Explores the hospitality industry include the history, function and structure of the industry including industry components, current issues and competitive forces. Students will review the dynamics of the industry with an emphasis on career opportunities.

This course provides the 21st Century foundation for business students who will need newly shaped perspectives, solid research and communication skills, positive ethical spirit, and new technological resources to work and make decisions in global economy. Students learn the basics of business, the process of innovation and the role that business plays in society. Students are encouraged to develop their own innovative capacities, whether they want to start up a business of their own, augment the capabilities of a small business, step up to the myriad of non-profit challenges, or excel in corporate America. Students learn how to think systematically as business professionals, innovators and/or entrepreneurs. By first exploring the economics of business, in this country and beyond, students begin to recognize that all businesses are subject to ongoing trends, discoveries and breakthroughs that must be accommodated. Some represent threats; others opportunities. None can be ignored. Learning that the form of a business should follow the functions it must provide, students discover the range of options available to them as they contemplate career paths that may be of interest to them. Finally, students are provided with insight into each of the areas of functional expertise found in all organizations; i.e., finance and accounting, marketing and sales, customer support, operations, logistics, et. al.

This course focuses on the entrepreneurial startup. Topics include creative thinking about products and services, recognizing venture opportunities, evaluating venture viability, matching individual skills and interests with the venture, and acquiring the resources necessary for a successful business venture. Students will engage in research and teamwork to write a complete business plan and present this plan to the class. Whether or not a student is interested in starting a business, this class provides sound exposure to the entrepreneur and the mindset which is critical to making strong business decisions.

Financial Wellness is a practical approach to making informed and empowering decisions about financial health. Students explore values, feelings and knowledge related to money, acquire basic financial knowledge and apply this knowledge to short and long term financial decisions.

This introductory course will provide major and non-major students with an overview of nonprofit and voluntary organizations and their unique role in today’s society. Topics include the difference between nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental organizations in terms of mission, impact, governance and leadership. Business practices such as human resource management, organizational development, and financial management will be explored in the nonprofit context. The relationship between the nonprofit and government sectors will be covered as well as the public policy and regulatory environment and its impact on the nonprofit sector.

This course provides a manager's persepective on the law for business students. Students learn the practical implications of law in their own lives and what they must be ready for as they encounter civil and criminal legal issues and business formation issues. Students are introduced to the court systems, parts of the government that impact business, and how they affect and impact the life of the individual and businesses. Students learn about contracts, different types of business, and areas of regulation surrounding the relationship between employers, employees, and the government.

A survey of the marketing structure for the creation, research, and distribution of goods and services for all types of corporations is examined. Specifically, the fundamentals of the marketing mix: product development, promotion activities, price objectives and placement of goods or services will be explored. Students will also examine how communication, distribution, and exchange activities affect consumer behaviors.

This course studies the selling process including understanding distribution relationships, companies and their products, as well as persuasion, which will lead to developing a successful salesperson. Role playing is used to provide an opportunity for application and practice.

Overviews the operation of hospitality facilities including the operating costs for various types of facilities. Introduces the characteristics of building systems, building sustainability, equipment and management of the Engineering Department. This course will also focus on facility renovation needs and the management of renovation projects.

This course introduces the learner to the foundational principles and theories of management and leadership in the context of a dynamic environment. Throughout the course, learners will develop an understanding of the history, roles and responsibilities of managers, styles of management and leadership, and how to assess and capitalize on the changing internal and external environments of business. Upon completion of this course students will become equipped with the fundamental knowledge to deal with the complexities of human behaviors in the context of organizational management, emerging technological tools and strategic models.

This course is intended to cover most of the fundamental aspects of modern project management (PM), both managerial and technical, as well as to give direct experience in implementing appropriate tools and techniques. By the end of this course, students should have a mastery of the basic theory and practice of PM, as described by the core knowledge modules (KMs) developed by Project Management Institute (PMI.) The course will draw extensively from the following three knowledge modules: Project Management Principles, Project Phases and Processes, and Project Planning and Integration.

Business today rely on a robust and vibrant social media presence to tell their story to a wide variety of audiences, for a wide variety of purposes. This course explores the ways that businesses can use an intentional social media strategy to meet their organizational goals. Social media tools, their benefits and limitations, and their usage will be explored.

