Course Descriptions
| Course Descriptions and prerequisites for School of Management courses can be found in the Boston University Undergraduate Bulletin. For information about credits, directed studies, prerequisites, or other requirements, or for a hardcopy of this course listing, please contact the Undergraduate Program Office at (617) 353-2650 or upoforum@management.bu.edu. |
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Accounting
SMG AC221: Financial Accounting
Prereq: SMG SM 121/122 or SMG SM 299, sophomore standing. Sophomore requirement. Basic concepts underlying financial statements and accounting procedures used in preparing statements of financial position, income statements, and statements of cash flow. Stresses the interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of published financial statements. 4 cr.
SMG AC222: Managerial Accounting
Prereq: SMG AC 221, SMG SM 221 (previous or concurrent) highly recommended, sophomore standing. Sophomore requirement. SMG AC 222 is a department-coordinated course that introduces the basic principles, methods, and challenges of modern managerial accounting. It covers traditional topics such as job-order costing, cost-volume-profit analysis, budgeting and variance analysis, profitability analysis, relevant costs for decision making, and cost-plus pricing, as well as emerging topics such as Activity-Based Cost (ABC) accounting. The material is examined from the perspective of students preparing to use management accounting information as managers, to support decision making (such as pricing, product mix, sourcing, and technology decisions) and short- and long-term planning, and to measure, evaluate, and reward performance. The course emphasizes the relationships between accounting techniques and other organizational activities (such as strategy and motivation). 4 cr.
SMG AC347: Intermediate Accounting I
Prereq: SMG AC 222. Required for Accounting concentrators. Provides foundation for solving financial reporting issues through the study of the conceptual framework of accounting, recognition and measurement of current and non-current assets and current liabilities, and the development of the income statement and balance sheet. 4 cr.
SMG AC348: Intermediate Accounting II
Prereq or coreq: SMG AC 347. Required for Accounting concentrators. Continues with providing a foundation for solving financial reporting issues through the study of long-term liabilities (including pensions, bonds, and leases), interperiod tax allocation, stockholder’s equity, revenue recognition, the statement of cash flows, accounting changes, and ratio analysis. 4 cr.
SMG AC414: Financial Statement Analysis
Prereq: or coreq: SMG AC 347. Analysis of corporate financial statements. Includes profitability analysis, liquidity and solvency analysis, the incentives of management in corporate reporting, and the use of accounting information in efficient capital markets. 4 cr.
SMG AC445: Advanced Managerial Accounting
(formerly SMG AC 345: Strategic Cost Accounting and Management). Prereq: SMG AC 347 and senior standing. This course integrates knowledge from the fields of accounting, economics, and finance to investigate current issues related to management control, financial analysis and valuation, corporate governance, and strategic cost analysis. 4 cr.
SMG AC469: Principles of Income Taxation I
Prereq: SMG AC 347, taken previously or concurrently. Federal income tax law common to all taxpayers—individuals, partnerships, corporations. Tax returns for individuals. Topics include tax accounting, income to be included and excluded in returns, tax deductions, ordinary and capital gains and losses, inventories, installment sales, depreciation, bad debts, and other losses. 4 cr.
SMG AC541: Advanced Accounting I
Prereq: SMG AC 348. Examines accounting issues relating to business combinations and foreign operations (accounting for mergers and acquisitions, constructing consolidated financial statements, recording foreign-currency transactions and hedging exchange risk, translating foreign subsidiaries’ local currency financial statements), business segments, reporting for local governments, and the impact of the SEC and international standards on financial reporting. 4 cr.
SMG AC544: International Accounting
Prereq: SMG AC 348. Current international accounting regulations and practices are discussed. Focuses on the impact of international accounting regulations and practices upon multinational corporations’ financial planning, their economic consequences, and international financial statement analysis. Additional discussions deal with joint ventures, foreign currency transactions and translation of foreign financial statements, international taxation, and international standards and organizations. 2 cr.
SMG AC555: Not for Profit Accounting 2 credits
Prereq: SMG AC 348. This course deals with the principles of accounting and reporting for nonprofit organizations and local government. 2 cr.
SMG AC565: Auditing
Prereq: SMG AC 348. Introduces the basic concepts underlying auditing and assurance services (including materiality, audit risk, and evidence) and demonstrates how to apply those concepts to audit and assurance services through financial statement audits. 4 cr.
