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PMBA Class in Roanoke

The MBA degree allows a student to gain a broad perspective of various business disciplines. Most Professional MBA students come into the program with either no business background, or a previous business degree with narrow focus. The required classes introduce a wide range of business functions, and provide the quantitative and analytical foundation for the more rigorous, advanced classes in the second year.

Year 1 Plan of Study

Year 1: Term 1

  • ACIS 5604 - Accounting Information for Executive Decision Making (2 credits) - An introduction for practicing executives to financial accounting cycles and transactions, financial statement reporting, and internal managerial accounting and costing. This course is designed to give executives an understanding of accounting systems, and to illustrate and highlight potential points at which the systems could be manipulated. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

  • BIT 5644 - Management of Information for Business Decisions (2 credits) - This course illustrates a variety of statistical methods to collect and analyze data sets. Complex problems, both business and societal, are studied and analyzed for trends, patterns, relationships and other useful information. Statistical tools such as probability distributions, sampling, hypothesis testing, regression and times series analysis, simulation, and forecasting are studied from a practical and business perspective. Business and industry cases are used to demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the techniques used. Students use software to perform computational studies, obtain solutions, and analyze the results. Pre: Graduate standing in Executive MBA or Professional MBA program.

  • MGT 5614 - Designing and Managing Organizations (2 credits) - This course focuses on the implications of globalization and the resulting cross-cultural relationships for leaders and managers of business organizations. The ways in which culture affects characteristics of individuals, interpersonal relationships, negotiation styles, and leadership practices are examined. Cases and exercises develop skills in applying theories and concepts to concrete situation. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

Year 1: Term 2

  • BIT 5604 - Modeling Decision Making for Competitive Advantage (2 credits) - This course examines a number of topics in management science and their applications in dealing with managerial problem solving. Decision theory and optimization techniques such as decision-trees, linear programming, integer programming, networks and others are studied, modeled and solved from a managerial and applied perspective. Business and industry cases are used to demonstrate usefulness and effectiveness of the models constructed. Students use software to perform computational studies, obtain solutions, and analyze the results for problems and cases. Graduate standing required. Executive MBA and Professional MBA Students only.

  • FIN 5604 - Financial and Economic Environment of Business (2 credits) - Provide an understanding of the principles that affect a firm's interactions with its customers, suppliers, competitors, employees, and other organizations, and the roles of monetary and fiscal policies in the overall economic environment. Study the basic principles and concepts underlying the finance function. Topics covered include demand and supply analysis, individual choice, pricing strategies, market structure, monetary and fiscal policies, and the role of the Federal Reserve in managing growth, employment, and inflation. Graduate standing required. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

  • MKTG 5604 - Marketing Principles (2 credits) - An introduction to marketing management for executive MBA students. Considers the principles and processes of marketing planning in business and non-profit organizations. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

Year 1: Term 3

  • MKTG 5624 - Business Negotiations (2 credits) - This course addresses the practice of successful negotiations in business, including the business activities of marketing, operations, finance, and information management. This course utilizes behavioral principles of negotiation to develop and refine students' understanding and practice of effective negotiating skills. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

  • COMM 5714 - Corporate Communications for Business Managers (2 credits) - Public relations as a business management function. Strategic role of public relations in building corporate reputation and protecting goodwill, executive and organizational image, communication strategy, corporate social responsibility, ethical and legal communication practices, media relations, community relations, employee communication, investor relations, government relations, and crisis communication. For MBA students. Pre: Graduate Standing.

  • FIN 5654 - Principles of Financial Management (2 credits) - Provide an understanding of the basic principles and concepts underlying the finance function, and the analytical tools for making financial decisions. The specific topics covered are Goals of a Corporate Firm and Agency Problem, Cash Flow Estimation and Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Assets and Markets, Time Value of Money, Risk and Return, Diversification and Capital Asset Pricing Model, Valuation of Stocks and Bonds, and Market Efficiency. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

Year 1: Term 4

  • MKTG 5634 - International Marketing Management (2 credits) - This course focuses on marketing decision making in a global context. The course includes consideration of the impact of culture, politics, and economics and the resulting differences in marketing institutions, marketing decision making, and marketing strategy.

  • MGT 5844 - Business and Corporate Strategy (2 Credits) - Focuses on strategic decisions of the firm and use of tools and techniques for external and internal analysis to develop and sustain a competitive advantage. Examples and cases of single and multi-business corporations in a variety of industries, both domestic and international.

