Longwood University CBE MBA

Accounting 540. Managerial Accounting. This course provides a comprehensive, graduate level discussion of managerial accounting. Broadly, this course focuses on the use of accounting data in the decision-making process for managers. As such, learning which data are important in different managerial settings, appropriately deriving and interpreting such relevant data, and then formulating best case strategies form the core of study. More specifically, students learn to use the concepts of opportunity cost and organizational architecture as the framework for studying managerial accounting. 3 credits.

Accounting 640. Financial Statement Analysis. This course investigates financial reporting from a user perspective in interpreting and analyzing financial reports for investments and other decision making. The course begins with a review of accounting systems and then emphasizes analysis of financial statements and the implications for various user groups. Emphasis will be on use of the reports to judge company performance, to assess creditworthiness, to predict future financial performance, and to analyse possible acquisitions and take-overs. Users of financial statements must be able to meaningfully interpret financial reports, construct measures of financial performance and analyse the reporting choices made by companies. Also, since company managers choose accounting techniques when making their reports, users must learn to undo the effects of these accounting choices. The purpose of this course is to give the foundation for such analysis. Prerequisite: ACCT 540. 3 credits.

Accounting 643. Advanced Auditing. This course provides a comprehensive, graduate level discussion of the auditing environment. Attention will be paid to the circumstances culminating in the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and the implications of the Act to auditors. There will be a detailed discussion of managements’ expanded responsibility for the fair presentation of the financial statements and the system of internal control. The course will take an in-depth look at auditing standards, and the auditing process. There will be a detailed discussion of ethical issues related to the attest function.

Prerequisite: ACCT 540. 3 credits.

Accounting 644. Research in Taxation. A comprehensive development of the skills and knowledge needed to make effective use of available research resources in taxation. Specific topics will include determination of income, deductions, credits and tax liabilities for a variety of entities including individuals, corporations, partnerships and trusts.

Prerequisite: ACCT 540. 3 credits.

Accounting 672. Accounting Information and Control Systems. Effective ways for business firms to harness the power of information technology utilizing applications of commonly used financial software and data systems. Prerequisite: ACCT 540. 3 credits.

Accounting 675. Forensic Accounting. A broad view of forensic accounting is presented. Forensic accounting is an emerging area within public accounting developed in response to the increase in financial crimes. This course will introduce the field and explore the discipline and how it interacts with other disciplines. It will explore ways for accountants to detect illegal financial activity by individuals and companies. The course will explore forensic techniques of financial investigation, reconstructing income, cybercrime forensic analysis, and asset recovery. Prerequisite: ACCT 540. 3 credits.

Accounting 685. Decision Making within the Legal and Ethical Environment. The world of business today is subject to an increasing number of laws and regulations, some developed over the years by our judicial system and others imposed by federal, state and municipal legislatures and agencies. These are the standards that govern relationships among individuals and between people and governments. In its broadest sense, the legal environment of business includes every rule or regulation that affects the way in which individuals and organizations conduct business. This course will explore the many facets of responsible decision making: how law and ethics applies to individuals and institutions in business; how creative business decisions are embedded in a social, legal, and moral context; and how law and ethics support and constrain business decisions. Prerequisite: ACCT 540. 3 credits.

Accounting 690. Consulting Practicum. An on‑the‑job learning experience designed to give students an opportunity to apply their technical and professional skills and to observe organizations in action. This project is designed to enhance the curricula of the College of Business and Economics. The program offers a joint opportunity for business executives and business and economics faculty to enhance the education of future business leaders for the global environment. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1‑3 credits per consulting opportunity.

Accounting 695. Special Topics in Accounting. Selected special topics in business. The topics may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit when topics change. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1-3 credits.

This course focuses on the use and sharing of information through intranets and the Internet, the use of technology and its application in a retail setting, the utilization of industry and business software and the importance of information for inventory management, customer research, and communication. Case studies for applications illustrating information needs for large and small retailers. 3 credits.

Economics 509. Managerial Economics. This course focuses on applying basic economic theories to the decision making process. Two primary skills are applied: 1) to work accurately with data to assess the economic environment and 2) to think strategically. Topics include: profit maximization, demand analysis, elasticity, market power, regression analysis, game theory, and pricing strategies. 3 credits.

Finance 550. Financial Management. This course describes the basic principles of corporate finance and provides practical tools for financial decision and valuation. The course starts with optimal project acceptance criteria consistent with the objective of maximizing the market value of the firm. It then moves on to techniques for estimating the cost of capital, which are subsequently applied to a range of valuation problems. The valuation principles include WACC, APV, multiples and real options. In the second half of the course we discuss capital structure and dividend decision, and how they affect firm value. We also study corporate governance, and end the course analyzing financial issues in mergers and acquisitions. 3 credits.

Management 564. Leadership, Group Dynamics, and Team Building. This course introduces the multi-faceted role of an effective leader/manager. Human behavior at the individual, group and organization levels is examined as well as techniques for leading people in the organizational environment. Members establish a structured process to define and prioritize group goals and objectives upon which the mission statement is based. Topics include: various developmental areas of leadership, including communications, social responsibility, and personal development, the role of an effective leader, small group leadership, work motivation, conflict resolution, personality influences on work attitudes and behaviors. 3 credits.

Management 575. Managing Data for Strategic Decision Making. Introduction to techniques of quantitative and statistical analysis for management decision making. Major topics include decision analysis, statistical inference, regression, and linear programming. The course also develops material in probability. 3 credits.

