Course Descriptions
Doctor of Business Administration
DBA 7100
Organizational Strategy and Policy
3 credits
In order to survive and thrive in these dynamic times, it is necessary for organizations to develop, implement, assess, and evolve robust strategies. The course takes an international view of organizational strategy and policy in a world without borders and provides students with a general overview of the planning, strategy formulation, strategic thinking, strategy implementation, and evaluation processes. The course acquaints students with current strategic theories, tools and best practices and provides students with opportunities to apply these to real case studies involving global companies. Students will investigate scholarly literature and other sources of information to develop original solutions to specific strategic problems or opportunities in their companies, professions, or industries. Students will write formal papers on their research and recommendations and will be required to make persuasive presentations that are designed for relevant target audiences.
Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000, DBA 7600, DBA 7510, LDR 7100, and DBA 7400
DBA 7200
Advanced Organizational Behavior
3 credits
The focus of this course is the theoretical and practical implications of organizational behavior, as addressed from a social science perspective. It stresses how being a consumer of organizational research can help the manager with everyday problems and help the researcher to answer organizational behavior questions. Upon completion of the course, the student will have mastered the concepts of the field, such as diversity in the workplace, perception and attribution processes, motivation and individual differences in organizations, group dynamics and decision-making, teamwork, leadership, and quality improvement programs.
Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000
DBA 7310
Executive Decision-Making
3 credits
Decision analysis is an integrated process for making difficult decisions under conditions of ambiguity and uncertainty. Quantitative analysis tools, particularly stochastic ones, are central to this process. This course helps students make sound decisions about strategic business issues where ambiguity and uncertainty are involved. They will understand how to use quantitative techniques such as decision trees and simulation to analyze data, subjectively assess probabilities where situations are ambiguous, and develop a sound decision-making framework to evaluate information effectively. This course covers both the quantitative tools and the management context within which the tools are used.
Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000
DBA 7400
Advanced Seminar in Managerial Finance and Accounting
3 credits
There are fundamental financial principles any DBA student should know. Further, the subject of corporate finance describes core concepts relevant to strategic decision making. This course reviews these fundamental principles, and introduces the common methods used and tools used by financial managers in both the business and government environments. The course emphasizes using the theoretical and conceptual underpinning of each concept in applied situations. The course further includes some of the academic and business literature related to the fundamental principles covered. Students will explore the financial aspects associated with financial decisions, long-term investment opportunities, short-term financial planning and inventory control.
Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000
DBA 7510
Business Intelligence
3 credits
This course integrates and applies key concepts of business intelligence and critical thinking from an executive management perspective. Students learn how to leverage data and systems to develop and evaluate strategic alternates, make better informed decisions, and effectively manage business. A critical thinking process which can help managers ''ask the right questions'' is explained and applied to a business intelligence project. The course includes the uses and users of business intelligence, as well as the type of applications and tools that may be deployed to help students better understand the power of business intelligence in making better-informed decisions that rely on data, analysis, and systematic reasoning, in order to avoid poor business decisions based on culture, assumptions and biases.
Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000
DBA 7600
Ethics in Business and Management
3 credits
This course considers ethics in business and management from a research and business case study perspective. Topics include ethical concepts, ethics research, philosophical ethical theories, issue framing, organization culture, and values-based leadership. This course will help the student identify their own personal values and biases while developing their ethical “muscle” in order to anticipate and prepare for ethical dilemmas they may encounter in real business situations. Students will further learn how to analyze and apply research literature relating to ethics and corporate social responsibility to their everyday jobs and responsibilities. Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000
DBA 7800
Global Management Models
3 credits
Business today are more globalized and interconnected than ever; at the same time, managing business in today’s globalized environment is more complex than ever. A global manager must carefully take into account difference in culture, work ethic, law, education and other factors in order to develop successful global business strategies. This course introduces students to theoretical and practical constructs used to frame fundamental issues associated with global commerce (ex: theories of international trade; foreign exchange rate movement; structures and strategies of international businesses; the role of the state in the multinational environment; etc.). Further, the course reviews empirical research associated with the application of discussed theories, while keeping the pulse on the evolving activities from corporations and organizations conducting international businesses, in order to demonstrate the practical application of such theoretical frameworks.
Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000
DBA 7900
Advanced Marketing Seminar
3 credits
This seminar is designed to strengthen critical thinking skills and ability to plan strategic marketing approaches in the broad sense of engaging with a variety of stakeholders to co-create value. Students will explore and critique cutting edge stakeholder engagement theories as presented in recent scholarly articles as well as marketing trend predictions from practitioner experts. They will develop strategies for co-creating value with stakeholders in their employers’ economic, political, and technological spheres.
Prerequisite(s): LDR 7000
DBA 8000
Seminar on Research in Management
3 credits
The transition from doctoral course work to a successful dissertation effort is often difficult and requires the student have a strong start on the dissertation journey. This course provides students the opportunity to appropriately critique theirs and their colleagues' dissertation topic, refine their research questions and/or hypotheses, and choose the best methodologies for conducting their research. Students will exchange ideas and approaches with their dissertation committee, faculty and other students to assist with the initiation, research and successful completion of a scholarly dissertation. Students should complete the course with a completed research proposal that has been approved by their dissertation committee.
Prerequisite(s): RES 7105, RES 7106, RES 7107, RES7111, LDR7000, LDR7100, DBA7100, (DBA7300 OR DBA7310), DBA7400, DBA7510, DBA7600, DBA7800 and ((DBA7200 and (DBA7700 OR DBA 7900) or two Doctoral Level College of Education electives (with approval of DBA Program Chair)).
DBA 9000
DBA Research
3 credits
The DBA dissertation or culminating project requires a minimum of 9 semester credit hours for completion. This process involves extensive work by the student with advisement from a faculty member. A dissertation or project proposal must be completed and be reviewed and approved by the student’s culminating project committee before the student moves on to collect data in the area of the research topic. Once the dissertation or project is complete, the student will present the results before the culminating project committee and other colleagues. Students who have not completed their work at the conclusion of DBA 9002 will register for DBA 9004 on a continuing basis in order to receive academic advisement and to remain in good standing in the program
Prerequisite(s): DBA 8000
DBA 9001
DBA Research
3 credits
The DBA dissertation or culminating project requires a minimum of 9 semester credit hours for completion. This process involves extensive work by the student with advisement from a faculty member. A dissertation or project proposal must be completed and be reviewed and approved by the student’s culminating project committee before the student moves on to collect data in the area of the research topic. Once the dissertation or project is complete, the student will present the results before the culminating project committee and other colleagues. Students who have not completed their work at the conclusion of DBA 9002 will register for DBA 9004 on a continuing basis in order to receive academic advisement and to remain in good standing in the program
Prerequisite(s): DBA 9000
DBA 9002
DBA Research
3 credits
The DBA dissertation or culminating project requires a minimum of 9 semester credit hours for completion. This process involves extensive work by the student with advisement from a faculty member. A dissertation or project proposal must be completed and be reviewed and approved by the student’s culminating project committee before the student moves on to collect data in the area of the research topic. Once the dissertation or project is complete, the student will present the results before the culminating project committee and other colleagues. Students who have not completed their work at the conclusion of DBA 9002 will register for DBA 9004 on a continuing basis in order to receive academic advisement and to remain in good standing in the program
Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of all DBA common core courses and program core courses.
DBA 9004
DBA Research
0 credits
The DBA dissertation or culminating project requires a minimum of 9 semester credit hours for completion. This process involves extensive work by the student with advisement from a faculty member. A dissertation or project proposal must be completed and be reviewed and approved by the student’s culminating project committee before the student moves on to collect data in the area of the research topic. Once the dissertation or project is complete, the student will present the results before the culminating project committee and other colleagues. Students who have not completed their work at the conclusion of DBA 9002 will register for DBA 9004 on a continuing basis in order to receive academic advisement and to remain in good standing in the program
Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of all DBA common core courses and program core courses.