Course Descriptions

Description:This course provides the student an overview of key legal concepts and policies that govern research, development and commercial activities within the biotech industry. The course is structured from a company’s perspective and introduces the student to topics and strategies critical to management while considering new topics and products. Selected cases, videos of speeches, and assigned readings illustrate how the laws that provide protection of society and promotion of social goals operate. Procedures that allow navigating the middle ground while dealing with competition in the biotech and pharma industry would be covered as well. This course requires no previous legal study.

This course prepares the student for the research and development sector. The student develops creative problem-solving abilities and other skills necessary for innovative approaches in managing research and development units. The resolution of conflicts between Research and Development, manufacturing, and marketing in a high technology firm are studied. The student explores various coping strategies, ways to maintaining entrepreneurial spirit and encourage innovation as the company develops into a formal administrative organization, identify R &D issues and strategies to resolve them. Mass production techniques such as Just-In-Time, On-Job Training and Total Quality Management to the real world of high technology Research & Development (R&D) are studied. As a team project for the course, the student identifies and develops solutions to practical problems or market needs for a hypothetical scenario.

This graduate internship course provides the student an opportunity to serve as a graduate intern to learn the skills of a certain job in real world situation. It is the student’s responsibility to identify an industry or an organization from the field of interest and work on a mutually relevant topic under direct supervision of an employee from that company.

This course allows the student to pursue an area of interest that is within the broad scope of Biotechnology. A faculty member will supervise this study.

This course focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation. The goal is to improve the participant’s understanding, insight, and skill as a potential entrepreneur. The key skill areas addressed in this course are creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. The topic of ethical decision making as a component of entrepreneurship is also addressed. This course is designed for the student who is interested in defining and transforming a creative, problem solving idea into a sustainable business or program.

This course is an Entrepreneurship Immersion Summer Camp for High School students. The goal of this camp is to introduce students to the ideas of entrepreneurship, enhance their communication, planning and execution skills, that are needed for starting a new private business. Throughout this camp the student will learn firsthand how to generate and develop new business ides, conduct product and market analysis, create marketing and communication plans, and how to pitch their ideas to potential investors. The ideas will be evaluated by a panel of judges, who will determine the winners of the competition. Coaching, computers, and other resources will be available to the attendees. Limited to the Dual Enrollment student. Offered Summer Semester, annually.

This course is designed for the student who demonstrates an interest in an area of study not offered or who wishes to pursue a discipline in greater depth than possible through existing courses. An independent study counts as an elective and may not be used for accelerated or remedial credit. A learning contract between the student and instructor defines the responsibilities of the parties and specifies the learning objectives and standards for successful completion of the project. A calendar of meeting times and deadlines shall be a part of that contract.

The goal of this course is to introduce entrepreneurship concepts by providing insight into entrepreneurial processes-from finding and evaluating good business opportunities to new venture start-up and growth issues-and entrepreneurial behavior, a critical success factor in new venture creation. The student will learn how businesses are structured and study data from business operations. The student will analyze and evaluate business data to make decisions. The student will learn how to use spreadsheets for analysis to make informed decisions, use written communication to justify those decisions, and deliver oral presentations to communicate those decisions.

This course is designed for the student who demonstrates an interest in an area of study not offered or who wishes to pursue a discipline in greater depth than possible through existing courses. An independent study counts as an elective and may not be used for accelerated or remedial credit. A learning contract between the student and instructor defines the responsibilities of the parties and specifies the learning objectives and standards for successful completion of the project. A calendar of meeting times and deadlines shall be a part of that contract. Offered as needed.

The main objective of this course is to introduce the current as well as emerging Internet and Web technologies that enable and drive the modern enterprises. The student is exposed to the key building blocks (enterprise applications, computing platforms, databases, and networks) of the modern Internet-Web infrastructure. Through experiments and examples, the main ideas of the Internet, the ISPs, wireless networks, Classical Web, Semantic Web, XML, Web 2.0, social networking, wireless web, and mobile apps are explained. The course exposes the student to the main apsects of web-based software development processes through simple hands-on projects. The student is introduced to the basic software concepts by developing simple web sites by using HML5 and CSS3 and then using Javascript, Java applets, XML and XSL to introduce more sophisticated features. The student also has an opportunity to develop a simple web portal that involves simple database queries by using SQL.

The student is provided with analytical tools to understand and synthesize the most current applications of theories and concepts in business management and is exposed to the debate on the dynamic of busniess environment, evolving business models, economic systems, and scale of domestic and global competition in the market place.

