Doctorate of Business Administration: Leading with Advanced Business Strategy and Innovation

All DBA students who do not have an MBA or a Master’s degree in a business-related field may have to take some or all of these four foundation courses in Accounting, Operations Management, Finance, and Marketing if the University determines a student does not possess enough foundational knowledge in these areas to be successful in their DBA program at CMU. The following is a list of the 3 semester unit foundation courses that may be required:

The lifeblood of every organization – private, public, religious or corporate – is its financial resources. Managers must know how to manage and allocate resources in order to ensure long-term profitability and organizational health. This concentration assists students with developing these essential skills.

FIN 7420: Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

The focus of this course is on the financial theory and empirical evidence that are useful for investment decisions. The topics such as Financial Theories, Empirical Evidence in the Equity and Equity Options Markets, Fixed-Income and Credit Sensitive Instruments, Market Efficiency and Portfolio Management will be covered in this course.

FIN 7430: Financial Economics (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course focuses on application of economic principles to analyze financial markets. The course examines price fundamentals, models explaining asset pricing, and the implication of efficient markets and no-arbitrage.

FIN 7440: Financial Markets and Institutions (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course examines the nature, scope and role of financial institutions in the economy; supply of and demand for loanable funds; money market; capital markets; the level and structure of interest rates; monetary, fiscal and debt management policies. The course covers fundamental knowledge on the structure, function and role of the financial system in light of the web of links and interconnections with the banking sector. The course will cover financial intermediaries, financial instruments and the different markets where credit institutions are active players.

FIN 7460: Derivatives and Risk Management (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course focuses on financial derivatives, namely options, futures and swaps. The goal is to provide a complete overview of the main characteristics of these securities and pricing and hedging issues, from the point of view of the investment bank or large investor. The topics that cover risk management are: Risk assessment, Controlling risk, Quantifying financial risks, Financial methods for measuring risk, Qualitative approaches to risk assessment.

FIN 7470: Seminar in International Finance (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course will focus on decision making in an international context. It covers major topics in international financial markets. The course will cover topics such as foreign exchange markets, spot exchange rate, forward exchange rate, currency futures, options, balance of payments, international monetary system, purchasing power parity and interest rate parity.

FIN 7490: Seminar in Valuation, Mergers and Acquisitions (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course will focus on the increasingly dynamic trends in the global marketplace that have caused multinational firms to structure complex mergers and alliances, all with the goal of enhancing shareholder value. Many of these transactions fail to achieve their potential. The course will evaluate the strategic implications and tactical aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and alliances. Topics covered include the role of the board of directors and senior management in identifying new opportunities to increase shareholder value; valuation methodologies (both quantitative and qualitative); deal structure; due diligence; corporate governance; legal, tax, regulatory, organizational, and environmental planning.

BUS 7001-FIN: Business Administration Career Practical Training (3 credit hours) Repeatable in BUS 7002 or BUS 7003 (1 credit hour)

This course is an elective externship course. This course of 3 semester units requires 135 hours of externship in the eight-week session.
This course may be repeated, however, only the first 3 semester credits count toward the required units required for graduation. The course is designed to give the student practical On-The-Job experience in the directed area of Business Administration. The course presents an opportunity for student to apply and practice their knowledge and skills they have learned in their degree program and further develop their passion for their chosen industry in a real-world setting.

The Marketing concentration moves beyond fundamentals by focusing upon marketing management and marketing research. The courses provide students the opportunity to enhance existing skills and knowledge and to gain new skills and knowledge germane to effectively managing the entire scope of the product life cycle in a strategically-sound, systematic, ethical, and legal manner.

MKT 7310: Advanced International Marketing (Prerequisite: BUS 7100) (3 credit hours)

This course exposes to several aspects of global marketing. This includes the international marketing environment and the international marketing mix—product, pricing, distribution, promotion—as well as emerging issues in international trade such as trading blocs, trade barriers, and standardization/adaptation.

MKT 7320: Seminar in Consumer Behavior (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This seminar course provides an in-depth study of the nature and determinants of the behavior of organizations in relation to their marketing activities. This course will emphasize the cognitive processing perspectives of decision making within ethical marketing both locally and internationally. Students will also gain experience in comprehensively surveying the literature in subject areas such as memory, attitudes, perceptions, preferences, and buyer/seller behavior.

