Course Descriptions

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

The course is designed to develop an understanding of accounting principles based on basic concepts and methods used in corporate financial statement. Major topics include: the basic accrual model, analysis of transactions, balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement construction and analysis. The course is expected to enable students to analyze the actual financial reports and understand how basic concepts and methods of financial accounting are applied to issues such as long-term assets, inventory, sales, receivables, debt securities, corporate ownership, international operations, and analysis of financial statements.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: ACC 501

The course deals with the tools and techniques for internal use of accounting information for managerial decisions. It specifically focuses on cost accumulations and analyses, alternative costing methods, accounting aspects of planning, budgeting and budgetary control, financial and non- financial performance evaluations, and other relevant uses of accounting information in the decision-making process.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

The course provides background information related to the field of business administration. Being a survey course, emphasis is placed to introduce the students to all functional areas of business with an emphasis on Saudi economy, and the Saudi corporate sector.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

This course teaches the applications of mathematical and statistical tools to solve business problems from simple to complex. The course shows how to formulate business problems, how to solve and how interpret results in order to make the right business decision-making process.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

The course primarily deals with the application of behavioral concepts and theory in managing an organization. It reveals a scientific way of integrating the workers’ interest with the goals/ profit intentions of the organizations. The topics of major emphasis shall be recruitment, selection, training, motivation, leadership, conflict resolution, performance appraisal, group dynamics, teamwork, stress management etc. The course is expected to improve students’ communication skills, leadership ability, human skills, teamwork initiatives etc.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

The course enables the students to learn how managers can use the law to create and capture value, and manage risk at various levels of business. The structure of legal environment of business; sources of law affecting business; contracts and sales; product liability; corporations; security; bankruptcy; antitrust; discrimination; labor relations; environmental law; criminal law; cyber law; associated ethical and international issues that managers confront in the modern business arena from the subject matter of the course. The topic mentioned above will discussed in the context of Saudi Arabian business law.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

This course provides an overview of information technology and its applications in business decisions. Students will acquire knowledge of how information is collected and processed for on- time decision-making. It particularly explores some issues of information system related to managing and administering information databases, Internets and networks, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management and supply chain systems. The course also investigates the overall automation needs of organization and the strategic role of information technology in satisfying these needs.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 504

This course is structured to enable professionals to construct mathematical models of manufacturing and service operations and to solve operation problems in the areas of: forecasting; layout of facilities; aggregate production planning; inventory control; scheduling; project management; and quality control. It also aims to provide an understanding of the use of enterprise systems for integration of various functional areas of business with operation management.

(0 Credit)

This one semester long zero-credit seminar is designed to help MBA students start new ventures, get them registered with the appropriate Saudi authorities and let them execute their dreams to be Successful entrepreneurs across the kingdom.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

This course covers fundamental economic principles applicable to managerial decision-making. It provides a broad overview of the economic environment under which managers operate their businesses. The students will acquire the necessary conceptual skills to analyze the economic consequences of managerial decisions. The course provides tools of analysis and concepts that are used in economic analysis of business problems. Specific topics include supply and demand analysis, production and cost analyses, demand estimation and forecasting, profit maximization under various markets and decision-making under situations of risks and uncertainty.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

The course introduces basic concepts in finance to students without any prior exposure to finance courses before. Key topics covered include financial analysis, time value of money, risk analysis, valuation of securities, risk and return, and basics of capital budgeting.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: ACC 501, BUS 504, FIN 500 and ECON 510

This course provides an overview of current theory and practice of financial administration with emphasis on the development of decision-making criteria in the areas of capital investment, financing and working capital management. Major topics to be covered include financial statement analysis, time value of money, cost of capital, security valuation, risk and return, capital budgeting decisions, and the cost of capital.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: FIN 550

Investment decisions require thorough analysis of risk and return. An understanding of the tradeoff between risk and return is at the heart of investment decision-making process. Topics to be covered in this course include bond valuation, equity valuation, portfolio diversification, market efficiency and its implications, and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM).

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: FIN 550

This course explores the challenges facing financial managers in the modern corporate environment. More specifically, it deals with the role financial decisions play in optimizing capital structure in order to minimize the cost of capital. Besides optimizing the financial structure of corporation, it also deals with how to make the best use of corporate capital in suitable projects in order to add additional value for shareholders. Other topics covered are strategic acquisition, structuring of financial contracts, and evaluation of merger candidates, leveraged buyouts, Competitive bidding, corporate restructuring and other methods of shareholder value enhancement as well as dividend policy and leasing.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: FIN 550

The course introduces the students to theory and practice of financial markets and institutions from the perspective of risk management. The topics covered in the course include financial intermediation and financial intermediaries, risk of financial intermediation, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, foreign exchange risk, liquidity risk, liability management, capital adequacy, hedging with financial derivatives, and asset securitization.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: FIN 550

The course focuses on derivative securities such as options, futures, and swaps. Topics included in this course are: an introduction to various types of derivative securities, an understanding of the markets in which derivative securities are traded, different pricing models of options and futures, and the use of derivative securities in managing portfolio risks.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: FIN 550

Every year billions of dollars exchange hands between insurance companies and the people they insure. But what is the reason for insurance, and how did this industry evolve into the financial giant and major employer that we see today? What are the legal and ethical considerations of insurance in today›s business and society? Why does our life, health, auto, and home insurance cost so much and what can we do about it? Is the handling of personal and corporate finance affected by risk? Also, what is this concept of managing risk, and how does that differ from insurance? This course will explore these issues and more.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: FIN 550