SMG AC579: Principles of Income Taxation II
Prereq: SMG AC 469. Certain common and special Federal tax laws for individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts, and miscellaneous entities. Topics include income tax returns for partnerships, business corporations, special corporations, decedents, estates, and trusts. Survey coverage of corporate liquidations, pension and profit-sharing plans, IRS audits, and estate and gift taxes. 4 cr.
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Finance
SMG FE323: Financial Management
Prereq: SMG SM 121/122 or SMG SM 299, SMG AC 221, SMG AC 222, SMG OB 221, SMG SM 221, and SMG SM 222. Junior requirement—component of SMG SM 323, The Cross Functional Core. Introduces students to the themes of financial decision making: valuation and risk management. The focus is on the problems of forecasting, capital budgeting, working capital management, project risk management, and financing in a cross-functional context. A semester-long business-plan project explores the interaction between marketing, operations, management information systems, and finance decisions. The course compares the financial objectives of the manager and the investor. Introduction to securities valuation, portfolio diversification and the cost of capital. 4 cr.
SMG FE427: International Financial Management
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Required for International Management concentrators. Managing financial risk in the global environment. Determination of exchange rates. Latest developments in foreign exchange markets, forwards, futures, options and swaps, opportunities and problems arising from international portfolio diversification. Analyzes and discusses tools of currency risk management. 4 cr.
SMG FE429: Futures, Options, and Financial Risk Management
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Covers the theory of futures pricing and option pricing, and applies the theory to develop a framework for analyzing hedging and investment decisions using futures and options. Attention is paid to practical considerations in the use of these instruments, especially in financial risk management. 4 cr.
SMG FE442: Money, Financial Markets, and Economic Activity
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Required for Finance concentrators. The role of money and the importance of interest rates in determining economic activity; determinants of level of interest rates. The nature and operation of central banks; the goals and instruments of monetary policy. The roles, activities, and risk management of financial institutions. Instruments traded in money and capital markets, and their valuation. Role of derivative securities; contemporary issues in the financial system. 4 cr.
SMG FE445: Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Required for Finance concentrators. Introduction to the investment management process. Defining investment objectives and constraints. Introduction to Modern Portfolio Theory, CAPM, APT, Efficient Markets, stock and bond valuation models. Immunizing interest-rate risk. Active vs. passive investment strategies, fundamental vs. technical analysis, trading practices, and performance evaluation. Introduction to the role of futures and options in hedging and speculation. Students are expected to become familiar with current events in the financial news. 4 cr.
SMG FE449: Corporate Financial Management
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Required for Finance concentrators. The financial manager’s role in obtaining and allocating funds. Debt and dividend policies, obtaining financing to expand a business, valuation of companies, mergers and acquisitions, and capital investment analysis. Emphasizes constructing and using financial models, and using spreadsheets. Applications to current events and everyday business finance problems. 4 cr.
SMG FE450: Private Equity: Leveraged Buyouts
Prereq: SMG FE 449; (meets with GSM FE 850). Private Equity (PE) has become a major force in the capital markets. This course will expose students to, and demystify, the world of PE. The focus will be centered on LBOs and their position in the “alternative asset” class. Students will learn about the activities of a PE firm including formation, fund-raising, investing (including deal structure, terms, due diligence, and governance), and exiting. We will also discuss what other industry sectors serve or are affected by PE and who the players are. Case study and class participation will be the primary modes of learning. 4 cr.
SMG FE469: Real Estate Finance
Prereq: SMG FE 323. Introduces methods of evaluating real estate investment properties. Reviews major topics relevant to the real estate development and financing process. 4 cr.
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Management Information Systems
CAS CS108: Introduction to Applications Programming
Introduction to programming in C++ and Visual Studio for Unix and Windows platforms. Design, development, and testing of object-oriented programming projects. Students learn basic principles of software engineering while completing a large team project. (Does not count for CS concentration credit.)
CAS CS111: Introduction to Computer Science I
Develops basic skills in computer programming using the C++ programming language.
SMG IS323: Introduction to Information Systems
Prereq: SMG SM 121/122 or SMG SM 299, SMG AC 221, SMG AC 222, SMG OB 221, SMG SM 221, and SMG SM 222. Junior requirement—component of SMG SM 323, The Cross Functional Core. An introduction to computer-based information systems. Surveys the hardware, software, and systems used to solve business-related problems. Overviews the role of information systems in new product development, innovation, and competitive performance in a global environment. Develops skills for managerial use of decision support systems and systems development. Team project. 4 cr.
