Graduate Business Elective Courses

MBA, Decision Sciences/Operations Research 

Students learn to apply analytical methods and computer-based tools to problems in a wide variety of settings. 

800-level Decision Sciences elective courses include the following: 

DS 816: Seminar in Business Forecasting (To be announced) - Theory and practice of short, medium, and long-range forecasting within business environments. Quantitative and qualitative forecasting methods. Mathematical methods covered include time series models, decomposition models, linear and multiple regression models, and may include ARIMA and data mining. 

DS 852: Managerial Decision-Making (offered every Fall and Spring) – Business decision-making through data driven analysis in the spreadsheet environment. 

DS 853: Seminar in Data Analysis (offered every Fall and Spring) – Sampling techniques and exploratory methods of data analysis; methods of multivariate data analysis applied to business problems. 

DS 855: Supply Chain Management (Spring 2025, also tbd) – Concepts of competitive strategy and sustainability; aggregate planning and managing the marketing/operations interface; inventory management and procurement strategy; design of supply chain networks; and the role of IT. 

DS 856: Seminar in Project Management (To be announced) – The full range of issues faced by project managers including the project life cycle; technical, human, and organizational issues; planning, scheduling, and controlling the timing, resources, and costs of a project. 

DS 861: Data Mining and Advanced Statistical Methods for Business Analysts (offered every Fall and Spring) – Concepts of modeling and understanding of complex datasets based on advanced statistical methods with various supervised and unsupervised learning techniques. 

DS 862: Machine Learning for Business Analysts (offered every Fall and Spring) – Focus on advanced machine learning methods including supervised and unsupervised learning techniques used to extract valuable information from quantitative and text data. 

Faculty Advisors: Professors Bollapragada, Cholette, and Roeder 

MBA, Finance

Three Guiding Financial Principles Imparted in the MBA Finance Specialization: Acquiring Capital, Risk Management and Investment

Acquiring Capital (debt or equity)
Corporations and other entities:

• Borrowing (raise debt)
• Selling assets (equity, IPO or seasoned offering & venture capital)

Topics include:

• Financial statement analysis
• Debt and stock valuation
• Project analysis
• Trade-off between debt and equity

Risk Management

• Once you have money, you may be concerned about losing it, because of unexpected changes in the political environment, macro economy, and the financial markets (e.g., stock & commodity prices, interest rates, debt credit rating, etc.)
• Risk management introduces methods and techniques to protect value of assets.

Investment (managing your capital)

• Now that you've acquired and protected your money, you should grow itby investing it in
  • Real Assets: Plant & Equipment, R&D, Intellectual Property, etc.
  • Financial Assets: stock of public traded firms; debt of public traded firms, Fed. Gov., States, & Cities; commodities, etc.

The Finance Department offers courses covering each of these three principles.

Curriculum: MBA Finance Certificate

BUS 785 Financial Management

• Prerequisites:
  • Bus 780 Financial Accounting
  • Bus 776 Dada Analysis for Managers
• Taught from the perspective of a non-financial corporation
• Offered every semester

Required Core Courses for Finance Certificate

The prerequisite course for these courses is BUS 785. You may concurrently take the following courses once you have completed BUS 785:

• FIN 819 Financial Analysis and Management
• FIN 820 Seminar in Risk Management
• FIN 825 Seminar in Investments
• FIN 828 Seminar in Financial Markets and Institutions

HTM860 - Strategic Human Resources Management TBD

Every business requires people to operate. Our people, or human capital, are even more essential to service-based businesses as they help create the products being provided. This course is designed to help the business professional determine how to measure and leverage human capital in service businesses. This is an online course that will use case studies and people analytic tools to maximize the employees in an organization. 
 

Professor Roe has experience in human resources in large scale casino resort operations where she was responsible for organizational development. She has held roles including Director of Organizational Development for Wynn Resorts and Director of Development for Boyd Gaming.

