PrintBusiness Administration: Course Descriptions
Core Courses
Business Foundations
The course will examine material related to the development of one’s understanding of key factors, and functional areas, typically found in a business. These functional areas include finance, personnel, marketing, operations and general management. The environment in which most Canadian businesses operate will also be examined including, the economic, legislative, technological and social contexts. The integration of the topics and concepts provide a framework that aids the students’ understanding of the relationships between the functional factors of a business, with an emphasis placed the application of this understanding to current situations and case studies. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-825 (In-class) or 570-424 (Online)
Introduction to Marketing
Marketing impacts every aspect of our lives. Where we shop, what we buy, how we eat, what we drive and even where we live. Marketing 570-819/419 is a survey course that introduces learners to the basic concepts of marketing, viewed within a corporate framework. Topics include the development of new products, identifying market segments and targeting consumer groups, pricing strategies, brand equity, distribution channel and promotional activities. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-819 (In-class) or 570-419 (Online)
Business Finance & Accounting
This course is designed to provide an introduction to the concepts, language and uses of financial and management accounting in business. The course will cover: business financial statements, including basic accounting concepts, financial statements, financial statement analysis, and sources of finance; and business control emphasizing elementary financial management, cost and budgetary control systems, capital budgeting, profit planning and current developments in accounting. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-817 (In-class) or 570-440 (Online)
Organizational Behaviour
The objective of this course is to provide a conceptual and empirical understanding of the structure and function of human behaviour in organizations. Students will study the behavioural influences which affect productivity, organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Topics to be discussed include perception, job and organizational design, decision-making and leadership. Individual and group exercises and the analysis of case material will be used to enhance a practical understanding of theoretical concepts. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-821 (In-class) or 570-421 (Online)
Business Communications
The course focuses on the knowledge and skills associated with clearly receiving, transmitting and communicating information within the business environment. Using communication theory and practical application, students will develop effective writing, speaking, and presentation skills required to convey a business’ communication strategy. Issues such as diversity, ethics and technology will be discussed within the context of business communication. Independent and group work activities will be incorporated to the learning environment in order to apply the students’ communication skills and knowledge to topics of teamwork, customer relations and leadership. (3 units)
Course Number: 569-850 (In-class) or 569-450 (Online)
Finance Electives
Economics
This course is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of economics. Through a combination of lectures, discussions and short presentations, students will learn the basic principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. There is no Prerequisite for this course however some knowledge of graphs and equations is required. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-818 (In-class)
Business Statistics
This course will provide students with a general understanding of statistical techniques commonly used in solving business problems and undertaking market research. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability theory, sampling distributions, estimations of means and proportions, simple regression and correlation, time series and index numbers. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-855 (In-class)
Financial Management
This course introduces the techniques and applications of finance necessary for sound asset and equity management. Particular emphasis is placed on working capital levels, capital structure and distribution of profits. Short and long term financing instruments are described and the cost of capital, as it applies to investment decisions as well as financial issues, is examined. Some issues are: portfolio theory, capital asset pricing model (CAPM), agency theory, and option pricing. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-933 (In-class) or 570-433 (Online Self-Study)
Financial Modeling
Financial modeling refers to the process of building algorithms to solve a variety of finance-related problems. Financial modeling underlies and supports a broad set of decisions a manager may be called upon to make. (Prerequisite: Financial Management + either Introductory Financial Accounting or Business Finance and Accounting) (3 units)
Course Number: 570-490 (Online Self-Study)
Human Resources Electives
Human Resources Management
The Human Resources Management course provides an overview of the fundamentals of human resource management and the importance and impact of human resource management on an organization. The course will focus primarily on seven major areas: strategic human resources management, planning human resources, attracting and selecting human resources, placing, developing and evaluating human resources, rewarding human resources, maintaining high performance and evaluating human resources strategies. (3 units)