SMG IS465: Managing Data Resources
Prereq: CAS CS 108 or CAS CS 111, SMG IS 323, and junior standing. Required for Management Information Systems concentrators. Provides a practical and theoretical introduction to data management focusing on the use of relational database technology and SQL to manage an organization’s data and information. Introduces recent topics such as data warehouses and Web databases. Includes a project to design and implement a relational database to manage an organization’s data. 4 cr.
SMG IS467: Networking and Data Communications
Prereq: CAS CS 108 or CAS CS 111, SMG IS 323, and senior standing. Required for Management Information Systems concentrators. Introduces technologies, policies, and management and organizational concepts critical to understanding the role of data communications in a rapidly changing business and social environment. The materials focus on: the data communications industry; core technologies including mobile technology and the wireless Internet; management and use of communications technologies; policies; and organizational issues. 4 cr.
SMG IS469: Designing Information Systems
Prereq: CAS CS 108 or CAS CS 111, SMG IS 323, and junior standing. Required for Management Information Systems concentrators. Studies the process of designing and implementing management information systems. Students will learn to analyze organizational information requirements, develop specifications for information systems, manage systems development projects, and understand implementation issues. Design support tools will be used to support the design process. Includes a project to design an information system. 4 cr.
SMG IS472: Electronic Commerce
Prereq: SMG IS 323 and senior standing. The Internet and more specifically, the World Wide Web has brought about significant change in the way business is conducted. The rules and business models, however, for the new economy are still in their infancy. This course provides a grounding in the concepts of electronic commerce, and then moves to an examination of the emergent and emerging business models. The IT/IS infrastructure that supports these various business models is addressed, particularly architecting systems including privacy and security issues. 4 cr.
SMG IS474: Information Products: Applied Economics and Strategy
Prereq: SMG IS 323 and SMG LA 245. This course offers three modules to develop critical skills in the fast-moving information economy. These are (1) information product design, (2) managing information for competitive advantage, and (3) ethical uses of information. The first module focuses on how to price and value information. We show when it should be free, when it should be expensive, and how to complement other resources. The second module then moves to information business models including both for-profit and open-source models. We cover use as a strategic weapon of market foreclosure and key elements of property rights in information. The third module examines ethical uses of information, privacy concerns, and your rights and responsibilities as an information consumer. 4 cr.
SMG IS479: Innovating with Information Technology
Prereq: SMG IS 323, junior standing. Surveys the organizational implementation, uses, and impacts of advanced information technology including decision support systems, management support systems, and expert systems. Includes a group project to design and develop a decision support system. 4 cr.
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Marketing
SMG MK323: Marketing Management
Prereq: SMG SM 121/122 or SMG SM 299, SMG AC 221, SMG AC 222, SMG OB 221, SMG SM 221, and SMG SM 222. Junior requirement—component of SMG SM 323, The Cross Functional Core. Introduces students to the field of marketing management: analysis, planning and implementation of marketing strategies as the means for achieving an organization’s objectives. Students analyze cases and participate in workshops that focus on key marketing management tasks: marketing research, consumer behavior, segmentation and targeting, sales forecasting, product and brand management, distribution channels, pricing, and promotion and advertising strategies. A semester-long business plan project explores the interactions and the cross functional integrations between marketing, operations, information systems, and finance. 4 cr.
SMG MK445: Consumer Behavior
Prereq: SMG MK 323. Required for Marketing concentrators. Provides insight into the motivations, influences, and processes underlying consumption behavior. Considers relevant behavioral science theories/frameworks and their usefulness in formulating and evaluating marketing strategies (i.e., segmentation, positioning, product development, pricing, communications). 4 cr.
SMG MK447: Marketing Research
Prereq: SMG MK 323. Required for Marketing concentrators. Introduces tools and techniques of marketing research as an aid to marketing decision making. Definition of research problems, selection of research methodologies, design of research projects, interpretation of research results, and translation of research results into action. 4 cr.
SMG MK449: Business Marketing
Prereq: SMG MK 323. Explores in-depth the unique aspects of marketing to business and institutional customers in an increasingly complex, competitive and global marketplace. The course exposes students to a wide range of industrial products and services, and the technology, demand, competition, and requirements for success that characterize each of them. Topics include marketing strategy, organizational buyer behavior, business market segmentation, market development, product development, B -to-B e-commerce, pricing, marketing channels, and business marketing communications, in the context of the U.S. as well as global markets. The course is taught through lectures, case discussions, and presentations and is designed to develop the analytical, decision-making, and communication skills of the students. 4 cr.
