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The course work for Roberts Wesleyan College’s Business Management program focuses on organizational behavior, leadership, interpersonal skills, and management opportunities and challenges.

You will earn 37 credits in the following courses:

PSYC 4410 | Adult Development and Lifelong Learning | 3 credits | 7 wks

This course explores the development of adults as learners and introduces students to the mental, physical, and psychological stages of adult development and how those changes affect the adult learning process. As students analyze adult learning theories, they will reflect on their own life experiences and review their strengths and motivations as adult learners. Students will have an opportunity to reflect, think critically, develop effective presentation skills, and prepare written responses to readings in the field of adult learning and adult development. Students will begin to understand themselves as learners: how they learn, what stages and triggers have affected their learning process, and how to value and incorporate life experiences into the continuing process of lifelong learning. The course launches the student’s journey through their accelerated degree-completion program.

A strong emphasis is placed on the review and practice of writing skills in the context of the class content. Through multiple writing assignments, students will learn the expectations for academic writing at the upper college level, including generating ideas, organizing written material, and improving self-editing skills. They will learn to balance and manage time while in an accelerated degree program.

PSYC 2600 | Organizational Behavior | 3 credits | 7 wks

Organizational Behavior is a study of group behavior and how group functioning affects organizational effectiveness with attention given to issues of diversity, conflict, decision-making, innovation, leadership, and individual motivation. Special consideration is given to teams within organizations. Adult learners develop strategies for efficient and productive group participation/facilitation and determine which tasks groups or individuals best handle.

BUAD 4350 | Financial Intelligence | 3 credits | 7 wks

As pointed out in the main text of the class (Financial Intelligence: A Manager’s Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean by Karen Berman and Joe Knight), there are four skill sets to having financial intelligence:

(1) Understanding the Foundation;

(2) Understanding the Art;

(3) Understanding the Analysis; and

(4) Understanding the Big Picture (in other words being able to “step away from the numbers,” consider all relevant information, conduct analysis, and make effective decisions).

To accomplish this is no small task as the discipline is demanding due to a language barrier, volume of information, analytical tools/skills needed to support comprehension, and the typical adult learner’s lack of familiarity with the subject matter. However, those are also the reasons why it is so important. The overall goals of the course are to help adult learners understand and speak the language of accounting/finance, use the information and tools presented in the course to ask better questions, and ultimately to help themselves or others make better decisions which will help their organizations achieve their goals. Topics include: Accounting-The Language of Business, Introduction to Financial Statements and Reporting, Importance of Cash Flows, Understanding Cost Behavior, Budgeting Systems and Developing Forecasts, Performance Measurement, and an Introduction to Capital Budgeting and Working Capital Management.

SOCS 3410 | Organizational Leadership | 3 credits| 7 wks

This course explores the many facets of leadership, as distinct from management. In most organizations, leadership is more than giving orders and controlling employees and processes. Leadership is about people. Students will identify strengths and areas for improvement in effective communication, emotional intelligence, conflict management, and motivational styles. They will identify the effectiveness of various leadership styles, including the value of servant leadership, as they pertain to different organizational settings. The impact of diversity and multiple generations in the workplace will be viewed in the development of effective relationships and the creation of a productive work environment.

MGMT 4540 | Systems Approach to Management | 3 credits | 7 wks

This course explores the study of management from a systems perspective—an important approach to understanding and managing complex organizations in today’s fast-paced environment. Workplace and volunteer organizations are actually intricate systems made up of numerous interacting subsystems and a part of larger supersystems. In managing complex systems, it is important to understand how the parts of the system (subsystems) and environment affect one another; action or change within a part necessarily affects other parts of the system. Managers who use a systems analysis perspective are better able to anticipate the outcomes of their actions relative to the organization as a whole and can use this understanding as a basis for making better decisions.

PHIL 2202 | Philosophical Ethics | 3 credits | 7 wks

This course is an exploration of your values, ethics, and the kind of person you want to become.  You will make a transition to an understanding of what you believe and why, and the ability to support positions you hold with objective ethical arguments, while better understanding the perspectives of others. The course prepares you to lay out your personal ethical methodology, to apply in the workplace, in your relationships, and in the community.

In addition to the content discussed above, this course will focus on ethical decision-making in the business world or organization in which you function, an environment that has become so complex that making ethical choices presents challenges to managers and administrators who are often faced with competing interests and choices. You will be poised to resolve the potential ethical dilemmas that you may face in your workplace from a moral point of view that gives equal consideration to the interests and well-being of others within your organization and the larger society.

