MBA Courses
Note: the courses on this page reflect Summer Term 2008 offerings.
Please check back on December 15 for a list of courses available during Summer Term 2009.
Graduate School of Management
Candidates for the MBA at Boston University are given first consideration
for enrollment in the courses offered by the Graduate School of Management.
Students currently matriculated as candidates for other graduate degrees offered
by Boston University (except Metropolitan College), visiting MBA students from
other AACSB accredited institutions, and MBA alumni from GSM or another AACSB
accredited institution may be granted permission to enroll on a space available
basis, provided that they meet criteria established by the School of Management
for registration as "cross enrolled students" and the student fills
out the appropriate "cross enrollment application." All students
must meet the prerequisites established for enrollment in advanced courses.
REQUIRED COURSES
Cohorted Professional Evening MBA (PEMBA) students take required courses with
their cohort groups. Self-paced PEMBA students should take required courses
in the following order:
GSM OB 712 Managing Organizations and People*
GSM AC 711 Financial Reporting and Control
GSM MK 724 Marketing Management*
GSM FE 722 Financial Management
GSM FE 730 Economics and Management Decisions
GSM IS 711 IT Strategies for a Networked Economy*
GSM OM 726 Creating Value through Operations and Technology
GSM QM 717 Data Analysis for Managerial Decision-Making
GSM SP 751 Competition, Innovation, and Strategy
*Not offered in Summer 2008
GSM AC 814 Financial Statement Analysis & Investor
Decisions
Prereq: GSM CD 710 or OB 710/711 or OB 712/713, AC 710/711, QM 716/717,
MK 723/724, FE 721/722. This course is designed to develop skills in interpreting
and analyzing the financial reports prepared by firms for investors and creditors.
The following topics are covered: 1) analyzing profitability and risk, (2)
understanding
the major accounting choices affecting financial statements and managerial
incentives that influence these choices, (3) assessing the quality of earnings,
(4) using
cash-flow based and earnings-based valuation models. The course also includes
a brief review of some important accounting principles, emphasizing areas
that
were not covered in AC710. [Lectures, exercises, exams, and project.] 3 or
4 cr.
Top
GSM AC 841 Advanced Accounting
Prereq: GSM AC 710/711, AC 847 and AC 848 (or concurrently). Examines accounting principles
and practices related to business combinations and foreign operations (accounting
for mergers and acquisitions, constructing consolidated financial statements,
recording foreign currency transactions and hedging exchange risk, translating
foreign subsidiaries' local currency financial statements), business segments,
reporting for local governments, and the impact of the SEC and international
standards on financial reporting. Meets with SMG AC 541. This class follows
the University's Summer Term Schedule. 3 or 4 cr.
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GSM AC 865 Auditing Issues & Problems
Prereq: GSM AC 710/711 and AC 847. Introduces the basic concepts underlying
auditing and assurance services (including materiality, audit risk, and evidence)
and demonstrates how to apply those concepts to audit and assurance services
through financial statement audits. Meets with SMG AC 565. This class follows
the University's Summer Term Schedule. 3 or 4 cr.
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GSM ES 700 Executive Presentation
A presenter's delivery skills impact the audience's image of the presenter
and the clarity of the message being communicated. A combination of lecture,
discussion, and hands-on practice and simulation, this course is designed to
help you exercise leadership through verbal communication. 1 cr.
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GSM ES 701 Executive Written Communication
This course is a combination of lecture, discussion, and hands-on practice.
It is designed to help you exercise leadership through writing and understand
how strategies of written communication are an essential aspect of effective
management, working relationships in the network era, and overall business strategy.
1 cr.
Top
GSM ES 711 Career Coaching
Prereq: GSM OB 712/713. For students who want to advance within their
current organization or field, this course provides intensive career coaching
to support the
student in moving along to the next career stage. A combination of professional
career coaching and peer coaching are employed. The goal is to help students
set career goals and develop a strategy to reach them. 1 cr.