The seminars will focus on practical, professional decision making incorporating the challenges faced by marketers who must balance the needs of customers, suppliers, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders. The course requires the student to synthesize and integrate theory and practice and to apply them toward the development of innovative and creative solutions for specific marketing situations found within an organization’s environment both locally and in the global environment.

MKT 7330: Strategic Marketing (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course focuses on marketing theory development, organizational behavior theory, innovation theory, and research to examine substantive areas in marketing. It examines the development of marketing strategies that can be adapted to the changing needs of consumers, to the strategies of competitors, and to the globalization of commerce.

Other topic areas include: segmentation, strategy, advertising, promotion, pricing, product development and management, distribution channels, sales force, relationship marketing, new product introduction, marketing across sectors, and retailing. In this course, strategic management concepts as they relate to for-profit, not-for-profit and professional organizations will be examined to enhance the student’s ability to analyze an industry and develop relevant ethical marketing strategies.
As such, this course is designed to offer exposure to the substantive issues that marketing theoreticians are grappling with and an opportunity to delve more deeply into one or more areas of special interest.

MKT 7340: Advanced Analytical Marketing Research (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

The focus of this course is to develop an awareness and understanding of the various information sources and techniques for gathering and analyzing marketing data that can reduce the uncertainty and increase the profitability of marketing decisions.

The course will address the data collection and data analysis. Special emphasis will be given to problem definition, data collection methods, research design, statistical analysis and interpretation of results.

MKT 7350: Marketing Communications and Experiential Marketing (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course provides students with an understanding of the process of developing and managing an integrated marketing communication campaign for a product or service.

The course provides students with allows students to prepares students to present and manage an integrated marketing communications plan using a blend of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, Internet techniques and related marketing tools. Through case studies and practical exercises, you will learn how to reach appropriate market targets in the most cost-efficient and measurable way. The course employs a mix of case discussions and lectures/class discussions.

MKT 7360: Pricing Theory and Practices (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course focuses on strategic and tactical aspects of pricing decisions for products and services. The course is quantitative in nature and takes into consideration the role of consumer behavior, economics, statistics, and management science in determining pricing policies.

BUS 7001-MKT: Business Administration Career Practical Training (3 credit hours) Repeatable in BUS 7002 or BUS 7003 (1 credit hour)

This course is an elective externship course. This course of 3 semester units requires 135 hours of externship in the eight-week session.
This course may be repeated, however, only the first 3 semester credits count toward the required units required for graduation. The course is designed to give the student practical On-The-Job experience in the directed area of Business Administration. The course presents an opportunity for student to apply and practice their knowledge and skills they have learned in their degree program and further develop their passion for their chosen industry in a real-world setting.

The “global economy” requires that domestic and foreign business managers have the knowledge of cultural, economic, political and legal environments of business and the necessary managerial skills for making management decisions in an international context. This specialization focuses on the essential elements required to understand and manage international organizations.

IBA 7510: Seminar in International Business (3 credit hours)

This course focuses on strategic planning and international business policy using extensive reading and cases in the global business field, which includes insights into the historical, cultural, and political foundations that created problems and opportunities and the solutions and courses of action taken in response. The course focuses on the environmental complexities that arise when business activities and institutions transcend international borders.

FIN 7470: Seminar in International Finance (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course will focus on decision making in an international context. It covers major topics in international financial markets. The course will cover topics such as foreign exchange markets, spot exchange rate, forward exchange rate, currency futures, options, balance of payments, international monetary system, purchasing power parity and interest rate parity.

MKT 7310: Advanced International Marketing (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course exposes to several aspects of global marketing. This includes the international marketing environment and the international marketing mix—product, pricing, distribution, promotion—and emerging issues in international trade such as trading blocs, trade barriers, and standardization/adaptation.

IBA 7520: International Accounting (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course introduces and examines accounting issues unique to multinational enterprises and international business activity. Specific course topics include auditing the global firm; financial reporting outside the USA; international financial disclosure issues such as segmental social, and environmental; accounting harmonization; ethics; taxation; foreign exchange; and cultural issues.

HRM 7530: International Human Resource Management (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course examines the management of people in organizations across different countries and cultures. Its primary aim is to examine the roles and functions of the various HRM activities within an international context. The course provides an overview of the comparative and human resource management issues associated with conducting international business operations.