SMG MK463: Customer Service Management
Prereq: SMG MK 323. Covers topics relating to customer service management and focuses on the role of marketing in managing services. Also covered are human resource, information management, operational, and financial overlaps with marketing throughout the course. The focus of the course is on services, though there will be discussion of how services support products as well. Course includes an applied service marketing team project for a real organization (for an organization which has requested a student team to address its customer service issues). The final deliverable for this project is a team consulting project for the organization and a final consulting report presentation to the class and the organization’s representative(s). 4 cr.
SMG MK465: Retailing Management
Prereq: SMG MK 323. The management of large and small retail institutions. Topics include buying, merchandising, pricing, promotion, inventory management, customer service, control, and location selection. 4 cr.
SMG MK466: Personal Selling and Sales Force Management
Prereq: SMG MK 323. This course is an introduction to personal selling and sales force management. It is divided into two parts. The first introduces students to good selling strategy, tactics, techniques, and skills. Topics addressed include leads generation and management; preparing and making sales presentations and sales calls; handling objections, networking; building relationships; closing deals; and ethics. The second part focuses on issues related to managing a salesperson or a group of salespeople: sales force sizing, recruitment, selection, and training; designing compensation and reward schemes; establishing sales objectives/quotas; supervising, mentoring, coaching, and motivating salespeople. The course employs a combination of cases, lectures, role plays, videos, and classroom exercises. 4 cr.
SMG MK467: International Marketing Management
Prereq: SMG MK 323. Develops a critical appreciation of both the opportunities and challenges associated with the increasing globalization of markets. Students will learn about the key environmental forces shaping the needs and preferences of the global consumer and the impact of foreign, political, and economic factors on the marketing mix. 4 cr.
SMG MK468: Advanced Marketing Strategy
Prereq: SMG MK 323. Provides the insight and skills necessary to formulate and implement sound marketing strategies. The process of strategy formulation is divided into three stages: strategic analysis, strategic decision making, and implementation of strategies. Specific topics include strategic planning, customer decision making, life cycle, segmentation, product positioning, market response, competitive behavior, new product development, product line management, and the marketing plan. Includes both lecture and case analysis. 4 cr.
SMG MK469: Advertising and Communication Strategy
Prereq: SMG MK 323. Marketing communication strategy has moved beyond advertising to include promotions, direct marketing, public relations, the Internet, and more. This course focuses on developing marketing communication strategy that integrates these tools for more efficient and effective communication. Topics include the establishment of objectives based on a situation analysis, developing subsequent messages, creative and media strategies, budgeting, effectiveness testing, and client/agency relationships. 4 cr.
SMG MK470: Pricing Strategy and Tactics
Focuses on the practical needs of the marketing manager when making pricing decisions. Students learn the techniques of strategic analysis necessary to price more profitably by evaluating the price sensitivity of buyers, determining relevant costs, anticipating and influencing competitors' pricing, and formulating an appropriate pricing strategy. 4 cr.
SMG MK486: Internet Marketing
Prereq: SMG MK 323. This course is an in-depth look at e-commerce from a marketing perspective. Topics include an investigation of current e-business models, website analysis, customer acquisition and retention strategies, and consumer behavior on the Internet. Students explore e-commerce marketing through lectures, class discussion, guest speakers, text readings, cases, and interactive exercises. 4 cr.
SMG MK487: Brand Management
Prereq: SMG MK 323. This is a course about the art and science of branding, and the ways that companies can create, capture, and sustain shareholder value through brands. Through a mixture of theory and real-world cases, the course examines brands from the perspectives of the cultures and consumers who help create them, and the companies who steward and manage them over time. Basic branding disciplines including positioning and repositioning, brand equity measurement, brand leverage, integrated brand communications, internal branding, and brand architecture are considered, as are emergent “hot topics” in branding, such as brand community, branded entertainment, and brand design. 4 cr.
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SMG OM323: Operations and Technology Management
Prereq: SMG SM 121/122 or SMG SM 299, SMG AC 221, SMG AC 222, SMG OB 221, SMG SM 221, and SMG SM 222. Junior requirement—component of SMG SM 323, The Cross Functional Core. Focuses on the elements of operations management that are of particular importance in the context of new product development. These include: product and process design, process analysis, supply chain configuration, inventory management, and capacity and production planning. A semester-long business plan explores the interaction between operations management and marketing, information systems, and finance decisions. 4 cr.
