Santa Clara University

Course Descriptions

MANAGEMENT (MGMT)

Professors: Gregory A. Baker, David F. Caldwell, André L. Delbecq, Terri L. Griffith, James L. Koch, Dennis J. Moberg, Barry Z. Posner, Manuel G. Velasquez
Associate Professors: James L. Hall, Tammy L. Madsen (Chair)
Assistant Professors: Michael J. Fern, Jennifer L. Woolley
Charles J. Dirksen Professor of Business Ethics: Manuel G. Velasquez
J. Thomas and Kathleen L. McCarthy Professor: André L. Delbecq
Stephen and Patricia Schott Professor: David F. Caldwell
Presidential Professor of Ethics and the Common Good: Dennis J. Moberg
Lecturers: William Kahl, James Kelley, Michael Levenhagen, Steven Levy, Darrel Mank, Kurt Nutting, David Palmer

Note: The following four courses are required of all MBA students.

MGMT 501. Managerial Competencies and Team Effectiveness
Explores group dynamics to enable students to perform more effectively in group and team settings. Provides students with feedback on individual managerial competencies to aid in career self-management and planning. Must be taken during the student’s first or second quarter of residence. Prerequisite: None. (3 units)

MGMT 503. Organizational Analysis and Management
The structure and design of organizations. How organizational structure relates to its environment, how it influences the technologies used, and how decisions about structure affect the behavior of individuals in the organization. Prerequisite: MGMT 501. (3 units)

MGMT 505. Social, Political, and Legal Environment of Business
Explores how social, political, ethical, and legal forces affect an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives and how an organization’s activities in turn influence these forces. Discusses how understanding that interaction is key both to enabling the organization to recognize and deal with external opportunities and threats and to its ability to respond to its environment in a socially responsible manner. Prerequisite: None. (3 units)

MGMT 619. Business Policy in High Technology Firms (Capstone)
The capstone course for the MBA program. Primary objective is to develop the ability to formulate competitive strategy from the perspective of the general manager. Introduction to a variety of analytical tools associated with the field of strategic management, primarily from the perspective of high-technology companies. Application of conceptual and analytical frameworks introduced in the core curriculum. Focuses on in-depth analysis of industries and competition, techniques for predicting industry and competitive evolution as well as how government, technology, and other environmental factors influence competition. Features both business- and corporate-level strategy analyses. Prerequisite: completion of all other required courses. (3 units)

Note: The following courses are offered as electives and/or as part of a concentration.

MGMT 512. Social Psychology of Leadership
Investigates and examines priorities of exemplary leaders. Emphasizes developing conceptual understanding of leadership process and on building leadership skills. Classes are often experiential and highly reflective, using written and video case studies. Some team assignments may be made. Prerequisite: MGMT 501. (3 units)

MGMT 514. International Management
The first half of the course is dedicated to understanding basic international business concepts. The second part deals with international management, which includes organizational structures, staffing, and closely related issues. There is no textbook but a limited amount of reading from the business press. Criticality is more important than previous knowledge. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. (3 units)

MGMT 516. Organizational Politics
The use of influence and political analysis in organizational decisions. Emphasis on the implementation process. Prerequisite: MGMT 501. (3 units)

MGMT 524. Managing Innovation and Technology
Exploration of the organizational structures and management processes that can facilitate or impede innovation. Topics include managing scientists and engineers, cross-functional integration, and analysis of the innovation process. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. (3 units)

MGMT 526. Strategic Human Resources Management
Focuses on the strategic role of human resources (HR) planning and development. Addresses the creation of value through the HR function. Topics include linking HR and strategic planning; the transformational impact of information technology, process engineering, and outsourcing on the employment relationship; and an HR perspective on building a high-performance organization. Course has a special emphasis on high-technology organizations. Prerequisite: MGMT 501. (3 units)

MGMT 532. Managerial Communications
Focuses on three important aspects of managerial communications: interpersonal (building on concepts introduced in MGMT 501), cross-cultural, and corporate. Emphasis on implementation. High level of student involvement expected. Evaluation will be based on several papers and participation. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. (3 units)

MGMT 538. Managing Teams and Projects
Application of the conceptual areas discussed in MGMT 501 and MGMT 503 as they relate to managing temporary groups or projects. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. (3 units)

MGMT 540. Social, Political, and Legal Environment of Food and Agribusiness Firms
Focuses on the key issues that affect the decisions of managers of food and agribusiness firms. Topics include the principal regulations and regulatory bodies governing the food industry, food safety and crisis management, ethical issues in food production and distribution, and resource and environment issues. Prerequisite: MGMT 505. (3 units)

MGMT 544. Strategic Business Negotiations
Understanding the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations in the context of cooperative and competitive situations. The purpose of this course is to understand the theory and processes of negotiation so that you can negotiate successfully in a variety of settings. This course is designed to be relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems that are faced by managers and professionals. A basic premise of this course is that while a manager needs analytical skills to discover optimal solutions to problems, a broad array of negotiation skills is needed to get these solutions accepted and implemented. This course gives students the opportunity to develop these skills experientially and to understand negotiation in useful analytical frameworks. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. (3 units)

MGMT 546. Spirituality of Organizational Leadership
This seminar explores the relationship between business leadership and spirituality through the lens of contemporary as well as classical religious literature. The course references both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It explores why successful leaders often derail in the absence of spiritual integration. It includes attention to spiritual disciplines such as prayer and meditation tailored for the time-pressured life of business professionals and leaders. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. (3 units)

MGMT 696. Experimental Course
Covers special topics; offered on an occasional basis. (3 units)

MGMT 850. Effective Teams and Managerial Excellence
Explores individual behavior and group dynamics to enable students to perform more effectively in group and team settings. Provides students with feedback on individual managerial competencies to aid in career self-management and planning. Examines the structure and design of organizations and how structure relates to an organization’s environment and affects the behavior of individuals in the organization. Open only to WAMBA program students. (6 units)

MGMT 890. Business Policy and Global Strategy
Primary objective is to develop the ability to formulate competitive strategy from the perspective of the general manager. Introduction to a variety of analytical tools associated with the field of strategic management, primarily from the perspective of high-technology companies. Application of conceptual and analytical frameworks introduced in the core curriculum. Focuses on in-depth analysis of industries and competition, techniques for predicting industry and competitive evolution as well as how government, technology, and other environmental factors influence competition. Features both business- and corporate-level strategy analyses. Prerequisites: All required WAMBA program courses. Open only to WAMBA program students. (6 units)