanced analytics to achieve competitive advantages, resulting in a growing multi-billion-dollar market. A stylized example that showcases sports analytics applied commercially is the 2011 movie Moneyball, based on the true account of professional baseball team Oakland Athletics use of advanced sports analytics to assemble a competitive and winning team. Segments of the market include performance analysis, player fitness and safety, player and team valuation, fan engagement and broadcast management. These segments lend themselves well to analytical techniques borne in the traditional STEM fields such as data science, econometrics and information systems. Students will develop working knowledge of data analytic tools and frameworks that are applicable to analyzing and unpacking sports data. Basic knowledge of some data analysis is encouraged. Detailed knowledge of sports is not required.
Recommended background: Basic knowledge of some data analysis is encouraged. Detailed knowledge of sports is not required.
ETR 4930. Growing and Managing New Ventures
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
One of the most troublesome aspects of entrepreneurship is running the business once it is started. This course focuses on techniques to grow the new venture and how to manage both the growth and operations. Considerable emphasis will be placed on expanding existing markets, finding new markets, anticipating the next generation of products, and managing cash flow.
Recommended Background: ACC 2101, OBC 1010, BUS 1020, BUS 2020, ACC 2060, MIS 3010, OIE 3020, MKT 4030, ETR 3913, OIE 2850.
FIN 1250. Personal Finance
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course is designed to help the student make well-informed judgments when faced with personal financial decisions. Such decisions are growing in number and complexity, and both individuals and families need a considerable degree of financial expertise in order to utilize optimally their limited incomes. Principal topics include: insurance (medical, life, automobile and disability), consumer credit, estate planning, taxation, personal investments (real estate, securities, etc.), social security legislation and personal financial planning.
FIN 2070. Risk Analysis for Decision Making
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course provides a broad introduction to finance and financial logic, with emphasis on principles, applications and criteria used in decision-making. Core topics to be covered include interest rates, time value of money, bond valuation, yield curves, stock valuation, and risk and return analysis. The course is designed to help build students' financial literacy and provide a solid foundation for later courses in financial management, investments, and financial technology.
FIN 3300. Finance & Technology (FinTech)
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course develops expertise in Finance, Technology, Innovation, leadership, and decision-making by focusing on real-world challenges in the field of FinTech. We will be actively discussing and learning how to analyze, identify, and manage/innovate FinTech across many functional disciplines including Financial, Insurance, Banking, Trading, Information Technology, Regulation, and Budgeting. Students are introduced to the Financial industry and the FinTech ecosystem. The course adopts a decision-maker and leadership perspective (business, operational, functional, and technical leadership) by emphasizing the relationships among financial data, their underlying economic events, risk profiles, challenges/opportunities, and the responses by all stakeholders in a business/corporation.
Recommended Background: Introductory business and finance topics such as those found in ACC courses or ACC 2060.
FIN 3310. Financial Markets and Digital Currencies
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course introduces students to the financial innovations and digital assets that are significantly transforming the banking and financial services sector. The course exposes students to strategic skills and analytical tools that prepare them to thrive in this digital age. The immersive experience will also include an understanding of the changing dynamics in the global banking and financial services sectors and how leveraging fintech and analytics can drive innovation and digital transformation. The course will also explore how digital currency innovations are increasingly altering basic financial intermediation functions such as payment processing, risk management, information dissemination, price discovery, capital raising, consumer expectations concerning access to funds, and the timing of loan decisions. Students will also spend time exploring the emerging challenges presented by the FinTech revolution, including traditional and emergent competitors as well as demographic, social, ethical, and technological forces facing the industry. Students will have hands-on problem-solving experiences that can be useful in FinTech applications and innovation. Students will demonstrate their knowledge through exercises, exams, and a final project that explores the raising of financing through the decentralized finance ecosystem.
Recommended Background: Knowledge of Finance fundamentals (equivalent to that in FIN 2070). Basic knowledge of the financial industry would also be helpful (e.g., FIN 3300).
FIN 3330. Financial Analytics
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course provides the foundation for financial data analytics used in business and FinTech applications. The objective of this course is for students to gain experience in analyzing financial data using modern machine learning techniques, statistical methods, and prediction models. Students will develop computational skills to perform data analysis using a modern statistical programming environment and apply these skills to address a range of problems encountered by business firms, including those in the FinTech industry. The topics discussed include an introduction to R language, visualization of financial data, cluster analysis, simple and multiple linear regression, classification models, high dimension data analysis using Lasso, and model assessment and selection using cross validation. Students will have hands-on experience in the development of data analytics applications to analyze real world financial problems.
MIS 2300. Business Applications of Blockchain
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course introduces the fundamental concepts and functionality of blockchain technology. It explores how that technology records, organizes, and verifies information and how it implements smart contracts. The various financial and non-financial applications of blockchain technology are reviewed. Students will demonstrate their knowledge through exercises, exams, and a final project that designs and develops a basic blockchain application for a business problem. The course concludes by examining the legal and regulatory framework, along with potential risks and hurdles faced by those implementing and using blockchain technologies for financial and other business contexts.