The student learns the basic concepts and standards underlying managerial accounting systems. The student learns how to produce income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. The student also learns how these documents describe the state of the firm in terms of revenue recognition, inventory, long-lived assets, present value, and long-term liabilities. The emphasis of this course is for the student to understand the internal operations of a firm and how those operations are reflected in documentation

Marketing is defined as the process of getting the right products to the right people, at the right place, time, and price by using the most effective promotional course of action. Marketing is also defined as providing goods and services that meet or exceed expectations of potential consumers’ needs and wants. The student will learn what makes a company embrace ethics in professional decision-making; what encourages corporations to become socially responsible; what the processes are for product concepts, product development, and types of consumer products and services; how companies research the market, configure market segmentation, and target their market; and how companies develop online marketing strategies in order to target consumers and businesses.

This course will provide the student with the skills and knowledge needed to employ research methodologies in a business setting.  Traditional experimental and quasi-experimental approaches will be covered.  The student will learn to use the scientific method to develop assessment tools, for market testing and product development, and to engage in targeted marketing.

This course covers the use of entrepreneurial capabilities to develop new ventures, products, and processes. These concepts can be used with start-ups or within an established organization. The student is introduced to some of the core concepts and analytical tools used in entrepreneurship as part of a strategy for growth, updating a company’s offerings, or developing totally new products. In order to instantiate these changes, the student will integrate services, markets, internal processes, quality, community relationships, and customer experience.

This first project in the student’s experiential program challenges the student to identify, investigate and analyze a particular topic in the program of study or a concentration. A key objective is to apply skills, methods, and knowledge obtained in prior courses with independent thinking and research; the final product represents the successful and purposeful application of knowledge. The project is undertaken with the close mentorship of a faculty member, and may involve a community partner. Projects can involve scientific-based research or laboratory experiences, needs analysis or development plans for external organizations, or market studies and business plan proposals. Offered as needed.

This course studies, analyzes and evaluates the business and technical aspects of eCommerce and mCommerce (mobile commerce). Business strategies to start a business, advertising a business, and selling the business product are covered. Case studies are used to explain the business process that needs to be automated to support the eCommerce and mCommerce initiatives. Economic trends and emerging web and mobile computing technologies are explored to understand the technical, business, and social processes that are shaping the electronic marketplace.

Modern organizations are characterized by constant change, market fluctuations, increased automation, and globalization. This course explores and examines the basic framework for leadership styles focuses on ethical leadership in times of change and crisis through use of case studies and examples. The course examines the behavior of individuals and groups in the modern global settings and concentrates on improving productivity, job satisfaction, team development and continuous improvement practices experiences.

This course explores the basic financial and managerial accounting competencies needed to manage a business or product line. The accounting concepts are introduced with a discussion of how general purpose financial statements reflect the business corporation’s performance and position for users external to management. The course also examines major elements of the statements such as cash, receivables, inventory, long-lived assets, depreciation, payroll, bonds, and other liabilities and stocks. Concepts of financial accounting are applied to management accounting for internal reporting and decision-making. The course emphasizes applications of accounting strategies, decision-making, and evaluation. A conceptual framework will be established to enable managers to be profitable and to read and understand ledgers. Accounting information systems commonly used in the industry (e.g., Quickbooks) will be examined by the student.

This course provides the student with general and applied decision theory. Decision making processes and biases are discussed within individual, group, and organizational levels. The student learns how decision biases can be leveraged to predict and “nudge” behavior and to improve impressions. Ethical considerations are also discussed

This course examines sales management strategies, approaches and best practices in creating an adaptive sales force. Areas explored include the human dimension of hiring and firing employees, how to look proactively at how to market and sell in a global and technological environment, and identify where people skills and competencies are vitally important. The productivity and assessment of the sales force, through motivation and training, are also explored. Methods to advertise and sell over the Internet will be learned. Current events, market trends and areas, and regional associations for the various sales trades are covered.

The purpose of this course is to define fundamental legal terminology regarding contracts, torts, property, and wills, as well as differentiate between business ethics and legal issues. The course provides the student with foundational information about the U.S. legal system and dispute resolution and their impact on business. The major content areas will include general principles of law, the U.S. Constitution, legal systems, the relationship between law and ethics, contracts, sales, torts, agency law, intellectual property, and business law in the global context.

This course introduces the student to the tools and mindset required to be an innovator and an entrepreneur. Through innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurship, this course leads the student through the processes used for finding problems worth solving and mobilizing the resources to solve them.

This course builds on MEBA 225 Accounting. The student will learn how to analyze firms’ financial statements and disclosures and determine how to use financial statements in valuation of a firm’s strategy and future. This course is very applied and will use data from a variety of sources, especially data generated from the student’s experiential projects. The student will acquire an understanding of both the “how” of accounting procedures and the underlying reasons “why” these practices are adopted. These skills are essential for pursuing a broad range of professions in management, analysis, entrepreneurialism, law, and finance.