SMG OM440: Operations Strategy
Prereq: SMG OM 323. Operations Policy explores the ability of an organization’s operations to satisfy its strategic requirements. We do so by investigating the influence of decisions made about the structure—capacities, facilities, technology, and vertical integration—and infrastructure—workforces, quality, production planning and control, and organization—of an organization’s operations and its capabilities. These decisions are considered in the context of different types of performance improvement plans organizations use: quality management, JIT, reengineering, supply chain management, strategic alliances, and performance management. 4 cr.
SMG OM441: Operations Analysis
Prereq: SMG OM 323. This course presents tools and modeling frameworks that are relevant to solving today’s supply chain problems. The class will be a mixture of case discussions, lectures, games, and outside speakers. Case discussions will cover subjects including designing new-product supply chains, optimizing inventory levels, quick response, and capacity management. Lectures will provide the theoretical foundation for the course; the major subjects will be inventory theory and forecasting. Although the course is not overly focused on mathematics, enough detail will be provided so that students can apply the material in practice. Games including the distribution game, the OPT game, and the Beer Game will reinforce the concepts in a constructive way. Finally, outside speakers will present real-world examples of how supply chain models are being developed in practice. This course has been designed for students that will be working in consulting or supply chain management after graduation. For students majoring in areas like Finance or Marketing, it is a solid exposure to an area that is integral to any product-focused company. 4 cr.
SMG OM443: Supply Chain Modeling Practicum
Prereq: SMG OM 323, preference given to seniors. This class will provide hands-on exposure to modeling a real-world multi-echelon supply chain problem. Students will work in teams and be assigned to solve a supply chain problem presented by a local company. Companies include Boston Scientific, Gillette, and Seven Cycles. The projects will focus on determining the optimal solution as well as near-optimal solutions that can be more easily implemented in practice. 4 cr.
SMG OM447: Operations Management in Service Sector
Prereq: SMG OM 323. Introduces students to the special challenges of managing service organizations. Structured around the service quality gap model, the course demonstrates that a service manager must combine operations, marketing, and human resource skills into an integrated “service system general manager” approach. The course incorporates the following topics: service strategy, service system design, service quality, multisite services and technology in service. 4 cr.
SMG OM456: Technology and Management
Prereq: SMG OM 323. Focuses on the processes of technological innovation and its benefits, costs, and risks for organizations. Topics include disruptive and sustaining innovation, new product and process introduction, technology strategy, and assessment frameworks. 4 cr.
SMG OM465: Improving Quality: Six Sigma Certification
Prereq: SMG OM 323. Six Sigma quality programs help companies deliver near-perfect products and services. It has not only changed the quality “DNA” of leading companies around the world, but also emerged as a key factor in promotions and salaries. People trained as Six Sigma experts are highly sought after on the job market. This course will make you proficient in Six Sigma including its underlying philosophies, tools (for example, statistical process control), and implementation. You will also complete a real Six Sigma quality improvement project with an organization in or around BU—after which you will be certified as a “Green Belt” in quality management. This course is also designed to prepare you so that when you complete one or more quality improvement project in your post-BU career, you will be ready to test for your “Black Belt.” 4 cr.
SMG OM467: Global Supply Management
Prereq: SMG OM 323. Aims to develop an understanding of the nature of international problems associated with the supply, distribution, and sourcing of products. Issues such as the operational support of market development in foreign countries, international sourcing, country analysis, and the management of supply and distribution activities are covered. A team project is required. 4 cr.
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Organizational Behavior
SMG OB221: Dynamics of Leading Organizations
Prereq: SMG SM 121/122 or SMG SM 299, sophomore standing. Sophomore requirement. Studies human behavior in organizational settings. Theory and findings from the behavioral sciences are used to analyze case examples from organizations and the student’s fieldwork in organizations. Topics include leadership, motivation, groups, and influence. 4 cr.
SMG OB441: Human Resource Management
Prereq: SMG OB 221.
