Undergraduate Course Descriptions

Business Administration

BUS 100 Introduction to Adult Studies (2 credits)
This is an introductory course for adult students seeking to complete an undergraduate degree in the Ohio Dominican LEAD program. It provides the student with an overview of important concepts of self-management and of an awareness of effective skills for implementation of University level study.

BUS 101 Foundations of Business (4 credits)
A survey course covering the rudiments of business. Topics include historical perspectives, organization structure, management, production, finance, marketing and regulatory agencies. Not open to students who have credit in BUS 220, 240, or 325.

BUS 102 Use of Technology in Business (2 credits)
This course is designed to introduce students to a set of simple productivity tools that help managers become more efficient and effective. The course major topics include how to develop the characteristics of an effective manager, with a specific focus on teamwork, communicating, planning, problem solving, and leading change.

BUS 120 Business Communication (4 credits)
This course provides the student with the tools necessary to write effective business letters, memos, and reports. This is an intensive writing course that requires the composition of business documents including a formal report and a group presentation. Not open to students with credit for ENG 220.

BUS 200 Resources for Business Studies (2 credits)
A survey of the basic sources and research methods in the field of Business with an emphasis on print, CD-ROM, database and online resources.

BUS 201 Management Development Portfolio (2 credits)
A focus on personal development and learning. The student will complete several self-assessment instruments and an instrument focusing on assessing management competencies. Students will explore models related to principle-based time management and executive development. Students will subsequently craft an individual detailed development plan intended to connect their career goals, academic program, and co-curricular involvements. Prerequisite: BUS 100.

BUS 220 Principles of Marketing (4 credits)
An introduction to the process of creating and fulfilling consumer and organizational needs through strategies involving the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services in a market economy.

BUS 221 International Marketing (4 credits)
This course focuses on theory and practice of marketing across international borders with an emphasis on the development of appropriate marketing strategies applicable to foreign socioeconomic and cultural environments. Case studies are utilized. Prerequisite: BUS 220.

BUS 240 Management & Organizational Behavior (4 credits)
This course focuses on the role of the manager in contemporary business and explores behavioral science concepts and research directed toward understanding human behavior and management within organizations.

BUS 245 Labor Relations (4 credits)
Human interrelationships within industry including formal and informal relationships among participants, labor-management-government relations, conflict and conflict resolutions. A study of the structure, development, and operation of present day unions and pertinent legislation; development and procedures of collective bargaining.

BUS 251 Retailing (4 credits)
A study of the role of retail organizations in creating customer satisfaction. Course topics include the evolution and dynamics of the retail industry, contemporary business practices, organizational structures, operational functions, physical distribution, and retail mathematics. Prerequisite: BUS 220; MTH 100 or equivalent.

BUS/PRS 270 Integrated Marketing Communication (4 credits)
An overview of promotion as one key component of a marketing strategy. Students review the possible elements that may comprise an organization's promotional mix: e.g., public relations, personal selling, advertising, and sales promotion. Prerequisites: BUS 220.

BUS 275 Advertising (4 credits)
Hands-on exposure to advertising and its role within an organization's promotional strategy. Students work on a team project based on a case study of an organization and prepare a marketing communication presentation. This course also addresses the criteria for scheduling of advertising and identification of appropriate media to reach target markets. Prerequisites: BUS 220 and ECN 101.

BUS 301 Conflict Resolution and Negotiation for Managers (4 credits)
This course will explore theories and models related to conflict resolution in management and interpersonal settings. Through role-playing activities students will practice and develop relevant skills and capabilities. The course will also explore theories related to developing the capacity and perspectives necessary to effectively negotiate under a variety of conditions.

BUS 305 Non-Profit Management (4 credits)
A study of non-profit management in our contemporary United States society with an emphasis on (1) functional areas such as fund raising/grant writing, education/programming, communications/public relations; and, (2) management issues such as board relations, planning, budgeting, and mission-driven decision making. Prerequisite: Junior or senior status.

BUS 310 Fundamentals of Leadership (4 credits)
This course is a general introduction to the history and current theories undergirding contemporary thought on leadership. The course will expose students to key leadership theories and concepts and their practical application. Additionally, the course will utilize contemporary and historical cases to deepen awareness and illustrate key concepts. Finally, the course will provide students an opportunity to identify leadership in the context of their personal experience and reflect upon related implications.

BUS 311 Leadership (2 credits)
This course is designed to introduce students to contemporary leadership theory. Additionally, the course connects leadership theory to exemplars in literature, cinema as well as experiential activities. Finally, the course provides students an opportunity to reflect upon and examine their own personal leadership development. Prerequisites: BUS 240 and junior or senior status.

BUS 312 Employee Training and Development (2 credits)
This course introduces the student to broadening role of training and development in organizations and allows for practical applications of best practices employed in the field today. Topics include program design, learning theory, assessment, transfer of training, program evaluation, training methods, and employee development. Prerequisites: BUS 240 and junior or senior status.

BUS 315 Gender and the Workplace (2 credits)
This course addresses the impact of gender on employment decisions, work teams, leadership, sexual harassment, workplace romance, career development, the glass ceiling, diversity, and work-family balance issues. Men and women are equally touched by gender bias; this course allows the student the opportunity to understand more fully how organizations, managers, and individuals can work to ensure that all people have fulfilling and productive careers, regardless of their gender. Prerequisites: BUS 240 and junior or senior status.

BUS 318 Business and Society (2 credits)
This course employs the stakeholder management framework to contemporary issues in business and management while focusing heavily on business’s social and ethical responsibilities to both the internal and external stakeholder groups. Special emphasis is placed on the business government relationship, crisis management, global ethics, and the impact of each on contemporary business and society. Prerequisites: BUS 240, ECN 101, and PHL 346.