This course is a presentation and discussion of the specific functions of an organization’s Human Resource Department, including the human relation, knowledge, and skills vital to a successful manager. The standards for a manager, the subordinate, and the organization are discussed, as well as the supportive relationship between the employees and the organization.

This course presents media-oriented analysis of advertising and sales promotion related to the marketing of goods and services. Budgeting, reach and frequency as well as the development of multimedia advertising campaigns highlight this theoretical, yet practical approach.

This course examines the array of initiatives and tools to effectively managing talent with the goal of supporting organizational outcomes and fit. The student will be exposed to methodologies utilized in planning, recruiting, selecting, hiring, orienting, managing and retaining employees. Performance management in diverse industries is included as a focus of study.

An integrated overview of the legal aspects of hospitality management. Analyze the legal issues related to hospitality law including relevant federal and state statutes, administrative law, government regulations and case studies. Review the legal issues related to selling hospitality services including the buyer-seller relationship and potential liabilities.

Students assess their own strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur using a predictive analytic inventory. They compare their ideal entrepreneur profile against dozens of profiles of women entrepreneurs. They interview and analyze the skills and decision making of these successful women through podcasts, videos, articles, and case studies. Using both online and in-person techniques, they identify and interview women entrepreneurs and learn how they assess opportunity, structure companies, target markets, develop products and services, create action plans, fund ventures, and manage the operational complexities of emerging companies. They ask questions, synthesize the results, and develop a plan for what they need to learn and what resources they need to become a successful entrepreneur of a growth-oriented business.

Organizational Development and Change provides students with the opportunity to learn critical theory and application in the field of Organizational Behavior and Change and how to use that knowledge to improve organizational development to adapt quickly and effectively to change. Students apply proven methods to help organizations achieve goals and build capabilities to meet future challenges.

This course provides a strong overview of the process of job analysis and job design related to position descriptions, job evaluation and the development of wage/salary structures. Connections will be established between individual, group and/or organizational outcomes. Students will study traditional and progressive approaches to employee benefit packages, specifically in terms of meeting the needs of the changing workforce.

This course builds a bridge from students’ general education to the work they do in the field of business. With the aim of preparing students for both professional life and graduate work, this writing-intensive course introduces disciplinary strategies for preparing routine business correspondence, for investigating provocative issues, and for communicating to others about them. In this way, the course offers students time to learn and to practice more advanced skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening; in using appropriate software support in presentations; and in mastering information literacy in the field of business. The course emphasizes fundamental principles of communication with time-on-task and real world, discipline-specific models for communication tasks.

This course will provide the theoretical basis and the problem solving experience needed to apply the techniques of descriptive and inferential statistics, to evaluate such daily inputs as organizational reports and to improve decision making over a wide range of areas. Topics include: descriptive measures, distribution shapes, concepts of probability of discrete and continuous random variables, hypothesis testing of one, two samples, chi-squared and f-test, regression, ANOVA, using Excel and SAS for solving and interpreting statistical problems.

When developing and accessing programs and services offered through nonprofit organizations the program coordinator/manager employs a number of tools including needs assessment, program planning and program evaluation. This course will introduce students to research in support of the development of programs and services to the community and will include market research, the development and implementation of program services, and methods to monitor and assess program outcomes.

Addresses the key operations and logistical issues involving strategic and tactical implications of hospitality operations. Students will apply previous course-work to formulate strategic plans necessary to implement current and future plans for a full-service hospitality operation. Students will assume the role of a hospitality manager focusing on the necessary skills, tools and techniques required for successful strategic management of a hospitality operation.

A hands-on approach to entrepreneurship and innovation, which provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation from some of the area’s leading entrepreneurs and innovators. Through an innovative, case-based and hands-on approach, students will learn about entrepreneurship and innovation as well as creativity, thinking “out of the box,” risk-taking, venture capital, and social responsibility. Students will travel to area businesses to hear the stories behind the owners or innovative thinkers within the organization, and to tour the facilities or headquarters. Students will work in teams to research, create, and develop informed innovative solutions to real-life cases entailing problems or challenges within these businesses and/or industries. Students will be required to both generate and effectively communicate innovative ideas and entrepreneurial practices throughout the course by developing their own ideas from conception to completion. At the end of the course, the teams will present their ideas to local entrepreneurs for debate and discussion.