Course Number: 974-901 (In-class) or 974-401 (Online Self-Study)
Compensation
To provide an understanding of the process, issues and techniques involved in developing and administering a compensation system. The course should enable the student to gain knowledge of (a) both the theoretical and applied aspects of the compensation function, (b) the linkage between the compensation function and the organizational management process and (c) the compensation system design necessary to attract, retain and motivate the required workforce. (3 units)
Course Number: 974-898 (In-class)
Human Resources Planning
Students will learn the theory behind Human Resource Planning. Specific areas of discussion include, setting the foundation for Human Resource planning, Job Analysis, Manpower Planning and Forecasting, Management Development, HRIS and program implementation. Case studies and assignments will provide students with the opportunity for practical application. (3 units)
Course Number:974-923 (In-class)
Labour Relations
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a working knowledge of the institutions and processes (both regulatory and non-regulatory) that govern the relationship between employers and employees in Ontario. The emphasis will be on the process of collective bargaining and grievance resolution. (3 units)
Course Number: 974-899 (In-class)
Occupational Health & Safety
The major objective of the course is to introduce those who are involved in human resource management to the broad and ever changing field of occupational health and safety. The multiple dimensions of technical, legislative, political and personal issues are a required part of the training for a professional. (3 units)
Course Number: 974-921 (In-class)
Recruitment & Selection
This highly interactive course covers topics such as the need to plan the acquisition of human resources based on anticipated corporate productivity needs, the provisions and impact of human rights, pay equity, employment equity and freedom of information measures, and different recruitment and selection techniques and their strengths and weaknesses. (3 units)
Course Number: 974-897 (In-class)
Training & Development
The primary objective of this course is to examine the functional roles of training and development in the organization. Working models will be analyzed through case studies to illustrate the critical importance of planning within an instructional systems approach. Topics to be discussed include: training and development in review; the psychology of learning, needs assessment and analysis; objectives; standards and performance; program design and evaluation; the management of training; group dynamics. (3 units)
Course Number: 974-902 (In-class)
Management Electives
Operations Management Techniques
This course introduces the students to operations management concepts, models and techniques that have broad areas of application. The course covers forecasting, capacity planning, inventory control, project management, transportation cost analysis, quality control, and problem solving techniques. Emphasis is on the quality of products and services as the primary competitive strategy in the global marketplace. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-816 (In-class)
Economics
This course is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of economics. Through a combination of lectures, discussions and short presentations, students will learn the basic principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. There is no Prerequisite for this course however some knowledge of graphs and equations is required. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-818 (In-class)
Business Statistics
This course will provide students with a general understanding of statistical techniques commonly used in solving business problems and undertaking market research. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability theory, sampling distributions, estimations of means and proportions, simple regression and correlation, time series and index numbers. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-855 (In-class)
Principles & Practices of Supervision
The objective of this course is to acquaint students with an understanding of the behaviours that lead to effective supervision. This will include a combination of lectures and discussions which will convey supervisory and leadership concepts in the context of everyday work experiences. The focus of study will be related to the concept of Situational Leadership. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-847 (In-class)
Management Information Systems
This course will introduce students to the concepts of system analysis, design and implementations, with reference to the relationship between system management and organizational development. Topics to be covered include: the technology, analysis, systems evaluation and applications of an accounting information system (AIS), AIS and organizational decision-making, systems design and monitoring, control types of an AIS and marketing/purchasing applications. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-932 (In-class) or 570-432 (Online Self-Study)
Business Law
This course highlights legal topics that accountants and general business managers might encounter. Contract law, agency and the law of torts are examined in order to recognize where legal problems exist and what avenues are open to resolve them. (3 units)