This course includes an understanding of Consumer Behavior in the digital marketplace and the foundation for digital marketing strategy. Students are introduced to consumer segmentation, use of consumer research, and trends in adoption of digital media. Exploration for channels of digital communications included desktop, mobile, tablet, gaming and TV are discussed and analyzed. Students learn how to plan and execute basic consumer research using digital tools and the use of CRM (customer relationship management) tools to track and market to different consumer types.

In today’s business communications landscape, both agencies and individuals need to possess expertise in professional marketing practices and mediums. Integrated marketing merges all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing and social media, through a mix of tactics, methods, channels, media and activities into a unified user-centric strategy. Through critical evaluation and marketplace analysis, learners will apply theories, utilize frameworks, examine case studies, and integrate marketing practices in both team and individual projects.

This course introduces the business, operational, and management aspects of healthcare. Through case studies and examples, the student is introduced to a wide range of healthcare topics such as healthcare business processes, healthcare clinical systems and services (patient care, physician support systems, healthcare networks), hospital systems, healthcare management, and government regulations.

An internship allows the student to put theory into practice. The student applies classroom experiences to the workplace at an off-site placement, where ideas are tested and competencies and skills are developed. Throughout the internship, the student works regularly with a faculty supervisor, the Office of Experiential Programs, and a site supervisor who guide the learning process. The student integrates the collective observations, analyses, and reflections of this experiential team into an internship portfolio that showcases the accomplishments of the experience. The unique portfolio is constructed throughout the internship, and represents the evolutionary and dynamic nature of the learning process.

This course applies statistical knowledge to business. The student explores the ability to define problems, form questions, collect data, analyze the data using inferential tools, and how to formulate and test hypotheses. The student is expected to master probability concepts within the realm of decision making.

This course covers emerging topics in business, entrepreneurship, management, and technology. The topics change as the field evolves but will span strategy, business models, and societal trends. Offered as needed.

This course covers emerging topics in Digital Health. The topics will change as the field evolves but will span digital healthcare management, security and privacy issues, the role of public policies and regulations in healthcare IT, electronic health records (EHR), and the growing role of information and communication technologies in global health.

This course will provide the student with the skills and knowledge needed to employ research methodologies in a business setting. Traditional experimental and quasi-experimental approaches will be covered. The student will learn to use the scientific method to develop assessment tools, for market testing and product development, and to engage in targeted marketing.

This course is designed for the student who demonstrates an interest in an area of study not offered or who wishes to pursue a discipline in greater depth than possible through existing courses. A directed study counts as an elective and may not be used for accelerated or remedial credit. A learning contract between the student and instructor defines the responsibilities of the parties and specifies the learning objectives and standards for successful completion of the project. A calendar of meeting times and deadlines shall be a part of that contract.

This first project in the online degree student’s experiential program challenges the student to identify, investigate and analyze a particular topic in the program of study or a concentration. A key objective is to apply skills, methods, and knowledge obtained in prior courses with independent thinking and research; the final product represents the successful and purposeful application of knowledge. The project is undertaken with the close mentorship of a faculty member and may involve a community partner. Projects can involve academic and/or scientific-based research, laboratory experiences, needs analysis or development plans for external organizations, or market studies and business plan proposals.

The student will learn the process of how to create an innovation-based new venture. As a framework for this, we use the business planning process and the student develops the essential parts of a business plan and investor pitch as a useful vehicle to achieve this goal. The student will work in teams to launch companies, working through issues of the market analysis, technology viability assessment, competitive positioning, team-building, product life-cycle planning, marketing strategy, sales channel analysis, and a strong emphasis on the entrepreneur as a sales person.

: This course examines the elements of entrepreneurial finance, focusing on technology-based start-up ventures and the early stages of company development. This course addresses key questions which challenge all entrepreneurs: how much money can and should be raised; when it should be raised and from whom; what is a reasonable valuation of a company; and how funding, employment contracts, and exit decisions should be structured. This course aims to prepare the student for these decisions, both as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist.

This course discusses how global markets impact managerial processes. The questions under investigation are how managers adapt their organizational practices to accommodate global and local cultures and businesses practices in different parts of the world. The course explores the best practices in global strategic management, organizational design, human resource processes and organizational behavior. Also discussed are business strategy, Porter Models, and micro-macro economics in global and extended enterprises. Global supply chains and global operation management issues, with an emphasis on total quality management (TQM), will be also examined.

