A study of the role of business in modern society. Topics include the private enterprise system, consumerism, management functions, major functional areas of large business, vital areas of small-business operation, and the environment of business.
This course helps students begin building the foundations of four critical life skills: economic decision making, managing personal finances, personal branding and creating change. Students learn the basics of objective decision making, managing budgets and filing income taxes, creating and projecting a personal image, and using creativity and innovation within organizations and personal lives.
An introduction to hospitality management, including historical developmental patterns, current business trends, and future international expectations. Current job market, working environments, personal risks, and rewards are explored.
A study of the fundamentals, principles, and practices of effective written communication, including concepts of appearance, language, and psychology of tone and persuasiveness as applied to the business letter, memorandum, email, spreadsheet, and report. Presentation skills are also discussed and practiced. Prerequisites: ENG 102 with a minimum grade of C- or instructor permission.
Designed to help students plan the handling of their finances in everyday business transactions. Topics include budgeting, credit, savings, insurance, income tax, investments, and estate planning.
Provides students an ability to sense the occasions when a lawyer should be consulted for guidance in avoiding legal mistakes. A study is made of the ordinary legal aspects of common business transactions, including the topics of social forces, contracts, personal property, and agency.
Students learn to utilize spreadsheets to organize, manipulate, analyze, and present data and information in business settings.
Merges theory with practice, offering students a hands-on opportunity to learn negotiation and communication skills. Students study how to develop personal negotiation plans and preparation methods, analyze other parties’ interests, identify and implement solutions for mutual gain, communicate effectively, and successfully draft agreements. Students practice and refine both their personal and professional negotiation and communication skills using realistic mock scenarios to negotiate, compose, and evaluate agreements. Prerequisite: ENG 103 with a minimum grade of “C-“; or instructor permission.
An introduction to the fundamental concepts of marketing, including consumer demand and behavior, segmentation, advertising, marketing research, product development, distribution, pricing, the internet as a marketing agent, and global marketing issues. The student is exposed to the most basic tools, factors, and marketing principles administered by management in establishing policy, planning, and complex problem solving. Prerequisites: ENG 102 with a minimum grade of C- and completion of at least 24 credits; or instructor permission.
Acting with purpose means directing efforts towards initiatives that are both personally meaningful and impact the world beyond yourself. In this course, students work to identify a mission instead of just a major, recognize and modify limiting mindsets, and learn what drives modem difference makers, including innovators, entrepreneurs, and other change leaders. This course draws upon the latest in personal development research and brain science, and provides an imperative, yet often overlooked, foundation for those looking to make a positive impact in the world.
A course designed specifically for freshmen- and sophomore-level students. Internships provide guided, counseled, and progressive experience under a dual-tutelage program of a businessperson and an academician. An academically monitored activity to assure quality experience. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.
A study of how ethics apply to business organizations today. Special emphasis is placed on developing moral reasoning. The course provides multiple perspectives on actual cases and ethical dilemmas faced by organizations with an emphasis on allowing students to think through ethical problems. Topics studied include moral philosophies, moral agency and development, ethical underpinnings of free markets and economic systems, and ethical concerns with the environment, future generations, and other stakeholders such as employees and consumers. Prerequisites: completion of Base Curriculum; BUAD 185 or ENG 103; or instructor permission.
Provides an opportunity for students to examine current issues, topics, problems, and trends within the field.
This course is designed to both develop and strengthen student professionalism skills. With an emphasis in Energy Management, students will learn energy industry expectations, how to build and polish resumes and cover letters, effective public speaking techniques, interview skills, and professional awareness. This class sets students up to successfully and confidently embark on a career path, whether at Western or beyond. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing and instructor permission.
Introduction to the energy industry, including fossil fuel and renewable energy use and development. Explores topics including global energy production and consumption, energy efficiency, infrastructure, grid systems and transmission, and environmental and social impacts of energy development with an emphasis on regulation, policy, and the oil and gas industry. Prerequisite: ENG 103; or instructor permission.