Course Number: 570-436 (Online)
Business Strategy (formerly Business Administration II)
Through extensive use of case analysis and discussions this course provides practical training in establishing goals and objectives for organizations and in formulating business strategies and plans. Particular emphasis will be placed on the process for developing business strategies, including the identification of various stakeholders and the need for congruency among such functions as human resources, labour relations, marketing, production, finance, sales, and research and development. Students will be encouraged to use and develop their creativity through experiential learning and case analysis. (3 units)
Course Number: 610-852 (In-class) or 610-452 (Online)
Human Resources Management
The Human Resources Management course provides an overview of the fundamentals of human resource management and the importance and impact of human resource management on an organization. The course will focus primarily on seven major areas: strategic human resources management, planning human resources, attracting and selecting human resources, placing, developing and evaluating human resources, rewarding human resources, maintaining high performance and evaluating human resources strategies. (3 units)
Course Number: 974-901 (In-class) or 974-401 (Online Self-Study)
Marketing Electives
Marketing Plans and Implementation
A company’s marketing plan is a document that outlines the overall marketing strategy, specific actions to be undertaken and the logic underlying the recommendations. As such, it is the culmination of a detailed analysis of the company’s marketing situation and is a vital resource in a competitive market. This course builds on the introductory marketing course and will teach the basics of creating and communicating effective marketing plans by covering different aspects of such a plan like marketing audits, market analysis, marketing strategy, tactics and implementation tools. (3 units)
Course Number: 319-001 (In-class)
Consumer Behaviour
Consumer Behaviour pertains to the study of why and how consumers make decisions related directly or indirectly to a consumption event. For marketers, understanding the field of consumer behaviour is perhaps the most important tool for commercial success. This course will cover five aspects – the inner workings in the mind of a consumer that deals with consumer psychology; the different situational factors that influence the consumer decision; the process by which a consumer makes a decision; the aggregate aftermath of consumer decisions; and finally the key issues surrounding ethics and social responsibility. (3 units)
Course Number: 319-002 (In-class)
Integrated Marketing Communications
This course will focus on the important marketing topic of communication. The course will examine the strategy of communication and the effective use of communication elements: advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations, event marketing, and media. (3 units)
Course Number: 319-003 (In-class)
Market Research
Effective marketing decisions often depend on effective marketing research. In a fast changing marketing landscape, and with subjective perceptions often driving customer decisions, data is often difficult to collect and when collected can be misleading and confusing. Proper marketing research techniques allow the marketing practitioner to sift through the noise to collect and analyze data for generating the most effective marketing insights. For this, market researchers deploy a wide variety of tools, procedures and frameworks leading to the proper collection, analysis and use of such data. This course will teach students the basic statistical procedures and how to interpret statistical results. A previous course in statistics is NOT required. (3 units)
Course Number: 319-004 (In-class)
Branding
This course will explore the world of branding that is so pervasive in our society today. We will discuss the foundation, application, and management of a strong brand. Topics will include key branding principles and brand equity, characteristics of a strong brand, brand building and positioning, the role of ethics in branding and the organizational framework for managing brands. (3 units)
Course Number: 319-006 (In-class)
Business to Business Marketing
To be effective in the marketing domain, marketing strategies need to take into account not only the customer but also the customer’s customers. While the basic principles of marketing still apply to business to business marketing there are significant differences with the traditional consumer marketing. Business to business marketing tends to be more sophisticated because business transactions typically include multiple levels of stakeholders and multiple decision makers. Business partners also play a greater role in the ultimate delivery of goods and services – whether on the supply or the distribution side. This course will teach the students the basic institutional details and principles of successful business to business marketing. (3 units)
Course Number: 319-007 (In-class)
Building Social Media Relationships
Explore the theoretical aspects and practical applications of social media tools including blogs, wikis, social media websites (i.e. Facebook and YouTube) to engage new audiences and build relationships. (3 units)
Course Number: 462-011(In-class)
Social Media Research and Techniques
Apply social media knowledge to public relations practice by conducting research, campaigns and engaging communities. Study current business cases to explore best practices. (3 units)
Course Number: 462-013 (In-class)