MBA in Sustainable Business
Courses
MGT 402 Managing for Sustainability: Maximizing the Intelligent Use of the Environment by Focusing on Environmental and Resource Policy
Ideal for both Management and Sustainable Living students, this course shows how creating an environmentally sustainable operation can provide opportunities for increasing profits. Using case studies, students learn how to apply the core principles of sustainability in agriculture, business, manufacturing, government and other activities, so that it is both profitable and beneficial to the environment. The course is project-based and covers sustainability in all areas of society from both local and global perspectives. The role of ISO 14001, responsible investing, and environmental advocacy organizations, in the transition to sustainable living, will be made clear. Students will interact with city and industry leaders and managers to create budget and return-on-investment projections for transformation to sustainable practices. (4 credits) Prerequisite: STC 108/109
MGT 404 Managerial Accounting: Creating Self-Referral Feedback Mechanisms to Provide Data for Informed Decision-Making
This course provides analytic tools and techniques to assist management in planning, decision-making, and control. Topics include cost-volume-profit analysis, manufacturing costs, job order and process costing, standard costing and variance analysis, variable and full costing, fixed and flexible budgets, responsibility accounting, direct and absorption costing, and the behavioral implications of management accounting systems. (4 credits) Prerequisites: MGT 315 or MGT 426 and MGT 314
MGT 425 Marketing Management: Creating a Positive Influence to Attract, Satisfy, and Retain Customers
Marketing is the process of creating exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives. Topics include consumer behavior, market research, market segmentation, competitive positioning and strategy, advertising, pricing, distribution and channel management, selling techniques and sales force management, and new product development. Students conduct an industry analysis and write the marketing section for their business plan. (4 credits) Prerequisites: MGT 200, MGT 314 and WTG 192
MGT 428 Business Law and Ethics: Learning to Act in Accord with Natural and National Law— Supporting Business Interactions through Contracts, Torts, and Agency Law
Law is a tool of progress. It creates the legal form of the business and enables business people to communicate clearly. It facilitates their commercial relationships and averts problems before they arise. Familiarity with business law and the natural laws upon which it is based promotes success for the individual and society. Topics include contracts, torts, agency, bankruptcy, secured transactions and property (real, personal, and intellectual property.) Students learn to select the most appropriate form of organization for their business and draft simple contracts. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MGT 200
MGT 429 Human Resource Management: Designing Systems to Attract, Retain, Motivate, and Nurture the Organization’s Most Precious Resource
People are an organization’s most important asset. Success comes from organizing and managing people to produce the products and services that customers value. This survey course exposes students to the full array of human resource functions: human resource planning, recruitment and selection, training, performance management, compensation, unions, and upholding employer/employee rights and responsibilities. The students become familiar with the role of human resource department staff in designing human resource systems, as well as the critical role line managers and supervisors play in using these systems effectively to attract, retain, and motivate employees. Students also design a comprehensive human resource section for their business plan. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MGT 200
MGT 430 Financial Management: Intelligently Directing the Flow of Funds to Achieve the Organization’s Strategic Goals
Financial management provides an intelligent direction to the flow of funds for maximizing firm value. This course introduces techniques and concepts necessary to effectively manage the financial resources of any organization in order to achieve strategic goals. Topics include the time value of money, stock and bond valuation, risk and return, capital investment decisions, analysis of financial statements, financial forecasting, working capital management, the investment banking process, and the sources of funding for a business. Students will develop capital requirements, plan the raising of capital, and develop a cash flow design for their business plan project. (4 credits) Prerequisites: MATH 153, MGT 315
MGT 432 Entrepreneurship Project: Integrating the Principles of Management to Start a Sustainable Business
This capstone course enables entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs to dynamically integrate the knowledge of the Entrepreneurship Module in the creation of their business plan to manifest their intention. Students evaluate sample business plans, review and give feedback on classmates’ business plans, and revise and present their own business plan to faculty and mentors. (4 credits) Prerequisites: MGT 200, MGT 404, MGT 425, MGT 430, and WTG 192
MGT 482 Management and Organization: Expanded Consciousness Is the Basis of Ideal Behavior at the Individual, Team, and Organizational Levels
An understanding of the principles of human behavior at the individual, interpersonal, group, and organizational levels of analysis is critical to successful planning, organizing, and implementation by any manager. This course explores the dynamics of individual and group achievement from the perspectives of both skills and theory. Topics include general management theory, leadership, delegation and coordination, planning and problem solving, organizational structure, and organizational change. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MGT 200
MGT 502 Sustainable Continuous Improvement I: Business Activity in Accord with Nature’s Law of Least Action
This course covers the theory and practice of performance improvement in both large and small organizations in the manufacturing and service sectors so that they operate in accordance with all the laws of nature. The focus will be on using lean thinking to transform every activity in an organization towards sustainable operations. Students will explore how to extend the principles, rules and tools of lean thinking to achieve sustainability along with the improvement in quality, reduction of costs, and maintenance of customer delight. The course uses a combination of interactive classroom instruction and project-based learning. Students learn how to align operations along the value stream in any organization, how to improve efficiency, enliven creativity, and so achieve real sustainability. They will understand how to structure ongoing incremental improvement so that performance improvement becomes part of the shift to sustainability. (4 credits) Prerequisites: MGT 427, MGT 524, and MGT 567.