In this course students will learn the concepts, tools, and the analytical techniques that are essential in conducting financial analysis. The course is targeted to teach students financial analysis and its linkage to business performance. The course will cover one of financial ratios to identify potential risks and opportunities, analyzing financial performance of a company, conducting financial forecast, time value of money, cost of capital and return on investments.

This course will provide an overview of the key concepts, applications, processes and techniques relevant to business analytics. This course shows how to interpret data involving uncertainty and variability; how to model and analyze the relationships within business data; and how to make correct inferences from the data (and recognize incorrect inferences). The course will include instruction in the use of software tools to analyze and present quantitative data. As the market demand for professionals with data management, analytical and problem-solving skills increases, this course provides an analytical toolset to address modern, data-intensive business problems.

HR Policy, Employment Law & Records Management A positive approach to understanding and integrating the legislative environment impacting human resources with the development and implementation of internal policy and procedure from an ethical business perspective. Topics include exposure to federal legislation, labor relations, employment handbooks, documentation and Human Resource Information System.

An in-depth review of sales and marketing plans for hospitality operations through the analysis of market issues, trends and theories on consumer behavior. Studies market research techniques in order to demonstrate methods for acquisition and retention of targeted markets with an emphasis on managing guest relations and consumer demands.

The operational management skills you need to run a hospital are the same that you need to run a hotel, retail store, manufacturing facility or nonprofit organization. In this course you will learn skills that are transferable to various industries which will help you to improve productivity, increase responsiveness, provide more choice to the customer, and deliver higher quality standards. In short, you will learn how to analyze business processes and learn how to improve them.

This course will teach students what factors will have an impact on the outcomes of complex systems, how to determine the current state of those factors, and how to analyze and offer solution sets that encompass all necessary variables. In an increasingly interconnected world, the impact of decisions in one aspect of the system can have profound and unintended consequences on another part of the system. The ability to understand and design systems to achieve business outcomes across an increasingly complex ecosystem will require a skill set in understanding quantitative as well as qualitative and behavioral change.

Nonprofit organizations secure revenue from a number of sources including government contracts, private grants, individual contributions, and earned income. This course will focus on securing revenue in support of programs and services with a focus on grants and grant monitoring and financial reporting to private and public funders.

The 21st Century belongs to those who can think and act based on sound business intelligence. Employers are seeking individuals that have the skills and techniques to problem solve and develop creative solutions based on data and sound analytical tools and techniques. The Quality Management course will provide you with a good understanding of basic quality tools such as cause and effect diagrams, check lists, Pareto Charts, SWOT analysis, brainstorming techniques and the 5 Y’s technique. In addition, students will learn about the leadership skills needed for effective implementation of change management projects.

Organizations consider enterprise systems as vital operational tools to support and connect the basic internal business processes of a company. Enterprise systems include functions for customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain and supplier management, and product lifecycle management. These systems give a company an integrated real-time look at its core business processes such as sales and marketing, order processing, production, inventory management, and financials. This course allows students to understand the value of enterprise systems for real-time data analysis, day-to-day operational decision making, and long-term strategic planning.

The students in this course will be introduced to the concept of branding and its impact on products, lifestyles and societies within the element of marketing. The students will examine the history of branding, discuss the development of strong and seemingly impervious brands, as well as develop an innovative brand position for an entrepreneurial venture. Students will learn to identify, evaluate, create, and present their own positions on branding as a consumer and as a marketer.

The Small Business Management course addresses issues unique to managing a small business. Using a hands-on approach to learning, students will apply both accounting and business principles to small business management. Students will navigate basic features in Quickbooks in order to develop a customer base, monitor sales and complete operational transactions via QuickBooks accounting software. As students monitor the financial status of a small business, they will be able to connect business decisions to financial information and outcomes.

Students practice and perfect techniques that influence key decision makers. They adapt their approach and message to different audiences that include potential partners, investors, funding sources, lenders, customers, potential employees, and the media. Students employ savvy approaches to influence and advocate for their ideas while considering what's in the best interest of those they seek to influence. They adopt an empathetic perspective in presenting and negotiating as they seek to introduce new business ideas to a wide range of present and future stakeholders. Students critique and synthesize what works and what doesn't, as they view videos of some of the best presenters and negotiators in business, politics, and social change. Students develop powerful presentation and business development techniques that ensure clear, persuasive, and involving communications using online presentation and communication tools as well as activities in their day-to-day lives. Students develop skills in one-to-one, small group, and large group environments to elevate their capacity to meet others and develop lasting, productive, and collaborative relationships.

