This course is intended to be a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the fundamentals of management. The course introduces the student to the fundamental management issues of planning, organizing, leading, directing, and controlling. The text and lectures will address the history of management, what organizations look for in managers, managerial roles, ethics, innovation, and leadership. The course also explores decision-making, organizational strategy, human resource management, communication, and business control methods and processes. The student will understand and evaluate quality control processes and customer service requirements that are so critical in today's competitive environment.

This course will address a specific area of study in business & public policy not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.

This is a seminar course for members of the Dunham Scholars Program.

This course will address a specific area of study in business & public policy not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.

This is a seminar course for members of the Dunham Scholars Program.

Grading Type: Credit/No Credit

This course prepares students to skillfully manage employees by illustrating alternative human resource management strategies. This course examines the role of the human resource professional as a strategic partner in managing today's organizations. Key functions such as recruitment, selection, development, appraisal, retention, compensation, and labor relations are examined. Implications of legal and global environments are appraised and current issues such as diversity training, sexual harassment policies, and rising benefit costs are analyzed. Best practices of employers of choice are considered.

Recent developments in both manufacturing and service industries have emphasized the importance of operations excellence in achieving and maintaining competitive advantage. This course strikes a balance between the qualitative (behavioral) aspects of operations and organizational management and the increasingly important quantitative or technological aspects. This course also provides a study of the social and psychological factors that influence the management of groups and individuals in work settings. The course considers important advances in project management, designing lean manufacturing operating systems, managing the supply chain, and ensuring quality.

Design thinking is a creative process that combines thoughtful user research with rapid iteration. In this course, students will learn why it has become an industry standard all over the world. This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the nature of innovation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking methodology. The course introduces the role of the design thinking and technology in the innovation process. This course examines collaborative innovation processes that are transforming business and driving industrial life cycles.

In this course, students learn to investigate the techniques of the research process as applied to business. Experience is gained in defining research problems, designing a research project, and in collecting, analyzing, recording, and interpreting data. Also, an analysis of pertinent research literature in business is conducted. Students learn to gain applied insights into the business world after appropriate research methods and data analytic techniques.

Students will learn how statistical and quantitative data analysis, modeling, and optimization are used to drive business performance. The use of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics will be explored in the context of real data using up-to-date tools for data analytics and/or visualization. Topics to be discussed include statistical analysis and inference, regression analysis, forecasting, and optimization.

An examination of the business law rules and principles of particular relevance to entrepreneurship, finance, management, and marketing. Subjects include contracts, negligence, product liability, and warranty, sales of goods, intellectual property, employment law, as well as general notions of legal reasoning and legal process and alternative dispute resolution.

This course will address a specific area of study in business & public policy not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.

This is a seminar course for members of the Dunham Scholars Program.

This course examines the theory and practice of strategic planning and management for organizations, including education, government, healthcare, public agencies, social services, volunteer, and other not-for-profit organizations. The overall objective of the course is to increase students' abilities as individuals and in groups to think, act and learn strategically. Students taking this course will learn specific knowledge and skills related to setting goals and creating plans in not-for-profit organizations and understand how that differs from for-profit organizations. The knowledge and skills will be applied to case studies, exercises, and team projects integrating other business, political science, sociology, and other discipline insight and skills in order to develop and implement strategies and action plans that meet a diverse group of stakeholder needs. The linkage between plans and measurable performance, financial and operational, will be studied. They will also have the ability to analyze and evaluate the performance of people responsible for strategic decisions.

This course is designed to instruct students on how to formulate, plan, and implement a new venture or manage a small family business. The course is divided into three sections. First, the course studies the critical role and attributes of entrepreneurs. Second, the entrepreneurial process of creating new ventures is addressed. Topics include evaluating opportunities, writing business plans and alternative sources of financing. Third, attention is paid to managing the new venture or small family business during growth, early operations, and expansion. Specific topics include entrepreneurial financing, negotiation, time management, and succession planning.

This course will address a specific area of study in business & public policy not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.

This is a seminar course for members of the Dunham Scholars Program.

This course incorporates short-term overnight travel to expose students to new ways of thinking, living, and viewing the world via a culturally-immersive, high-impact experience. The course fosters cross-cultural communication, international knowledge, adaptability, and resilience in an increasingly global economy. Regular tuition is charged, and additional fees may apply.

The purpose of the Business Internship is to enable Aurora University students to acquire work experiences in the world of business or related-contexts. This experience is designed to expand on the learning experience and to integrate and reinforce skills and concepts learned in the classroom. The internship provides a practical experience in a structured employment environment. Students may repeat this course involving a different internship experience for a maximum of 12 semester hours. Letter grading applies. Permission of the instructor required.

Grading Type: Credit/No Credit

Contemporary topics in business strategy and planning are selected for in-depth study. Topics may cover such areas as current issues in management, business ethics, business law, marketing, global business, business and public policy, leadership, human resource management, diversity and multiculturalism, etc.