MGT 517 Data Analysis for Managers: Harnessing nature’s organizing power by using computer technology to support decision-making
The tools of managerial data analysis enable managers to transform raw data into useful knowledge of business performance in every functional area of business by identifying meaningful patterns and relationships in business data. Increased knowledge of business processes provides a foundation for improved business decision-making and enhanced business performance. Topics include: principles of statistical thinking for management; numerical and graphical tools for describing and analyzing business data; applications of probability and probability distributions; hypothesis testing for business decision-making; applied multiple regression for analyzing business performance and operations through case studies using real data. (2–4 credits) Prerequisite: MATH 153 or MATH 170
MGT 518 Operations Management for Sustainable Business: Managing an Organization’s Inputs, Transformations, and Outputs to Structure Automation in Administration
Operations management is concerned with the process of transforming inputs into higher-value outputs with maximum efficiency. Topics include process design; quality management and control; lean production; supplier certification; capacity planning, facilities, and scheduling; and inventory management including materials requirements planning. Students research facility and personnel requirements, along with production and delivery plans including milestone dates for their business plan. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MATH 153, MGT 404
MGT 531 Sustainable Technologies: Manifesting the Channels of Wholeness
Students explore the rapidly growing field of emerging technologies for renewable energy, transportation, construction, and waste treatment—in order to select one that they will go deeply into during their capstone project. (4 credits)
MGT 5311 Seminar in Sustainable Business: Source, Course, and Goal of Knowledge
This course is one of the capstone options for the Sustainable Business specialization. Students read on a subject of their choice under the guidance of the professor and present the results of their research orally to the class in stages during the course and in a final written report to the professor. (4 credits)
MGT 567 Managing for World-Class Quality: Improving Quality and Performance through Improving the Quality of Brain Functioning of Every Manager
In this course students learn key principles and concepts that underlie contemporary management approaches to analyzing business processes, improving business performance and quality, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty, and promoting sustainable continuous improvement. These approaches include the “Lean Enterprise” approach developed by Toyota and the Six Sigma system for reducing defects and improving business performance. Best practices by world-class companies will be examined through readings and case studies. Applications to environmental management and sustainability will be emphasized. Topics include: the contribution of Deming, Juran, and other quality management pioneers; building customer satisfaction and loyalty through improved quality and performance; human resource management in world-class companies; process management and analysis; tools for business process improvement; best practices in managing for sustainability; building and sustaining organizations committed to world-class quality and performance. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MGT 518
MGT 5681 Socially Responsible Investing: Guiding Resources Toward Sustainable Business
Socially responsible investing screens companies according to their industry and operational practices, looking for the businesses that will be sustainable in the long run. This introductory course reviews the basics of investment analysis, examines the philosophy that money is colored by how it is earned, and reviews the practices and performance of socially responsible investment funds. (2–4 credits) Prerequisite: MGT 430
MGT 580 Sustainable Continuous Improvement II: Business Activity in Accord with Nature’s Law of Least Action
Students will learn the practical and managerial skills for implementing sustainability through value based process improvement in both large and small organizations. The course is based around implementing Lean Thinking in real world situations. Students will act as junior consultants under the guidance of experienced faculty. They will learn to define value from the perspective of all the stakeholders, how to map value streams, identify waste, and facilitate Kaizen-based process improvement events. They will assist with all aspects of policy deployment, which ensures that the ongoing process improvement reflects strategic business objectives while shifting the organization towards full sustainability. (4 credits) Prerequisite: MGT 502
MGT 5941 Business Process Modeling: Smoothing the Flow of Consciousness
In this course, business analysts learn how to effectively communicate with IT professionals who are developing data solutions for management. This course is ideal for non-technical business analysts and management accountants. Through the knowledge of UML Business Analysis, students learn how to combine business knowledge, financial processes, policies and rules to support the IT team. (2 credits)
MGT 5942 Business Process Modeling Project: Smoothing the Flow of Consciousness
In this course, students apply the knowledge of business process modeling to a practical problem. They will successfully impart the business and financial reality of an organization to IT experts. They will produce precise, comprehensive, standardized text and diagrams that are easy to understand and that tie together business and financial realities. Students learn how to create the path of least resistance in communication by utilizing the flow of consciousness. (2–4 credits)
The content of this page was reviewed in January 2010.
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