  • FIN 5664 - Corporate Finance (2 credits) - Provide an understanding of the basic principles and concepts underlying the finance function, and the analytical tools for making financial decisions. The specific topics covered are Goals of a Corporate Firm and Agency Problem, Cash Flow Estimation and Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Assets and Markets, Time Value of Money, Risk and Return, Diversification and Capital Asset Pricing Model, Valuation of Stocks and Bonds, and Market Efficiency. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

Year 2 Plan of Study

Year 2: Term 5

  • BIT 5654 - Program Management and Project Leadership (2 credits) - This course introduces the fundamentals of program and project management, beginning with project definition and culminating in the post-project review. Students will learn techniques, terms, and guidelines that are used to manage cost, schedules, risk, group dynamics, and technical aspects throughout the life cycle of a project.

  • MKTG 5614 - Marketing Analysis and Strategy (2 credits) - Study of methods for analyzing customers (particularly market segmentation), diagnosing competitive market structure, and forecasting demand and the use of this information to develop marketing strategy

  • FIN 5674 - Investments and Portfolio Management (2 credits) - Risk, return and portfolio theory, knowledge of equity and debt markets, derivatives, and management of investment portfolios. Introduction to equity and bond valuation, mutual funds, portfolio analysis, market efficiency, options, and futures. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

Year 2: Term 6

  • MGT 5594 - Technology and Innovation Management (2 credits) - This course takes a general manager's perspective to examine the challenges of managing technology and innovation and their impacts on organizations. It provides students with a solid understanding of key concepts, tools, and frameworks useful in managing technology and innovation. Cases will also be used as a device for developing analytical and decision-making skills and for highlighting the reality of organizational and environmental complexities in managing technology and innovation. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

  • ACIS 5704 - Managing Information Systems for Executive Decision Making (2 credits) - An overview of the theories, practices, and technologies used in the management of information systems for business decision making. Topics include use of information systems, electronic business, business intelligence tools and knowledge management, customer relationship management systems, data warehousing, virtual teams and organizations, and information security and privacy, and their role in improving organizational decision-making capabilities. Graduate standing in EMBA or PMBA program required.

  • FIN 5784 – Global Finance (2 credits) - International economic environment, currency regimes, and currency crises; analysis of foreign exchange rates. Firms' exposure to exchange risk and methods for managing risk including competitive and transaction exposure. Global opportunities to raise capital and foreign investment vehicles. Professional MBA students only.

Year 2: Term 7

  • FIN 5734 - Legal and Ethical Issues in Innovation and Technology (2 credits) - Intensive exploration of legal and ethical issues that affect the operation of business in the high technology, networked, environment. Studies public and private regulation of business, emphasizing innovation and the networked environment. Explores the interrelationship of ethics and law, the duties of directors and managers, and decision-making under uncertain regulatory parameters, especially in evolving businesses. Included within these areas are: participating in the regulatory process, intellectual property, ethical frameworks, privacy and security, and international perspectives. Pre: Graduate standing required. Professional MBA students only.

  • ACIS 5144 - Financial Statements for Managers - Use and analysis of financial accounting information. Business decisions based on advanced statistical analysis of financial data. Estimation of company value, past performance, and forecasted future performance. Impact of operating, investing, and financing activities.

  • MGT 5684 - Global Strategic Management (2 credits) - This course focuses on management challenges associated with global competition and the ways in which firms can create and sustain superior returns by formulating and implementing effective strategies. It will integrate knowledge and skills students have gained in other MBA classes. The course will help students to develop an integrated, multi-functional, "general management" perspective of the organization. Comprehensive case studies of large firms will be used to develop students' skills in strategic thinking, analysis, and execution. Strong emphasis will be placed on the global environment. Executive MBA and Professional MBA students only.

Year 2: Term 8

  • MGT 5854 - Ethics and Leadership in a Global Environment (2 credits) - Ethical issues in business and management using both a theoretical and a case study approach. Relevance of philosophical theories of morality and alternative views of corporate social responsibility to leadership and decision making in organizations.

  • MGT 5654 - Strategic Human Resources Management (2 credits) - Examines current issues critical to the management of an organization's human capital assets. Critically examines how systems of human resource policies and practices can be used to enhance a firm's competitive strategy and achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace. Examines development and deployment of systems of human resource practices appropriate to specific organizational objectives and their impact on organizational effectiveness. Professional MBA students only.

  • BIT 5664 - Managing the Global Supply Chain (2 credits) - This course provides the student with expertise in the planning and control of business processes within a firm and across its global supply chain. Emphasis is placed on applying IT and process analysis skills to improving the quality and productivity of business firms and their supply chain partners. Efficient methods for streamlining the flow of information, services and products across functions, enterprises, and global boundaries are studied. Issues in designing and managing a network of suppliers in a global environment are discussed. Pre: Graduate standing in Executive MBA or Professional MBA program.