BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Department of Business Administration

Galen F. deGraff, Chair and Career Advisor, Graduate Business

R. Leigh Frackelton, Jr. Career Advisor, Pre-Law

Daniel J. Hubbard, Career Advisor, Accounting

Margaret A. Mi, Career Advisor, Marketing

Fred T. Whitman, Career Advisor, General Business

Faculty

Professors

Galen F. deGraff
R. Leigh Frackelton, Jr.
Margaret A. Mi
Larry W. Penwell

Associate Professor

Daniel J. Hubbard

Assistant Professors

Carole Ann Creque
Kenneth D. Machande
Lester G. Phares
Xiaofeng Zhao

Instructor

Wei Chen

Senior Lecturers

Smita Jain Oxford
Fred T. Whitman

The Business Administration Program

The Department of Business Administration supports the College’s liberal arts mission. Accordingly, the curriculum provides a balanced rigorous foundation in the Core areas of Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing, all in the context of the broad liberal arts environment provided by the College.

The Faculty hold high expectations of the students and themselves with the goal of developing skills in diagnosing, analyzing, developing and implementing solutions to a wide variety of problems in public and private organizations. The department promotes active learning by encouraging students to manage complex, interdisciplinary problems, marshal resources, and take responsibility for implementing effective solutions. Expected student involvement includes research problems, group case analyses, internships and consulting with organizations throughout the region. Students are encouraged to vigorously involve themselves in professional service, contributions to society, and the life-long pursuit of knowledge through scholarship and research.

In an environment of mutual trust and support, concerned faculty help students learn the elements of managing resources to achieve a purpose while emphasizing the skills of writing, presenting, and speaking; technological proficiency; and, critical thinking in a global context. The students’ relationship with faculty is facilitated by small class size. The faculty work closely with students to instill the values of intellectual integrity and objectivity; tolerance and respect for individuality and diversity; the intrinsic rewards of ethical behavior and social responsiveness; and, appropriate competitive
vigor balanced with the value of effective collaboration with others.

The Business Administration program provides students the opportunity to go forward in the broadest range of professional directions and build sound and rewarding careers.

The academic program in Business Administration provides a broad, intellectual outlook and analytical skills for students who wish to combine a liberal arts education with academically rigorous course work in administration and decision-making needed for an eventual career in management or preparation for graduate study. Course work provides an understanding of the variety of approaches to the complexity of managerial decision-making in the contextual framework of a global society. An “Executive-in-Residence” program offers students the opportunity for wide-ranging discussions and contact with chief executives from important organizations in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.

Scholarships specifically designated for majors in business administration are funded by Signet Bank, The Society for Advancement of Management, the Benjamin T. Pitts Award, the Class of ’42 James Harvey Dodd Award, The Elizabeth Griffith Schmidt ’35 Award and the Amory Award. Many students belong to the campus chapters of the Accounting Society and Phi Beta Lambda. Students who establish outstanding records of academic achievement may be elected to Sigma Beta Delta, the national honor society in business management and administration.

Senior Business Administration majors who have a strong interest in research and an outstanding academic record may elect to pursue a departmental Honors program. To be eligible, a student must have a 3.25 gradepoint average in upper-division Business Administration courses and a 3.0 overall grade-point average. Honors work consists of expository or original research written in thesis format and defended before a departmental Honors Committee of faculty. Students pursuing Honors in Business Administration register for three credits of 491 each semester of the senior year.

Requirements for the Business Major

Thirty-nine (39) credits in Business Administration Courses, as follows:

Lower-Division Requirements:

Business Administration 131, 132, 152, 259 and 283.

Upper-Division Requirements:

Business Administration 300, 310, 350, 353, 381, 490 and six (6) additional upper-level elective(s) credits. Students considering majoring in Business Administration must take Mathematics 200 or its equivalent (Computer Science 320, Economics 361, or Psychology 261), and Economics 201 and 202 are required prerequisites for certain upper-division courses in the major.

Accounting Track

Students interested in pursuing accounting and the CPA designation have the opportunity to complete the requisite business and accounting courses to qualify them to sit for the Virginia CPA examination upon matriculation. The accounting courses are: Business Administration 131, 132, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 431, 432 and 435. Please note that this is not a major in accounting; rather, it is the sequence of courses to be taken by students interested in preparing for the Virginia CPA examination.

Business Administration Course Offerings

105 – Perspectives on Organizations in Society (3)

The evolution of economic systems from political, sociological, and cultural perspectives are examined in order to understand the interactive nature of business, governmental, and societal systems. This course introduces the conceptual foundations necessary to make informed, well-reasoned analyses of the current issues involving an array of organizations from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors of the economy.

131-132 – Principles of Accounting (3, 3)

This two-course sequence introduces fundamental accounting techniques and procedures for gathering and reporting financial information used by management and others to plan, evaluate, and control and to insure appropriate use and accountability for its resources. Only in sequence.

