Business Elective Courses

This is a supervised independent study of a topic approved by a study supervisor or member of the LU faculty. (Prerequisite: Consent of the Dean of Academic Affairs)

International Marketing focuses on the development, evaluation, and implementation of marketing management in complex environments. Primary studies will involve in-depth analysis of a variety of concepts, theories, facts, analytical procedures, techniques, and models employed in the global marketplace. The characteristics and management of markets are described in topics that include the various marketing environments, components of marketing mix, market segmentation, and marketing plans/strategies.

International Economics will cover the foundational history of the development of international economics as a field of study with the discipline of economics and as a present-day theoretical model of international politics. Students in the course will also become familiar with the analytical tools that economists use to study international economic interactions, key international economic institutions; and develop an understanding of how international trade and financial relations impact consumers, firms, and domestic economic policies.

Information Technology in the eBusiness Environment is an overview of how Information Technology (IT) is changing the design and operations of organizations seeking to exploit the potential of IT in a fast-paced, highly competitive, eBusiness (global) environment. Topics explored will include the impact of eBusiness; how strategic IT is used for competitive advantage; IT-enabled alternatives for organizational design/change; the IT role in globalization; and, impacts on options created through applied Information Technology. The course is aimed at students who plan to seek leadership roles in defining IT policy and strategy.

Strategies for the eBusiness Environment examines how e-Business is employed within the digital and general business economy. Business models, strategies for e-business are studied, analyzed and compared. Students will learn how to apply skills and knowledge in planning, designing, and building a business-to-business or business-to-consumer electronic commerce operations. Emphasis is on contemporary business and e-business models, strategies, website design and website maintenance.

Marketing Through the Internet introduces students to common strategies for the marketing of goods and services via the Internet. Topics range from public relations and corporate communications to advertising and electronic commerce. Students investigate and evaluate various marketing and communication strategies and tactics for the World Wide Web. An emphasis is placed on critical evaluation skills as well as Web site planning, development, design and other factors which contribute to a Web site's success.

eBusiness and Supply Chain Management examines e-Business strategies, architectures, technologies, approaches, and infrastructure requirements in the context of supply chain management. The focus is on the design, development, and implementation of e-Business systems that facilitate the effective and efficient interactions of a production enterprise with its buyers and suppliers. Topics include supply chain management, global trade management, communication-based collaboration frameworks, extensible markup language, extensible style sheet language, document type definition, ISO 9000, and message organizing software. This course also examines the integration of e-Business systems and back-end systems such as production resource planning systems, Web services, and e-business security.

eBusiness Legal and Security Issues is designed to give students an understanding of how the law impacts and regulate e-Business practices. The topics addressed in the course are as follows: electronic contracts and digital signatures, jurisdictional rights and legal concerns pertaining to the use of the Internet, intellectual property issues including trademark/domain name conflicts, copyrights, software patents, privacy concerns and security issues in conjunction with Internet use for business operations.

Current Issues in the Hospitality Industry introduces students to important issues and topics regarding the economics and nature of the hospitality industry, highlighting both problems and opportunities; growth trends in travel and tourism; technological developments and changes; aspects of planning - including location, design considerations, factors influencing the selection of development resources, equipment requirements, supplies, financing, and common regulatory considerations.

Hospitality and Tourism Facility and Resource Assessment will expose students to the specific economic, social, environmental, and geophysical variables which factor into managerial decision-making processes within hospitality and tourism business pursuits. Students will study a variety of assessment cases and undertake exercises in the managerial role of overseeing assessment projects, as well as in an applied role of completing components of an assessment.

Management in the Hospitality Industry seeks to offer a complete and comprehensive learning opportunity for hospitality managers desiring to learn the key skills and strategies relating to useful strategic management in the hospitality industry. This course provides relevant theories and models along with hospitality practices for managing effectively in the competitive international arena. Additionally, provisions representing realistic and up-to-date views of the industry with consideration of the practical aspects of the manager's key role is foremost. Further exploration of the relationship between managers and the internal and external stakeholders along with best practices of leading hospitality organisations worldwide is explored and evaluated in a concise and practical methodology.

