Human Resource Management

One of the most critical challenges in maintaining and improving organizational performance is identifying core strengths and weaknesses within the organization and across the more general value creation landscape. The focus of this course is on the challenges and opportunities for managers to create value and to increase organizational performance through the effective deployment of systems thinking and change management skills. Students in the course explore systems thinking as a process whereby problems are viewed as individual components within a larger system and explore how various operational and systems thinking frameworks can be utilized to optimize organizational performance in both industrial and service settings.

Accounting is the language of business. Managers must understand and be able to effectively use this language to create meaningful measures upon which to make appropriate decisions. They must know what to measure, how to measure, and what the consequences of the measurement might be. This course takes a rigorous stakeholder approach that integrates fundamental managerial accounting topics with strategic business analysis. Students will explore the use of accounting information to make effective business decisions; analysis of the impact of decisions on various stakeholder groups; and the development of sustainable solutions based on the information that is measured, analysis of various types of budgets, strategic planning, and forecasting as well as communicating accounting information effectively to various stakeholders.

Effective managers know that a clear understanding of the role of marketing, as well as a grasp of effective marketing practices, is essential for organizations to succeed in today's fast-paced, competitive environment. In this course, students gain a working knowledge of both marketing theory and the practical application of innovative marketing tools and strategies. Students also explore how product, price, place, promotion, and people contribute to the marketing mix as they explore research-based insights into consumer behavior.

Today's companies are challenged to constantly do more with less. Effective managers know how to deploy scarce financial resources in ways to achieve optimum returns on these resources. Students will discover the latest financial tools and analytic methods to strengthen the capital investment decision-making process. Students will use critical-thinking skills to apply and, at times, challenge traditional financial theory, while balancing various stakeholder interests in the financial decision-making process. Students will examine a range of contemporary issues and techniques relevant to sound and ethical financial decision making.

The purpose of the capstone course is to integrate the knowledge and concepts students have gained through the MBA program. Students will practice their skills and employ their knowledge by evaluating business strategies capable of achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Students in this course will be required to identify and address challenges and opportunities found in today's complex and often uncertain business environment. Students complete their transformational journey through the program by reflecting on their learning and will consider the next phase of their career development. The aim of the course is to improve the students' ability to manage in an environment requiring both strategic and operational knowledge.

Performance management involves the ongoing activities of employee evaluation and development focused on achieving the organization's short- and long-term goals. Performance management also is required to meet ethical and statuary requirements. Looking at the continuous nature of performance management underscores the importance of identifying and supporting talent development. Students assess performance management systems within the context of the defined system metrics supporting the organization's goals, and they assess the role of performance management in strengthening the organization through diversity and inclusion.

Understanding the value of an organization's human capital is crucial to its continuing success. Human resource (HR) management metrics provide the tools both for measuring value and for managing an organization's human resources. Students in this course explore HR analytics and metrics as tools for organizational and individual performance improvement. These tools establish a foundation for the effective deployment of performance metrics as part of the recruitment, talent development, and retention of human resources. They also facilitate alignment of the HR strategy with the business strategy. Students examine the power of analytics and an HR metrics dashboard. In addition, students investigate the role of human resource information systems (HRIS) and the importance of working with internal business partners from areas such as information technology, finance, and the executive team.

Negotiation and conflict management are core responsibilities of human resource (HR) professionals and having the HR function as the conflict resolution facilitator is critical to employee/employer relationships. Taking a leadership role in facilitating conflict is critical to assuring employment law and regulatory compliance. In organizations with unionized workforces, the HR role in conflict resolution tactics may be constrained by collective bargaining agreements. Students in this course explore the challenges of conflict and dispute and work toward developing skills to identify different types of conflict solutions. Students engage in hands-on, practical exercises in negotiation and bargaining strategies as well as communication styles.

The ability to communicate with others influences success in both professional and personal settings. As communities and places of work become increasingly diverse, the intersections of interpersonal and intercultural communication also increase, and communicators need to be aware that the cultural diversity of their audiences should affect the way they convey information. Students in this course examine interpersonal and intercultural intersections and study the influence of cultural diversity on interpersonal communication. By examining theory, students develop an approach to practice and hone individual strategies for communicating successfully in diverse interpersonal situations. Topics include interpersonal communication theory, intercultural communication theory, individual communication competence, nonverbal channels, person perception, conflict resolution, and listening and communication barriers.

Over the last few decades, a fundamental shift in the world economy has been underway. No longer are national economic interests and business operations largely confined within well-­defined geographic borders. Phenomena such as the explosion of the Internet, global sourcing, and the reduction in barriers to cross-­border trade have all contributed to the creation of a truly global economy. Students in this course focus on the global environment of business and explore how the international sociocultural, political, legal, economic, physical, and historical environments affect business practices and policies. Students will learn the skills and methodologies required for market analysis and business strategizing on a global scale. In particular, students identify the internal and external forces affecting an organization's ability to compete both domestically and globally.

Managers encounter a variety of challenges on a daily basis, which require the ability to employ existing tools and strategies to strategically communicate with individuals and the organization at large and to understand the different types of attitudes and values of others. Individuals with these skills are most successful when their efforts are coupled with the ability to think critically and analytically. Students are provided with the opportunity to improve their overall critical-thinking and reasoning skills within a managerial context. Using relevant management articles, case studies, and current topics analyses, students sharpen their diagnostic-reading skills and learn to construct effective, ethical, evidence-based arguments, which are fundamental capabilities of effective managers. They also examine common fallacies in thinking and reasoning as well as the rhetorical use of language to formulate convincing and effective arguments.

Effectively using data and information can make the difference in whether the best decisions are made or problems are solved correctly. There are multiple approaches to practical managerial problem solving that are rooted in the systematic collection, analysis, and display of relevant data and information. In this course, students examine the importance of data, beginning with the process of transforming data into information, and then focusing on the best methods for presenting that information in support of sound and ethical decision making. Students evaluate common misinterpretations or errors in working with data and determine how to detect data and information presented in a deceptive manner. Students explore current paradigms in data-based decision making and problem solving. They learn how they can use these analytical-thinking practices to improve their general managerial decision-making skills.

Effective managers know how to identify, prioritize, and act upon the most important items of the myriad of tasks that can potentially distract them on any given day.  Students will explore  the qualities of effective managers and various management styles to identify those which resonate.  Students will examine critical skills  that are imperative to successful  management including organizing and handling priorities; communicating effectively; motivating, empowering,  and developing people; resolving issues and challenges; and managing oneself. Students will gain valuable skills and knowledge that they can apply immediately.