This course provides the student with the critical information needed to develop a product and brand strategy that generates both quick wins and long-term value. By completing this course, the student is in a position to create an activity plan to bring their brand strategy to life – both externally towards consumers and internally to employees.

To capture the high level of complexity under which strategic management takes place, this course predominantly uses the case method to examine how general managers create and maintain a competitive advantage for their organizations. The student will examine critical strategic issues confronted by top executives of organizations, as well as take a general management and a multi-functional approach to these strategic issues by using all the core business functions.

The purpose of this course is to define fundamental legal terminology regarding contracts, torts, property, and wills, as well as differentiate between business ethics and legal issues. The course provides the student with foundational information about the U.S. legal system and dispute resolution and their impact on business. The major content areas include general principles of law, the U.S. Constitution, legal systems, the relationship between law and ethics, contracts, sales, torts, agency law, intellectual property, and business law in the global context.

Modern organizations are characterized by constant change, market fluctuations, increased automation, and globalization. This course explores and examines the basic framework for leadership styles and focuses on ethical leadership in times of change and crisis through use of case studies and examples. The course examines the behavior of individuals and groups in the modern global settings and concentrates on improving productivity, job satisfaction, team development and continuous improvement practices and experiences. Special attention is paid to introducing organizational change smoothly, humanistic concern for people, and cultural tolerance in a global business world. Topics include theories and case studies concerning the behavior of people in modern business organizations, analysis of the internal organizational structure and managerial roles and functions, examination of theory and design of organizational structure, and the impact of work flow, leadership styles and control systems on human behavior.

The student will learn how to analyze firms’ financial statements and disclosures and determine how to use financial statements in valuation of a firm’s strategy and future. This course is very applied and uses data from a variety of sources, especially data generated from the student’s experiential projects. The student will acquire an understanding of both the “how” of accounting procedures and the underlying reasons “why” these practices are adopted. These skills are essential for pursuing a broad range of professions in management, analysis, entrepreneurialism, law, and finance.

This course prepares the student to analyze business information systems in the digital age and to build models and logical designs that can be implemented later. Emphasis is on understanding the business processes and business requirements and building conceptual models that help in the analysis of business requirements. Complex systems and to build designs and architectures that can satisfy the business requirements are discussed. The course emphasizes business process modeling, business patterns, object orientation, design patterns and component-based design approaches. Topics include modern system life cycles, project management, BRODE (buy, rent, outsource, develop, extend) strategies in system building, business system modeling, requirements analysis, conceptual design, architectures, physical design, and design for the modern mobile systems with security and integration considerations.

Modern electronically-enabled enterprises rely increasingly on knowledge that needs to be managed and processed through a variety of intelligent tools. This course covers the vital issue of business intelligence and knowledge management in modern enterprises and discusses how decision support and expert systems tools can be used for effective decision making in organizations. Topics include artificial intelligence in a business context, business intelligence and business analytics, data mining, data warehousing, click stream mining, knowledge management, decision support and expert systems, artificial intelligence principles, neural networks, learning systems, and intelligent agents in a business context.

Modern digital enterprises are characterized by increased automation, mobile services, extended B2B operations with global business partners, and on-demand business services. The main issue in such enterprises is to architect and integrate a very wide range of services quickly and effectively. This course highlights the role of information and communication technologies, enterprise models, and emerging service oriented architectures (SOA) standards in developing flexible and integrated business architectures.

This course will provide the student with a solid foundation in the statistical methodologies required for quantitative decision-making. The student will learn how to identify the correct statistical analysis to perform given the research question and the format (type) of data. Correlation, t-tests, chi-square, regression, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be covered, and the student will learn how to perform these analyses using both Excel and R. Focus will be placed on the use of statistical results to make informed decisions in a business context (e.g., A|B testing, assessment, and systems optimization).

This course introduces the student to researching the needs and wants of customers. The student will perform statistical analysis on multiple factors involved in developing marketing campaigns, such as pricing, digital marketing, multiple marketing channels, segmentation, and others.

This course uses marketing research to make business decisions. The student identifies a marketing problem, collects marketing data regarding the stated problem, analyzes the collected data, interprets findings, presents implications and findings; and applies findings as proposed business actions. The student’s research includes quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches; they will collect data using questionnaires (close and open-ended), focus groups, panels, interviews (structured and unstructured), observations, and so on and analyze and interpret the results.

This project must be in the student’s program of study or concentration(s). It should demonstrate application of the skills, methods and knowledge of the discipline to solve a problem or answer a question representative of the type to be encountered in the student’s profession. As with Project I, this is undertaken with the close mentorship of a faculty member, and may involve a community partner. The ideal project has a clear purpose that builds directly upon the learning that occurs within the student’s first project and internship.