Study includes: legal attributes of different business entities, employment and agency, intellectual property, securities, antitrust, sales, products liability, secured and unsecured lending, suretyship, bankruptcy, and real and personal property. Prerequisite: BUAD 210 or instructor permission.
An introduction to basic property and contract law with a focus on land management. Topics include the basic rules of contract and real property law, the land survey systems, legal descriptions, recording statutes, public records examination, surface and mineral ownership, interest types in property, concurrent estates, calculating ownership and revenue associated with mineral development, methods of acquiring property, conveyancing, title research, mineral leasing, and ethics. Prerequisite: BUAD 210 or instructor permission.
An exploration of the fundamental issues of financial planning. Students gain an understanding of the concepts of the financial planning process, the economic environment, the time value of money, the legal environment, financial analysis, and ethical and professional considerations in financial planning. Prerequisite: Completion of Base Curriculum or instructor permission.
Studies the evolution of global energy development in the context of business. Utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach, students investigate energy technology, energy production processes, economics, social and political institutions, and the unique cultures in energy-producing regions. This class explores the role of fossil fuels in economic development and commerce, and the transition to renewable energy. Prerequisite: ENG 103; or instructor permission.
A study of how managers can and should be involved with systems planning, development, and implementation; what information systems resources are available to managers for decision support; and how information and technology can be used to support business strategy. Also, this course takes a managerial approach to information systems concepts and applications in business, while exposing the student to various types of software in the business sector. Prerequisite: BUAD 220 or CS 120 or instructor permission.
Students build their social media marketing skills by utilizing projects that give students hands on experience implementing social media marketing strategies. Upon completion, students should be able to use social media technologies to create and improve marketing efforts for businesses. Prerequisite: BUAD 270 or instructor permission.
Provides students an understanding of human behavior in organizations today. Students will become familiar with the basic dimensions of organizational behavior covering topics such as leadership, motivation, management of people, and group dynamics. The course stresses an experimental approach as well as the personal nature of the material and how this relates to the complexities of behavior in and of organizations. Prerequisite: BUAD 185 or ENG 103; or instructor permission.
Students are exposed to operational aspects of the various parts of the domestic and international resort and hospitality industry. Current issues’ impacts on the operations of casinos, clubs, cruise lines, the lodging industry, and the restaurant/food industries are explored. Students who pursue positions in mid-level management in the resort industry need to understand the challenges to basic operations in the industry and comprehend the struggles of their organizations to provide service excellence as a competitive advantage. Prerequisite: BUAD 150; or instructor permission.
Advertising, sales promotions, media utilization, public relations, and personal selling are highlighted in this course. Legal regulations and ethical considerations in mass media advertising and promotions are also covered. Finally, the student is exposed to the principles of planning and budgeting for such media events. Prerequisites: MATH 140, MATH 141, or MATH 151 with a minimum grade of C-; ACC 201 with a minimum grade of C; BUAD 270; or instructor permission.
An introduction to the history, principles, and enforcement of environmental law with a focus on certain major environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other laws, acts, and policies. Certain hot topics in natural resource law are also addressed. Students recognize the interplay between environmental laws and various industries, including the energy industry. Prerequisite: BUAD 210 or instructor permission.
A focus on the habits, thinking, perspective and skills needed to understand professional selling. Students learn the SPIN model and engage in significant amounts of presentation practice and skills building. Students will choose a company, product or service to serve as their role play model for the semester. Prerequisite: BUAD 270 or instructor permission.
Utilizing theories from the behavioral sciences, this course provides an in-depth examination of the individual customer learning and decision-making processes, segmentation, as well as culture, subculture, and social class relationships with marketing. Students develop an understanding of consumers’ shopping behavior, utilization of different marketing channels, perception of products, and reactions to advertising and other selling methods. Prerequisites: completion of Base Curriculum; BUAD 270; or instructor permission.
Provides students with an understanding of the functions, content and challenges of Human Resource Management (HRM) in organizations today. Insights will be developed on basic dimensions of HRM such as recruitment, selection, performance management, rewards and retention, as well as particular challenges concerning strategic HRM and global environments. Emphasis is placed on how the complexities of HRM relate to students' past and future experiences as members of organizations. Prerequisites: BUAD 185 or ENG 103; or instructor permission.