Recommended Background: Basic knowledge of programming (Equivalent to CS 1004 or other introductory programming courses)
MIS 3010. Creating Value Through Innovation
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course focuses on the ways value can be created and captured through innovation. Focusing on the assessment of customers, organizational capabilities, and competition, students will consider a variety of different types of innovations and their associated ethical and financial value propositions. Students will learn analytic tools to successfully assess and commercialize technology, product, and service innovations in a variety of contexts.
MIS 3720. Business Data Management
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of database management and the application of database software to implement business information systems that support managerial and operational decision-making. Special topics covered include relational data models, query languages, normalization, locking, concurrency control and recovery. The course covers data administration and the design of data tables for computerized databases. Students will use a commercial database package to design and implement a small business database application.
Recommended Background: Some programming knowledge (e.g., CS 1004, CS 2119, OIE 2600 or equivalent knowledge)
MIS 3730. Artificial Intelligence with Business Application
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course studies the problem of making computers act in ways which we call "intelligent". Topics include major theories, tools and applications of artificial intelligence, aspects of knowledge representation, searching and planning, and natural language understanding. Students will be expected to complete projects which express problems that require search in state spaces, and to propose appropriate methods for solving the problems.
MIS 3787. Business Applications of Machine Learning
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course offers a business focused data analytics introduction. Using cutting-edge tools and approaches to the analysis of data through supervised machine learning, the course teaches how to utilize big data for effective decision-making. The course creates data analytics skills through hands-on exposure to data and analytic techniques embedded in Automated Machine Learning tools. Application areas covered include Marketing (pricing and marketing of luxury shoes), Supply Chain (predicting parts backorders), Finance (predicting safe loans), Talent Management (predicting and explaining attrition), Service Delivery (predicting hospital readmissions), as well as student-centric topics (college grades and starting salaries). This course provides foundations required to successfully apply the machine learning approaches to many of the most common business problems.
MIS 4084. Business Intelligence
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course provides an introduction to the technologies and techniques for organizing, analyzing, visualizing, and presenting data about business operations in a way that creates business value, and prepares students to be knowledgeable producers and consumers of business intelligence. During the course, students will study a variety of business decisions that can be improved by analyzing large volumes of data about customers, sales, operations, and business performance. Students will employ commercially available business intelligence software to organize, summarize, visualize, and analyze data sets and make recommendations to decision makers based on the results. The course explores the technical challenges of conducting analytics on various forms of data including social media data and the managerial challenges of creating value from business intelligence expertise deployed in organizations. The course includes business cases, in-class discussion, hands-on analyses of business data, and methods for presenting results to decision makers. It is designed for any student interested in analyzing data to support business decision-making, including students whose primary focus is Management Information Systems, Marketing, Operations and Industrial Engineering, Business, Management Engineering, Data Science, or Computer Science.
Recommended Background: Previous knowledge in data management, such as that provided by MIS 3720 Business Data Management or CS 3431 Database Systems I.
MIS 4720. Systems Analysis and Design
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course integrates students background in MIS in a one-term project focusing on development of creative solutions to open-ended business and manufacturing problems. The project will utilize systems analysis and design tools such as systems development life cycle, feasibility study, cost-benefit analysis, structured analysis and design. Students will acquire the skills necessary to analyze, develop, implement, and document real-life information systems. Students must be able to organize themselves and the project to complete their work within a seven week term. It is recommended that MIS majors take this course in preparation for their MQP.
Recommended Background: MIS 3720.
MIS 4741. User Experience and Design
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course focuses on the newest developments in the field of user experience (UX) (e.g., the use of physiological measures such as eye tracking in UX design) and provides an introduction to various methods used in cutting-edge research laboratories to study user experience. Both theoretical concepts and practical skills with appropriate development tools will be addressed within the scope of the class through hands-on projects and assignments. Students will develop a plan to innovate with user experience and will implement a simple prototype of their plan.
Recommended Background: MIS 3010, CS 2102 (or CS 2103) or ability to program in a higher level programming language.
MKT 3640. Management of Process and Product Innovation
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course is based on the hypothesis that high performance firms depend on a sustainable pattern of new and innovative processes and products. Successful companies are examined in regard to their strategies for innovation and technology transfer. Technology alliances among industry, universities, and government are considered in order to increase the leverage of the individual firm. Benchmarking and commercialization from research to actualization is discussed through cases and examples.
Recommended Background: FIN 2070 or OIE 2850.
MKT 3650. Consumer Behavior
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
Knowing how to manage and interact with customers is a key component for business success. Today, customer needs are continuously evolving as well as how products and services are purchased and consumed. Understanding consumer behavior concepts allows firms to investigate consumption habits and make better informed managerial decisions. The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to various theories and dimensions of consumer behavior, such as the consumer decision-making process, the influence of attitude towards the product, brand, and/or firm, and the impact of culture and subculture. Students will be exposed to how these concepts are linked and applied to marketing, to our roles as consumers, and to everyday decisions.
MKT 4030. Achieving Strategic Effectiveness
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
Every successful business has a strategy for how it provides value and earns profit within its particular industry. Focusing on the contexts of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, this course develops analytic approaches for assessing the various aspects of strategy such as the competitive environment, the network of stakeholders, ethical implications, investor motivation, operational execution, and financial projections that are necessary to create a complete business plan.