Top
GSM ES 713 Managing Career Transitions
For students who are looking for a career change, this course will help
to assess where students are in their career and what their goals are for the
MBA program and beyond. They will do a basic self-assessment: interests, values,
and skills. Through networking and other resources, students will do external
exploration on the range of career opportunities available and specific areas
of work which they might want to pursue. From this they will set career goals
and develop an action plan. 1 cr.
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GSM ES 715 Developing Your Career Network
This course helps students improve their networking skills and
learn to be more strategic about the selection and deployment of their networks.
The focus is not only on the recruiting process, but also how they can develop
and maintain their professional networks throughout their careers. 1 cr.
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GSM ES 717 Creating Your Career Marketing Plan
Here the student will learn about a professional portfolio as a way
of improving his or her personal brand and marketability. The professional
portfolio is the totality of the competencies, experiences, education, and
professional identity that a person offers a potential employer. In this course,
the student
will design and construct his or her unique web-based and/or physical representation
of their professional portfolio. 1 cr.
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GSM FE 722 Financial Management
Prereq: GSM AC 710/711 (or concurrently), OB 712/713. Financial
Management examines three sets of problems: 1) saving and investment decisions
by households,
2) investment and financing decisions by corporations,
and 3) the role of securities markets and financial intermediaries in the economy.
Decisions today affect the timing of and uncertainty about future flows of
income; both timing and risk determine the current value of those future flows.
This course develops the tools required to analyze these decisions and their
interaction within the financial system. 4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 730 Economics and Management Decisions
Prereq: GSM OB 712/713 (QM 717 recommended). The aim of the
course is to present many of the decision problems managers face and to present
the economic analysis they need to guide these decisions. In the first half of
the course, microeconomic tools are used to structure complicated decision problems
about production, pricing, investment, and other strategic issues, address uncertainty
through probabilistic forecasts and sequential decisions. An additional goal
is to distinguish different market structures and apply competitive strategies
using game theory. In the second half, the focus shifts to the study of the national
and global economic environments within which companies operate. We identify
the drivers of fluctuations in GDP, inflation, interest and exchange rates, and
other key features of the economies. Since governments play key roles in determining
the fate of economies and companies, the final theme is the rationale for and
efficacy of government policy tools. 4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 820 Corporate Financial Management
Prereq: GSM FE 721/722. This course provides an in-depth analysis
of financial considerations relating to corporate growth. It addresses the
setting
of financial or corporate goals in terms of maximizing shareholders' equity
and relationships among dividend policy, debt levels, capital costs, return
on investments, and growth. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 822 Fixed Income Markets
Prereq: GSM FE 721/722. This is a course primarily on fixed-income
debt securities and markets. Emphasis is placed on the factors that determine
bond
yields, factors such as the coupon and maturity structure, liquidity, credit
risk, and tax status of the security, and on measures of return and risk,
statistics
such as the yield to maturity, horizon yield, duration, and convexity. We will
cover government debt (Treasuries and municipals), corporate bonds (investment-grade
and high-yield), agency (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and mortgage-backed debt
created via securitization (i.e., collateralized mortgage obligations). We
will
emphasize how interest rate and credit derivatives are used to manage portfolios
of fixed-income securities. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM FE 823 Investments
Prereq: GSM FE 721/722. This course looks at speculative markets,
including organized security markets and exchanges; definitions of securities;
relevant
tax law and sources of investment information; principles of stock and bond
valuation; and security price behavior. Also discussed in this course are
problems
and models associated with portfolio analysis and management. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM IM 845 Asian Field Seminar
How do we prepare for the emerging opportunities and challenges that
China’s economic development and Asia’s growing presence continue
to create? This two-week seminar through six cities in China and Korea provides
future global business leaders with an opportunity to contemplate answers to
the above question. We visit companies (both multinational and local) competing
in this dynamic market, meet governmental officials to hear about policies and
implications, learn from local MBA professors about what they see our strengths