BUAD 4020 | Strategic Planning | 3 credits | 7 wks

The course examines the concept of management from a strategic perspective. Students will gain an understanding of the key elements of the strategic planning process: internal and external environment scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy monitoring and control. Students will work through the process of executing a strategic plan with a view to the need for leading change, creating a learning organization, and incorporating multicultural awareness. A number of case studies are used to prepare the student for the decision making that is essential for effective strategic planning. Students will apply the process and concepts to their own organization or another organization provided by the professor.

MGMT 3900 | Project Management | 3 credits | 7 wks

Project Management involves planning, organization, managing, and controlling project activities to ensure that the project reaches its objectives at the desired scope, cost, and schedule. Project managers must engage in sound leadership approaches and techniques in order to influence team members. Finally, the course addresses the activities of effective project managers along with the tasks of effective team members as followers. Students will work in teams taking on the various roles necessary to successfully complete the project assigned. A final paper and group presentation provide the professor and the class with the solutions and process the team followed as they managed their project. Student will receive the training needed to sit for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam; PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is an entry-level certification for project practitioners, designed for those with less experience. Software and materials are covered by the University and student is responsible for arranging and paying for CAPM certification test.

HUMN 3020 | Humanities: A Holistic Approach | 3 credits | 7 wks

In this course, students will examine what literature is, how it is made, and what its impact is on the reader. These goals will be achieved through reading, discussing, and writing about fiction, poetry, and drama. In addition to proving enjoyable, the course provides students the opportunity to re-examine their values and beliefs. Additionally, and significantly, students will discover principles from their study of literature that apply to the overarching goals of the OM program. One of the most important reasons to study literature is to gain awareness and even appreciation of the world beyond your own. When you read a short story, play, or poem, you are offered insights about the human experience - about the life challenges that have perplexed, amazed, delighted, and moved people for centuries. You are called to think about your own life and your relationships with others. If you become engaged with and open to what you read, you may discover surprising connections between you and the literary works you encounter.

BUAD 4910 | Research Project Part I | 3 credits | 7 wks

The applied research course is a capstone project in the Organizational Management program. The course requires students to select a real problem they have encountered at work or elsewhere, conduct research to determine its cause(s) and make practical recommendations to solve it based on the results of the study. Intended to provide solutions to concrete problems, questions, or concerns within an organization, the research project enables students to apply the academic skills and knowledge acquired across the Organizational Management curriculum. While it is demanding and challenging, the course provides opportunities for students to hone critical thinking, research, written, and verbal presentation skills, gain personal satisfaction for the successful completion of a valuable project, and contribute to the improvement of their organization. The project is organized into two parts. Part One covers introduction to research, research problem statement and literature review.

MATH 2400 | Elementary Statistics | 3 credits | 6 weeks

The need to be a wise producer and consumer of statistics and research has never been greater.  What students learn in this course should enable them to become more sophisticated consumers of statistics. The course introduces the student to the basic concepts and tools of statistical analysis and helps the student apply those concepts and tools to the Applied Research Project. Microsoft Excel will be used for most of the calculations.  Consequently, a basic understanding of Excel is required for this module.  By using Excel to perform the calculations, the student can focus on the underlying statistical concepts and the application to real-world problems. An online textbook with interactive features is used to support each key lesson in ways that foster a deeper understanding at the student’s individual pace.

MATH 2401 | Survey Methods & Data Analysis for Business | 1 credit | 2 weeks

This 1 credit course is in addition to Elementary Statistics and focuses on the creation and analysis of a survey to implement in your applied research project.

BUAD 4920 | Research Project Part II | 3 credits | 8 wks

The applied research course is a capstone project in the Organizational Management program. While it is demanding and challenging, the course provides opportunities for students to hone critical thinking, research, written, and verbal presentation skills, gain personal satisfaction for the successful completion of a valuable project, and contribute to the improvement of their organization. The project is organized into two parts. Part Two requires students to determine the most appropriate data collection method and procedure, design a data collection instrument, if needed, collect the necessary data, analyze the data and present the overall results of the research project in both written and oral reports. Conducting research is an exciting and challenging part of the academic experience at all levels. The aim of applied research in particular is to generate knowledge relevant to solving problems and making decisions. Prerequisite: BUAD 4910

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