BUS 343 Human Resource Management (2 credits)
This course provides a broad understanding of the complex role of the human resource management function. Special emphasis is placed on demographic, professional and workforce trends that shape human resource management in contemporary business. Co-requisite: BUS 345. Prerequisite: BUS 240. Not open to students who have completed BUS 243.

BUS 345 Business and Employment Law (2 credits)
Introduction to the American legal system, dispute reconciliation, and functions of the law emphasizing employment law issues to include employee rights, equal opportunity employment, compensation matters, and emerging legal issues in personnel administration. Co-requisite: BUS 343. Not open to students who have completed BUS 250.

BUS/PHL 348g Thematic Studies: Business Ethics (4 credits)
A study of ethical theory and principles applied to contemporary problems in business. Special emphasis on the intersection of business, ethics, law, and public policy. Use of case method. Prerequisites: ENG 101-102 or 110-111. Not open to students with credit for PHL 242 and PHL 348b.

BUS 355 Organizational Behavior and Group Dynamics (4 credits)
Managerial effectiveness is significantly related to the capacity to understand and act on factors related to individual, structural, and group dynamics in an organization. This course focuses on the impact that individuals, groups, and structures have on behavior within an organization. Furthermore, it explores the relationship between these factors and individual and organizational performance. While generally focusing on foundations of individual and group behavior, specific topics include motivation, job satisfaction, perception, decision making, power and policies, communication, culture, and organizational structure.

BUS 360 Innovation and Entrepreneurship(4 credits)
This course examines creativity and innovation in existing businesses as well as in entrepreneurial ventures. The course will explore the structural and management variables that support creating and sustaining work environments that foster innovation. Finally, the course will explore the factors unique to the entrepreneurial start-up venture. Prerequisites: BUS-240 and junior or senior standing.

BUS 361 Starting a New Business Venture (2 credits)
This course focuses on the start-up phase of the entrepreneurial venture as well as all the related financial, operational, marketing, and relational challenges. It also examines attributes of successful new businesses as well as issues related to the innovation of new products and services. Prerequisites: BUS 240 and junior or senior standing.

BUS 362 Building, Operating, and Passing on a Family Business (4 credits)
This course focuses on issues related to the developmental lifecycle of the family business. Given that the vast majority of active (large and small) businesses are family businesses, this course examines critical success factors related to growth, success and succession. Prerequisites: BUS 240 and junior or senior status.

BUS 370 Professional Selling (2 credits)
This course is organized around the process of making informative and persuasive verbal strategies, presentation materials and formats, handling objections, reaching decisions, and servicing customers as these topics apply to any member of an organization who makes a presentation. Case study, role playing, professional speakers, and group interactions project the student into the real world of the business person and salesperson. Prerequisite: BUS 220.

BUS 371 Sales Force Management and Leadership (2 credits)
This course focuses on an examination of the common problems confronting the sales manager. Topics include recruiting, selecting, training and education, motivating, leadership and supervision, and compensation and evaluation. Emphasis is placed on the personal side of management throughout the course. Prerequisite: BUS 220.

BUS 378 Marketing for Service Industries (4 credits)
This course is an exploration and study of the nature of service organizations and the principles that guide the marketing of their products. Emphasis will be placed upon a marketing mix that is fundamentally different than that found in traditional goods marketing. Prerequisite: BUS 220.

BUS 381 Merchandising (4 credits)
A study of merchandising with primary emphasis on fashion-related goods and the textile and apparel industry. Students consider presentation, cost, time, schedules, distribution, planning, and allocation of goods and services. Prerequisites: ACT 210, BUS 220, and MTH 140 or consent of the chairperson.

BUS 460 Contemporary Issues in Management (2 credits)
This course is designed as a seminar in order to introduce students to current trends and thinking in management. Shared readings will be selected to reflect advances in management thought along a number of fronts including such areas as measuring and improving performance, quality, change management, global management, and others. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to conduct a significant research and/or applied project in their area of professional interest. For example—projects may focus in professional fields such as human resource management, entrepreneurial studies, family business, and others. Prerequisites: BUS 240; junior or senior status; and one of the following courses: BUS 305, 315, or 362.

BUS 1/2/3/485 Special Topics (4 credits)
Study of a timely topic in business.

BUS 2/3/486 Independent Study (1-4 credits)
Intensive individual work, which may include project research. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor, academic advisor, division chairperson.

BUS 496 Advanced Readings and Topics in Management (4 credits)
A seminar course intended as a capstone learning experience. Students will read and discuss a personalized list (related to their core management interests and linked to their development plan) of "seminal" written works in management-some contemporary and others from the past. Students will complete a personalized learning project as a part of the course that is aligned with their career goals and that integrates learning from their program. Finally, students will revisit the personal development plan created during BUS 201, reflect upon its contents, assess current progress, and draft modifications based on progress and emerging perspectives.

BUS 497 Internship (2-4 credits)
A supervised internship of 40 clock hours for each semester credit hour. Intensive work experience. The internship placement and activities are arranged with the advisor, the student, and the representative from the sponsoring organization. Open only to Business Administration majors with a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average who have completed BA/BUS 220, 240, and 325. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor, academic advisor, and division chairperson; successful completion of application requirements for internship.

BUS 498 Seminar in Organizational Strategy (4 credits)
This course is the capstone learning experience for business administration, international business, finance, and accounting majors. It focuses on how firms formulate, implement, and evaluate strategies. The course is designed to integrate student’s functional business knowledge in the service of completing a strategic business analysis of an existing organization or through building a strategic business plan for an entrepreneurial new business venture. Prerequisites: BUS 220, 240, 343, 345; FIN 325.