Required for Organizational Behavior concentrators. This course introduces students to the field of human resource management (HRM). The course emphasizes the strategic importance of effective human resource management to the success of any organization. Specific topics covered include: job design and workforce planning, recruiting and selection, training and development, performance management and rewards, employee and labor relations, and retention. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which organizations’ strategies and practices around these issues contribute to the strategic objectives of the organization. A number of individual and group projects will provide students with an opportunity to develop skills in making decisions from both the human resource manager’s and the general manager’s perspectives. 4 cr.
SMG OB442: Effective Group Dynamics
Prereq: junior or senior standing. Provides an opportunity for students to develop an in-depth understanding of effective group dynamics and their own behavior in groups. Students have the opportunity to enhance communication skills, develop the ability to give and receive feedback, and gain skills in leadership and conflict management. 4 cr.
SMG OB444: International Management
Prereq: SMG OB 221. Examines the many dimensions of managing people in the global organization. Topics include understanding and valuing cultural differences as well as career management in global organizations. 4 cr.
SMG OB445: Managing the Family Firm
Prereq: SMG OB 221. Explores the unique challenges and opportunities involved in managing a family-owned firm. Topics include the decision to join the family firm, establishing credibility, stages of family business growth, and organizational development and succession. 4 cr.
SMG OB448: Negotiations
Prereq: SMG OB 221. Focuses on the problems and possibilities of effective negotiations, conflict management, and power and influence at work and in other settings. Emphasizes developing both intellectual knowledge of approaches to negotiation, conflict and organizational influences and practical skills in applying that knowledge to various situations. 4 cr.
SMG OB460: The Leadership Challenge
Prereq: SMG OB 221. Explores the nature of leadership in theory and practice. Emphasizes the perspective that leaders are needed at all levels in organizations. In addition to studying leaders, students use self-assessment as an initial step in creating a plan for personal leadership development. 4 cr.
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Quantitative Methods
SMG QM450: Modeling in Excel
Prereq: SMG SM 323. There are two main goals for the course: (1) to improve students’ ability to think logically about and to structure complex managerial problems; and (2) to improve students’ ability to develop Excel-based spreadsheet models that can be used to significantly improve managerial decision-making. The course will be taught almost entirely by example, using problems from the main functional areas of business—Finance, Operations, and Marketing. Students will learn about the two main types of modeling approaches: optimization models, i.e., models that can help find the “best” solution; and simulation models, i.e., models that allow explicit consideration of risk trade-offs associated with alternatives. 4 cr.
SMG SM221: Probabilistic and Statistical Decision-Making for Management
Prereq: CAS MA 120, SMG SM 121/122 or SMG SM 299, and sophomore standing. Sophomore requirement. Exposes students to the fundamentals of probability, decision analysis, and statistics, and their application to business. Topics include probability, decision analysis, distributions, sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, and chi-square. Please note: Students may not receive credit for both SMG SM 221and CAS EC 305. 6 cr.
SMG SM222: Modeling Business Decisions and Market Outcomes
Prereq: CAS EC 101, SMG SM 221, and sophomore standing. Sophomore requirement. Examines the use of economic and statistical tools for making business decisions. Topics include optimization (including linear programing), multiple regression, demand modeling, cost modeling, industry analysis (including models of perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly), and game theory. The course emphasizes modeling with spreadsheets. (There is also an Honors Program section for this course offered each Spring, numbered SMG SM 224). 6 cr.
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Strategy & Policy
SMG IM345: International Management Environment
Prereq: CAS EC 101, EC 102, junior standing. Required for International Management concentrators. Deals with international economic theories and explores the intersection between theory and practice. Determinants of international trade and payments: international trade theory and policy and balance-of-payments accounting. Explores the implications of trade-promoting and trade-inhibiting institutions and practices: WTO, NAFTA, European Union, etc. Introduces cultural, political, and demographic issues for international managers. 4 cr.
SMG IM445: International Management Policy
Prereq: CAS EC 101, EC 102, SMG FE 427 or CAS EC 392 or CAS IR 292 or equivalent for non-SMG students (may be taken concurrently), senior standing. Analysis of the strategic and operational issues that arise from the international nature of multinational corporations’ activities. Issues covered include alternative internationalization strategies, interaction between firms and governments, dealing with global competitors, and staffing and organizational implications of cross-border operations. 4 cr.
SMG LA245: Introduction to Law
Prereq: sophomore standing. Sophomore requirement. The course is designed to provide a broad overview of the American judicial system and fundamental legal issues. The course examines dispute resolution, torts, contracts, criminal law, business organizations, employment law, intellectual property, and international law. The goal is to understand not only the basic rules of law but also the underlying social policies and ethical dilemmas. 4 cr.
