Barney School of Business, University of Hartford, West Hartford Connecticut

Entrepreneurial Studies Course Descriptions

AC 410 Personal Financial and Tax Planning Entrepreneurship [3] Study of effective tax and financial planning for individuals, including the financial planning process, closely held business planning, educational funding, retirement and estate planning. Prerequisite: FIN 310

EC 464 Economics of the City [3] Builds on basic microeconomic principles to address the questions of where firms and consumers choose to locate and how and why they make their choices. Topics include location theory; market forces that result in development of cities; government policies that affect land rent and land use within cities; spatial aspects of poverty, discrimination, and housing; and state and local government spending on education and property taxation. Prerequisite: EC 312.

ENT 314 Principles of Entrepreneurship [3] This course concentrates on the variables required to be successful in starting a business. Topics include the profile of the entrepreneur, differences between life-style and growth-oriented entrepreneurship, teamwork in entrepreneurship, identifying a market and product to service, issues in family business development. Self-assessment is a key component of the course. Teaching methods may include cases, discussion, experiential activities, team and individual projects and presentations, lecture and guest speakers. Prerequisites: MGT 310, MKT 310 (concurrent)

MGT 414 Seminar in Entrepreneurship [3] A capstone course for entrepreneurial and small business management majors. Designed to enable undergraduate students to examine crucial facets of self-employment ventures. Each student is asked to develop a business plan for testing the most critical aspects of establishing and maintaining an independent enterprise. Students also assess their own skills and interests to compare with the successful entrepreneurial profile. Case analysis and classroom discussion deal with a variety of problems at different stages of a new venture. Prerequisites: AC 360, BL 330, FIN 484, MGT 314, MKT 325 or permission of instructor.

FIN 484 Financing a Small Business [3] An examination of the financial issues and problems faced by small businesses. Topics include financial statement analysis, forecasting, working capital management, coping with financial distress, sources of capital, business valuation, and ethical issues. Students will develop problem-solving skills by analyzing weekly case study assignments and preparing a comprehensive business plan. Emphasis will be placed on the availability and use of community resources to assist small businesses. Extensive use of computer spreadsheet programs required. Prerequisite: FIN 310.

MGT 310 Managing Organizational Behavior [3] To manage in the global marketplace, students learn about responding to changing environmental events by establishing management systems that are effective, efficient and adaptive. Students are responsible for setting goals and strategies, organizing diverse teams, leading and motivating members and improving performance as well as understanding the consequences of these actions on human behavior. Prerequisite: Completion of 40 credits.

MGT 315 Group Dynamics and Interpersonal Relationships [3] This course focuses on improving students' ability to work in interpersonal, team, and group contexts. Small group theory and research form the basis for the study of communication, leadership and group decision-making skills. Through interaction and feedback, students develop an awareness of their own behavior and how it affects others in pairs, groups, and teams. They also develop skills in dealing with people of diverse backgrounds. A weekend workshop may be held in lieu of several classes. Prerequisite: MGT 310.

MGT 420 Seminar in Management [3] analysis and presentation of an empirical, theoretical or practical area of management. Students are expected to make presentations and be responsible for segments of the class activity. Prerequisite: MGT 310

MGT 425 Introduction to Negotiations [3] Theoretical foundations and practical skills used in resolving differences and negotiating mutually satisfying outcomes are addressed. Skills are developed through case analyses and simulated negotiations in a variety of contexts. Topics discussed are the nature of negotiations, different negotiating styles, distributive vs. integrative bargaining, power, conflict, labor negotiations, mediation, and inter-cultural bargaining. Self-reflection, giving and receiving feedback are key aspects in developing negotiation skills. Prerequisite: MGT 310

MGT 430 Process and Project Management [3] This course provides an overview of the basic principles that are at the core of the philosophy of continuous improvement. Attention is also directed at understanding how the application of this philosophy has led to the transformation of many work environments during the last two decades. Throughout the course, process and project management tools and techniques are demonstrated in class and then used in field projects to integrate theory with practice. Prerequisite: MGT 320, MGT 360 and Senior standing.

MIS 310 Management Information Systems [3] This business course serves as an introduction to the role of information systems in contemporary organizations. A wide variety of emerging technologies and information systems will be studied, with emphasis on their development and application. Students will also become familiar with software such as expert systems, decision systems, and groupware. Prerequisites: CS 110 and MGT 310 (may be taken concurrently) Laboratory fee.

MKT 310 Introduction to Marketing [3] This course examines the dynamics of marketing and its important role in today's society. In addition to discussing marketing functions, marketing organizations, marketing research and other key dimensions of marketing, the course will address cultural, social, ethical, legal and international aspects of the field. Case studies and examples of business and non-business organizations will be discussed. Prerequisites: EC 110 and 211 for Barney students or EC101 for non-Barney students.

MKT 325 Marketing Communications [3] This course presents an integrative approach to the creation, implementation, and measurement of all of the ways in which an organization communicates with its external public. While focusing on the communications tools of advertising, publicity, sales promotion, and personal selling, this course takes a marketing management perspective and explains how communications is used to help satisfy customers and achieve the goals of the organization with special consideration given to entrepreneurial and small businesses. This is a survey course that stresses an understanding of the terms, concepts, and processes involved in the creating of the integrated marketing communications. Prerequisite: MKT 310

MKT 335 Personal Selling and Sales Management [3] Examines persuasive techniques utilized in promotional presentations conducted on a person-to-person basis, and studies the methods used to develop, operate and control sales organizations. Prerequisite: MKT 310

MKT 340 Consumer Behavior [3] Examines the decision processes used by individuals and households in obtaining and using goods and services. The influences of individual demographic and psychographic differences as well as cultural, ethnic, social, and environmental factors are explored to build an understanding of consumer behavior in a global economy. Current theories and models are studied and applied to actual marketing situations. Prerequisites: MKT 310.