Business & Entrepreneurship Course Descriptions

This course introduces students to a critical examination of the ways in which business intersects with society. The course will begin with an overview of business structures and concepts. It may include topics such as regulations and government, sustainability, managing people, and data and decision-making. This course emphasizes business in local communities. In class, students will engage in lecture as well as discussion. Students will complete a mixture of short assignments, exams, and projects.

This course will introduce students to the fundaments of financial accounting and managerial accounting. The course will introduce balance sheets, income statements and cashflow statements and how to communicate financial information to external audiences, as well as ratio analysis and internal financial reporting frameworks for organizational decision making. Through the course, students will learn the ethical principles that should guide accounting practices, including those use by the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

This class will introduce students to the skills, knowledge, and passion required for a career in arts management and non-profit arts leadership. Lectures, projects, and presentations will address topics including programming, marketing, fundraising, finance, crisis management, arts advocacy, community engagement, and board management. Field trips to local arts organizations and visits from arts professionals will provide networking opportunities and enable students to explore career paths. Students will engage with the challenges facing the arts industry, including the urgent need to diversify organizations and programming and to increase audiences and support for the arts.

This course will build on Fundamentals of Accounting and introduce students to further topics in managerial accounting and to financial management. Students will learn commonly used frameworks that allow people to identify, measure, analyze and interpret accounting and financial information for the purposes of internal decision-making. The course will cover key concepts that are used to provide greater understanding of the operations of an organization, including margin analysis, constraint analysis, and capital budgeting, as well as trend analysis. Students will also be exposed to ethical l considerations that relate to accounting practices. PREREQUISITES: Fundamentals of Accounting (BUEN 120)

This course introduces students to money, banking, and financial markets. We will discuss topics including the functions of money, the monetary system, bank management, the behavior of financial markets, the risk and term structure of interest rates, and the role of United States financial institutions. Students will read carefully, complete regular problem sets, and take quizzes and exams. PREREQUISITES: ECON 100

Students will receive a broad introduction to marketing and marketing concepts such as marketing orientations and frameworks; branding; how to price, promote, and distribute goods and services; and market research and analysis. The course emphasizes critical thinking through the debate and discussion of broader moral, sociocultural, and political aspects of the marketing process and the study of marketing from the perspective of the consumers and other stakeholders rather than strictly from the perspective of the firm. Students will gain exposure to the theoretical basis for the increasingly widespread application of technology. Throughout the course, social and emotional judgment and independent thinking are stressed. PREREQUISITES: BUEN 100 or approval of instructor

The legal system is the framework that enables business to operate and also provides the boundaries and guardrails for business. An understanding of the law is not only essential in business, but it is also the context in which important ethical questions about the place of business in society are raised and resolved. This course will introduce students to the basic principles underlying the legal system and to areas of law that are particularly relevant in a business environment. Building on these foundations, students will engage with the normative, ethical questions that arise in law. The course will be taught through a combination of lecture and case discussions. There will be special focus on the development of skills of analytical reasoning, argumentation, negotiation, and persuasion. PREREQUISITES: BUEN 100: Business and Society or sophomore standing

This course focuses on the history of African-American entrepreneurship, the American Civil Rights movement, and legal history relevant to Black business development. The course begins with a discussion of the African origins of Black business, follows the trajectory of African American entrepreneurship in the United States to the Civil Rights movement, and closes with the emergence of the superstar Black athlete as an entrepreneur and the Hip Hop Superstar as an entrepreneur in late 20th century America. The course will conclude with a discussion of present-day laws and legal decisions impacting African-American entrepreneurship.

This course will critically examine diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) practices in the workplace as part of a longer history of public relation campaigns adopted by businesses to improve their public image. We will learn about DEIB initiatives, investigate the importance of entrepreneurship to communities of color; explore how organizations aim to support diverse groups; examine efforts to recruit and retain workers from underrepresented groups; analyze case studies of commodity activism designed to attract consumers; and talk to local business owners about the ways their own diverse identity and/or their DEIB initiatives have impacted the workplaces they manage. Students will have the opportunity to participate in community engaged learning by engaging with a number of local business owners, DEIB practitioners, consultants, and experts in the field.

