Business Administration (BA)

BA 605     Managerial Decision Making     3 Credit Hours

This course covers the findings of research on behavioral decision making as they apply to managerial decision making. You will learn how the human mind works, what it is particularly good at and not so good at, and what the implications of this are for managerial decision making. The course will help you make better decisions and understand the potential shortcomings of the decisions made by your colleagues, competitors, collaborators, and customers. Topics include human cognition, overconfidence, heuristics and biases in decision making, bounded awareness, framing, preference reversal, motivational and emotional influences on decision making, escalation of commitment, expertise in decision making, and fairness and ethics in decision making. We will apply the research on behavioral decision making to a wide variety of problems in various domains of business, study how applications of information systems can mitigate limitations of the human mind, and apply our knowledge of the way the human mind works to develop an understanding of ways to improve managerial decision making. Students interested in careers in a wide variety of business professions will find the knowledge and skills gained in this course to be useful in their professional endeavors.

Prerequisite(s): BE 530 and (MIS 525 or ISM 525) and OB 510 and (DS 520 or IMSE 510 or IMSE 514)

BA 607     Business Disruption in the Digital Age: Machine Learning, Platforms, and the Crowd     3 Credit Hours

This course integrates research from the fields of economics, mathematics and statistics, information systems, and organizational behavior as they inform our understanding of the three interrelated phenomena of machine learning, the platform, and the crowd that are disrupting and transforming businesses organizations, industries, and the economy. Our study of machine learning will contrast human decision making (and it limitations and biases) with machine learning and examine the organizational and economic effects of robotics, digitization, and other technological innovations. Our study of platforms will focus on network effects, technical architecture, and strategies related to the monetization and openness of platforms. Our study of the crowd will focus on crowd-based expertise, prediction markets, economic impacts of the sharing economy, blockchain, regulatory issues in the sharing economy, and issues of the nature of work and labor in the sharing economy. We will apply and integrate research in these areas to the development of insights into business problems with an emphasis on shifts in traditional business organizations and emerging types of organizations that use technological innovations in ways that have the potential for disrupting and transforming industries. Students interested in careers in a wide variety of business professions will find the knowledge and skills gained through this course to be useful in their professional endeavors. (YR).

Prerequisite(s): BE 530 and ISM 525 and OB 510 and (DS 520 or IMSE 510 or IMSE 514)

BA 611     Organizational Dysfunction and Wealth Effects     3 Credit Hours

Dysfunction abounds in organizations and can have profound impacts on individuals, organizations, and society. In this course you will learn to identify organizational dysfunction and examine how organizational dysfunction spills over to influence various types of wealth (e.g., financial, social, well-being, time) within social systems. Then, you will learn a framework and tools you can use to (1) make sense of your work experiences and navigate organizations, (2) diagnose and address a wide range of organizational problems, and (3) minimize dysfunction in groups and projects you lead. Students interested in a wide variety of professions will find the expertise gained to be useful for structuring complex projects and company-wide initiatives, allocating scarce resources, and fostering organizational change. (YR).

Prerequisite(s): ACC 505 and BE 530 and OB 510

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Degree is Master of Business Admin
Can enroll if College is Business
Can enroll if Major is Business Admin/Finance, Business Admin/Ind & Syst Engr, Business Admin/Information Sys, Business Admin/Supply Chain, Business Administration, Bus Admin/Health Services Adm

BA 616     Firm Value and Market Reactions     3 Credit Hours

This course will analyze various decisions made by the firm relating to its operations and external events which impact the operations of the firm. In either case, the effects of events both on the financial statements of the firm and on the financial markets’ evaluation of the firms’ prospects will be examined. This examination will include an exploration of how quickly, or slowly, firm decisions and external events are impounded into these estimates of firm value. After developing the relevant skills in accounting, finance, and statistical analysis, students will conduct a project of their own exploring empirically and critically the effects of an event on the performance (and perceived performance) of firms Open only to MBA and dual MBA students.

Prerequisite(s): ACC 505 and FIN 531 and (DS 520 or IMSE 514)

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Major is Business Admin/Finance, Business Admin/Ind & Syst Engr, Business Admin/Information Sys, Business Admin/Supply Chain, Business Administration, Bus Admin/Health Services Adm

BA 690     Graduate Research     1 to 3 Credit Hours

To provide masters candidates with the opportunity to undertake a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. The research topic is chosen by the student, in consultation with a faculty member in the appropriate discipline. Written approval must be obtained at least two weeks prior to registration on a form available in the Graduate Office. The request must include a comprehensive description of the proposed research project, as well as a time line for the project's completion.

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Class is Graduate
Can enroll if College is Business

BA 691     Graduate Seminar     1 to 3 Credit Hours

Topics Course. To provide masters candidates with an opportunity for study of selected advanced topics in particular fields. Topics vary. See Schedule of Classes for current offerings. May be elected more than once if topics differ.

Prerequisite(s): (MIS 525 or MIS 502) and (MKT 515 or MKT 610)

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Class is Graduate

BA 691A     Graduate Seminar     3 Credit Hours

Topic: The Internal Revenue Service. This course introduces the student to the structure, organization, practices and procedures of the Internal Revenue Service. The course is intended to give students an understanding of the organizational makeup of the Internal Revenue Service and the authority of its various employees. The different approaches to resolving tax controversies will be explored through the study of assigned readings and in-depth class discussions. The course will be conducted in a seminar-like fashion with each student expected to make significant contributions to class discussions. Attentiveness to news items affecting the area of federal tax procedures is expected, as well as conveyance to class of these newsworthy developments. This course is appropriate for MSA? Tax Concentration students.