Prerequisites: Graduate student standing  
Instructor: Susan Roe, PhD; email:  susanroe@sfsu.edu 
Last Offered: Fall 2020, Spring 2018 

Susan Roe, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management 
Susan earned her Bachelor’s in Hospitality & Tourism Management from the University of Wisconsin Stout and earned her Master of Science and PhD in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has over 15 years of industry experience in hospitality service management for hotels and resort casinos. Her research interests focus on the impact of managerial policies on employees in the hospitality industry.  
 

HTM831 - Service Operations Management Summer R3 2021

Almost every part of our economy is either a service, or relies heavily on providing a service. Professions such as Accounting, Banking/Finance, Consulting, Information Technology and entire industries such as hospitality, tourism, retail, entertainment….are all services. Have you ever wondered how eBay was able to grow its auction services so quickly? What the real reason is behind why FedEx offers a delivery guarantee? Or what strategic focus led Google down a path that was so different than the one that Yahoo stumbled down? Service problems like those exhibited by United Airlines and Comcast are manifest from strategic choices made deep within an organization. HTM831 is the course that will help you better understand how to create and evaluate service strategies.

This course is designed to help business professionals build, diagnose, implement, measure and improve services -across industries and business functions. This is a completely case-based course that utilizes Harvard Business School cases and current events from real companies across all industries. Discussions will challenge your ability to integrate and apply what you have learned from industry and from other courses. We use real businesses to demonstrate how service strategy enabled corporate growth and decline; success and failure; and even market dominance. 

Instructor: Sybil S. Yang, PhD; email:  sybil@sfsu.edu  
Prerequisites: Graduate student standing 
Last Offered: R3 & EMBA Summer 2020

Sybil S. Yang, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Faculty Director, Lam-Larsen Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program Initiative 
Sybil has served as an operations and revenue management consultant to organizations including Gaylord Hotels (now a part of Marriott International), Disneyland, and Harrah’s Resorts. Before academia, Sybil was an investment banker with Salomon Smith Barney, and a venture capital analyst for the firm Skipstone Ventures, LLC. Sybil received her PhD, MBA, and Master of Hospitality Management from Cornell University and her Bachelor’s in finance and accounting from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley.

What is Information Systems?

Information Systems refers to the systems, technologies, and processes used in organizations. Most people today have seen or used information systems technologies or tools, such as hardware, software, networks, and data. Information Systems workers are familiar with all of these, as well as the people and processes that interact with them. These systems are tools used to create, store, exchange, search, and/or manipulate information.

What is Information Systems at SFSU?

We are a department in the College of Business with the primary goal of educating you about information systems to prepare you for a rewarding and interesting career. To achieve that goal, we offer courses that will teach you from the very basics of information systems all the way through to the incredibly detailed applications used to run global organizations. If you are interested to build a career around technologies like the cloud, mobile applications, Big Data and business analytics, Information Systems (IS) is the right focus. After completing their studies in IS, recent graduates have gone on to start their careers in companies like Accenture, Google, GoPro, Pacific Gas and Electric, eBay, SAP and many others with job titles as Senior Business Analyst, Business Analyst, Quality Assurance Specialist, Application Developer and Project Manager.

What courses does the Information Systems Department offer?

We offer a wide variety of courses focusing on various aspects of information systems:

• ISYS 812: Programming and Applications for Data Analytics* (Language used- Python)
• ISYS 814: Information Systems for Strategic Advantage
• ISYS 850: Seminar in Business Intelligence (SAP)*
• ISYS 856: Enterprise Mobile Applications (SAP)
• ISYS 864: Data Management for Analytics* (Language used- SQL)
• ISYS 869: Business Process Management (SAP)

Graduate students in LFCoB can receive two certificates by taking IS courses:

• Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Information Systems:  This certificate is designed to familiarize individuals from other backgrounds than IT with the application of business IT solutions and the skills to begin or enhance a career in IT. In order to receive the Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Information Systems, students need to take ISYS 814 plus ISYS 856 and ISYS 869.
• Additionally, the IS Department is a partner with SAP®, one of the largest global software firms, to offer courses leading to an SAP-sponsored Recognition Award certificate. This certificate shows that the awardee has taken advanced academic courses leading to specialized knowledge of both business and SAP software. Students who successfully complete all three of SAP integrated courses – ISYS 850, ISYS 856 and ISYS 869 – will receive an SAP Recognition Award certificate. Please visit http://erp.sfsu.edu for further information about the SAP Recognition Award certificate.

