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Online MBA Course Electives

In an effort to offer students the opportunity to finetune their degrees to better meet their career goals, Marist offers the following elective courses. Students may decide not to choose a concentration and instead, choose three courses to fill their elective slots.   The options below are comprised of courses from across the three concentrations, as well as courses that focus on other elements of running a business. *

* Elective courses are run pending student demand    

 

Detailed descriptions of each course are provided below.

MBA 613, International Economics

MBA 621, Strategic Marketing Planning

MBA 622, International Marketing

MBA 623, Consumer Behavior

MBA 644, Financial Statement Analysis

MBA 645, Principles and Quantitative Methods in Operational Excellence

MBA 653, Management and Collective Bargaining

MBA 654, Managing Organizational Change

MBA 661, Operational Excellence

MBA 671, Corporate Financial Theory & Practice

MBA 672, Financial Markets and Institutions

MBA 673, Investment Analysis and Theory

MBA 681, US Health Care Policies and Systems

MBA 682, Ethical/Legal Issues in Health Care

MBA 683, Critical Issues in Health Care

MBA 684, Leadership, Power and Influence

MBA 685, Negotiations and Conflict Management

MBA 686, Strategic Cost Analysis

MBA 687, Electronic Marketing

MBA 688, Ethical Management of Organizations

MPA 500, Introduction to Public Administration

MPA 521, Management in Nonprofit Organizations

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MBA Elective Course Descriptions

This course provides students with an opportunity to study the international economic context for business strategy and provides an overview of the determinants of trade between nations, comparative advantage, national trade and competitiveness policies, and exchange rates. Students will also become familiar with key international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, and regional economic institutions such as the European Union and North American Free Trade Association. Information sources regarding the balance of payments, global capital flows, and financial reserves help prepare the student to understand international financial issues and institutions. Students will apply the knowledge gained through case analyses of particular industries in an international competitive context.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

This course develops an understanding of the concepts and techniques of contemporary strategic marketing planning. Major subject areas include: evolution of strategic corporate and marketing planning; the logic of the planning process; product and market analysis; definition of opportunities and threats; strategic selection based on product life cycle; evaluation of marketing plans by discounted cash flows, net present value method, and internal rate of return method. The use of models to develop marketing strategies will also be examined. The course makes extensive use of the case study method and employs a "learning by doing" approach.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

This course will address global issues and environmental and cultural aspects of doing business internationally with special emphasis on the strategic implication of marketing in different country cultures. Decision areas include (but are not limited to) product adaptation, modes of entry, and business ethics. Students will learn to plan and organize for global marketing and develop market entry strategies, market targeting, and positioning strategies as well as product, pricing, distribution, and promotion strategies. Issues of gray marketing, dumping, and transfer pricing will also be addressed. Lecture and case discussion will be used along with learning activities involving case preparation and presentation and an international marketing planning project. Class sessions will consist of varying percentages of lecture, discussion of specific assignments, student presentations, and analysis of appropriate cases.
Pre-requisites: MBA 660

This course studies the mental and physical processes in which consumers engage. It integrates social and cognitive psychology with marketing and economic theory to better understand consumers with the ultimate goal of developing a marketing strategy. How do consumers make choices? How will their backgrounds affect those choices? This course studies why consumers do what they do with an eye toward improving marketing strategy development. We'll discuss both psychological and marketing theory as well as market trends, societal changes, and yes, even aberrant consumer behavior.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

Financial statements are relevant to the decisions of many individuals including investors, creditors, consultants, managers, auditors, directors, analysts, regulators, and employees. This course equips the student to use the information provided in financial statements to make reasoned decisions in a variety of contexts. Traditional analytical techniques such as ratio analysis, trend analysis, and vertical and horizontal analysis are used. Additionally, the course provides a framework in which the students can develop appropriate valuation techniques.
Pre-requisites: MBA 669

This course provides comprehensive coverage of principles and current issues in operations management, such as process strategies, lean and sustainable manufacturing, planning processes, and supply chain and quality management. Particular focus is placed on the perspective of operations management in global businesses, value creation, alignment with company strategy and application of quantitative decision-making methods. This is accomplished by qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing common operations management scenarios as well as case studies and issues and issues from the current press.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

Labor as a critical part of the American industrial relations system is examined. The American labor movement and labor law are studied. Emphasis of the course is on the collective bargaining process as carried out between labor and management.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

This course is designed to build skills that will help the student effectively manage change. Particular attention will be given to enhancing the student's capability to analyze situations of change, plan and implement appropriate actions for change, and learn from personal experiences and the experiences of others regarding change. 