A study of how organizations produce, comprehend and interpret, and utilize basic financial statements and information to create, manage, and grow their operations. Prerequisites: ACC 201, Admission into the Adult Degree Completion program, or instructor permission.
An introductory course to the field of managed finance, covering such topics as financial analysis, time value of money, risk/return analysis, capital budgeting, working capital management, cost of capital, optimal capital structure. Prerequisites: Completion of Business Administration Base Curriculum; or Energy Management Base Curriculum; or instructor permission.
A focus on the impact on the environment of human presence and absence. There is a consideration of various 'green practices' that result in both positive environmental impacts and cost savings to industry, and examination of governmental initiatives regarding various business practices and their expected impacts on the environment, on businesses' bottom lines, and on consumers. Course material emphasizes videos, readings, and guest lectures. Prerequisite: completion of Base Curriculum; or instructor permission.
Provides students with an introduction to engineering in exploration and production, focusing on oil and gas upstream and midstream engineering processes and their interface with land functions. Concepts discussed in this course include: seismic, exploration, well-site selection and preparation, drilling, wellbore integrity, completions, hydraulic fracturing, facilities, separating, treating, processing, transportation, pipelines, and well-site reclamation. Prerequisites: BUAD 305, GEOL 103 and GEOL 105; or instructor permission.
In this course students learn a toolkit of practices used by modem innovation leaders and problem solvers to move ideas forward. This toolkit draws from the practice of designers to integrate the preferences of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business sustainability. Students create and take action on strategies for a business, team, or organization by combining analysis and creativity - to both understand the world as it is, and imagine how it could be better. Prerequisite: BUAD 275 or instructor permission.
The study of the principles of commercial lending to corporate customers by commercial banks. The course will examine the 5 C’s of credit, (Character, Capacity, Collateral, Conditions, and Capital), as well as the complete commercial lending function with emphasis on the analysis of corporate financial statements to determine the creditworthiness of commercial loan requests. Special emphasis will be placed on asset-based lending facilities, valuation of collateral, the collection of credit information and its analysis, and the risk-based pricing of commercial loans. Prerequisite: BUAD 360 or instructor permission.
In this course, students learn to build, test, and refine ideas without having to invest the considerable resources required for a large-scale initiative. Prototyping is the process of deploying a series of small-scale experiments to quickly gauge and adapt an idea. Geared towards rapid making and quick learning, prototyping can be used to test everything from unproven processes, new services, and even entire programs and organizations to tum a rough idea into one supported by feedback, data, and observation. Prerequisite: BUAD 375 or instructor permission.
An extension of Sales I that focuses on the habits and tools professional sellers in the marketplace. Students engage in significant amounts of presentation practice and skill building. In addition to practice, students will be involved in real selling experiences at various times during the semester. Prerequisite: BUAD 343 or instructor permission.
Prerequisite: completion of Base Curriculum; or instructor permission.
The study of the various risks banks face, not only in day-to-day operations, but potential long term exposure to outside uncontrollable forces including regulatory challenges and changes. Topics such as asset-liability management, interest rate volatility, reserve management, capital adequacy and others are covered. Also covered will be a commercial bank's interaction with the Federal Reserve. This course will be augmented with cases and the American Bankers Association's computer simulation game BANKEXEC. Prerequisite: BUAD 360 or instructor permission.
This course allows students to apply all the innovation+ entrepreneurial leadership and design skills they have developed within the I+E program, and practice making a real impact in the world. Students deepen their design thinking skills, advance their concepts, and make greater impact through their projects. To get the most out of this course, students should come prepared with a change they would like to make in the world or a rough idea for a new business, organization, product, or service. Prerequisite: BUAD 275 and BUAD 375; or instructor permission.
A comprehensive case law study of water, addressing the historical development of the riparian and prior appropriation doctrines, groundwater allocation issues, Federal and Indian water rights doctrines, public rights in water and water as a shared resource both intrastate and interstate, together with a brief review of certain environmental laws that specifically address water issues. Prerequisite: BUAD 210 or instructor permission.