Legal Aspects of the Hospitality Industry seeks to offer a complete and comprehensive learning opportunity for hospitality managers and senior hospitality personnel to learn the key skills and strategies relating to hospitality law. This course provides relevant theories relating to the Legal Canadian framework and how it relates to general management and operations. Additionally, human rights in Canada and human rights in the hospitality industry are explored in detail. The law of contracts and other elements of contract formulation including all aspects of the six essential elements are fully explained. The law of negligence and negligence prevention is studied from principles of negligence to prevention of negligence claims. The restaurant sector relating to food and alcohol are fully explored and recommendations to general policy and procedures formulation given.

International Tourism seeks to offer a complete and comprehensive learning opportunity for hospitality managers and senior hospitality personnel to learn the key skills and strategies relating to tourism, principles, practices, and philosophies. This course explores major concepts in tourism, what makes tourism possible, and how tourism can become an important factor in the wealth of a country and a major economic growth pole to its economic stability.

Employee Recruitment, Selection, and Evaluation will provide students with a detailed overview of employee selection processes beginning with the determination of staffing needs based on the strategic human resources plan, the organizational design, and the job analysis; determining recruiting strategies; and reviewing selection and placement techniques. In addition, the course will emphasize the understanding of the laws and regulations impacting human resource selection to ensure compliance and legal defensibility of selection practices. Students will also develop a professional knowledge of principles of selection including pre-employment testing, interviewing, and reference checking; as well as learning to establish and evaluate the reliability, validity, fairness of human resources selection practices, and processes of evaluating both job candidates and existing employees.

Communication, Negotiations, and Conflict Resolution presents negotiation theory strategies and styles within an employment context. In addition to the theory and exercises, students practice negotiating with role-playing simulations that cover a range of communicative skills and topics. Students also learn how to negotiate in difficult situations, which include abrasiveness, racism, sexism, whistle-blowing, and emergencies. The course covers conflict management as a first party and as a third party: third-party skills include helping others deal directly with their conflicts, mediation, investigation, arbitration, and helping the system change as a result of a dispute.

Compensation Practices will introduce the student to the theory and practice of various employee compensation systems and the components of compensation packages. Topics covered include monetary aspects, performance appraisal maintenance, audits of compensation programs and related policy determinations.

Effective Leadership provides the student with a comprehensive examination of leadership in business organizations, and a critical assessment of the meaning and practice of leadership roles/responsibilities. Primary areas of study will include philosophy, psychology, and the process of leadership, including the process of functions for creating vision, uses of power and influence, being effective, leadership ethics, and the components of exercising good judgment.

Labor Relations, Labor Law and Collective Bargaining covers the development and methods of organized groups in business and industry, with reference to the settlement and/or prevention of labor disputes. Labor unions and employer associations involved in arbitration, mediation, and conciliation are analyzed from an economic as well as a legal standpoint. Specific attention is focused on collective bargaining, trade settlements, strikes, boycotts, lockouts, company unions, employee representation, and injunctions.

Management Information Systems introduces basic management information systems concepts and examines the fundamental types of information systems. Personal, work group and enterprise information systems are the primary focus of study and discussion. The challenge and use of information to gain competitive advantage in the business world is also examined. Other topics to be studied will include: the economics of information, use of value added concepts to evaluate information system effectiveness, and the application of system theory to information system architecture.

Database Systems will provide the students with a general understanding of the role of databases within organizations and the role of database development within the systems development life cycle. In addition, students will be introduced to conceptual data modeling (entity-relationships) and the process of converting conceptual models to the rational data model in the logical database design stage, and to the concept of web-database connectivity.

Systems Analysis, Design and Implementation introduces the information systems student to the procedural requirements of the systems development life cycle (SDLC). A case study approach is used to introduce the student to the techniques of systems planning, analysis, form and file design, documentation, implementation, and evaluation. The class will also present Rapid Application Development (RAD) and iterative development methods.

Knowledge Management and Information Technology discusses creating an organizational culture that values knowledge, turning that knowledge into organizational wisdom, and sharing both appropriately across the organization. It emphasizes the use of information technology to acquire and manage business/organizational knowledge. Practical tools and techniques to acquire and share knowledge are discussed. Students who complete this course should have an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the use of information systems to acquire and disseminate knowledge as a key business strategy for gaining and sustaining a competitive advantage.