This course is designed to provide the student with the concepts and tools necessary to design, manage, and control the transformation process in manufacturing and service settings and to develop systems thinking. The manufacturing philosophies of MRP/ERP, JIT/TQM, TOC/Synchronous Manufacturing, and Supply Chain Management will be explored in depth. Additionally, project management skills will be developed and practiced. These concepts will be applied to case studies and/or business projects.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

A study of the theory and practice of corporate finance with attention to financial theory as it refers to the decision-making process. The following topics are covered in detail: the modern approach to risk, the investment decision, and the theory of capital structure, dividend policy, short-term financial management, and financial forecasting.
Pre-requisite: MBA 669

This course examines the nature and the role of financial markets and institutions in the domestic and international frameworks. The following topics are covered: the effects of monetary policy; the role of the Federal Reserve; the continuing flux in financial institutions, especially in banking; domestic and international commercial markets, and international exchange.
Pre-requisites: MBA 669

This course offers a study of investment, primarily in stocks and bonds, and of portfolio theory. Significant theoretical and empirical studies are discussed. The following topics are covered: the development of portfolio theory, fundamental analysis, technical analysis, bond and stock portfolio management, and international diversification.
Pre-requisites: MBA 669

US Health Care Policies and Systems is an introduction to health care delivery systems and the policy environment they operate in, with emphasis on the American system of health care and its major issues and challenges. The course explores the dynamics of administration in health care institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, and ambulatory care facilities, and the policy issues and controversies that shape the delivery of health care.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

Ethical/Legal Issues in Health Care provides you with a fundamental knowledge of the legal system as it relates to health care institutions. The course then builds on your understanding of the legal system to integrate it with administrative theory as we examine ethical situations and decisions unique to health care administration and to the health care industry.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

Critical Issues in Health care covers topics of contemporary and controversial nature, focusing on topics such as the implementation of health care policy and the ongoing challenges of balancing margin v. mission decisions while working to ensure the long-term viability of an organization. It actively integrates historical information on health care issues with current topics under discussion in that week's news outlets. Once it helps you develop an understanding of contemporary health care debate, it also provides you with tools and tactics for influencing the debate on a personal and system level.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

This course will examine the theory and practice of leadership in organizations. Traditional and modern theories of leadership will be explored, as well as the practical application of these theories in the work place. In addition to covering the traditional concepts of leadership in organizations, this course will take an in-depth look at the power and influence a leader has over the organization and its members.
Pre-requisites: MBA 660

This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of interpersonal bargaining. The course will examine types of bargaining strategies, planning for negotiations, how to handle negotiation breakdowns, communications, power, persuasion, and ethics in negotiations, as well as international dimensions of bargaining. The pedagogical approach will largely be through experiential learning exercises based on weekly readings. Evaluations of student efforts will be based upon self-reflection, self-assessment, and personal portfolio construction, as well as in-class performance in negotiating sessions and debriefing discussions.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

Strategic Cost Analysis views cost management as an important management tool enabling organizations to realize their strategic objectives. This course examines the concepts involved in using cost management as a strategic weapon. It also presents essential cost management techniques used to implement strategic cost management. These techniques include: activity based costing, target costing, and a variety of performance measurement techniques. Actual corporate experiences with these techniques will be examined.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660, MBA 667

This course examines the impact of the Internet on traditional methods of marketing and its potential use for the marketing of goods and services across a range of product categories. This course investigates the utility of the Internet as a tool for businesses to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and competitiveness. Students will also study the business models currently existing on the Web and develop a framework that can be used to evaluate the Internet's potential for firm customer relationship building across a range of business types.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

This course will introduce students to the basic concepts of ethics. Students will examine ethical frameworks as they relate to business, the environment, the consumer, and the individual with an organization. Students will also learn to apply these frameworks using moral decision-making techniques to real-world case studies. The class will offer students practical tools to help them recognize and address challenging ethical decisions.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

Introduction to Public Administration provides a general overview of the field of public administration. The course includes theoretical and practical aspects of key governmental processes, historical development of the field, contributions of social science to understanding organizations, and ethical issues in contemporary government activities.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660

As more programs are operated by nonprofit organizations, public managers must understand the "third sector." This course provides an overview of the history, structure, and role of the nonprofit sector, including how nonprofit agencies differ from public and for-profit entities in mission, governance, funding, and staffing, and will consider current issues facing the nonprofit sector.
Pre-requisite: MBA 660