and weaknesses are, participate in real market activities, and develop a global
network of knowledge with local MBA students and BU alumni in the region. Through
this process, students will deepen their understanding of the unique nature of
opportunities and challenges in the region, become more comfortable with the
myriads of cultural and communicational details, and explore professional opportunities
located in the region. Permission required. Application available in the SMG
Graduate Programs Office, Room 104. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM IM 851 European Field Seminar
Prereq: GSM CD710 or OB 710/711 or OB 712/713, AC 710/711, FE 721/722,
MK 723/724, QM 716/717, FE 727/730. The European Field Seminar gives students
an appreciation
of "competing in Europe." The European competitive landscape is changing
rapidly. Three Boston-based class sessions introduce students to topics such
as the history of the European Union, European Community Law, Member States,
European Monetary Union and Competition Policy. During a two-week period, the
class visits a variety of organizations in Europe to learn about relevant
competition
issues; students experience first-hand how firms are dealing with them (or
should be dealing with them). The wide variety of sectors covered appeals
to broad
segments of the MBA population. Permission required. Application available
in the SMG Graduate Programs Office, Room 104. 3 or 4 cr. per
credit
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GSM IM 852 Global Social Enterprise Field Seminar — Brazil
Prereq: GSM CD 710 or OB 710/711 or OB 712, AC 710, QM 716, FE 727.
This intensive ten-day seminar provides students with a broad understanding
of the ways
in which business strategies can create value at the base of the economic pyramid.
Students gain first hand experience of how businesses, NGOs (non-governmental
organizations) and government are using models of social enterprise to address
social and economic issues in the fields of health, education and the environment
in the context of an emerging market, in this case, Brazil. This study
program includes extensive site visits throughout the country to social
enterprises, multi-national firms, NGO ventures, and government organizations.
Students also hear from a wide variety of Latin American specialists in
topic areas. A broad range of topics is covered including: renewable energy,
sustainable development, eco-tourism, new models for providing health and education
services to underserved populations, social enterprise, micro-enterprise, corporate
social responsibility, and public/private partnerships. The course consists
of three pre-departure sessions focused on social enterprise, corporate social
responsibility and emerging markets. Students are also expected to select an
individual research track of interest for the duration of the seminar. Permission
required. Application available in the SMG Graduate Programs Office, Room 104.
3 or
4 cr.
Top
GSM MK 855 Internet Marketing
Prereq: GSM MK 723/724. This course explores the influence of the
Internet, the world wide web, and the digital world on marketing. The important
topics covered in the course include business-to-consumer, business-to-business,
business models, agents, trust, advocacy, customization, technology, branding,
privacy, the shopping experience, bricks-and-mortar and web coordination, and
venture capital. Given the fast pace of e-commerce, this list is subject to
change. Course activities include readings, class discussions, guest speakers,
engaging the world wide web, and team projects. 3
or 4 cr.
Top
GSM MK 864 Pricing Strategy and Tactics
Prereq: GSM MK 723/724. This course focuses on the practical needs
of the marketing manager making pricing decisions. Students learn the techniques
of strategic analysis necessary to price more profitably by evaluating the
price sensitivity of buyers, determining relevant costs, anticipating and influencing
competitors' pricing and formulating an appropriate pricing strategy. 3 or
4 cr. per credit
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GSM OB 848 Leadership
Prereq: GSM CD 710 or OB 710/711 or OB 712/713. This course examines
the essence of leadership; its relationship to managing; and the behaviors,
attitudes and perspectives that distinguish leaders. Leadership is considered
in a variety of ways: leadership in crises, at the top, in the middle, and
in groups. Case studies, students' past experiences, instruments, and other
learning activities provide opportunities for students to assess and develop
their leadership talents. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM OB 860 Managerial Decision-Making
Prereq: GSM CD 710 or OB 710/711 or OB 712/713. This course examines
theoretical and practical aspects of decision-making. Using a combination
of
cases, exercises, and psychological and behavioral instruments, students
learn to understand and manage decision making from various perspectives. An
emphasis is placed on strategic decisions and crisis decisions in a wide variety
of circumstances, including business decisions, personal decisions,
and managerial decisions made during several different types of events. There
is a detailed analysis of managerial decisions made during the Cuban Missile
Crisis. Decisions are analyzed using several models, including rational
choice, game theory, organizational and communications structure, context analysis,
cognitive mapping, and several psychologically based theories. 3 or 4 cr.