OBC 1010. Leadership Practice
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
Leadership is a critical role in any global, technological organization. This course explores how the concepts of creativity, entrepreneurial and critical thinking, emotional and self-awareness, passion, diversity, communication, and ethics inform and affect leadership practice. The course considers a variety of contemporary leadership challenges including how leaders work effectively across cultural, technological, and disciplinary boundaries, how leaders foster new ideas and bring them to fruition, how they communicate effectively and persuasively to diverse stakeholders, and how they make decisions that are both ethical and effective. The course is designed to 1) increase students awareness of their own leadership styles, 2) examine the responsibilities of leadership, and 3) determine best practices in leadership.
OBC 3354. Organizational Behavior and Change
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This course focuses on the basic knowledge and processes required of managers to understand behavior in organizations and to apply this knowledge to organizational change. Topics include communication and trust, power and leadership, group and intergroup processes, conflict and conflict management, and work and organizational design. Students apply their knowledge of organizational behavior to the analysis, implementation, and leadership of organizational change. Lectures, video presentations, case studies, group discussions and mini-projects are employed to introduce and illustrate the basic elements of organizational behavior and change.
OBC 4367. Leadership, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
Cat I (offered at least 1x per Year).
This upper-level course invites students to consider the importance of ethics, corporate governance, and corporate social responsibility for leading global enterprises effectively. Students will be asked to reflect on their own leadership styles and to engage the complex, ethical dimensions of leadership in modern organizations. The course will engage students using lecture, video presentations, case studies, guest speakers, fieldwork, and mini-projects.
Graduate Courses
BUS 500. Business Law, Ethics and Social Responsibility
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This course combines analysis of the structure, function and development of the law most important to the conduct of business with an examination of the ethical and social context in which managers make decisions. Emphasizing the social responsibility considerations of all business stakeholders, the course focuses on practical applications via extensive use of case studies. Students will gain a sound understanding of the basic areas of U.S. and international law including: intellectual property law; business formation and organization; international business law; securities regulation; cyber law and e-commerce; antitrust law; employment law and environmental law.
BUS 522. Global Business Experience
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Business is increasingly global. To be successful one must understand the customs and traditions of the regions in which they are operating. This course provides students with insight into different countries and business environments and includes an international trip where students will spend a week to 10 days on the ground in the featured region meeting with business, government and/ or academic leaders; touring company sites; and learning about the region. Prior to the trip students will study business history, culture and current topics related to the featured region. Guest speakers will often be incorporated. Following the trip students will typically write reflective papers and deliver presentations.
BUS 546. Managing Technological Innovation
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This course studies successful innovations and how firms must enhance their ability to develop and introduce new products and processes. The course will discuss a practical model of the dynamics of industrial innovation. Cases and examples will be discussed for products in which cost and product performance are commanding factors. The important interface among R&D/ manufacturing/marketing is discussed. International technology transfer and joint venture issues are also considered.
BUS 547. Energy Management
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This course covers a broad spectrum of energy auditing methods, energy management planning and energy management topics important to future energy professionals, business managers and leaders. The course includes a project that applies energy management concepts to an actual energy audit. The audit project also includes the development of an energy management plan for a selected building making cost-effective recommendations to improve efficiency. Additional topics include: energy management strategies for business, governmental regulations, incentives and resources, European Union energy policies and programs including carbon credits and related markets. Energy efficiency practices as they relate to ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), high performance buildings, data centers, renewable energy sources and smart grid are also studied. Special focus will be on energy management for financial and environmental sustainability benefits from the perspective of CEOs, CFOs, COOs and CSOs.
BUS 590. Strategic Management
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This integrative and interdisciplinary course provides a broad overview of strategic management, with a focus on technology-driven organizations. Adopting a general management perspective, students will learn how to develop and execute a holistic corporate strategy that integrates key functional and business unit level strategies. Topics include data-driven strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. This course integrates the MBA core courses, and therefore should be taken after completing all core courses. It also serves as a prerequisite for the capstone project so it must be taken before the final capstone course (BUS 599).
BUS 5900. Internship
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The internship is an elective-credit option designed to provide an opportunity to put into practice the principles that have been studied in previous courses. Internships will be tailored to the specific interests of the student. Each internship must be carried out in cooperation with a sponsoring organization, generally from off campus, and must be approved and advised by a WPI faculty member in the School of Business. Internships may be proposed by the student or by an off-campus sponsor. The internship must include proposal, design and documentation phases. Following the internship, the student will report on his or her internship activities in a mode outlined by the supervising faculty member. Students are limited to counting a maximum of 3 internship credits toward their degree requirements. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress as defined in the WPI graduate catalogue to be eligible to register for internship credit. International students who are working on a second U.S. masters degree and who have already used their masters-level Optional Practical Training (OPT) may petition the School of Business Graduate Policy and Curriculum Committee to do additional Curricular Practical Training (CPT) beyond 3 credits on a non-credit basis. Part-time students cannot do an internship at their place of employment.
