Courses Offered

This course is a study of individuals and groups and their interaction. Students examine theories of motivation, communication, leadership, power and change with practical relation to contemporary issues. They also study organizations for key design variables and reward systems aimed at improved performance and organizational efficiency through employee motivational programs, participative management and cooperative decision making.

This course builds essential foundational skills in the areas of micro and macro economic theory related to business functions and essentials of financial reporting and analysis. The focus of the course is to provide concise, yet rigorous opportunities for knowledge and skill development in these areas so that students are better prepared for graduate level coursework in business and management.

This course emphasizes the strategic role of the human resource manager in performing functions of recruitment, hiring, training, career development and other contemporary processes within the organizational setting. It serves as an introduction to the areas of compensation, collective bargaining, affirmative action and other regulatory procedures and requirements as they relate to contemporary applications in organizations.

This is a study of public and private labor relations and methods of dispute resolution that stresses labor agreement administration, grievance procedures and arbitration. It includes the examination of the history of union-management relations, bargaining and negotiation strategies. The limitations of the use of power also are studied.

This course examines the compensation and benefits functions within the organizational structure and ways they impact the management function. Topics include job analysis, surveys, wage scales, incentives, benefits, HRIS systems and pay delivery administration. Students design a compensation and benefits program as a course outcome.

This course is a study of entrepreneurship and small businesses from a management standpoint and includes the analysis of research, marketing, taxes, forms of business, capital and venture capital opportunities. Students complete a real- world project or Small Business Institute consultancy.

Students examine consulting, from defining what a consultant is to analyzing the problems and expenses involved in starting a consulting business. Topics include promotion, establishment of a client list, computers that support consulting and contracts.

Topics include research, analysis, evaluation, financing and legal requirements of existing and potential franchises. Also included are methodologies of the franchise agreement, the operating manual, the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC), and research and marketing theory and practice. Students prepare a research paper based on a real or proposed franchise. The course also examines international franchising. Background preparation: 3 credit hours in marketing and business law or the equivalent.

This course addresses the 10 management roles defined by Mintzberg and the three skill areas identified by Katz as applied to the middle management role traditionally found in organizations. Based on research and a review of the literature on Total Quality Management, Reengineering, and the Learning Organization, the course will outline and enable students to develop a new role for middle managers in a contemporary organizational setting.

This course focuses on transforming organizations by introducing Kotter's eight processes by which leaders effect change. Because organizations, leaders, and employees differ, various techniques and strategies are examined. The course integrates Kotter's processes for leading change, organizational development and transformation theory and practice, and analysis of an organization which has effected systematic change. The use of work teams as a key change factor will have special emphasis.

This course is a study of planning, budgeting, control and other management activities in the context of the not-for-profit institution.

This course combines theory and practice by encouraging students to learn traditional and contemporary leadership theories and apply them to the analysis of the behavior of business managers, entrepreneurs and other recognized individuals. This course includes readings, cases, exercises and numerous examples of effective leadership models. Areas covered include the societal evolution of leadership; the leadership roles of strategy, vision and transformational change; the development of leaders; the leadership responsibilities of creating effective teams, organizations and cultures; the exploration of different leadership styles; and current popular approaches to leadership theory.

Leadership and Ethics is a course that focuses on the ways current and emerging leaders assess the values that influence their actions. The course draws on the rich tradition of great thinkers as well as the extensive body of leadership literature to examine the critical role ethics plays in leadership. The course, conducted in seminar format, is a process course. It is only through thoughtful reading, reflections, writing, and discussion that students are able to recognize and shape the qualities they see valuable for their own leadership roles, both personally and professionally.

This course is designed to create a supportive environment where both women and men can learn about challenges and opportunities facing women in the workplace. Historically, women have had less access to leadership positions; however, over the past fifty years they have made tremendous strides to succeed in all levels of organizations. Topics will include why women matter and reasons for inequities in the workforce, the historical context of women and leadership, do men and women lead differently, work/life/family balance issues, professional skill development (networking, mentoring, negotiation, risk-taking), entrepreneurship and executive leadership, advancing societies by advancing women and strategies and tactics for women to act as change agents.

Students investigate the nature of the environments in which business enterprises conduct their operations in order to determine the actual and desirable levels of attentiveness and responsiveness of business managers to the relationship between the enterprise and society.

This is the capstone course for the M.S. in organizational leadership. Students examine contemporary issues challenging leaders of the postmodern organization. Using a case-based approach, students will examine specific issues under the broader themes of leadership, team- work, quality, change, organizational structure and trustworthiness. Within the context of these themes, students will be exposed to the latest trends that have begun and will continue to challenge organizational leaders for the foreseeable future. Students develop environmental scanning techniques that will assist them in the identification of potentially new areas for opportunities as well as develop an understanding of some systems changes already under way in the business environment.