Master of Business Administration-Practicum Option

This course examines issues and functions that business managers face within the context of day-to-day operations and long-term planning of the organization. Topics include strategic management, legal issues, marketing, law and ethics, and global dimensions of businesses.

This course introduces fundamental concepts of accounting principles, financial tools, and economic analysis for effective managerial decision-making. Topics include the role of the financial manager in the organization, concepts, and principles underlying financial accounting practices, financial statement analysis, budgeting, and economic analysis for decision makers.

This course explores management problems and the role of decision-making models and tools in resolving business problems. The application and use of information systems in decision-making is assessed. Students apply system and quantitative analysis to an integrated case study.

This course is a culmination of the business functions to incorporate them into a coherent, profitable, sustainable business strategy. This course includes strategy information, decisions, and techniques of industry leaders.

This course examines the area of business law and applies it to the business environment. Traditional topics covered include: the legal environment of business, contract law, property, sales contracts, commercial paper, agency law, ethics and the regulatory environment. The course also examines the issue of the global economy from the view that the largest companies dominate in the creation of jobs and technological innovation.

This is a course in business analysis. This course investigates the advanced analysis methods and techniques used to solve modern business problems. The course emphasizes the most successful methods from business statistics, production and operations management, management science, and operations research fields of study. Students will be required to synthesize material from several major fields of study in order to apply it in this course. The capabilities of Microsoft Office will be used extensively throughout the course to illustrate the application of these methods and techniques to the analysis and solution of modern business problems. The course will first investigate the types of problems faced by businesses in the both the production and service areas. Methods of analysis will be investigated to solve these type problems including probability concepts and their applications, statistical quality control, process design, forecasting, inventory control, waiting line models, transportation and assignment methods, decision analysis, and simulation modeling.

This course is designed to use economic analysis to enhance business decision-making within private businesses, not-for-profit institutions, and public agencies. Economic concepts covered include demand analysis, production and cost analysis, linear programming applications, pricing policies and regulation.

This course is a study of the major corporate finance and financial management theory, strategy, processes, functions, and other issues. Topics include the finance function, concepts of sources and uses of funds, analysis and estimation of need for funds (short- and long-term), short-term sources, working capital management policy, long-term sources, capital structure policy and implementation, capital budgeting and the cost of capital. Students must have access to Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel software.

This course is designed to illustrate development, implementation, and reformulation of business strategy, with both domestic and international implications. Emphasis is placed on the need for, awareness of, and accommodation to changes in an organization's internal and external environments. Generic types of business strategies and techniques for analyzing strategies are also covered.

This course focuses upon the problems and challenges of managing individuals, groups, and organizations in a virtual or distributed environment. Virtual means that work is accomplished by interdependent people performing at different time or places, or across organizations. This course addresses current topics associated with the new forms of organizing that new technology and accompanying strategic changes promote. The student will examine online business models, sources of competitive advantage in e-commerce, and techniques for evaluating opportunities. In this context, the student will also discuss ways in which e-commerce organizations differ from conventional organizations and how to create e-commerce alliances. Issues include a focus on social interactions; the social, political, economic, and technological contexts of virtual communities and the limits for their sustenance.

This course is a study of theory and concepts fundamental to understanding the global economy. Students learn to analyze the global business environment of industrialized developing countries, and to think strategically, using micro and macroeconomics principles.

This course provides an understanding of current academic research in the areas of international finance and international macroeconomics. Students will learn the tools for conducting research in this field. A comprehensive overview of currency, equity, and international bond markets around the world. Institutional, theoretical issues, and current trends will be analyzed. A strong emphasis will be placed on the hedging techniques and tools used to reduce the risks associated with those financial markets. Students must have access to Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel software.

This course is an examination of individual dimensions of global executive leadership, organizational behavior, inter-group relations, and strategies for internal corporate communication. Course topics include management and global trade, special aspects of operating successfully in the global environment, the executive's role in solving conflicts and creating corporations in the world marketplace, cultural aspects of international operations management and ethical corporate strategies in an international context.

The Master of Business Administration is a multi-faceted degree that allows a student to select one of several areas of specialization within business including entrepreneurship, global business management, organization behavior, and information technology management. At its core the MBA program seeks to develop an advanced understanding of organizational theory to the complex business enterprise’s operations, to leverage technology to enhance business capabilities and apply the knowledge of financial theory and strategy to achieve management objectives. The ability to apply learning to practice is a key requirement for demonstrated success in learning. To achieve and demonstrate learning, a practicum and integration seminar is offered to students in this degree as an alternative to the comprehensive exam. This option can be undertaken by any student seriously interested in the integration and application of theory and practice. Students selecting this option are exempt from comprehensive exams. The course requires that the student: • Identify and obtain approval for an organization or project of interest • Select and obtain an approval for a workplace mentor • Complete a 120 hour practicum in the approved organization under the guidance of the mentor • Keep a log of work completed to be signed by the mentor • Submit a 25 page integrative applied research paper using Kolb’s experiential learning cycle as the basis for reflection on that experience. The experiential or practical component of the class aims to apply learning in an aspect of interest related to the degree and concentrations of the student’s areas of specialization. It is understood to be a supervised practicum that requires approval by APUS before entering into the relationship with the organization. The selection of an organization or site for the practicum must relate to the content of the student’s course work and/or concentration. Goals of the applied practicum and integration seminar will be submitted by the student for approval using an application for approval to the Faculty member, Program Director and Dean of Graduate Studies. The organization will serve as an opportunity to experience the practice of an area of management related to the focus of the student’s degree. This option will act as a capstone of the student’s program and is to be completed in the student’s final semester.