This course builds on the foundational business and food science courses and covers the global nature of the food industry with all its inherent complexities due to the perishable nature of its goods, weather impacts, etc. This course explores the logistics of the international trade of food and the related relationships between countries.

In this course, students will learn about current food laws and regulations with an emphasis on the U.S. and major differences to those abroad. Laws and regulations will focus on those at the federal level but include discussion of state and local concerns as well.

Best Practices for Human Resources Professionals Analysis of current and projected global human resource trends and initiatives, as well as HR benchmarks and outcomes practices. Best practices from organizations who meet or exceed HR outcomes will be researched and analyzed for reflection and innovation.

Students take ideas and build financial models that tell stories of how these ventures will unfold over time into viable businesses. Students use financial planning, data analysis, and management as they build “believable” plans for growth and scaling. They use numbers to support their vision in customer development, marketing, and creation of products and service to convince those with resources to invest in their ventures. Students identify costs and cost categories, predict revenues, and tie the venture’s product or service plan and prospective customer segments to financial results. Students estimate cost of customer acquisition, marketing, and revenue streams. They will also find business models that reflect the nuances of their markets and products in for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Students present their financial plans in a format that inspires and convinces others to invest in their venture.

Utilizing 21st Century information tools and systems, students will data mine for current product and/or service developments and trends. Gathering secondary research information from case studies, industry associations, and books and periodicals, students will assess qualitative and quantitative information. Possible primary research opportunities through focus groups and/or statistical survey may be incorporated. Final recommendations and suggestions presented in a PowerPoint executive summary portfolio format will be made to entrepreneurs and/or representatives from corporations.

In Digital Marketing Management, students will learn the basics of delivering paid search, display and inbound campaigns. Students will learn how to define buyer personas, conduct industry research, set smart goals, analytically pick keywords, optimize website pages, create content, and build links around terms ideal buyers are searching for. Finally, students will be able to evaluate which marketing efforts bring the best conversations or leads.

This course focuses on financial behavior in all types of organizations and provides students with tools to help them resolve ethical dilemmas they may face in their lives. By examining ethical issues and scenarios which will relate directly to their work environment, students will have a clearer sense of how their corporation’s code of ethics along with their own values relate to operational decisions made on a daily basis. Topics include: awareness of ethical issues in organizations, ethical theories, ethical decision making frameworks, organizational cultures and governance, the role of government, whistle blowing, ethics and technology, global ethics, and working in a competitive market.

In this fast paced and real world environment, students work in teams to launch a business in an online simulation. They make decisions based on the challenges and difficult decision points that emerge each day. They hire staff, forecast revenue and expenses, buy inventory, create operational procedures, market their services and products, outfit their operation, develop policies and procedures that define their brand, create and manage their finances, and much more. In this online simulation, student entrepreneurial teams make decisions when there is no clear answer and be prepared to pivot in all aspects of their business based on the impact of their actions.

In the Capstone Project, students will develop a full digital marketing campaign for a real business. The students will learn the activities needed to attract a target group of visitors to the business website. Students will also map out and decide on premium content and promotional activities needed to convert website visitors to leads or buyers an delight customers after conversion. Finally, students will deliver final recommendations in a presentation.

Data analytics deals with inferring and validating patterns, structures and relationships in data, as a tool to support decisions in the business environment. The course introduces the techniques necessary to successfully implement analytic and visualization projects using the modern software tools. The course offers an insight into the main methodologies for the visualization and analysis of business and market data, providing the skills for specific tasks such as data cleansing & preparation, visual design best practices, and statistical methods. Data visualization topics covered include design principles, perception, color, statistical graphs, maps, trees and networks, data visualization tools, and other topics as appropriate.

BUS 450 Strategic Business Analytics and Decision Making (3 credits) In this capstone course students will work on real world problems from case studies or personal examples. As organization continue to to face complex environments with global competition, more iinformed consumers, and ever increasing streams of data and intelligence, the ability to make the right strategic decisions based off facts and data becomes critical to success. Students will formulatethe business case, develop analytic models, collect and analyze pertinent data and define the systems that will most effectively achieve the necessary outcomes. The capstone will be a presentation of work along the recommendations.