152 – Management Information Systems (3)

The course mission is to increase the student’s skills in communications. The business world thrives on information: acquiring it, analyzing it, presenting it, and applying it. Information flows through every business organization and affects all decision-making processes. This course focuses on the fundamentals of computers, the communication functions of computer and software systems, and the interdependence with Internet/Web resources. Microsoft Office Suite is incorporated as the common communication application flowing through and linking with most business activities.

259 – Research Methods in Business (3)

Prerequisite: Mathematics 200 or similar Statistics course. This course introduces students to the scientific method to facilitate their understanding of what constitutes good and bad research and enable them to design and conduct research studies. In addition, the course provides students with skills necessary to analyze, synthesize and evaluate statistical information in order to make informed and appropriate decisions in the workplace and to prepare students for research courses in graduate school.

283 – Legal Environment of Organizations (3)

This course focuses on the legal, political, and ethical framework in which businesses and other types of organizations operate. Topics include: common law and statutory business crimes and torts, common law contracts, business entities, securities regulation, employer/employee relations, environmental protection, and personal and real property laws. In addition, the legal consequences of the choice of business entity are explored while studying sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations.

300 – Principles of Management (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 131 and Junior status or permission of instructor. An integrative approach to organizational concepts, principles, philosophy, and theory in public, private, and not-for-profit organizations is emphasized. Current decision-making approaches utilizing theories of organizational behavior, general systems and contingency theories are linked to the managerial functions of planning, organizing, leadership, and control.

310 – Principles of Marketing (3)

Prerequisites: Economics 201 & 202, Business Administration 131 and Junior status or permission of instructor. The place of marketing in the global economy and the policies and practices of marketing institutions are explored. Major topics included are marketing functions, organization, research, merchandising, channels of distribution and transportation. Also, problems concerning ethics and social responsibility in the marketing arena are discussed.

312 - Retailing: Online, Offline (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 310 or permission of instructor. This course explores the evolution of retailing, retail organizational strategies, store layout, atmospherics, and investigates the options traditional retailers have in applying online sales strategies. Other non-store retail operations, such as automatic vending, catalogs and direct sales, are discussed.

331, 332 – Intermediate Accounting (3, 3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 132 or permission of instructor. This two-course sequence places emphasis on the theory and history of accounting principles and their application to the acquisition of assets, determination of income, and the preparation and analysis of financial statements. Only in sequence.

333 – Cost/Managerial Accounting (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 132 or permission of instructor. The material in this course concentrates of the principles and procedures for planning and controlling routine and non-routine decisions, setting policy, and performing long-range planning. The course focuses on cost behavior, standard costing, flexible budgeting, cost allocation, performance measurement, and analysis for decision-making.

334 – Federal Taxation of Individuals (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 132 or permission of instructor. Federal income taxation of individuals is studied in reference to gross income, deductions and credits, sales, other disposition of property, changes in the law, and economic impact of the law.

335 – Federal Taxation of Business (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 334. This course develops knowledge about federal income tax for partnerships, corporations, and owners’ fiduciary responsibilities in reporting income.

345 – Organizational Behavior (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 259 or Psychology 261. This course explores the behavioral aspects of organizations, presenting concepts, theories, research and research techniques that can be applied to enhance understanding of people in organizations. Topics included are personnel selection and placement, job and work environments, worker motivation, job satisfaction, and the organizational and social context of human work. Cross-listed as Psychology 385.

346 – Human Resource Management (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 259 or Psychology 261. The philosophy, principles, and policies needed to develop effective personnel management and industrial relations programs in business, governmental, and not-for-profit organizations are developed and discussed. Cross-listed as Psychology 386.

347 – Organizational Development and Change (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 259 or Psychology 261, and one of the following: Business Administration 300, 345 or 346, or Psychology 301, 385, or 386. This course develops a system-wide application of behavioral science methods, theories, and accumulated knowledge to the change and reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures, and processes for improving organizational effectiveness. Cross-listed as Psychology 387.

350 – Business Communication (3)

Prerequisites: English 101, Business Administration 152, 259 and Junior or Senior Status. In this course students study Business Communication as a strategic process. The emphasis of the course is on the practical application of written and oral principles of business communication, including audience management, information control, and mastery of language. Additional areas of study include discourse analysis, oral and multimedia presentation techniques and critiques, intra- and inter-cultural differences in communication, impromptu speaking, and structured and planned briefings.

353 – Decision Analysis (3)

Prerequisites: Business Administration 152 and Mathematics 200 or similar statistics course. This course introduces a variety of Management Science models for use in analysis of “business” problems. A computer software package provides the computational basics for case analysis of problems in linear programming, inventory, waiting lines, PERT/CPM, and simulation.

381 – Financial Management (3)

Prerequisites: Economics 201, Business Administration 132, 152, 259, and 353. An overview of financial management which provides identification and solution of financial problems. Coverage includes the role of financial management, tools of financial analysis, cost of capital, financial structure, long term assets and financial forecasting.