This course is designed to acquaint students with techniques used to manage the finance function of a multinational corporation (MNC). Topics included in this course are: the financial environment in which an MNC operates, exchange-rate determination, measurement and management of various exchange-rate exposures, international capital budgeting, and management of short-term assets and liabilities of an MNC.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: FIN 551

This course covers the topics relevant to the CFA examination, which are not well covered in other courses, will be discussed in this course. It is offered only when faculty is available and sufficient student interest exists. Specific contents of the course will be announced in advance of any scheduled offering.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 570

This course exposes students to the theories, functions, and processes of management as well as enlightening students on advanced behavioral science theories and applications in management. Organizational behavior (OB) draws understanding from numerous disciplines including psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 570

This course focuses on techniques of developing personnel policy and its implantation. Environmental trend analysis, identification of manpower needs, manpower planning models, succession planning etc. are some important topics of discussion in the course. Further, the course highlights the importance of a personnel information system, particularly in forecasting manpower needs, and it also deals with indicators of manpower effectiveness.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 570

This course discusses the issue of compensation mainly from the organization›s perspective rather than from the employees› or from societal perspectives. Issues addressed include job analysis, job evaluation and salary and benefits› administration. The course trains students to design compensation systems that elicit desired employee behavior at work. In addition, the course examines questions such as how an organization can motivate candidates to join as employees, how it can make them stay and perform at high levels, how it can remain ethical and legal in its compensation programs, etc.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 570

Improving the quality of work-life for employees is the major focus of this course. Employee communication-related issues such as orientation to new employees, formal and informal consultation with the employees, quality circles, total quality management, use of billboards and news bulletins, exit interviews, etc., are explored in detail. In addition, methods of job enrichment and career development -career-planning assistance, practitioner training, cross-training, job rotation, job sharing, flextime, etc. are also examined in the course.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 570

The course examines the field of organizational development at three distinct levels of analysis: individuals, groups, and organizations. The topics of emphasis include communication, motivation, leadership, job design, diversity, organizational design, decision-making, conflict management, authority, power, innovation, work environment, etc. The course elaborates on organizational development methods frequently used in solving managerial and organization problems. The course also emphasizes strategies like team-building, team-skills training, survey-feedback, sensitivity training, etc.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 570

Broadly, the course deals with the part of human resource management related to training and development. It focuses on methods of identifying training needs, developing training content, conducting training sessions, and evaluating the effectiveness of training. As the organization and the employees maintain a symbiotic relationship, the organizational and individual employee’s objectives are to be taken into consideration in all activities ranging from identification of training needs to evaluation of training effectiveness. In addition, the course deals with topics such as designing professional and managerial career paths, identifying and developing management talent, using performance appraisal for coaching and development etc.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: BUS 570

Human Resource topics of current concern to faculty and students. Offered only when faculty is available and sufficient student interest exists. Seminar content announced in advance scheduled offerings.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: None

The course covers marketing management techniques and the tools necessary for effective marketing decision-making. Topics include the study of marketing research, consumer behavior product strategy and liability, pricing policies, promotion, supply chain management, international and ethical issues, and control procedures.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: MKT 530

This course examines marketing research as the systematic and objective planning, obtaining, recording, analyzing and interpreting of data to support the decisions of marketing managers Topics include the process of marketing research, the use of technology to support the research function, types of relevant data, establishing research design, sampling procedures, methods of data collection, measurement, statistical testing of results and writing the research report. In addition, the course will involve the integration of business examples and applications that illustrate the importance of marketing research to support an organization›s marketing program.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: MKT 530

This course presents and analyzes the factors that influence what consumers buy, in addition to why, when, where, and how they buy products? It draws on behavioral science concepts and theories, which include economic, psychological, and socio-cultural variables that affect consumer behavior and the consumer decision process.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: MKT 530

This course looks into the business activities for directing the flow of a company›s products to foreign markets. International marketing should be viewed as an integrated discipline that combines several other disciplines: economics, anthropology, cultural studies, history, demographics, languages, law, statistics, geography, and international trade. This course will stimulate your intellectual curiosity on various critical issues and provide you with analytical frameworks that are necessary for understanding different cultural environments in global markets and assessing global marketing opportunities. The course also offers you ample knowledge for developing and implementing global marketing strategies.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: MKT 530

This course introduces students to basic issues in e-commerce and marketing. It explores the impact of the Internet and the World Wide Web on the marketing of goods and services, It examines the adoption of the internet by consumers and firms. Students will study how marketing on the Web is changing the way firms interact with the market, and how firms are taking advantage of the Internet to improve their marketing strategies. Current issues in business-to-consumer (B2C) and business to-business (B2B) e-commerce will be explored. The course will approach these issues using readings, discussions, lectures, exercises, and projects.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: MKT 530

This course focuses on the role played by the marketing function in the strategic management of the organization. Within the framework of the marketing discipline, students will learn how to ascertain customer needs and to plan strategically in order to fill those needs in an increasingly changing environment. The course presents analytical techniques, strategic marketing methods, and strategic choices.

Credits: 3(3-0-0) Prerequisite: MKT 530

This course introduces marketing topics of current concern to faculty and students. It is offered only when faculty is available and sufficient student interest exists. Seminar content is announced in advance of scheduled offerings. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.