Business and Economics

This is a continuation of BUA210. Emphasis will be placed on long-term liabilities and shareholder’s equity, corporations, the statement of cash flows, analysis of financial statements, and managerial and cost accounting for decision making.

A study of the design of accounting information systems, including flowcharting, understanding specific accounting subsystems, using computerized accounting packages, and studying advanced spreadsheet applications.

Review of the basic financial accounting process, the income statement, and the balance sheet. Topics covered in depth include accounting applications of time value of money and accounting for current assets, property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets.

Business cost accounting, special records and cost statistics and application to particular business organizations.

Federal income tax laws relating to personal income; preparation and filing of returns.

The course examines accounting topics specific to no-for-profit entities and various governmental units.  Emphasis is placed on the recording of usual transactions, form and content of reports, and analysis of external reports.  Readings, projects, lectures, and/or discussion will be used to illuminate current topics of special interest or concern in accounting.  A study of financial accounting and reporting issues involving business combinations and other current accounting issues could also be topics presented in this course.

Environmental factors affecting world marketing management. Methods applied to estimate market potential and to select pricing and distribution strategies, communications to serve foreign markets, methods to serve the markets, management of marketing functions, and financing analyzed via case studies.

According to a recent study of human resource managers, effective project management is one of the most coveted skills for new hires in the modern economy. This course will introduce you to the power of effective project management through two primary frameworks: waterfall and agile. You will also learn vital project-management concepts that can be applied to a wide range of industries and occupations.

Any successful project starts with a plan. This course provides students with a deep understanding of project planning. Projects are a series of tradeoffs between scope, cost, and time, so you’ll need to learn how to balance them in order to create a plan which is realistic and achievable. You will also learn how to leverage resources, and how to manage risk, quality, and stakeholder expectations to ensure project success

In today’s fast paced work environment, no project proceeds from beginning to end without encountering unforeseen challenges, and the changing scope, priorities or context of a project may require various adjustments. Additionally, project implementation and closure requires conviction and trust in established processes and personnel. In either context, these are vital parts of a project’s success and are reflections of how future projects will be managed. This course covers project execution, monitoring / control, implementation / handover, DevOps, and project closure.

This course provides a comprehensive examination of the general principles of financial planning, professional conduct and regulation, and education planning. These topics constitute thirty percent of the principal knowledge topics tested on the CFP® Certification Examination. The course introduces students to the financial planning process and working with clients to set goals and assess risk tolerance. In addition, students will learn to process and analyze information, construct personal financial statements, develop debt management plans, recommend financing strategies, and understand the basic components of a written comprehensive financial plan. The course also covers the regulatory environment, time value of money, and economic concepts.

This course provides a comprehensive examination of the general principles of risk management and insurance planning for individual and family clients. These topics constitute approximately seventeen percent of the principal knowledge topics tested on the CFP® Certification Examination. The course first introduces students to the risk management and insurance planning process and working with clients to analyze and evaluate risk exposures. Second, the core insurance lines of coverage are explored in detail, including: health, disability, long-term care, life, and personal property and casualty (homeowners’, personal auto policy, etc.). In addition, the student will learn to analyze an individual and family’s insurance needs, to select the most appropriate insurance policy and company, and to understand a business owner's use of insurance to protect the business’ assets and future income.

The course is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in the financial planning and asset management profession. The course and curriculum are approved by the CFP® Board of Standards and meet one component of the educational requirement for becoming a Certified Financial Planner. This course explores the securities market, sources of information, risk/return, stocks, bonds, options, futures, and security analysis, and culminates in portfolio construction and analysis. You will learn how to evaluate different asset classes for different investment objectives and determine their suitability for investors considering investment goals, time horizons, risk tolerance, and tax situations.

This course covers taxation for individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, as well as the tax aspects of investments, insurance, annuities, and retirement planning. Students will be able to identify the likely tax consequences of personal and business financial activities and select appropriate and lawful tax-minimizing tactics and strategies.

This course is designed to provide students with the foundation to conduct a retirement needs analysis for individuals, to understand the different types of retirement plans available to individuals, and to recognize the key factors that affect retirement plan selection for business owners. Students will be able to evaluate and compare the characteristics of various retirement plans, address client suitability, and provide plan recommendations. The course covers tax-deferred retirement plans, IRAs, nonqualified plans, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, distribution strategies, taxation of distributions, and regulatory considerations.

In particular, the course covers strategies used by financial planners to help clients assess employee benefits and to reduce the tax burden while planning for retirement. Topics include retirement needs analysis; defined benefit and contribution plans; profit sharing; 401k; 403b; ESOP; IRA; SEP-IRA; Roth-IRA; Keogh; TSA; social security benefits and integration; vesting; employee benefits analysis; funding vehicles; plan installation and administration; asset balancing; buy-sell agreements, ERISA; stock redemption and cross-purchase plans; evaluation of retirement timing; life-cycle planning; retirement lifestyle issues; distribution planning; and post-retirement financial and qualitative assessment of needs.

This course provides an introduction to federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes and the many planning techniques used to minimize the impact of these taxes on transfers of wealth. It also explores the income-tax effects of gifts and bequests, with particular attention to the limitations on income-shifting to family members. The non-tax aspects of estate planning, including the estate planning process, property ownership, planning for incapacity, and planning for business owners are examined as are the need for estate planning documents for individuals, spouses, and unmarried couples. The course stresses the need for balancing tax and non-tax considerations in creating successful estate plans.

This course provides students an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge learned through the prerequisite six-course CFP® curriculum. Students will participate in developing a complete financial plan, through the use of case studies and interviewing mock clients. Presentations of a formal financial plan, demonstrating the ability to set client expectations and communicate with clients by answering questions and concerns, are also required.

This course is intended as a culmination of a student’s work in the Project Management Major. Students will work in groups to manage a simulated project from scope to completion - encountering - and overcoming - challenges and complications along the way. This course will also provide students with an overview of the product life-cycle, governance, and other topics to help contextualize project work.

Economic principles applied to environmental quality and resource utilization; origins of and approaches to environmental problems.

Application of the economic theory of industries and markets to government regulation; topics include legal foundations and economic impact of market regulation, antitrust policy, competitive practices, monopolies, and workplace safety.