Santa Clara University

Course Descriptions

1-UNIT COURSES

One-unit courses offer students a focused look at particular timely topics, an introduction to particular disciplines, flexibility in scheduling, and accelerated progress toward degree completion. There is no limit on the number of 1-unit courses that may be taken towards degree requirements. New 1-unit courses may appear in any quarter, as they are often “cutting-edge” classes, and occasionally may not be offered on a continuous basis. Please refer to the quarterly schedule for 1-unit offerings and descriptions.

Special drop policies apply to 1-unit courses and may be found on page 19.

Note: Students are expected to check ERes or Angel for any pre-class assignments for 1-unit classes.

Below is a partial list of previously offered 1-unit courses. A comprehensive list of current offerings is available at: www.scu.edu/ business/graduates/current-students.

ACTG 701. Global Diversity in Financial Reporting
Examines conceptual models for explaining and managing differences in financial reporting systems between nations. Explores the main economic effects of global accounting diversity, including the implications for various constituents. Also looks at global harmonization scenarios and the impact of likely outcomes. Prerequisite: ACTG 300. Concentration: ACTG.

ACTG 703. Selected Topics in Financial Accounting
Provides students with the opportunity to learn more about a number of important financial reporting issues. Specifically, the course covers earnings quality and the income statement, revenue recognition, mergers and acquisitions, and stock-based compensation plans. (Professor Sepe’s pre-class reading may be found at: http://lsb.scu.edu/~jsepe/actg703.htm.) Prerequisite: ACTG 300. Concentration: ACTG, FNCE. This course is not open to students who have taken ACTG 303.

ACTG 704. Financial Statement Analysis and Analysts’ Predictive Accuracy in Global Capital Markets
Explores issues in analyzing financial statements across national borders and the difficulties these pose to predicting performance. Examines the degree of confidence and reliability that can be placed in analysts’ forecasts for foreign firms. Reviews the special questions raised by financial analysis in the global context. Attention will be focused on North America, Asia, and Europe. Prerequisite: ACTG 300. Concentration: ACTG, FNCE.

ACTG 708. Activity-Based Costing
Activity-based costing (ABC) focuses on activities as determinants of costs, and encompasses the use of ABC information in decision making. This course considers ABC’s underlying assumptions, ABC system design, determinants of successful implementations, evidence of success rates for ABC systems, ABC and relevant costing for strategic decision making, and ABC pitfalls. Prerequisite: ACTG 300. Concentration: ACTG.

ECON 701. Africa’s Economic Decline
An intensive application of economics to understand the long, sustained decline in African economics. Lessons include an appreciation of the importance of political factors in economics of the developing world; investment risk applications; international trade and finance issues; effects of embargoes and sanctions; theory and empirics of economic growth. Prerequisites: ECON 401 and ECON 405. Concentration: None. This course is not open to students who have taken ECON 444.

ECON 702. Corruption and Sweatshops in Emerging Economies
Class will explore empirical, economic, and ethical issues associated with the interrelated phenomenon of international corruption, sweatshop labor, and child labor. These issues have become staples in newspaper headlines, political protests (in Seattle and beyond), and legal action against U.S. corporations. Managers of multinational corporations need to understand the issues, rhetoric, ethics and the law. Prerequisites: ECON 401 and ECON 405. Concentration: None. This course is not open to students who have taken ECON 444.

FNCE 701. E-Commerce Economics and the Value of Internet Companies
Provides the tools necessary to analyze opportunities and potential competitive threats in commercial Web-based organizations. To quantify and apply the analysis, focus is on valuing Internet companies based on a careful examination of their business models and environments. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE, EN.

FNCE 702. Global Financial Markets and the Asian Crisis
Understanding the Asian crisis in terms of the dynamics of global financial markets. An analysis of the crisis within the context of the growing influence and power of global financial markets (GFM). Discussion of the different explanations for the crisis and its spread. Illustrates the economic importance of GFM and the need for businesses to understand how they function. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE, IB.

FNCE 703. Managing to IPO
Analyzes the challenges facing companies from first-round financing to initial public offering (or major liquidity event) in designing their planning and control systems. Focus is on the operation of the firm, organization structure, financial and nonfinancial systems, and reward systems. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE, EN.