BUS 594. Data-driven Business Strategy (Capstone)
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This is the Capstone project course for the STEM MBA program. The course content will introduce students to business strategy and integrate it with data-driven decision making. The course will involve a major team-based analytics project with an organizational sponsor. The project will involve both technical analytical skills and strategic thinking for formulating and implementing effective business strategies.
BUS 596. Master of Science Capstone Project
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This course is the capstone course for the STEM-based, specialty MS programs in the School of Business. This course serves as a practical integration of the STEM-based tools, techniques, and skills and the related business theories and practices that students learned in their MS program. The medium is a major team-based project in the form of an actual corporate STEM-based business need for which students will develop solutions. Students will produce a written report that documents and provides the financial, organizational, and technical rationale for the solutions. They will also formally present their results to the project sponsors. Students are expected to have completed (or are currently completing) all the courses requirements for their MS program prior to taking the capstone project. While the capstone requirements are the same for all STEM-based, specialty MS programs in the School of Business, the actual content of the project will differ by sponsor and by MS program. Students must take the appropriate section of BUS 596 for each MS program they complete.
BUS 598. Special Topics
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This course will engage students at an advanced level in the exploration of special topics that reflect the expertise of the business schools faculty. It will serve as a flexible vehicle to provide a course offering of topics of current interest as well as to offer new topics before they are made into a permanent course. The course content and format vary to suit the interests and needs of the faculty and students.
BUS 599. Capstone Project
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This capstone course integrates management theory and practice, and incorporates a number of skills and tools acquired in the M.B.A. curriculum. The medium is a major team-based project in the form of a corporate venture or green field venture. In addition to a written report, the project is formally presented to a panel of outside experts including serial entrepreneurs and investors. (Students cannot get credit for BUS 599 and BUS 517)
BUS 631. Research Methods and the Research Process
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This course introduces PhD students to business problems and the nature, scope, and purpose of research and research methodologies to study those problems. Topics include research approaches and designs, data types and their collection, measurement approaches, testing procedures, and interpreting and presenting findings. The ethics of various methods and data collection procedures are covered, as is the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process. Students will investigate applications of research methods to specific problems within their interest area, using qualitative and quantitative designs. They will also read example articles that use the research approaches covered.
BUS 632. Qualitative Research Methods
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Capturing and analyzing rich sets of qualitative (descriptive, non-numerical) data is typically required to investigate complex business cases, from discovering opportunities for innovation to identifying root causes of business problems. While quantitative business data is increasingly available, qualitative data is often the source of the deeper understanding needed for exploring, explaining, and developing theories for complex socio-technical business environments that dominate our digital economy. This course focuses on methods for collecting and analyzing qualitative research data with the purpose of enabling students to make the novel discoveries that characterize PhD research in business. Students will become familiar with methods for collecting (e.g., interviews and focus groups) and analyzing (e.g., coding techniques and case study analysis methods), as well as the software packages that aid in qualitative data organization and analyses. They will understand which collection, coding, and analysis techniques to use in which situations, how to interpret results, and how data collection and analysis methods affect research results. These skills are critical for understanding how business can contribute to solving the large, societal problems within and across disciplines and industries.
BUS 633. Quantitative Research Methods
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Developing predictive behavioral models, which heavily rely on quantitative (numeric) data, are a major success factor in helping businesses develop competitive products and services. This course focuses on methods for collecting and analyzing quantitative research data with the purpose of enabling students to make the novel discoveries that characterize PhD research in business. Students will become familiar with one or more internationally utilized statistical software packages and with the array of statistical analysis techniques in them. They will understand which statistical analysis techniques to usein which situations, how to interpret the output from these packages, and how data collection and analysis methods affect research results. In our increasingly data intensive business environment, these skills are critical for understanding business data and using that understanding to design better processes and systems and to make better decisions within and across industries.
BUS 651. Seminar on Designing and Conducting Research Studies
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This course is offered every semester for cohort students as they start their research studies. It bridges between students methods courses and the start of their 30 dissertation credits. It is conducted in seminar format with a focus on students presenting the progress on their research studies and discussion among the class about appropriate research designs and analyses. This course can be taken multiple times.
BUS 697. Teaching Practicum
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The objective of the teaching practicum is to provide students with practical teaching exposure within an actual classroom environment. This practicum requires students to closely collaborate with a faculty member to observe teaching methodologies and gain practical teaching exposure. The configuration of experiences and the scope of supervisory duties will be determined by the student and the advisor. Given WBSs mentorship-based doctoral program, this practicum is typically completed as an independent study under the supervision of the PhD students advisor. During these practica, students are guided and assessed by their faculty supervisors. The nature of students' practicum experiences will differ, spanning factors such as the degree of focus on actual teaching sessions, the creation of course materials (e.g., syllabi, assignments, and discussions, etc.), grading assignments, as well as engaging in curriculum evaluation and planning. Enrollment in this course is not a teaching assistant assignment.
ETR 500. Entrepreneurship and Innovation
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Entrepreneurship involves many activities, including identifying and exploiting opportunities, creating and launching new ventures, introducing new products and new services to new markets. It is based on implementing innovations within existing organizations and creating new opportunities. This course is intended to introduce students to entrepreneurial thinking and methods of executing their ideas. Topics include recognizing and evaluating opportunities, forming new venture teams, preparing business and technology commercialization plans, obtaining resources, identifying execution action scenarios, and developing exit strategies.