The two projects in the experiential program challenges students to identify, investigate and analyze a particular topic in the program of study or a concentration and apply it. This Occupational Practicum offers the online degree student an expanded opportunity to delve deeper into their existing project(s) and/or work with a professional practitioner (community partner) to apply previous research, knowledge, and skills to develop a new product, proposal, service, needs assessment, unit/department launching, or other organizational entity related to the online student’s career path. The student is expected to transfer theory into extended application and practice. The Occupational Practicum assists the student in the completion of their ePortfolio. It is an alternative to MEBA 365 Internship; the student needs to complete one or the other.

Human Behavior is the result of complex interactions between physiological and psychological processes. This is an accelerated course designed to give the student a firm understanding of these processes, as well as insight into how this knowledge can be used to garner unique insights which can be leveraged to influence behavior. Foundational topics such as perception, learning and memory, emotion, and cognitive biases and attempt to exploit them via nudging are covered through lectures, discussion or current applied research, and a team project developing an applied behavioral research plan.

The easiest way to find out about people is to ask them questions. As a result, a large amount of the data used to generate insights comes from simple survey questions. This course is designed to teach the student how to develop efficient questions and to deploy surveys in person, telephonically, or online (mobile). Statistical methods for determining question and construct reliability are covered. Course material is presented via lectures, texts (textbook and supplementary readings), and several projects.

Innovative ideas often come from spontaneous conversation and interactions. Focus groups (panels) and observational research methods facilitate the discovery of these unique consumer insights. This course provides an overview of the proper use of focus groups, panels, and observational designs in consumer research. Central topics include question design, planning, implementation, moderation/observation techniques, virtual panels, data processing, and qualitative and quantitative analysis strategies. Course materials are presented via lectures, guest lectures, and as well as individual and team projects.

To generate actionable insights and implement them effectively we need to know how consumers are distributed across the population, what segments will want a product or service, and how we can sample from relevant segments so that our data is representative of relevant populations. This is an advanced course designed to provide an overview of these topics from an applied analytic perspective. The first half of the course focuses on sampling methods for data collection such as: Stratification, cluster sampling, systematics selection, multistage sampling, and probability proportional to size sampling. The second half of the course focuses on analytic methods for the four main types of market segmentation: Demographic, behavioral, psychographic, and geographic. Material is presented via lectures, discussions, immersive labs, and an applied team project.

Bespoke marketing tools and methods of approach underly much of today’s marketing research. This course is separated into three sections related to appealing to your customer base: The first covers conjoint analysis tools used to determine the value of product/services features as viewed by the customer and to assess (attractive) market prices. The second provides an overview of market mix modeling allowing for an efficient marketing plan to be deployed. The final section covers customer relationship management (CRM). An overview of what CRM is, what CRM has and has not yet delivered, popular CRM technologies, and how analytic techniques can be employed to determine customer equity, customer lifetime value, and predict customer loyalty and churn is provided. Material is presented via lectures (guest lectures), discussions of current research and theory, case studies, labs, and applied projects.

Theories of human behavior and behavioral research methods are constantly evolving. This seminar is designed to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in applied behavioral research. Each session will consist of a discussion of recent advances in consumer research and/or a relevant story pulled from the headlines. Guest lectures from academia, industry, and the public sector will also present their work and their views on the future of applied behavioral research.

As technology advances so do applied behavioral research methodologies. This frequently updated course provides the knowledge and skills needed to conduct innovative applied behavioral research using emergent methodologies. Research applications covered include: Decision time analysis, mouse tracking, eye tracking, affect measurement, and practical neural measurement techniques (e.g., NIRS and ECG/EEG). Material is presented via lectures (guest lectures), discussions of transformative research, labs, and an immersive research project.

This seminar is designed to assist the student as they produce the final deliverable of their studies – an applied behavioral research project. In the first weeks the student will deliver an overview of their project and what stage they are currently in. During the following weeks the student will deliver status updates allowing them to seek out feedback and advice for how to approach issues encountered (e.g., implementation and analysis problems), while also benefitting from their classmates’ experiences. In the final weeks the student will give a presentation which will be in the format of a “mini-defense”.

This course with laboratory provides a general introduction to states of matter, atoms and molecules, chemical nomenclature, stoichiometry, reactions, concentration units, periodicity, chemical bonding, atomic and molecular structure, and thermodynamics, which serve as a prerequisite for advanced courses. Three hours of lecture, three hours of laboratory per week. Limited to the student enrolled in the BS-Exercise Science degree program.