FNCE 704. Internet Finance
How the Internet will affect the development of financial institutions such as banks and brokerages. Covers the basic theory of financial intermediation as it applies to online financial service firms. Discusses the impact of a migration to online financial services and the competitive changes created. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE, EN.

FNCE 705. Raising Capital in Silicon Valley
Covers the practical side of raising capital in Silicon Valley. This class is targeted directly to entrepreneurs (and other curious parties) and includes a brief history of venture capital in Silicon Valley. The main focus is funding sources in Silicon Valley, exit strategies and why they matter from day one, contacting investors, the “two-pager,” what investors need from a business plan, valuing your company (idea), and presenting to investors. Prerequisites: None. Concentration: FNCE, EN.

FNCE 706. Valuation of Private Companies
This course will familiarize students with the techniques used to value private businesses for different purposes, including funding, mergers and acquisition, value enhancement strategies, etc. Specifically, the class will focus on fundamental analysis, relative valuation techniques, and use of real option techniques. This is a hands-on course in which the participants will prepare a valuation report that employs these different techniques. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 707. A Retrospect on the Technology Bubble
This class will cover the late 1990s’ technology bubble. It is now accepted that the Internet boom included a stock market bubble that eventually encompassed virtually all technology stocks. The current belated dash to declare the Internet boom a bubble means that it is time to carefully define what constitutes a stock market bubble, to begin examining the now-unquestioned acceptance of a high-tech bubble, and to determine the most important lessons to be learned from high-tech stocks’ rapid rise and subsequent collapse. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 708. Market-Neutral Investing
This class covers market-neutral stock market investing. Most equity investment strategies involve diversifying to eliminate unsystematic risk while enjoying the stock market’s long-term upward trend. In contrast, market-neutral investing strategies are designed to make money regardless of the broad market’s movements. This can reduce short-term risk but introduces special challenges. The course will outline each market-neutral investment strategy, explain the advantages and risks, and use real examples. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 709. Acquisition Integration: Managing for Value
This course explores several corporate acquisition strategies and focuses on the practical steps managers can take to lead effectively, and to manage for consistent growth during these periods of high stakes and high visibility. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 710. Default Risk Modeling
Default risk is a relatively modern area of finance. In the past, it comprised fundamental analysis of firms by rating agencies. It has evolved into a highly technical and quantitative discipline that requires focused training. This course introduces students to the practice of modern credit-risk modeling. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 711. Introduction to OptionValue
This course will introduce students to the mathematical tools for analysis and valuation. Basic options models will be taught and implemented on spreadsheets so that students are comfortable with using options in common financial applications. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 712. Monte Carlo Simulation Techniques in Finance
This course will introduce students to simulation techniques in modern finance. This has become a well-accepted approach to valuing securities and also is used for risk management. Students will learn from hands-on examples how to undertake analyses of complex scenarios in a simple way by using simulation models on spreadsheets. Prerequisite: FNCE 451. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 714. Private Equity
An introduction to the broad asset class, private equity. The class covers the history of private equity and the role it plays in an institutional portfolio. Particular attention is paid to the structure and economics of private equity partnerships. Prerequisite: FNCE 455. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 715. Venture Capital
An in-depth look at private equity funds that invest in high-growth, generally high-tech, start-up companies. The class will focus on the particulars of venture partnerships, the past performance of venture capital as an asset class, and how venture partnerships invest their capital. Prerequisites: FNCE 455 and FNCE 714. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 716. Growth Capital
An in-depth look at private equity funds that invest in more mature companies. The class will focus on the particulars of growth capital/buyout partnerships, the past performance of growth capital as an asset class, and how growth capital partnerships invest their capital with an emphasis on the role of leverage. Prerequisite: FNCE 455. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 718. Venture Capital Due Diligence
Due diligence is the process by which potential investors identify and explore the critical aspects of a young company, and attempt to quantify both the risks and the potential upside of making an investment. The state of the market, management expertise within the firm, technology risk, and legal concerns are just a few of the factors investors include in their due diligence analyses. Once an investor is educated about a company’s risk and potential rewards, the terms of the investment must be negotiated, including valuation, preferences, and control features. This class provides an overview of the due diligence process. Groups of students will study particular opportunities and present their findings and thoughts to the class. Prerequisite: FNCE 480 or permission by the instructor. Concentration: FNCE.