A study of portfolio management with an emphasis on customizing asset allocation strategies and tactics for the individual and institutional investors. Several financial portfolio optimization models will be studied. The trade-off between risk and return on investments will also be emphasized. Also covered is how asset derivatives and hedges can be applied to either reduce risk, increase profitability, or both. Prerequisite: BUAD 360 or instructor permission.
A comprehensive study of energy law and regulations, including the legal rights and duties of both companies and landowners in energy development projects. Students will practice navigating energy regulatory schemes for energy development projects at the federal, state, and local levels. Prerequisites: BUAD 210, BUAD 305, BUAD 320; or instructor permission.
This course covers the knowledge and skills an industry professional is expected to exhibit in preparing, reviewing, securing, drafting and negotiating commonly used energy agreements with a focus on land and resource use, exploration and production of natural resources, and partnerships. Prerequisites: BUAD 320, BUAD 305; or instructor permission.
The focus of this course is the collection, analysis, and interpretation of marketing data for reporting research information necessary to make informed marketing decisions. Students develop skills in defining research problems, designing surveys, experiments, and observational studies, managing data collection, performing data analysis, and communicating results. Prerequisites: completion of Base Curriculum; BUAD 270; or instructor permission. BUAD 335 and BUAD 345 recommended.
The study of financial decision-making theory and practice which deals with major issues in the managing the inflows and outflows of a firm’s funds from the chief financial officer’s (CFO) perspective. Other topics include financial analysis, forecasting financial needs, sources and use of funds, efficient allocation of funds within the firm, firm and security valuation techniques, risk/return decisions, capital budgeting, optimal capital structure composition, and the firm’s relationships with investors, financial markets, and financial institutions. Prerequisite: BUAD 360.
A study of the many investments available for individual portfolios. Emphasis is placed on the risks inherent in investments and the methods and techniques of analysis used in selecting securities for investments. Prerequisite: completion of Base Curriculum; BUAD 360; or instructor permission.
An integration of management functions learned in previous classes into a workable approach to profitable resort operations. Students are encouraged to take this course during their last semester; graduating seniors are given priority in enrollment. Prerequisite: completion of Base Curriculum; BUAD 150; BUAD 334; BUAD 360; BUAD 399; or instructor permission.
The formal analysis of an organization’s macro and industry environment; its mission and goals; and strategy formulation, implementation, and control. This is a capstone course which integrates the student’s knowledge from the areas of accounting, finance, marketing, and management. Students are encouraged to take this course during their last semester; graduating seniors are given priority in enrollment. Prerequisites: completion of Base Curriculum; BUAD 185; BUAD 333 or 350; BUAD 360; and senior standing; or instructor permission.
A singular investigation into a unique problem to be determined jointly by the researcher and the advisor. Prerequisite: completion of Base Curriculum; or instructor permission.
In this course, students combine traditional business strategy with the methods and mindsets of design thinking to prototype the key parts pf any business, nonprofit, or other organization. Students unite the analytical with the creative and focus on people to uncover new opportunities and give organizations the best chance at success. To get the most out of this course, students should come prepared with a change they would like to make in the world or a rough idea for a new business, organization, product, or service. Prerequisite: BUAD 275 and BUAD 375; or instructor permission.
Synthesizes previous coursework, focusing on the application of advanced concepts in finance, economics, law, regulatory schemes, mergers and acquisitions, negotiations, contract drafting, geology, engineering, title, leasing and environmental, social, and political issues. Prerequisites: BUAD 305, BUAD 320, BUAD 321, BUAD 360, GEOL 103, and GEOL 105; or instructor permission.
Prerequisite: completion of Base Curriculum; or instructor permission.
A course designed specifically for junior- and senior-level students. Internships provide guided, counseled, and progressive experience under a dual-tutelage program of a businessperson and an academician. An academically monitored activity to assure quality experience. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. Prerequisite: completion of Base Curriculum; or instructor permission.