ETR 593. Technology Commercialization
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In the modern world of global competition the ability to utilize technological innovation is increasingly important. This course will examine the sources of new technology, the tools to evaluate new technologies, the process of intellectual property transfer, and the eventual positioning of the resultant products and services in the commercial market. Its purpose is to improve the probability of success of this discipline in both existing organizational models and early stage ventures. Specific cases studies of successful technology commercialization processes will be used to supplement the course materials.
ETR 596. Selling and Sales
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Selling is a major part of our business and professional lives. This is especially important for those who are launching new ventures. Business propositions need to be presented to (and need to be sold to) potential investors, employees, colleagues, and certainly potential employers. Later there is a need to sell products or services to customers. Common to all is a sales process and organization model that can be developed that is focused on meeting customer and other stakeholder needs through effective selling disciplines.
ETR 598. Special Topics
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This course will engage students at an advanced level in the exploration of special topics that reflect the expertise of the business schools ETR faculty. It will serve as a flexible vehicle to provide a course offering of topics of current interest as well as to offer new topics before they are made into a permanent course. The course content and format vary to suit the interests and needs of the faculty and students.
FIN 500. Financial Management
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This course develops students financial expertise. The course focuses on financial management and corporate finance. Students learn accounting and financial concepts, principles, and methods for preparing, analyzing, and evaluating financial information, for the purpose of managing financial resources of a business enterprise and making investment decisions. Students are also introduced to the principles and methods of valuation. Students practice with the financial reporting system which enables data analysts to build queries for financial analyses and to forecast possible financial scenarios. Finally, this course focuses on financial strategy and planning to enable internal managerial decisions. Students will learn and apply budgeting techniques and manage working capital.
FIN 503. Financial Decision-Making for Value Creation
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This course develops and enhances the students ability to implement and clearly communicate a firms financial decisions related to value creation. The course covers capital structure optimization, cost of capital; capital allocation and investment strategies, enterprise risk, project and firm valuation, and international financial management. The course adopts a decision-makers perspective by emphasizing the relationships among a firms strategic objectives, financial accounting and financial statement data, economic events, responses by market participants and other impacted constituencies, and corporate finance theory. The course also builds on these practical finance skills by incorporating team-based assignments, real-world simulations, and a variety of financial modeling tools. (Students cannot get credit for FIN 503 and FIN 500)
FIN 521. Financial Management in a Global Environment
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This course builds from Financial Information and Management, and extends closed-economy financial management to the international market environment. Drawing from theories based on culture, corporate finance, and investor protection laws, this course examines differences in corporate governance, financial information, and financial markets in global settings. The first focus is on accountability of financial resources, the implications of globalization on firms financial reporting and decision-making. The second focus is on international markets and institutions, how the access and exposure to different market environments can affect the firms financial and investment decisions. Major topics include the relationship between foreign exchange and other financial variables; measurement and management of the exchange risk exposure of the firm; international investment decisions by firms and investors; and financing the global operations of firms.
FIN 522. Financial Institutions, Markets & Technology
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This course will examine financial institutions and the relationship between U.S. capital markets and global markets. The class is intended to help students understand the impact of financial intermediaries on the global economy, businesses, and consumers. The course will investigate the organization, structure, and performance of money and capital markets and institutions. The class will examine the major financial management issues confronting financial service firms (depository institutions, insurance companies, investment banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, and pension funds), and it will address the legal, regulatory, financial reform, and risk management issues facing these financial institutions and markets. Finally, the course will address the rapid evolution of the financial sector as a result of technology. We will consider how financial technology (FinTech) is being developed by startup technology firms and existing financial institutions may disrupt the financial sector through innovation in digital and electronic currencies, online finance and investment platforms, big data, and digital payment systems among other topics.
FIN 530. Cryptocurrencies and Financial Markets
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This course covers digital currencies and related topics in the FinTech area. The course begins with studying the nature of money, legacy payment, and banking systems. The course then examines the emergence of stateless, cloud-based digital currency systems since 2009. Students will also gain insight into the functioning of decentralized assets in todays financial markets and the role of fintech assets such as cryptos in financial intermediation. Students will learn about central bank digital currencies and how they will help to improve banking by reducing the under- banked and un-banked population. The course will also emphasize the inherent risks and ethical dilemmas and regulatory compliance challenges (for example, Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer regulations) of this emerging asset class.
FIN 540. Financial Analytics
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The course introduces advanced methodological tools required for conducting finance and investment analysis research. The course aims to equip students with a working knowledge of important econometric techniques used in financial economics, such as event study, advanced time series analysis, and survival analysis. Substantial emphasis will be placed on developing programming skills in computer programs. The course emphasizes understanding and learning how to apply practitioners' econometric tools in these areas. Students will also cover the basic theory of statistical inference with linear models, general linear models, Heteroskedasticity models, time series models, analysis of variance, discriminate analysis, factor analysis, and non-parametric tests
FIN 598. Special Topics
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This course will engage students at an advanced level in the exploration of special topics that reflect the expertise of the business schools FIN faculty. It will serve as a flexible vehicle to provide a course offering of topics of current interest as well as to offer new topics before they are made into a permanent course. The course content and format vary to suit the interests and needs of the faculty and students.