FNCE 720. Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis
This course will discuss the causes and consequences of the United States mortgage crisis in three class sessions. The first class will cover the events leading up to the crisis (1992-2006), including the residential real estate boom and asset-backed securitization. The second class will cover the crisis including a series of RIP case studies: What killed Bear Stearns? What killed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? What killed AIG? What killed Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch? What killed Washington Mutual and Wachovia? The third class will focus on how the crisis can be expected to change the global financial services industry. Prerequisite: FNCE 455. Concentration: FNCE.

IDIS 704. Women in Leadership
This class presents the best practices of successful women technology leaders. Through a series of in-depth discussions and case studies, experts will share the principles upon which they have created their businesses. Topics include vision, value creation, branding, product development and testing, recruitment and team building, management, financing, communication skills, networking, exit strategy and social impact. Prerequisite: None. Concentration: LP.

IDIS 705. Leadership for Justice and Prosperity
This required course comprises two modules designed to integrate course materials with practical issues of today. Module 1 focuses on the ethical implications of the day-to-day decisions made by managers. Module 2 looks at technology developments in local firms, how they may impact the Third World, and also how the disruptive technologies developed for the Third World may affect First World firms. Prerequisites: None.

IDIS 709. Effective Communications
This course prepares students to be competitive, polished, and successful communicators in today’s business environment. This skill-based, interactive class covers a range of communication techniques, including business writing and executive presentations. Students are required to write business documents and PowerPoint slides, and present a team project in class. Prerequisites: None.

IDIS 711. Leadership: Vision, Deals, and Process
This class presents three distinct perspectives on leadership: vision, deal making, and process. Each perspective is taught by an expert with extensive experience in that area. For each perspective, the students will gain an overview of the topic, specific skills needed to succeed in the arena, examples of business leaders who have translated ideals into action, and resources for continued learning. Prerequisite: MGMT 501. Concentration: LP.

MGMT 701. Seminar in Leading Dynamic Organizations
In the Leavey Leadership Lectures series, senior executives reflect on their leadership experiences, challenges, and perspectives. Students also learn about leading through reading biographies of leaders, and they have the opportunity to reflect upon their own leadership abilities. Prerequisites: none. Concentration: EN, MI, LP. Course may be taken a maximum of three times.

MGMT 702. Advanced Seminar in Organizational Behavior
Simulation games provide advanced understanding of core management topics such as interpersonal communication, socio-technical systems, role conflict, and group dynamics. Experiential learning format places students in various managerial roles within a dynamic and rapidly changing corporate environment. Students apply conceptual ideas, receive feedback on their managerial skills, and deepen their appreciation for organizational complexity. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. Concentration: MT.

MGMT 703. Measuring and Managing Corporate Performance
Integrates traditional financial measures of performance and managerial-based performance measures in view of a firm’s strategic objectives. Students review work on measuring corporate performance, are introduced to the Balance Score Card technique, and evaluate its implementation in specific corporate settings. Prerequisite: MGMT 503. Concentration: EN, MT.

MGMT 704. Intrapreneuring in High-technology Firms
For the firms of the so-called high-technology industries, the constant need for technological innovation and renewal is never-ending. One of the most commonly heard refrains is “the need to create entrepreneurs within the corporate environment.” In his book titled Intrapreneuring, Gifford Pinchot pioneered an approach that attempts to deal with the needs described above. This course is designed to allow the student to integrate learning from the MBA core as well as a body of knowledge about intrapreneuring. Through a combination of assigned readings, case studies, guest lectures, and applied projects, the student becomes familiar with the concept of intrapreneuring. Prerequisites: None. Concentration: MT.

MGMT 707. Corporate Strategy and Planning Seminar
The primary objective of this course is to provide the student with a framework and methodology for setting business strategy and the corporate planning process. Business strategy and corporate planning will be presented by senior executives from Silicon Valley companies who will highlight the practices and principles in developing their corporate plans. Prerequisite: MGMT 501. Concentration: EN.