384 – Commercial Law (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 283 or permission of the instructor. This course provides in-depth study of laws affecting commercial transactions and the rationale underlying rights and obligations of parties to these transactions. The Uniform Code is emphasized, especially the Articles dealing with Sales, Commercial Paper, Bank Deposits, Bulk Transfers, Document of Title, and Secured Transactions. The topics of Antitrust, Consumer Protection, Labor Law, and Insurance matters are explored.

413 – Marketing Research (3)

Prerequisites: Business Administration 259 and 310. Research in marketing is used as a tool to identify, collect, and analyze data relevant to decision-making for businesses. Relevant statistical software is used to analyze client data. Ethical considerations related to research findings also are discussed.

414 – Marketing Strategy (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 310. This course serves as a capstone survey of the major topics in contemporary marketing. Topics included are delineation of market targets, the development and implementation of the marketing mix, the control and analysis of the total marketing effort, strategy, strategic decision-making tools, ethics, as well as comprehensive case studies.

415 – International Marketing (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 310 The focus of this course is to understand the challenges companies face in conducting the international marketing. Students explore various strategies to successfully manage international marketing efforts, including analysis of world markets, consumer behavior, foreign environments, and the marketing management methods required to meet the demands of the global marketplace. The problems of foreign competition, diminishing US market share, and US economy’s interdependence with world markets are covered. Also assessed are different foreign market entry strategies.

420 – Negotiation (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 350 and Senior Status. An exploration of negotiation techniques and strategies, including: understanding opponents, determining needs and identifying objectives, and managing concessions and power dynamics, all with an eye towards maintaining goodwill and building long-term, productive professional relationships. The course will cover individual, group, multi-party, agented, and cross-cultural negotiations, through theoretical study and practical application.

431 – Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 331. This course covers governmental accounting, including the reporting requirements and interactions between government-wide financial statements and financial statements for governmental, propriety and fiduciary funds. Budgeting, costing of services, long-term liabilities, debt services, auditing, and evaluation of governmental and not-for-profit entities, including federal and state governments, municipalities, and entities such as schools and hospitals, are examined.

432 – Advanced Accounting Problems (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 332. This course addresses problems in financial accounting and practice theory dealing with partnerships, corporations, consolidated statements, and fiduciary accounting.

435 – Auditing (3)

Prerequisite: Business Administration 331. This course examines audit concepts, theory, standards, and procedures, as well as ethical and legal requirements within the context of audit evidence, documentation, and testing required before internal and external auditors issue their reports.

460 –Management Creativity (3)

Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of the instructor. This course’s objective is to develop an understanding of the role of creativity in decision-making and problem solving, and to recognize the role of intuition in such processes. Management is decision making and most non-routine decisions ultimately rely on uncertain or vague information and less-than precise data. This course will help to temper the theoretical education of future managers.

464 – Business Ethics (3)

Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of the instructor. A study of ethical conduct in management and the elements involved. The course will use a series of applied case studies (illustrating both positive and negative models) to provide an understanding of how to recognize a moral dilemma, evaluate the implications of proposed actions and develop a response. The student should leave with an understanding of ethics and social responsibility as they relate to management.

471 – Business Administration Seminars (3)

Prerequisite: Senior status or permission of instructor. Special topics of interest to staff and students are discussed in individual seminars which focus on specific areas within the various disciplines of Business Administration, e.g., Accounting Theory; Management; Legal; Social, and Ethical Issues; Marketing; Finance.

473 – Environment of International Business Seminar (3)

Prerequisites: Economics 201 and permission of instructor. The political, cultural, and economic aspects of the international business environment are explored in depth. The goal of this seminar is to develop an understanding of the forces at work in the global conduct of business across national boundaries.

490 – Seminar in Policy and Strategy (3)

Prerequisites: Business Administration 283, 300, 310, 350 and 381. A capstone course designed to integrate the student’s study of management. Advanced case studies and simulations provide a series of integrating experiences where students assume the role of the chief executive officer in a variety of organizational sectors (private, public, not-for-profit). Students are required to make managerial decisions concerning formulation of policy, strategy and tactics along with ethical considerations in organizations’ multifaceted relationships with the external environment.

491 – Individual Study in Business Administration (variable credit, 1–3)

Prerequisites: Junior or senior status and permission of instructor. Directed by a department faculty member, students conduct individual research focusing on an approved topic of interest in business administration. This course does not satisfy the upper-level elective requirement for the major.

499 – Internship (variable credit, 1–3)

Prerequisites: Junior or senior status, and permission of instructor. A supervised work experience in a sponsoring organization developed in consultation with, and under the supervision of, a department faculty member. This course does not satisfy the upper-level elective requirement for the major.permission of instructor. Directed by a department faculty member, students conduct individual research focusing on an approved topic of interest in business administration. This course does not satisfy the upper-level elective requirement for the major.