Leadership and Management Studies (LRMS1-UC)

A comprehensive overview of personnel administration: the ability to handle the problems that affect personnel relationships. Topics covered are: recruitment, selection, induction, training, performance appraisals, wage problems (including evaluation), grievances, morale, safety, fringe benefits, and turnover.

This course is concerned with applied theory, strategies, operational issues and research related to conducting job analyses. Individual job description and specification development is emphasized but 'macro' concerns of organizational design are also considered. Emphasis is placed on using appropriate techniques to acquire, measure, assess, and use information gathered in the work place. The course also explores and develops consulting skills used in the HR field. Students learn to use work analysis modeling techniques to support decision-making in job and organizational design and specification, performance appraisal and development, program evaluation (e.g., training initiatives), and other HRM tasks. Specific strategies and methods are compared and critically analyzed.

This course teaches principle and analytical methods associated with the HR sub-field of 'staffing'; specifically recruitment, selection and career development. Topics include external and internal labor market analysis, application of formal job analysis to recruitment and selection techniques and decision-making, as well as principles of effective organizational and occupational career development. Included is the application of quantitative forecasting methods. Insights are drawn from industrial and organizational psychology, behavioral economics, labor economics, public relations, public policy, and employment law.

The general objective of this course is to enable a manager to respond effectively and comprehensively to the demands of IHRM. Knowledge of strategic choices in Staffing, Compensation, Performance Appraisal, and Labor Relations is developed, primarily on the basis of selected readings on these topics. Skill in diagnosing the origins of HR problems in international settings and responding effectively to it is also developed, primarily through the use of case materials. Finally, participants will demonstrate expertise in a discrete IHRM problem or issue associated with one or another of the strategic or tactical HRM tasks addressed by the course.

A discussion of the corporation's role in and relationship to society. What are the social responsibilities of business? What is the corporation's responsibility to its clients, customers, and employees? What are the ethics that act as the guiding principles and values of most organizations? The case study approach is used. Guest lecturers, at times, present specific issues and students are required to read, analyze, and write reflective responses.

This course looks at the competitive advantages associated with strategic planning, reporting, and analysis. An emphasis on the quantitative analysis aspects of financial planning, budgeting, accounting, forecasting, cost/benefit analysis, auditing, and the company financial report will help the student understand the importance of having an informed basis for organizational decision making. Both service and manufacturing industries will be studied with special attention given to understanding and interpreting statistical and financial company reports.

Analyzes the management systems of a variety of nations, including Japan, Germany, and the U.S. Students explore how variations in culture, society, and politics influence organizational and managerial dynamics.

Balancing political-economic and behavioral analysis, this course has three objectives. The first is to develop knowledge of the political-economic contexts of strategic managerial decision-making in foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade. Emphasis is placed on aggregate bilateral contexts such as the European Union vis-a-vis other regional-trade entities (e.g., NAFTA and the Southern Africa Development Union) and industry-level considerations. Second, participants will develop skills in assessing desirable institutional qualities of foreign direct investment vehicles such as international joint ventures and the negotiation of same. The third objective of the course is to develop knowledge of behavioral problems and issues associated with bicultural/intercultural organizations. In this context, participants will acquire knowledge of structural and procedural responses in selected policy-making domains and functional areas of international management.

This course provides an applied understanding of international business and trade, with an emphasis on the generation of competitive opportunities on the basis of such an understanding. Specifically, traditional economic and behavioral science understanding of such diverse topics as overseas investment, the political economy of international business, and economic behavior are presented from relatively novel (but rigorous) new perspectives - the political economy of the so-called 'global' economy and behavioral economics.

International Business is no longer the (almost) exclusive domain of large multinational corporations. Increasingly, small 'start-up' firms are having a significant impact on cross-border commerce. Reflecting this development, this course has two main goals. The first is to help student's understand the particular challenges of entrepreneurial action in international context. The second is to provide an educational vehicle for developing a draft international business plan for future use in seeking venture capital and other support. To that end, objectives include familiarization with all the classical elements of a Business Plan and development of skill in understanding the factors that venture capitalists look for in evaluating such plans. Students critically analyze entrepreneurial ventures from history and fields literature to identify causal factors in success or failure of such ventures. They learn to identify the distinctive bases of sustainable competitive advantage that are essential to the success of an entrepreneurial firm, never more crucially than in international context.

This course is an overview of supply chain management and the use of information and communication technology to create, facilitate, and strengthen relationships between business partners. Topics include broad and in-depth coverage of business-to-business (B2B) supply chain business models and technologies. In addition to readings and homework, case studies will be used to develop B2B decision-making skills for managers. New and emerging technologies related to supply chain integration are investigated.

Consumer Behavior focuses on the study of psychological, sociological, economic and other dimensions influencing consumer behavior and how these factors are used to develop marketing strategies. Students will learn how and why consumers behave by examining how they use products to define themselves and how this self-definition affects attention and perception, motivation to buy, memory for brands, product and advertising awareness, brand attitudes, product judgment and choice, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. In uncovering answers to these questions, students will develop a deep understanding of the psychological basis of consumer behavior within its self-defining context, while developing a customer analysis `toolbox? for making informed decisions about marketing strategy based on how consumers use products to create, define and enhance their self-identities.