MGMT 711. Managing Global Teams
In today's global economy, being able to lead teams across distance, time zones, and cultures is an essential skill for every manager. The quality of team interactions and the speed with which teams form and perform can determine the success or failure of a project and, in the case of small organizations, even the company. This course teaches how high performing teams are formed, the typical process that teams experience in executing a project, and how to manage through that process to successful project completion. Prerequisite: MGMT 501. Concentration: IB.

MKTG 701. Strategic Alliances and Corporate Partnering
Examines the role of alliances and corporate partnerships in the context of business strategy. Covers different alliances such as co-marketing, inbound/outbound OEM and licensing, technology sharing and joint development, and equity joint ventures. Course will develop a process for identifying business objectives for an alliance, selecting a partner, conducting the due diligence to identify risks and challenges, negotiating terms and conditions, implementing the alliance, and evaluating and reviewing the relationship. Prerequisite: MKTG 553. Concentration: EN, MM.

MKTG 702. Managing Across Cultures
Develops the student’s understanding of how the culture of employees and managers influences strategy, communication, and effective and ineffective management procedures. Raises awareness of the student’s own culture and how it guides the way the student sees problems, formulates solutions, deals with others, and reacts to others. Course will provide an analytic framework for understanding culture and its influence on several business applications. Prerequisite: MKTG 553. Concentration: IB, MM.

MKTG 703. Conducting Effective Customer Visits
How to design a program of customer visits, understood as a kind of market research, for purposes of new product development and entry into new markets. Prerequisite: MKTG 553. Concentration: MM.

MKTG 704. Time-to-Market Strategy
This course provides a framework for rapidly defining and executing new product and service concepts in industries where “hitting the window” is essential. Using a system approach, the course examines the leadership, strategic, process, organization, and measurement requirements for fast time-to-market development. Students learn how to align a product portfolio for speed, analyze development process alternatives, design the appropriate team function structure, and measure time-to-market drivers. Prerequisite: MKTG 553. Concentration: None.

MKTG 706. Entrepreneurial Due Diligence/Practicum on Entrepreneurship
Provides an opportunity for students to become better informed about the entrepreneurial due diligence process. Students gain an understanding of both the entrepreneur’s and the investor’s perspectives as ingredients in the due diligence process. Students develop skills in critically examining executive summaries and business plans. Prerequisite: MKTG 553. Concentration: EN.

MKTG 708. Financially Effective Market Positioning Strategies
The success of a company depends on the extent to which the marketing and financial disciplines work together. Marketing decisions affect whether the company’s products and services get into the hands of the right customers and whether profits return to the company. But the test of marketing decisions is ultimately in their financial results. This course focuses on the issues in creating financially viable and effective market positioning strategies. Examines how traditional market-based measures — such as awareness, understanding, trial, ongoing usage, customer satisfaction, distribution levels, and market share — can be linked to financial outcomes. Discusses how to connect marketing expenditures directly to short-term and long-term results by examining the investment and expense requirements of different segmentation and market entry strategies. Connects customer value propositions to competitive marketing strategies and shareholder value-creation outcomes. Prerequisite: MKTG 553. Concentration: MM.

MKTG 709. Developing Products and Services for the Boomer Marketplace
This course is an introduction to and an overview of the baby boomer marketplace. Students learn about major demographic and psychographic variables which characterize this market, as well as how the boomer market is becoming an ever more important economic, social, political, and cultural force influencing consumption. (Households headed by someone 40+ hold 91% of America’s net worth.) Students learn how to identify and evaluate new product/service opportunities for the boomer market, and develop an understanding of how to create customer value in this segment via exposure to several sources, including marketing officers from large consumer products firms, and venture capitalists who have successful track records in funding innovative products/ services targeted to this sector. Students gain hands-on experience in developing a proposal for a new product or service targeting the boomer market, together with the marketing strategy. The proposal will reflect criteria previously identified by organizations and venture capitalists as relevant to marketplace success. Prerequisite: MKTG 553. Concentration: EN.

OMIS 702. Economics of Quality
This course addresses the effect of quality control and improvement efforts on the profitability of competitive firms. In a typical quality control class, students focus on the statistical issues of measuring and monitoring system performance in terms of quality. This class goes one step further by using cost and profitability to measure the firm’s performance in terms of quality. Prerequisite: None. Concentration: None.