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GSM OM 726 Creating Value Through Operations and Technology
Prereq: GSM OB 712/713, AC 710/711, QM 716/717,
MK 723/724, FE 721/722. This MBA core course is case-oriented and focuses
on topics
of use to managers in any environment: process analysis, process improvement,
supply chain management, and strategic operations decision-making. The course
emphasizes the importance of effectiveness and efficiency and evaluates the
potential trade-offs between them. 4 cr.
Top
GSM OM 855 Project Management
MSMBA students must take GSM OM 855 or IS 885 to fulfill their
requirement. Projects are increasingly the way that work gets done in companies
of all types and sizes. In this course you will learn the strategic dimensions
of project management, including critical aspects of project selection, definition,
planning, execution, and monitoring. Concepts and approaches for dealing with
complexity, uncertainty, vague mandates, temporary staff, partners, stakeholders,
dynamic risk, and time-critical deadlines are emphasized. Cases and readings
cover a wide range of industry and organizational contexts. This course requires
that students apply these topics and considerations to a real project of their
choice either by analysis of publicly available information or direct field
study. 3 or 4 cr.
Top
GSM QM 717 Data Analysis for Managerial Decision-Making
Prereq: GSM OB 712/713. Managers deal
with a large amount of information in quantitative form. Effective managers
must understand the conditions under which quantitative techniques may be appropriately
applied for decision-making. In this course, students develop skills in using
the computer to examine and report data. The focus is on deriving meaning from
particular data sets, and the use of statistical estimation, hypothesis testing,
and regression/correlation analysis in decision-making. 4 cr.
Top
GSM SP 700 Current Topics in Law and Ethics
This course surveys contemporary issues in selected areas of law
and ethics. We introduce pivotal areas of law, so that students begin
to
anticipate legal problems, analyze how to avoid them, and realize how legal
principles can be employed to add value in their chosen fields. The subjects
are torts, contracts, employment law, securities regulation and corporate governance.
We expect that this overview of a few disciplines will encourage students
to
explore other legal topics relevant to their business interests. We also
offer an analytic structure that enables students to identify ethical issues
in business, analyze options, and make choices consistent with their own values.
2 cr.
Top
GSM SP 751 Competition, Innovation, and Strategy
Prereq: GSM AC 710/711, MK 723/724, OB 712/713, OM 725/726. "Competition,
Innovation, and Strategy" is an integrative course designed to capitalize
on your understanding of finance, operations management, marketing, and other
functional issues.
The
course draws on a number of academic disciplines, especially economics, organization
theory, and sociology, to build a fundamental understanding of how and why
some
firms achieve and sustain superior performance. We also study why some firms
persistently generate returns that are lower than average. The course is
analytically
focused and requires that you evaluate both the external environment and the
internal capabilities of organizations. Corporate diversification and global
management are important topics that are also featured. GSM students only.
4 cr.
Top
GSM SP 861 Emerging Issues in Business Law
This course introduces graduate business students to fundamentals
of legal analysis by focusing on timely legal problems of particular interest
to business. Students develop familiarity with substantive legal principles
and leave the course with the ability to recognize legal issues, discuss them
intelligently, and understand why the lawyers seem incapable of giving a simple
answer. The course uses lectures to provide a common foundation of knowledge.
It is primarily discussion based, using a question and answer format to engage
students in the process of legal analysis. Students interested in learning
more about the course are welcome to contact Kabrina Chang at kkchang@bu.edu or
at 617-353-4154. 3 or 4 cr.
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