Master of Business Administration, page 3
Graduate School of Business Administration

Areas of Concentration

M.B.A. students (full-time or evening) can pursue the following concentrations through their elective course choices.

Professional Accounting

The accounting concentration is designed for students preparing for careers in accounting and auditing in professional accounting firms, industry or government. Additionally, this concentration will prepare graduates for positions involving the preparation or use of financial information. Students selecting a professional accounting concentration often choose careers as securities analysts, investment bankers or corporate financial officers.

Information Systems

This concentration prepares M.B.A. students for careers as analysts and managers in information systems organizations or for positions in functional areas as intelligent end-users. Information Systems (IS) refers to the entire set of systems and activities to manage, process and use information as a resource in an organization. Information Systems includes quantitative techniques in business planning, decision making, control and performance analysis. The managerial aspects of IS include information systems analysis and design, database design and administration, the role of information systems in accounting and auditing, and information systems strategy.

Courses
IOM 531End-User Computing in Business
IOM 533Information Systems Analysis
IOM 535Database Management
IOM 536Decision Support Systems
IOM 537Information Systems Management for Global Operations
IOM 538Information Systems Strategy
IOM 539Fast Response Management Systems

Operations Management

This concentration prepares M.B.A. students for careers in the management of the operations in manufacturing or service businesses. The focus is on the nature and impact of operations decisions at both the strategic and tactical levels in an organization. Emphasis is placed on the interaction with other functional areas in a business. Specifically, operations management deals with (1) the periodic activities of selecting, designing and improving the characteristics of products, processes, technologies, incentive systems, work methods and flows, and (2) the continual activities of planning and controlling production, inventory and quality levels at various stages of operations and employment levels.

Courses
IOM 525Quality Improvement Methods
IOM 538Information Systems Strategy
IOM 580Project Management
IOM 581Production Planning and Materials Management
IOM 582Management of Service Operations
IOM 583Manufacturing Strategy

Finance

The finance concentration prepares students for careers in financial management as corporate treasurers, financial analysts, money managers, and commercial and investment bankers. The required courses apply to the central principles of finance - net present value, market efficiency, agency costs, incremental cash flow, information asymmetries, adverse selection, arbitrage, modern portfolio theory, capital asset pricing, option pricing, and sustainable growth - to better understand the practice of finance in financial and non-financial firms. Topics covered include the valuation of securities, portfolio management, the choice of debt versus equity, dividend policy, the analysis of investment projects, mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring, management of working capital and financial analysis. At least three courses must be taken from the following list. FBE 532 is required.

Courses
FBE 527Financial Management for Developing Firms
FBE 529Advanced Financial Analysis
FBE 531Corporate Financial Policy and Corporate Control
FBE 532Corporate Financial Strategy
FBE 554Trading and Exchanges
FBE 555Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
FBE 556abSeminar in Applied Portfolio Management
FBE 558The Legal Environment of Finance
FBE 559Management of Financial Risk

Marketing

The marketing concentration prepares M.B.A. students for careers in all facets of marketing in both the consumer and business-to-business marketplace. The material content of this concentration ranges from consumer analysis and buying behavior, to product planning and development, to market demand and sales forecasting, to marketing communications planning, to the development and implementation of full marketing plans. It is expected that the array of courses selected match a particular career within the marketing area. For instance, M.B.A. students tend to work in brand/product management, advertising, marketing research, product planning and support, multinational marketing, sales management and marketing consulting. Marketing majors select three courses from the list. MKT 512 is required for students pursuing the marketing concentration.

Courses
MKT 512Marketing and Consumer Research
MKT 525Consumer Behavior
MKT 526Advertising and Promotion Strategy
MKT 529Sales Management
MKT 530Product Planning
MKT 535Business Marketing Management
MKT 540Marketing Models
MKT 543Market Demand and Sales Forecasting
MKT 555Marketing Channels
MKT 560Marketing Strategy and Policy
MKT 565Global Marketing
MKT 569Contemporary Marketing Problems

Human Resource Management

The purpose of Human Resource Management (HRM) is to attract, retain and motivate high quality employees. This concentration is designed for M.B.A. students and future executives with an interest in developing human reserves. Students are introduced to the legal, social and economic factors that affect HRM decision making. Topics include: planning for human resource needs, staffing the personnel needs of the organization, appraising and compensating employee behavior, improving employee performance and the work environment, and establishing and maintaining effective decision making relationships.

Courses
MOR 548Human Resource Management
MOR 551Employee Involvement, Motivation and Performance
MOR 554Organization Development and Change
MOR 555Design of High Performing Organizations
MOR 557Management Consulting

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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
Lydia Shabestari
lydia@stuaff.usc.edu