Management 662. Strategic Human Resources Management and Motivation. This course explores ways that line managers, employees, and human resource (HR) managers can effectively align their activities with the goals of the organization and the needs of employees. Course content focuses on the activities performed by an HR department, for example, recruitment and selection, compensation, and benefits. While these are the building blocks of the HR professional, they are also essential knowledge of effective operations managers. The course builds on the premise that strategic HR management begins by identifying the strategic objectives of the business and then determines how to meet the staffing needs of the organization. The course will also explore how basic organizational behavior concepts such as perception and attribution, as well as motivation theories apply to HR policies and procedures. Prerequisite: MANG 564. 3 credits.

Management 682. Global Management Environment. This course includes the study and analysis of business processes, practices and issues in an international, multinational, and/or global setting and the theoretical and applied analysis of business concepts with implications for products and services. Students will consider current issues related to doing business within global, multicultural environments and focus on the social, cultural, economic, and regulatory environments. Prerequisite: MARK 588. 3 credits.

Management 687. Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. This course examines functions of opportunity development and business planning for success in entrepreneurial ventures. Students will explore the planning, marketing, organizing, financing, and management of a new business venture that they might personally initiate, or that they may be involved with in the context of a new business being developed within the structure of an existing organization. Students will write business plans during the course to test the feasibility of their business concept and to act as the blueprint for a potential start-up venture. Prerequisites: MANG 564, 575 and MARK 588. 3 credits.

Management 690. Consulting Practicum. An on‑the‑job learning experience designed to give students an opportunity to apply their technical and professional skills and to observe organizations in action. This project is designed to enhance the curricula of the College of Business and Economics. The program offers a joint opportunity for business executives and business and economics faculty to enhance the education of future business leaders for the global environment. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1‑3 credits per consulting opportunity.

Management 695. Special Topics in Business. Selected special topics in business. The topics may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit when topics change. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1-3 credits.

Management 697. Strategic Management and Business Policy. This course integrates the various functional areas such as accounting, finance, management, marketing, and production for the purpose of strategic and policy level decision-making. Concepts and tools acquired from these functional areas provide the basis for approaching strategic problems from a holistic perspective. 3 credits.

Marketing 588. Strategic Marketing: Products and Services. Overview of marketing and the activities involved in the delivery of goods and services to the consumer. Current approaches to meeting customer needs are stressed. Topics include functions, institutions, policies, methods, procedures, and activities for providing goods and services to the customer. An emphasis on the marketing of profit-centered services to consumers, highlighting the unique characteristics of services as compared to physical goods, and the special challenges posed by those characteristics. Topics include quality of service delivery, customer attraction, retention, and relationship marketing. This course creates a unified approach to customer service, recognizing the importance of organizational policies and internal marketing that will lead to increased business by attracting and retaining desired customers. 3 credits.

Marketing 683. Consumer Behavior and Research. This course explores the nature of the consumer purchase decision process for goods and services. It emphasizes both descriptive and conceptual analysis of consumer behavior with a focus on theory and research essential to an understanding of individual choice behavior. It incorporates a critical analysis of buyer behavior theory. It makes intensive use of contributions from the social and behavioral science literatures. It examines individual and group behavior of consumers, as well as both marketing management and public policy decision making. Focus on managerial decision making utilizing marketing research techniques. Prerequisite: MARK 588. 3 credits.

Marketing 685. Supply Chain Management and Purchasing. This course will study the elements and management of marketing channels. A marketing channel is viewed as an interorganizational system involved with the task of making goods, services, and concepts available for consumption by enhancing their time, place, and possession utilities. The focus is on how institutions can effectively and efficiently transmit things of value from points of conception, extraction, and/or production to points of consumption. Focus is on managerial decision making in the design, operation and management of channel systems. 3 credits.

Marketing 687. Advertising, Promotion, and Direct Marketing. Marketing communications is a dialog between producers and consumers. This course focuses on planning and executing integrated marketing communication strategies, including essential principles and analytical tools used in advertising, public relations, sales promotion, and branding. The appraisal of methods and outcomes will include examining field experiences, visuals, and simulations. In addition, concepts and strategy for programs, budgets, media selection, and evaluation of effectiveness will be discussed. The course will explore .the implications of increasing electronic interactivity between consumers and firms, migration of products to the electronic marketplace and its effects on the marketing channel; the Internet's impact on marketing mix decisions; competitive advantage and public policy issues. The course also addresses issues concerning the use of direct selling methods to sell goods and services and emphasizes analysis of consumers and product/service types for integrated direct retail methods. The direct retailing methods in this course include direct mail, catalogs, telemarketing, infomercials, and electronic commerce (Internet). Prerequisites: MARK 588 and CIMS 570. 3 credits.

Marketing 690. Consulting Practicum. An on‑the‑job learning experience designed to give students an opportunity to apply their technical and professional skills and to observe organizations in action. This project is designed to enhance the curricula of the College of Business and Economics. The program offers a joint opportunity for business executives and business and economics faculty to enhance the education of future business leaders for the global environment. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1‑3 credits per consulting opportunity.

Marketing 695. Special Topics in Business. Selected special topics in Marketing. The topics may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit when topics change. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1-3 credits.

Marketing 697. Strategic Retail Management. This course covers the development, organization, implementation, and control of retail strategies in the context of the retail mix of product, price, promotion, and distribution. Case studies are used to apply the concepts. Students will apply strategic decisions in the retail sector utilizing analytical decision-making skills. Course content includes the fundamentals of strategic decision-making, competitive strategies, industry structure, retail site selection, and performance measurement within the retail organization, retailing community and government programs. Prerequisites: MARK 588 and MANG 564. 3 credits.