FIN 698. Directed Research
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FIN 698 is administered by the Director of the financial technology program, with the support of faculty members who possess specialized expertise in their respective research fields. This Directed Research course is specifically designed for Ph.D. students aiming to expand their research skills and specialization along the lines of their dissertation research. It offers an exceptional opportunity for these students to conduct comprehensive, faculty-supervised research in various finance-related areas, thereby enhancing their grasp of advanced financial theories and their practical applications.
MIS 500. Innovating with Information Systems
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This course focuses on information technology and innovation. Topics covered are information technology and organizations, information technology and individuals (privacy, ethics, job security, job changes), information technology and information security, information technology within the organization (technology introduction, and implementation, and data analytics for competitive analysis), business process engineering and information technology between organizations (electronic data interchange and electronic commerce). This course provides the knowledge and skills to utilize existing and emerging information technology innovatively to create business opportunities.
MIS 502. Data Management for Analytics
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This course develops the skills business students need for handling data. It focuses on student skills in (1) cleaning and preparing data for analysis, (2) writing SQL queries to access and manipulate data, and (3) ethical uses of data and data privacy issues. It also covers the types of data typically found in organizations, e.g., employee, customer, product, marketing, operations, and financial data.
MIS 510. Business Application of Blockchain Tech
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This course examines the foundations of blockchain technology from multiple perspectives, including engineering, law, and economics. The course will cover blockchain technologies, distributed ledger technology, cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin), and their applications, implementation, and security concerns. Students will learn how these systems work, analyze the security and regulation issues relating to blockchain technologies and understand the impact of blockchain technologies on financial services and other industries. The student will get a detailed picture of blockchain business networks' components and structures, such as ledgers, smart contracts, consensus, certificate authorities, security, roles, transaction processes, participants, and fabrics. This course also examines the BTC ecosystem, XRP, ETH, tokens and ICOs, and CBDC. Students will also explore the history, current environment, and near-term outlook of financial innovation (FinTech), focusing on applications of Blockchain technology. Students will learn to formulate an accurate image and a deep practical understanding of the capabilities and limitations of various blockchain techniques. Students will also gain hands-on experience creating a simple Blockchain contract and will be able to converse on a practical basis about what Blockchain can and cannot do.
MIS 520. Artificial Intelligence and its Ethical Applications in Business
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This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the recent developments in AI, with a focus on their current and potential practical applications in business. The course covers fundamental AI concepts such as search methods, logic, knowledge representation, and natural language processing in sufficient detail to understand how these concepts and associated tools can be applied to solve practical business problems in ways that create fair and ethical solutions. Students will learn about bias in data, algorithms, and human decision making, and methods of avoiding the transfer of those biases to AI-based solutions. They will gain practical experience though a project about the opportunities of AI-based solutions to assist with making decisions and predictions and transforming business and work, as well as the challenges of doing so in a fair and ethical manner that benefits individuals, the environment, and society at large.
MIS 571. Database Applications Design and Development
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This course introduces students to the theory and practice of computer-based data management, including the delivery of high quality data in information processing and analysis. The course focuses on the design of database systems to meet an organizations needs for data analytics. The course also covers data security, data integrity, data quality, as well as backup and recovery procedures. Students will be exposed to commercially available database management systems, such as Microsoft Access and Oracle. As a project during the course, students will design and implement a small database application that meets the data needs of some real-world business opportunity. The project report will include recommendations for ensuring data security, data integrity, and data quality.
MIS 573. System Design and Development
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This course introduces students to the concepts and principles of systems analysis and design. It covers all aspects of the systems development life cycle from project identification through project planning and management, requirements identification and specification, process and data modeling, system architecture and security, interface design, and implementation and change management. Object-oriented analysis techniques are introduced. Students will learn to use an upper level CASE (computer-aided software engineering) tool, which will be employed in completing a real-world systems analysis and design project.
MIS 576. Project Management
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This course presents the specific concepts, techniques and tools for managing projects effectively. The role of the project manager as team leader is examined, together with important techniques for controlling cost, schedules and performance parameters. Lectures, case studies and projects are combined to develop skills needed by project managers in todays environment.
MIS 581. Policy and Strategy for Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Analytics
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This course focuses on the core IT capabilities that IT executives and managers must consider when creating strategy and policy for the deployment and use of information technologies, AI tools and techniques, and data within an organization. Those IT capabilities include both operational uses of such technologies, tools, and data, as well as strategic decision making for deploying advanced AI and Analytics capabilities. The expanding role of IT executives to encompass AI and Analytics capabilities as well as the fast-paced changes in technology require IT executives and managers to quickly understand, adapt, and apply technology that can provide value to organizations. Successful organizations are those that can react quickly by introducing innovative technologies and respond to market demands using data driven solutions produced by the ethical use of AI and Analytics models and tools. Students will learn how IT managers engage data and AI tools ethically to develop and enhance their departments strategies.
