Core Descriptions, Graduate Programs, College of Business, Iowa State University

MBA Core Classes
	Required Courses
	Acct 508 - Survey of Financial and Managerial Accounting A general introduction to both financial and managerial accounting information. Financial topics covered include the use and analysis of financial information, the regulatory environment and the audit function, and the use of the internet and electronic spreadsheets as a means of accessing and analyzing financial data. Managerial topics covered include the use of accounting information as a basis for management decisions, basic cost concepts, cost-volume-profit analysis, just-in-time accounting concepts, and product costing.
	Fin 505 - Financial Valuation and Corporate Financial Decisions Shareholder wealth maximization as the goal of the firm, financial math, valuation of securities, the financial market place as the test of value, estimation of cost of capital, capital investment decisions, capital structure policy, working capital management.
	Mgmt 501 - Strategy Formation An introduction to the strategic planning process. How to formulate strategy in context of environmental opportunities and threats, how to analyze industry competition and build competitive advantages.
	Mgmt 507 - Organizational Behavior Understanding human behavior in organizations and the nature of organizations from a managerial perspective. Special emphasis is placed on how individual differences, such as perceptions, personality, and motivation, influence individual and group behavior in organizations and on how behavior can be influenced by job design, leadership, groups, and the structure of organizations.
	Mgmt 511 - Ethics and Social Responsibility The ethical issues, moral dilemmas, and stakeholder responsibilities embraced by today's corporate decision makers. The morality of current management models and practices. Corporate governance and control, moral reasoning in groups, whistleblowing, employee safety, truth in advertising, environmental pollution, plant closings, insider trading, employee rights.
	Mgmt 512 - Strategic Management Critical analysis of case studies in strategic management with an emphasis on integrative decision making. Strategy implementation in light of the legal, regulatory, economic, social, and political contexts of business.
	MIS 503 - Management Information Systems Current theories and practices of information processing and decision making. Focus on information technology and its uses in improving work practices, products, and tools for decision support. Use of artificial intelligence and other developments in technology. Competitive pressures and risks of information technology (IT). Setting IT strategy, information system planning and development of enterprise architecture. Focus on systems development and implementation.
	Mkt 504 - Marketing The scope of marketing and the identification and assessment of marketing opportunities. Consumer behavior and decision making process, organizational buyer behavior, and the role of research in the marketing planning process. Market definition and analysis, segmentation, competitor analysis, targeting and strategic decisions involved in developing the marketing program. Developing marketing mix strategies and relating them to the overall strategic marketing plan. Organizational design for marketing strategy implementation and control, and effectiveness.
	Mkt 509 - International Business Survey of the structure and environment of international business. Patterns of international trade, economic and monetary systems, cross-cultural and legal aspects of international business. Global dimensions of the functional disciplines of business. Tools for developing global strategies such as economic analysis and risk analysis.
	SCM 502 - Supply Chain Management The basic planning and control procedures for service and manufacturing systems. Forecasting, Pareto analysis, aggregate planning, resource requirements planning, scheduling, quality management. Strategic operations management topics including world class manufacturing process. Manufacturing and service case studies.
	Econ 532 - Business Economics Applications of microeconomic theory and decision analysis. Demand analysis, production and cost analysis, forecasting, pricing, market structures and strategy, capital investment analysis, decision making under uncertainty, government and business.
	Stat 328 - Applied Business Statistics Application of statistical methods to problems in business and economics; review of multiple regression; residual analysis; model building; analysis of variance; introduction to experimental design concepts; time series analysis and forecasting.