This one-credit introductory honors course will develop the student's metacognitive activities to include identifying one's learning style and needs, planning for a task, creating and analyzing, gathering and organizing research materials to critique, draw connections to compare and contrast. Through Problem Based Learning, students will identify what they need to learn to solve a problem to effectively interpret and execute. Students will learn the fundamental skills of using various strategies and models to solve a problem successfully.

This one-credit course builds upon the Seminar Series I course, where students learned how to apply problem-based thinking using critical thinking models and problem-solving skills. In this course, student(s) will add another connection to their success called Project-Based Thinking, where the student will apply a narrative case study model. This case study model uses a narrative construct to effectively communicate ideas, analyze and evaluate research, connect and compare information (plot together), generate and argue hypotheses, story the problem to solution, explain ideas and concepts, and reflect on its lessons. This narrative structure is about asking open-ended questions, gaining insights, driving through the challenges, and reflecting on lessons learned to contextualize real-world application(s). Student(s) will be connected with an industry leader in their career path to apply problem-based thinking and solve a real business problem.

This one-credit business honors course builds upon learning outcomes from Seminar Series I (Problem-Based Learning) and Seminar Series II (Project-Based Thinking) and will introduce student(s) to the philosophy of the human-centered approach of creative problem solving through the lens of Design Thinking. This deep-rooted and relevant approach will encourage student(s) to use critical thinking skills through an iterative process using the five-phase tools of Design Thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. This method will shift the student(s)’ mindset to think of concepts they may have not otherwise considered all while focusing on the business need. Student(s) will explore a real business problem while working with a local organization to drive inspired solutions. Students will create, apply, design, assemble research, and draw connections based on customer’s design need(s) to effectively interpret, explain ideas to contrast and compare to apply ideas. Students will reflect on learnings and real world application. At the conclusion, student(s) will be prepared to proceed into the honors thesis course.

In this culminating experience, student apply the various elements of entrepreneurship to the creation of their own coherent, well-developed business or organization model. Students use a complete toolkit for designing and preparing a venture of their own. They apply the basic customer discovery tools of Design Thinking and the Stanford University-based methodology knows as “Lean Launchpad,” an approach specifically developed for emerging ventures. Students employ this highly structured and disciplined approach to take their ideas all the way to business launch by adopting those logical and creative activities. They go from early customer research to opportunity-based ideation to interrogating business assumptions to arriving at evidence-based financial planning and business development. This prepares students to actually launch their business.

This course is designed for students in the WiBH Honors Program undertaking a thesis during their final seminar series semester. The student will work under the guidance of a faculty thesis director, should complete a thesis prospectus formally outlining the Thesis, and have the prospectus approved by the faculty thesis director and chair of her department. The student will then work with the faculty thesis director in reviewing relevant literature and carrying out research related to the Thesis. The student should register for the three credit WiBH Honors Thesis Course and complete the Thesis during their final seminar series semester. Upon completion, the student should arrange for a presentation to the campus community. A written thesis should be at least 30 pages in length. The Thesis will be evaluated by the faculty thesis director and should include original research and work. It is expected that the Thesis will represent the highest standards of academic excellence. Students will create, evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and reflect upon lessons learned. The thesis objective is to design, assemble research, generate hypothesis, critique and argue decision(s), draw connections to compare and contrast, use information to effectively interpret and execute, describe and explain ideas and concepts, and reflect to recall and learn from the experiences with real world business application.

This course is designed to bring together all of the related components of a hospitality operation including facility design, operational procedures, staffing, budgeting and general management of a 21st century operation. Students will discuss and analyze current and future issues and trends related to the hospitality industry. Explore opportunities for personal development in preparation for careers in the industry.

This course is all about connecting the dots, linking various functions of business and understanding the interdependency between marketing, sales, advertising, operations/supply chain and other business functions. The purpose of this course is to enable the student to integrate the lessons learned in previous business, accounting, finance, international business and management courses through the use of case studies analyzed from the general manager’s point of view. Students will also learn the importance of score card and metrics that are essential for running a business.

Senior business students gain work experience in multi-varied business organizations, including insurance, manufacturing, banking, advertising, personnel, marketing, international trade, and hospitality management. Students obtain on-the-job training supervised by both professional managers and University faculty. This course is graded Pass/Fail.

Senior business students gain work experience in multi-varied business organizations, including insurance, manufacturing, banking, advertising, personnel, marketing, international trade, and hospitality management. Students obtain on-the-job training supervised by both professional managers and University faculty. This course is graded Pass/Fail.