An analysis of leadership in a variety of organizations, with examples drawn from politics and business. The course develops a theoretical view of leadership as a response to group dilemmas inherent in coordinating actions, eliciting effort, and developing information within organizations. Students will apply and evaluate course ideas through readings, encounters with guest speakers, and participation in case-study simulations. PREREQUISITES: Any social science course, or Business & Society,

The course is designed to integrate theory with real world applications to help students learn to effectively lead and manage a diverse, inclusive, and entrepreneurial organization. The course requires a term-long team-based problem-solving real-world project using the STEPS process. Topics for discussion include: Entrepreneurial Leaders/Managers; Leading Teams; Strategic Management; Creative Problem-Solving & Decision Making; Ethics & Social Responsibility; Developing Workplace Culture & Managing Change; Communications Across the Organization; Human Resource Management; DEI; Conflict Resolution, and Emotional Intelligence. PREREQUISITES: ECON 100 AND I & E 110 OR BUEN 120/I & E 120 OR Consent of Instructor

Students will engage with how ethics, values, and business practices influence each other in contemporary society. Through writing about and discussing ethical dilemmas and conflicting values, students will learn about classic frameworks for thinking about these issues, and they may also refine their own value systems. Readings and cases will present conflicting views on capitalism, business, and the role of ethics, and will thus invite a variety of viewpoints. The course will feature business leaders as guest speakers who will bring real world case studies into the classroom. PREREQUISITES: At least one introductory course in BUEN and sophomore standing

Students engaged in this course will have the opportunity to do field research in a developing country. Each student will develop and implement a project that concerns a political, social, economic, business or environmental issues that is important in the country visited. Past Field Experiences have taken place in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Jamaica, and Morocco. Students will also have the opportunity to learn from both national and local leaders in the country of research, and to participate in community engaged learning through volunteer activities. Class members will travel during spring break 2024. Students should register for GOVT 401 in both winter 2024 and spring 2024. [Note: two terms of GOVT 401 are considered the equivalent of a six-unit 400-level GOVT course]. Planned Location for 2024: Jamaica

QDM2 picks up where QDM leaves off, asking students to create solutions more autonomously and examining more complex decision problems. For example, we may examine nonlinear optimization with multiple decision variables and more complex decision-making under uncertainty, including the use of simulation models, probability distributions, and Bayes Rule. Many assignments and exams will be completed using Excel, building on the Excel skills developed in QDM. PREREQUISITES: Econ 223 and STAT 255, or Econ 223 and instructor approval

In this course students are challenged to view themselves as a constantly evolving business, each day looking to do more, and grow more. Students will learn to create flexible, incremental plans, and supportive networks, and about topics such as the basics of marketing, performance psychology, and managing risk. Exercises and quest speakers will focus on skills such as interviewing, creating and refining resumes and CVs, and networking. May not be taken for credit if already have credit for UNIC 295. PREREQUISITES: I & E 100 OR BUEN 100 OR at least one course in the BUEN Entrepreneurship focus area

This course focuses on the tension between politics and expertise that characterize the administrative regulatory state often called "the fourth branch of government." Several competing models of political economy shape an exploration of the continuing evolution of the U.S. regulatory system, the process by which regulations are proposed, written, implemented, and enforced, and the tools used to evaluate the costs and benefits of regulations. PREREQUISITES: ECON 300 and ECON 380 recommended

Even in a “market” economy, the preponderance of economic activity is carried out through firms and other organizations. The course examines economic theories of the firm, and explores some of the canonical questions, such as why are there firms, how the separation of ownership and control of a firm shapes decision making, what determines the boundary between organizations and markets (e.g., make-or-buy decisions), what types of firms are most innovative, and how new technologies affect organizational structure. PREREQUISITES: ECON 300 or GOVT 271

This course will offer opportunities to explore special topics in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Topics will be taught at an advanced level, so the course will build on previous work in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. May be repeated when topic is different.

This course will help students to prepare professionally for their experiential learning experience, including internships, study abroad, and/or an on-campus practicum. Topics to be covered include: What is experiential learning and how is it different from learning in a traditional classroom setting? What skills, techniques, and mindsets maximize one's learning in different kinds of workplaces? How can one develop the capacity to tolerate ambiguity, acquire new intellectual capabilities, and thrive in multi-cultural teams? The course will primarily be based on the discussion model, including readings and presentations from guest speakers. PREREQUISITES: BUEN majors with junior standing

Students will reflect on their learning in the BUEN major and use that as the foundation for imagining and designing their professional lives after graduation. Through readings, discussions, and guest speakers, students will engage in exercises that encourage exploration. Students will connect their experiential learning to their coursework and career plans through a reflection assignment. Guest speakers, including alumni, will share their insights on career paths, lifelong learning, and how personal values shape career choices. PREREQUISITES: Senior standing