Management Concentration

Students will learn the basic principles and functions of management with an emphasis on employee motivation and group dynamics. Management theory and practices, as well as fundamental functions of planning organization, leading and controlling are examined through a lens of the human dimension of work.

This course provides students with an in-depth exposure to the management of human resources (HR) with an emphasis on recruiting and hiring. We discuss the complex operating environment of HR; federal and state EEO laws; HR planning and job descriptions; traditional and innovative recruiting methods; selection predictors and best practices for hiring; and strategic assessment of applicants. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to participate actively in the total recruiting and hiring process in their workplaces.

Provides students with a broadly applicable framework for identifying, analyzing and resolving problems in a business context. Topics include: techniques to recognize and diagnose problems; creative thinking tools for developing fresh ideas; decision tools to guide optimal solutions; and strategies to implement solutions through action plans. Emphasizes the use of creative problem solving and divergent / convergent thinking processes throughout all phases of problem analysis. Upon completion, students should have acquired the tools to confront complex problems in many workplace and societal contexts.

Students will apply business policies using a cross-functional perspective to strategically manage organizations by stepping out of a functional mindset to see the organization as a whole with different parts of a business managed in strategic harmony. The student will apply the concepts and theories of strategic management in skill-building exercises, case studies, and a semester project.

Provides students with an understanding of how planning (schedules, sales forecasts, labor and material requirements), organizing (material, labor and tools) and controlling (monitoring activities) are used in the conversion/ transformation process to produce a good or service in a competitive business environment.