SMG LA346: Law and Ethics
Prereq: SMG LA 245 or consent of professor and junior standing. This course explores ideas of right and wrong. The class examines contemporary social problems from the varied perspectives of the law, philosophy, and the arts. The class also reads major Supreme Court decisions, plays, Congressional testimony, short stories, and philosophical essays, and then applies the ethical ideas to a very wide variety of current issues, including: the right to privacy, free speech, diversity and oppression, freedom of religion, product liability, worker safety, employee privacy, whistle-blowing, and advertising. 4 cr.
SMG LA349: The Law of the Internet
Prereq: SMG LA 245 and junior standing. E-commerce and the Internet are shaking up the law, highlighting its inherent tension between stability and change. What challenges does online business pose to traditional legal rights and principles? How is law coping with those challenges? This course examines and discusses a number of topics: governmental regulation, taxation, and censorship of the Internet; how e-commerce does — or does not— change the rules of contract formation; the impact of online publishing on copyright law; cyberpiracy and trademark protection; online stock offerings and the Securities and Exchange Commission; the relationship between hyperlinking and claims of unfair competition; and how courts determine jurisdiction for claims that arise in cyberspace. The course will focus on why the law has evolved as it has, and whether the law’s current evolution adequately addresses the needs of e-commerce, for both businesses and consumers. 4 cr.
SMG LA355: Employment Law
Prereq: SMG LA 245. An in-depth look at the legal issues involved in the employer/employee relationship. Such topics include: discrimination, affirmative action, harassment, the hiring process, employee testing, and terminating employees (for cause, layoffs). Discussions will focus on the duties and rights of both parties through the stages of employment, from hiring and managing your workforce, to benefits, conditions of employment, and downsizing. 4 cr.
SMG LA450: Advanced Business Law
Takes a closer look at the legal issues surrounding businesses, from purchasing contracts, rights and responsibilities for breaches of those contracts, commercial financing, the Uniform Commercial Code, bankruptcy, products liability, real estate and more. The emphasis is on understanding legal issues as a component of good business planning. Group work to draft contracts and leases and negotiate terms. 4 cr.
SMG MG422: Strategy and Policy
Prereq: SMG FE 323, SMG IS 323, SMG MK 323, SMG OM 323, senior standing. This course provides students with a powerful set of tools which will prepare them to analyze, formulate, and implement business unit and corporate-level strategy with the aim of attaining sustainable competitive advantage. MG 422 adopts the perspective of the general manager, challenging student knowledge in each functional area in the effort to create integrative strategies that serve the needs of shareholders, as well as other stakeholders inside and outside the company. The course includes conceptual readings, which elucidate the fundamental concepts and frameworks of strategic management, as well as case analyses, which enable students to apply their knowledge to real-world situations and managerial decisions. The class culminates with a final project, which requires student teams to perform a complete strategic analysis on a public company, considering its industry environment and dynamics, its strategic positioning and internal resources, and proposing a course of action for the firm to respond to its strategic challenges. 4 cr.
SMG MG429: The European Business Environment: ‘Institutions and Enterprise’
Prereq: SMG FE 323, SMG IS 323, SMG MK 323, SMG OM 323 (offered in London). This course aims to present an understanding of those changing political, economic, legal, and labor environments. It will raise key questions and issues facing European businesses today and those wishing to do business in the European ‘single market;’ account for and evaluate some of the strategic and operational responses to Europe’s evolving environment, including the Euro; the development of a European central bank (ECB), bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD), other institutions and a prototype ‘Constitution;’ and the expansion of the membership of the EU, looking towards eastern and southern Europe. Case studies and site visits will serve to highlight both similar and different cultural norms and economic orientations between Europe and the USA. 4 cr.
SMG MG444: Entrepreneurship
Prereq: SMG FE 323, SMG IS 323, SMG MK 323, SMG OM 323, and senior standing. Required for Entrepreneurship concentrators. Addresses the specifics of planning a business startup or expanding and altering an existing small business, including the feasibility of ideas, market definition, management, and operations and financing requirements. This is a hands-on, experiential learning course requiring integration of previous coursework into a coherent, realistic business plan. Helps students assess and develop their own particular idea and to consider the appropriateness for them of entrepreneurship as a career choice. 4 cr.
