Full-Time MBA: Curriculum

The main objective of this course is to promote an in-depth understanding of fundamental accounting concepts and practices as well as to enhance your ability to apply such concepts to make intelligent managerial decisions. This course is not designed for accounting professionals. Rather, it focuses on managers’ need to understand and interpret financial information in various decision-making contexts. That is, financial skills and accounting information are taught in this course as an enabler and driver of the management decision-making process. Topics included in this course will not only focus on the technical aspects of accounting in terms of how financial information is formulated, but also on why such information is relevant to the management of a firm. In addition, the course covers the essential financial statement analysis skills and cost management issues which go beyond typical financial accounting topics.

This course addresses communication and ethical reasoning skills in the business context. During the course we shall engage in an intensive investigation of the nature and function of communications within an increasingly complex and multi-cultural context of international business.
We will specifically investigate the crucial role of written and oral communication, as well as the importance of cross-cultural communication, negotiation and communication in a business crisis situation. Simultaneously we will pay specific attention to the ethical frameworks which can affect such scenarios, studying various ethical perspectives, and engaging in personal reflection so as to determine how best to operate ethically in a complex business environment.

The course explores what business strategy is and how it is expressed in the marketplace. The course focuses on the analytic and managerial tasks required to develop and execute strategy at the business (as opposed to corporate) level.  Emphasis is on how the demands of strategy vary depending on the type of business.

This course aims to provide students with the understanding of (i) financial issues encountered by corporate managers, decision makers and investor, (ii) financial models and analytical techniques to evaluate the investment and financing decisions of firms, (iii) practical issues about those corporate finance theories, and (iv) the recent development of financial management tools and strategies.

The course aims to put you in a lateral mindset where you can both leverage and challenge the conventional wisdom to think creatively to discover new opportunities, ask the right questions in order to identify the right problems and explore the trade-offs involved in your decisions to design elegant and well articulated solutions.  The course aims to encourage you think differently than an average manager.

This course is designed to equip students with an understanding of the decision process and tools for generating information that is critical for making effective decisions. The first part, Decision and Risk Process, focuses on evaluating the effects of cost/benefit, efforts, and/or risks in decisions, making decisions under uncertainty, and allocating scarce resources to maximize performance. The second part, Statistical Decision Analysis, focuses on extracting information from data, testing hypotheses, and building models to explain phenomenon and predict future.

This course provides a basic framework for understanding macroeconomics at both the national and international levels. It analyzes the structure and performance of the macro-economy and the implications of macroeconomic policies in the domestic and global contexts. Topics include business cycles and economic growth, fiscal and monetary policies, interest rates and exchange rates, etc. Special attention will be paid to the economies of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, as well as current economic issues.

In the digital age, information technology (IT) enables new patterns of commerce. IT affects how buyers buy and sellers sell, how firms interface with their customers and suppliers, and how activities are organized internally within the firm. The integration of technology and business processes makes it pertinent for the managers and leaders of today and tomorrow to be able to understand and communicate the strategic potential of these tools across the entire supply chain. This course integrates the fundamental principles of information systems and operations management to cover key aspects of a firm's operating process flow and its supply chain.

Managerial economics is a branch of economics that applies microeconomic analysis to business decisions. To effectively manage a company, the manager needs to have a good understanding of cost, pricing, market power, competition strategies and internal
organization. We will gradually develop these economic concepts and show how they can be applied to managerial decisions. The analysis and principles that we learn in this course will serve as building blocks for the understanding of other business subjects such as accounting, marketing, corporate finance and human resource management.

This course provides students with an opportunity to critically appraise and reflect upon the subject of management from different perspectives including, but not limited to that of leadership, organisational behaviour, organizational effectiveness, strategy development, shareholders and stakeholders theories. An emphasis is placed upon drawing a direct relevance to the functional disciplines of operating a business in the real world as well as affording students the opportunity to get grounded in these management perspectives. It is from these underpinnings that students will be introduced with the fundamental management theories, frameworks and tools. Not only do students acquire the language of business but also have the opportunities to apply them in class exercises and case studies interactively. Leadership competence including that of strategic thinking and the conceptual derivation of a practicing manager will be dealt with in the course to highlight the complexity and non-mechanistic nature of the practice of management in the changing business landscapes of a knowledge based and global economy.

This course is designed for MBA students with limited background in marketing. Concepts and issues at the strategic analytical approaches and tools needed for marketing decisions will be covered. Contexts for discussion and learning will be global with special reference to markets in Asia and China. The course will be delivered in a workshop mode via a blend of interactive class discussion & exercises and case analyses.

The purpose of this course is to develop a solid understanding of modern investment theory and practice. The course helps students to familiarize with fundamentals of asset valuation, security analysis, and principals and practice of portfolio management. This course covers basic investment environment, asset pricing, stock valuations, bond valuations, derivatives valuations, portfolio theory, market efficiency, portfolio strategies, and portfolio performance evaluations. The students are expected to command basic investment theory and some practical tools for investing in securities. The knowledge and skills gained from this course not only help you in your professional career but also useful for your personal investment.