MIS 582. Information Security Management
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This course introduces students to the fundamentals of Information Security Management. It is designed to develop in students an understanding of and appreciation for the importance of information security to all enterprises, and to enable current and future managers to understand the important role that they must play in securing the enterprise. This course is appropriate for any student interested in gaining a managerial-level understanding of information security. A combination of readings, lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and discussion of real world events will be used to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The course will primarily explore the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) of information security, along with other related topics. It will also explore the interaction between People, Process and Technology as the cornerstone of any effective information security program. Upon completion of this course, the student will have an in-depth understanding of the essential components of a comprehensive information security program, as well as an understanding of the technology at work behind the scenes.
MIS 583. User Experience Applications
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The UX Applications course provides an introduction to using UX methods to study user experience. The course teaches students how to use the newest research tools, including eye tracking and emotion detection, to study user experiences of technological products and services. Students will learn how businesses can benefit from these techniques. Both theoretical concepts and practical skills will be addressed within the scope of the class through hands-on projects, class exercises, and assignments.
MIS 584. Business Intelligence
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This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to design, develop, and use business dashboards for monitoring organizational performance and making data-driven decisions. On the technical side, students will learn and apply business intelligence software to organize, represent, and analyze data about customers, products, sales, marketing, operations, and financials. They will learn to create strategic, operational, and analytical dashboards displaying key performance indicators (KPIs) for managerial decision-making. On the business side, students will learn the connections between business strategy and plans, the KPIs that measure performance compared to those plans, and how to use dashboards to manage organizational performance. Students will also learn the technical and managerial challenges of creating and deploying these business intelligence best practices so that organizations gain value from their data. The course includes business cases and hands-on analyses of business data. It is designed for any student interested in learning about data-driven business performance management, including students whose primary focus is Business Management, Data Science, IT, Marketing, or Operations.
MIS 585. User Experience Design
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Creating value through designing positive user experiences is increasingly important for staying competitive in the marketplace. This course covers best practices for designing innovative user-centered product and service experiences that resonate with users. Through a series of hands-on projects, students will develop practical skills in showcasing the inherent value of their user-centered designs to stakeholders. Emphasis will be placed on constructing portfolios that effectively demonstrate the value of their designs and translate their design outcomes into tangible business results.
MIS 586. User Experience Methods
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In todays digital economy, understanding how people use and experience technology is crucial to designing successful technological products and services. This course covers the methodologies and tools for conducting research in the User Experience (UX) field. The course covers both qualitative and quantitative methods for conducting UX research in academia and industry, including surveys, persona development, customer journey maps, and other industry-standard tools for studying user experience. Both cutting-edge theoretical concepts and proven practical skills will be addressed within the scope of the class through hands-on projects, class exercises, and assignments.
MIS 587. Business Applications in Machine Learning
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This course explores how Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is applied to solve business problems, to satisfy specific business needs, or to discover new opportunities for businesses. Applications of ML and AI are constantly evolving across many industries. This course utilizes existing AutoML solutions to address issues identified in business case studies (e.g. predicting hospital readmissions, loans likely to default, customer churn). The course covers the machine learning project life cycle starting with defining ML project objectives, acquiring and exploring data, modeling using AutoML tools, interpretation of models and communication of outcomes, and implementation and deployment of predictive models in organizations.
MIS 598. Special Topics
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This course will engage students at an advanced level in the exploration of special topics that reflect the expertise of the business schools MIS faculty. It will serve as a flexible vehicle to provide a course offering of topics of current interest as well as to offer new topics before they are made into a permanent course. The course content and format vary to suit the interests and needs of the faculty and students.
MKT 500. Marketing Strategy
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This course enables students to draw insights from data to formulate effective marketing strategies that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. Students will learn to (1) identify and understand consumers value needs (marketing research and consumer behavior), (2) create an attractive value proposition (product and pricing strategies and tactics), and (3) communicate and deliver this value proposition (promotion and distribution strategies and tactics). Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to develop and execute an effective data-driven marketing plan to achieve an organizations financial and marketing goals. Experiential learning techniques will be used to impart this knowledge and develop these skills.
MKT 561. Consumer Behavior and Analytics
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We are living in a data-driven world. Everything we do from getting our news in the morning, to buying goods, and searching for information leaves trails of data across the Internet. Consumers have changed and companies need to find new ways to engage with consumers in order to stay profitable and relevant. As a working professional, you will be tasked to use data to make business decisions and develop strategy that create value for consumers and your organization. This course will introduce traditional theories of consumer behavior and then take you on a beginning journey through the dynamic practices of how to use consumer data and analytics in the digital age. Topics covered include consumer behavior theory, an examination of attitude formation and value creation, the challenges of consumer protection, market research, and the influence of technology on consumer decision making.
MKT 562. Marketing Research
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This course is designed to equip students with research methods and tools that are used for marketing decision making. Students will learn to conduct, use, apply, interpret, and present marketing research in order to become effective decision makers. The topics covered in this course include problem formulation, research design, data collection methods, data analysis, and finally presentation of a research plan. This course will be an activity-based course involving design, implementation, and presentation of a marketing research plan. Basic knowledge of marketing and statistical concepts is assumed.