IBA 7540: International Business Law and Practices (Prerequisite: 7040) (3 credit hours)

This course covers the principles underlying the legal environment of global business. In addition to identifying the current legal rules and regulations affecting businesses, this course presents insights into new developments and trends that will greatly affect future transactions on a global scale.

BUS 7001-INT: Business Administration Career Practical Training (3 credit hours) Repeatable in BUS 7002 or BUS 7003 (1 credit hour)

This course is an elective externship course. This course of 3 semester units requires 135 hours of externship in the eight-week session.
This course may be repeated, however, only the first 3 semester credits count toward the required units required 61 semester units required for graduation. The course is designed to give the student practical On-The-Job experience in the directed area of Business Administration. The course presents an opportunity for student to apply and practice their knowledge and skills they have learned in their degree program and further develop their passion for their chosen industry in a real-world setting.

This concentration prepares individuals who seek top leadership positions in business or who seek to be valued consultants to businesses and other organizations. Prospective top leaders and consultants must prepare themselves to see and evaluate the “big picture” and think and act “strategically.” Leaders develop analytical and strategic thinking skills early in their careers. Consultants engage in problems solving with their client firms, always with an understanding of the strategic implications of what they are doing, and ultimately help firms develop and implement strategies.

MGT 7610: Seminar in Strategy and Competitive Advantage (3 credit hours)

This course concentrates on strategy issues at the business unit level. Its focus is on the question of how firms can create and sustain a competitive advantage. A central part of the course deals with new concepts that have been developed around the notions of complementarities and fit. Other topics covered in the course include the creation of competitive advantage through commitment, competitor analysis, real options, modularity, and increasing returns.

MGT 7620: Technology and Innovation Strategy (3 credit hours)

This course emphasizes how the future manager or entrepreneur can use strategic management of innovation and technology to enhance firm performance.The course is designed to meet the needs of future managers, entrepreneurs, bankers, or consultants who must understand the interactive role of technology and organization to derive competitive advantage.

MGT 7630: International Strategy Formulation and Execution (3 credit hours)

This strategy course addresses how to assess the performance of a business, what determines performance, how to conduct a strategic audit and how to develop a specific course of action to deal with strategic issues. The opportunity to enhance value by aligning strategy and organizational infrastructure is analyzed. The ability to implement change to enhance competitiveness is examined.Participants develop general management abilities by integrating prior knowledge and skills acquired in previous courses and ‘pulling it all together’ in the process of strategy formulation and strategic choice.

MGT 7640: Strategic Decision Making (MCDM, DSS, ES) (3 credit hours)

This course will examine how decisions are made in strategic settings, that is, scenarios where the wellbeing of a person depends not only on his/her own actions but also on those of others he/she is interacting with. In deciding on his/her actions, a person has to either predict the actions of others or he/she has to take account of actions they have already taken.The theory of strategic behavior (‘game theory’) to be developed in this course has truly enormous scope for applicability. It can be applied to scenarios in history, economics, psychology, business, sociology, anthropology, military conflict, and biology.This course will provide a framework to think systematically about questions in these diverse areas. The goal is to enable students to make sense of the many events, institutions, social norms, government actions, and patterns of individual behavior that we observe in past and present societies.

MGT 7650: Organization Theory: A Strategic Approach (3 credit hours)

This course provides a strategic, applied approach to organization theory that emphasizes decision-making.The course presents a balance of theory, research, and practice and focuses on how students can use their knowledge of organization theory to be better managers and organization members.

MGT 7660: Strategic Management of Nonprofit Organizations (3 credit hours)

This is course to introduce students to strategic management issues in the nonprofit sector. The course will cover key issues in founding, leading, managing, and governing nonprofit organizations and new nonprofit ventures, including organizational mission, strategic analysis and planning, board governance, multiple constituencies, partnerships and collaborations, human resources, financial management, fundraising and resource development, and performance measurement and impact.

BUS 7001-MGT: Business Administration Career Practical Training (3 credit hours) Repeatable in BUS 7002 or BUS 7003 (1 credit hour)

This course is an elective externship course. This course of 3 semester units requires 135 hours of externship in the eight-week session.
This course may be repeated, however, only the first 3 semester credits count toward the required units required for graduation. The course is designed to give the student practical On-The-Job experience in the directed area of Business Administration. The course presents an opportunity for student to apply and practice their knowledge and skills they have learned in their degree program and further develop their passion for their chosen industry in a real-world setting.