M.A. in Management Program

This course addresses the first principles of effective leadership, as well as its practice, from a faith-based perspective. It examines the practice of leading people (e.g., motivating people, strategic staffing and training, building a culture of trust and commitment, measuring and rewarding performance, negotiation and conflict resolution, obstacles to wise decision-making) as well as leading organizations (e.g., setting vision and mission, strategic planning, organizational change, corporate social responsibility). Throughout the course, the focus is on leadership "with excellence and integrity," as well as the major obstacles to it.

This course addresses innovative marketing concepts, entrepreneurial methods and skill sets, and implementation strategies required for success in a competitive global environment. The course presents the foundational, bedrock concepts of effective marketing, market research, and the analysis of industries, competitors, and customers, with a continual focus on entrepreneurial thinking. This is an experiential, applications-intensive course that permits students' involvement with real businesses, as well as the opportunity to apply their learning to the development of a marketing plan.

This course examines how accounting and financial analysis contributes to communicating information about the economics of business, for setting goals, monitoring performance, evaluating management, allocating resources, and gaining a competitive edge. Students achieve mastery of the vocabulary and analysis of financial statements for the purpose of measuring returns, making decisions, managing for profitability, utilizing assets, and identifying liabilities and equity. The course culminates in the development and analysis of financial statements for an existing organization, project, or marketing plan.

This course considers how to pursue and achieve life-long success from within a biblical framework. Students will examine foundational concepts of life purpose and vocational planning, of character development and spiritual formation, of worldview and its effect on influence, and of how to continuously develop as a leader. Practical topics of life balance, time management, self-assessment and personal growth through mentoring will also be addressed. The course culminates in the creation of a comprehensive plan for continuous personal and professional development. (An on-campus residency is required for students residing in the U.S. Students residing outside of the U.S. are encouraged to attend the on-campus residency, but may also fulfill residency learning objectives through comparable alternative coursework at a distance.)

Many highly effective organizations empower their employees to work as teams, with a high degree of autonomy. Current business literature reports that this "management style" usually results in high employee morale and job satisfaction, high productivity, and personal growth. This course looks at what makes teams effective. It will be taught through the introduction of literature in this field via the textbook, lectures, team discussions on relevant topics, analysis of cases involving teams both successful and unsuccessful, observation and analysis of a highly successful team in literature, and (most important) the empirical observation of one's own team from within the class: what made your team effective, what diluted its effectiveness.

Students learn to research, plan, articulate, and prepare to successfully achieve major change, growth, or new business initiatives. Students will select a new venture idea, product, or service (or other original initiative or endeavor) and research it in depth, analyzing its plausibility. The course culminates in a major business-planning document suitable for seeking a top management decision or obtaining funding for the project. PREREQUISITE: BUSN 602

This course provides a foundation for dealing with technology and organizational operating issues as an organizational leader. The course focuses on the current issues, problems and the analytic approaches involved in designing and evaluating business operations at various types of organizations. A major goal of BUSN 621 is to provide an "applications" approach to help students recognize, design and evaluate businesses using current concepts as well as new and existing tools. Additionally, the course explores the current computer and communication technology trends used in business operations as well as their relationship to organizational design. The course also examines how these elements are reshaping business structures and covers strategic planning issues for implementing information technology enterprise wide. Topics include business process analysis, cross-functional integration, product and service management, and technology and operations strategy. Throughout, BUSN 621 uses case studies and hands-on projects.