MKT 565. Digital and Social Media Marketing
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The rapid evolution of technology has led to increasingly well-informed buyers who are connected, communicative, and more in control than ever. This course discusses digital technologies and their impact on the marketing mix, branding, communication strategies, and distribution channels. Emphasis is placed on contemporary topics that face todays marketing managers with a focus on how social media can be employed to build brands, conduct business, support causes, rally the masses, and create and maintain customer relationships. Students who have previously taken MKT 565 (Digital Marketing) or MKT 598 (Special Topics: Social Media Marketing) cannot earn credit for taking MKT 565 (Digital and Social Media Marketing).
MKT 568. Marketing Analytics
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Data is at the heart of this new era of marketing. The goal of this course is to provide the skills needed to make intelligent use of marketing data about customers, competitors, and the industry. The focus will be on the application of analytics techniques to enhance marketing making in organizations. The course blends the art and science of marketing and prepares students to generate marketing insights from data in areas such as segmentation, targeting, positioning, product choice, customer satisfaction, and customer lifetime value analysis. This will be a hands-on course, in which students apply the concepts and techniques studied in class to actual business situations.
MKT 569. Product Management
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A successful product management process involves vision, strategy, and product development and integrating these with an effective go-to-market strategy. In this project-based course, students will develop knowledge of product management concepts and frameworks, learn to work with product management tools, and build the skills necessary to become effective product managers.
MKT 598. Special Topics
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This course will engage students at an advanced level in the exploration of special topics that reflect the expertise of the business schools MKT faculty. It will serve as a flexible vehicle to provide a course offering of topics of current interest as well as to offer new topics before they are made into a permanent course. The course content and format vary to suit the interests and needs of the faculty and students.
OBC 505. Teaming and Organizing for Innovation
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How do we navigate complex human systems in organizations? How do we foster innovation within organizations? In this course, we explore the paradoxes, opportunities, and hidden systemic challenges that arise on teams and projects, and in working across networks and within innovative organizations. Students will learn to more deftly manage the inherent challenges and opportunities of cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams; work through or avoid dysfunctional team and organizational conflicts; wrestle with ambiguity and uncertainty; negotiate change by learning to work with networks of power and influence; and analyze the individual, group, organizational and contextual dynamics that enable and constrain productive and innovative work in organizations. (Students cannot get credit for OBC 505 and OBC 500)
OBC 506. Leadership
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How do we mobilize our own and others energy toward developing sustainable outcomes and meaningful changewhen the path ahead is unclear, when our business environment is rapidly changing, when we do not have full authority over those involved? This course embraces a human-centered design approach to leading others with integrity, empathy, and curiositywith a specific focus on the unique challenges and opportunities of working within project-based networks and Industry 4.0/STEM contexts. Students will build their capacity to navigate complex human and technical systems as they work in teams to develop and pilot a solution to a real-life organizational or social problem.
OBC 533. Negotiations
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This course focuses on improving the student1 s understanding of the negotiation process and effectiveness as a negotiator. Emphasizes issues related to negotiating within and on behalf of organizations, the role of third parties, the sources of power within negotiation, and the impact of gender, culture and other differences. Conducted in workshop format, combining theory and practice.
OBC 535. Managing Creativity in Knowledge Intensive Organizations
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This course considers creativity in its broadest sense from designing new products and processes to creating our own role and identity as managers and leaders in knowledge-intensive organizations. In this course we will look actively at our own creative process and how we might more fully realize our creative potential. At the same time we will build a conceptual understanding of creating, creativity, and knowledge based in the philosophic, academic, and practitioner literatures. We will critically apply this conceptual understanding to organizational examples of managing creativity in support of practical action.
OBC 536. Organizational Design
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A key role for organizational leaders is to design their organization to achieve their desired results. This course applies design thinking and methods to the practical problems of designing various sized organizations for optimal results in a complex environment. This is based on a foundation of organizational theory, design methodology, and organizational strategy.
OBC 537. Leading Change
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This course focuses on the role of leadership in the design and implementation of organizational change. Topics include visioning, communication, social influence, power, resiliency, and resistance to change. Teaching methods include classroom discussion of readings and cases, simulations, and experiential exercises.
OBC 538. Developing Managerial Talent
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Assessing and developing managerial talent in yourself and others is a key to professional success and can be a source of organizational competitive advantage. This course addresses the Globalizing World and You, and provides students access to the frameworks, tools, and practice necessary to engage in thoughtful self-assessment, constructive feedback acquisition and interpretation, and strategic development planning for themselves as well as for others on their teams and in their organizations. The goals of this course are: a) to help students assess their own managerial abilities, b) to develop plans for securing new knowledge, skills and abilities that will help them in their careers, c) to set goals and agendas for their own development and d) to consider ways to translate this development process to others.
OBC 598. Special Topics
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This course will engage students at an advanced level in the exploration of special topics that reflect the expertise of the business schools OBC faculty. It will serve as a flexible vehicle to provide a course offering of topics of current interest as well as to offer new topics before they are made into a permanent course. The course content and format vary to suit the interests and needs of the faculty and students.