SMG MG445: Small Business Management
Prereq: SMG FE 323, SMG IS 323, SMG MK 323, SMG OM 323. Required for Entrepreneurship concentrators. Designed to help students understand the intricacies of running a small company. The course addresses the major problem areas in smaller companies, including valuation, negotiation, deal structure, personnel and compensation, and marketing and financing. Exposes students to a wide range of business activities, emphasizing significant differences between large and small enterprises. 4 cr.
SMG MG449: Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Prereqs: SMG FE 323, SMG IS 323, SMG MK 323, SMG OM 323. Explores the opportunities and challenges confronting established enterprises as they seek to develop a spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation. This spirit is particularly important in an increasingly dynamic business climate, as these enterprises strive to implement new technologies and take advantage of global opportunities. The course will also focus on issues of implementation in large firms, including the tradeoffs associated with modifying practices that have been effective historically, but may not be best suited to new initiatives. 4 cr.
SMG MG455 Leadership & Management of Nonprofit Organizations
Prereqs: SMG AC 222 and SMG OB 221. This course will introduce students to the structure, scope, and scale of the nonprofit sector in the U.S. and the inter-relationship of the nonprofit, business, and government sectors. We will investigate the major nonprofit sub-sectors such as health, education, arts, environment, religious institutions, international nongovernmental organizations, social services, and philanthropic organizations (such as foundations). Following this overview we will narrow our focus to the specific application of management topics in the sector including effective board governance, executive leadership, human resources management (including the management of volunteers), operations, resource development (fundraising), marketing, and nonprofit financial management. Class format combines lectures, case studies, student projects, guest speakers from the field, and discussion. 4 cr.
SMG MG 468 Entrepreneurship in High-Technology Environments
Prereq: SMG FE 323, SMG IS 323, SMG MK 323, SMG OM 323. This class builds upon the core course in strategic management by considering the special strategic implications of competing in high-technology environments. The course examines winner-take-all industries in which firms compete fiercely to have their product chosen as the dominant standard, and industries where success is determined not only by a product’s features and price, but also by the availability of complementary products and well-chosen alliances. 4 cr.
SMG MG471: International Entrepreneurship
Prereq: SMG FE 323, SMG IS 323, SMG MK 323, SMG OM 323. This course is designed for students who may at some point be interested in pursuing managerial careers in the international entrepreneurial sector, and covers the development of skills to identify, evaluate, start, and manage ventures that are international in scope. Over the course of the semester, the class will “travel” to more than fifteen countries on five continents, and analyze operations at each stage of the entrepreneurial process. The course will cover market entry, forming alliances, negotiations, managing growth and cross-border financing. Support from local governments, and the cultural, ethical, legal, and human resource issues facing the entrepreneur will also be touched upon. 4 cr.
SMG MG472: Women Entrepreneurs and Leaders
Prereq: junior standing. This course examines the issues, challenges, and opportunities women face in leading or creating companies, explores organizational policies developed to encourage and facilitate women’s advancement and participation in companies, and helps students develop strategies for effectively managing their leadership or entrepreneurial career. Multiple perspectives are considered including macro environmental, business policy, and individual leadership. 4 cr.
SMG SM121/122: Management as a System
Required of all SMG freshmen. Introduces students to management through a cross-disciplinary curriculum, emphasizing the interdependencies within organizational systems. Includes weekly lectures that provide background information and theory and biweekly discussion sections that offer a close examination of assigned material in small classroom environments, inviting students to participate actively in the learning process. Required computer and professional skills laboratories provide students with essential computer, communication, and analytical skills. 6 cr, each semester.
SMG SM299: Management as a System (Intensive)
Required of all students who did not enter as September freshmen and complete SMG SM 121/122. Prepares transfer students, from both inside and outside the Boston University community, for downstream coursework with the same level of skills and experience as those who matriculated at SMG from the beginning. Focuses on managerial functions and the relationships between those functions. The integration of perspectives is necessary to ensure that the individual student understands the complexity, challenge, and excitement of modern management in the global organization. Emphasis is placed on analytical skills, written analysis, oral presentation, teamwork, and learning. 6 cr.
SMG SM 411 Charting Your Career Path
Must be taken concurrently with SMG OB 221. The course equips students with tools to become self-aware and market-ready when joining the work force, with a focus on résumé and cover letter development, research techniques, networking tips, and interviewing skills. 0.5 cr.
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