This course assesses the rise and role of Asia in the new global economic order - though as the students taking the course in 2012 advised that it might be more accurately described as the “new global economic dis-order”. Certainly there are critical discontinuities - we are in uncharted turbulent waters. This is not a course about Asia. It is a course about Asian developments and options in a global context and from global perspectives. Business leaders in this century’s turbulent transformative times must also be globalists with a strong sense of how public policy evolves and how they can influence it. The future belongs to global business leader statesmen. The course is aimed to be one building block in this process.

This is a MBA course focusing on important and timely business, economic, political and branding issues facing various Asian economies. The topics to be covered include Asian business management practices, international trade, foreign direct investment, high-technology industries, international agreements, political economy, regional and global supply chains and economic growth. The economies that we will focus on include the four largest Asian economies: China, Japan, India and South Korea. In addition, we will cover other Asian economies such as Taiwan, Singapore, Macau, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Linkages as well as comparative references will also be made to other economies such as the United States, Europe, economies in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The course addresses strategy for China and India at three levels.. The first is how to operate and market in these countries so concerns itself with ground level managerial skills. The second is how Chinese and Indian companies are managed, including financing, innovation, people skills so concerns itself with levels of company capability. The third is how Chinese and Indian companies globalize and compete with incumbent multinationals. Basically, the course is a strategy course set in China and India.

This course combines strategy, operations, and general management, and features a variety of types of companies from different industries. First objective of this course is preparing students for today's fast-paced world of business by describing what competition in fast-paced industries is like and how the most effective companies cope. Second objective is introducing students to the analytic and management tools that these businesses now require of managers. Final objective is preparing students to function productively with colleagues inside “fast companies”.

Examining the challenges of entering and operating effectively across international markets, this course covers international marketing objectives, strategies and policies, market selection, distribution channel decisions and management, international marketing mix approaches appropriate to individual markets, and systems of international marketing organisation, planning and control. This course is designed as an elective marketing class for MBA students looking to deepen their understanding of how to develop marketing strategy through to implementation across global markets. The course will be delivered in a workshop mode through highly interactive class discussions, case studies and team presentations.

This course examines the opportunities and challenges that contemporary managers confront when conducting business across national borders. It addresses the complex environment of international business with respect to economic, social, cultural, political, and legal institutions, as well as how these institutions shape business operation in the global market. The course emphasizes greatly on applying theoretical framework in analyzing practical problems confronting managers.

All managers and executives today must have a solid understanding of some core legal principles. This course will provide each student with a solid legal foundation, especially in an Asian context. It is an international business law course specifically designed for MBA students who are or hope to become managers and executives in Asia. We will discuss broad legal principles and how they affect business today, analyzing several cross-border business transactions and court cases. The format of the course is similar to a graduate seminar, requiring students to be well prepared and participate actively in class.

The course is designed to prepare student for a career in management consulting, or managers to work effectively with consultants.
Students will be introduced the roles and responsibilities of a management consultant as well as frameworks and tools used in client projects. This course is designed to cover all aspects of consulting work, including approaches that are structured and methodological. The course also focuses on obtaining scientific input, carrying out analytical assessments and producing credible outputs. The whole cycle of consulting projects and related aspects are also covered.

This course is designed to broaden students' understanding of the issues related to the management of multinational corporations. The emphasis is on the global business environment and its impacts on multinational corporations' strategy, structure, and functions. First, the course discusses the political, economic, and cultural environments in which multinational corporations operate. Second, it examines the strategy and organization of multinational corporations, including entry strategies, international alliances, organization structures, and control in multinational corporations. Third, it examines the management of people in multinational corporations, including motivation and decision-making in the international context.

This course is designed to allow students of all levels to become familiar with the fundamental role of technological advancements in today’s business environments. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into business processes, managers and leaders alike must be able to understand and communicate the enabling potential of these tools. This course provides an introductory training for such purposes. Topics of this course cover the fundamental challenges faced by businesses operating in the online environment, new opportunities and threats arising from social media, and strategic considerations in offering web-based services and information goods.

The course focuses on challenges of managing service brands and delivering quality service to customers across industry sectors. The attraction, retention, and building of strong customer relationships through quality service (and services) are all at the heart of the course content. The course is equally applicable to organizations whose core product is service (e.g., banks, transportation companies, hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, professional services, telecommunication, etc.) and to organizations that depend on services for competitive advantage (e.g., high technology manufacturers, automotive, industrial products, etc.).

The course is designed to prepare attendants to apply analytical methodologies and information technology in supply chain management. Traditionally industries focus on operation evaluation and performance improvement of manufacturing process; however, the deficiency of supply chain coordination results in severe downgrade of business competitiveness. With advent of information technology, computers not only improve manufacturing operation and management, but also enhance strategic decision-making as well. This course focuses on the systems approach to planning, analysis, design, development, and evaluation of supply chain management.

Today, success depends not only on what you do but also on how you do it. The way your organization and people handle business processes has a profound effect on the organization. Helping you find ways to break through old barriers to arrive at new levels of quality, human efficiency and effectiveness is what Total Quality Management (TQM) is all about. TQM focuses on total quality assurance used in business as a strategy and control tool for the purpose of gaining a competitive advantage in the market. The course seeks to familiarize students with all aspects of TQM, and provide them with the knowledge and tools they need to become designers of, and participants in, company-wide TQM programs. Traditional TQM approach is often overlaid upon other management systems. However, successful TQM requires both behavioral and cultural change. Managers committed to successful implementation of TQM must have both new process and resource management systems that work together.