Market and Managerial Research integrates the study of marketing research with the study of consumer behavior for the purpose of developing information that supports managerial decision-making. The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of marketing research methods employed by well-managed firms. The course is aimed at managers who are the ultimate users of the research and consultants who assist managers in their decision-making. The course will focus on helping managers recognize the role of systematic information gathering and analysis in making marketing decisions, and develop an appreciation for the potential contributions and limitations of marketing research data. The material presented in this course will be in the context of an overall information system used by management to make strategic or operational decisions.

Product Management is designed to enhance student marketing skills and understanding of specific marketing topics, as well as larger issues of brand development. Accordingly, Product Management is organized around the product and brand management decisions that must be made to build and manage brand equity. The work of the product manager is to manage product and service offerings in the marketplace for the twin purposes of maximizing customer satisfaction and product profitability. This is called managing the value exchange process. All business strategy is rooted in a concept of value exchange, whether it is explicitly formulated or implied as a pattern of business practices. Accordingly, this course will promote product management as a implementing business strategy in the marketplace.

The goal of this course is to enhance student understanding of Strategic International Marketing, and its fundamental importance and contribution to today's businesses or operations of any size. Course objectives include providing a background in international business and economics, human resources, cultural issues and interrelationships, and business decision processes in product planning, marketing, and organizational planning, structure, goals, and performance. These objectives of necessity also include development of strategic international managerial skills appropriate to strategic planning, marketing and sales policy, and implementation of the organization's goals. The increasing international and multinational nature of business activities drives the necessity to recognize the management aspects of this increasingly important field. Efforts will be made to recognize current and evolving interests and trends.

Designed to explore the role of advertising in marketing programs. The strategy and components of advertising campaigns are addressed as well as their planning, execution, and evaluation. The impact of today's changing technology on the media is discussed.

This course will be a study in multi-media advertising campaigns. Advertising campaigns include developing research, creating strategy, media-mix selection, matching product with message, execution of campaign, and evaluation of campaign effectiveness. Students will present individual and group projects culminating in formal, in-class presentations.

Examines state of the art technologies instrumental in successful advertising and public relations. The course will use both classroom and laboratory to cover emerging technologies in design. Students will develop expertise in the latest techniques associated with computer imaging, videography, lighting, sound, editing, and printing. Course will address message development/ delivery, the role of technology in speed of message, message distortion, and the new challenges demanded by these new technologies.

In this course, students will learn the laws of hiring, promotion, recruitment and discharge; anti-discrimination and harassment laws; time and leave laws; worker safety and injury compensation; immigration controls; class actions; dispute resolution; and labor relations in unionized environments. These topics are presented with readings from the text, using real-life cases and maximizing student discussion. The class will also use current legal materials to keep students up-to-date in this quickly changing field. In this course, students address the legal context of managerial decision making in the areas of hiring, promotion, recruitment and discharge; anti-discrimination and harassment laws; time and leave laws; worker safety and injury compensation; immigration controls; class action suits; dispute resolution; and labor relations in unionized environments. These topics are presented with readings from the text and case studies while maximizing student discussion. The class will also use current legal materials to keep students up-to-date in this rapidly changing field.

Independent investigation of selected topics outside the boundaries of the classroom. Its purpose is to allow students to pursue specialized interests, within the framework of the curriculum, that are not available in existing courses. Although student-directed, participants work closely with a faculty mentor who guides and evaluates their work.

Leadership and Management students may undertake an internship early in their academic career which can be 2 to 4 credits. To qualify for an LRMS internship, students should be in good standing within their program and have the approval of their advisor. Students wishing to consider an LRMS internship should submit a proposal outlining their internship which must then be approved by the Internship Coordinator. After the proposal is approved, students undertake an internship which typically entails outplacement in an organization related to the student’s interests or academic concentration. A minimum of 100 hours is required over the course of the semester. In addition to the hours at their internship, students meet regularly with the internship coordinator and other interns, maintain a weekly journal, and (required for a 4 credit internship) complete a final paper or work portfolio.

The graduation project consists of either a seminar project or an internship. The seminar allows student's to develop a project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The seminar requires regular class attendance to discuss projects and to document them, as well as individual meetings with the mentor. The projects themselves may be in one of the degrees various concentration areas. Projects must be the student's individual, original work and include the product, the technical documentation, and a learning experience essay summarizing the process and skills used. The internship provides an opportunity for students to use knowledge gained in their major combined with the knowledge provided by professionals in a variety of industry settings. Students are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours during the semester to earn four credits. (Students? full-time jobs cannot serve as internships.) In addition to hours at their placement, they meet regularly with the internship coordinator, maintain weekly logs or journals, and complete a final learning experience essay summarizing the outcome, including samples of work completed.

The graduation project consists of either a seminar project or an internship. The internship provides an opportunity for students to use knowledge gained in their major combined with the knowledge provided by professionals in a variety of industry settings. Students are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours during the semester to earn four credits. (Students' full-time jobs cannot serve as internships.) In addition to hours at their placement, they meet regularly with the internship coordinator, maintain weekly logs or journals, and complete a final learning-experience essay summarizing the outcome, including samples of work completed.