Footnote:  *  These are required courses in the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degree.
 

Graduate Certificate in International Business & Global Leadership 

The Graduate Certificate in International Business and Global Leadership prepares individuals for leadership roles in internationally operating organizations.  The certificate provides students with skills and qualifications for an internationally-oriented managerial career by focusing on three key elements of modern global organizations:  Strategies/Competencies for Operating an International Business, Cross-Cultural Negotiating, and Creativity and Innovation Skills for Global Managers.  Students may pursue a wide range of positions and career opportunities after completion, including the examples below:

• International Product/Service Marketing Manager
• Import/Export Director (International Logistics)
• Country/Regional Manager for domestic or foreign firms
• Global Innovation Manager/Team Leader
• Industry/Investment Analyst
• International Human Resources Manager
• Global Sourcing Manager
• International Venture Capital Analyst
• International Sales Manager/Director
• International Sales Representative
• Global Entrepreneur (for startups or SMEs)
• Management Consultant across a range of sectors
• Director of International Operations

Admissions and Completion: The Graduate Certificate in International Business and Global Leadership is available to individuals possessing a 4-year bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA (or better) in any field, including non-business fields. SF State MBA/MSBA/MSAA students may enroll in the Certificate Program, and the required three courses may be counted for both their Master’s degree (as electives) and the Certificate. To receive the certificate, students apply online and pay the nominal certificate approved program fee (generally done online), and submit the completed certificate application form to Christopher Kingston by email at cak@sfsu.edu. 

Required courses:

• IBUS 815 Seminar in International Business (3 units)
• IBUS 841 Creativity for Managers: A Global Perspective (3 units)
• IBUS 859/BUS 859 International Business Negotiations (3 units)

Note: There are no required pre-requisite courses for this certificate.

How to Apply: Interested students must formally apply to the Graduate Certificate in International Business and Global Leadership through Cal State Apply (external link). For more in depth information, see https://cob.sfsu.edu/international-business/certificate/certificate-international-business-global-leadership.

If you have questions about the program, please contact:  Professor Bruce Heiman, Ph.D. email: bheiman@sfsu.edu

BUS 857: Business Management, Ecology, and Environmental Leadership

Fall 2023 - Tom E. Thomas, Ph.D., Professor of Management
Tuesdays 6:30-7:45pm, DTC 506 (plus online asynchronous)

Overview:

BUS 857 Business Management, Ecology, and Environmental Leadership is designed to provide a broad - but rigorous - overview of sustainable business concepts and practice. Business leaders, academic institutions, governments, and non-governmental organizations across the globe increasingly recognize the need to incorporate environmental and social justice issues into their management strategy, decisions, and practice.

This course tackles these issues by incorporating applied learning and activities designed to catalyze change beyond the classroom. The class examines drivers of environmental-business interactions, explores the impacts that our traditional business practices have created in the ecological and social realms, and presents strategies, case studies, and new models and tools for forging a different path for the future.

Professor Tom Thomas, Ph.D., teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in the areas of business sustainability, ethics, and social responsibility. His current research focuses on the connection between personal values and pro-environmental behaviors and decision-making in the workplace. He served as Chair of the Management Department from 2015 through 2023.

Before coming to SF State, he spent five years as a consultant in local economic development, market research, and PR strategy for high-tech companies. He began his academic career as an assistant professor in the University of Washington's School of Business Administration, where he spent eight years teaching courses in business sustainability, strategy, and social responsibility, and co-founded the first "Green MBA" program in the U.S.

His academic background includes an MBA and PhD in Business & Public Policy from UC Berkeley, a Masters in Public Policy at U of Michigan, and a BA in Social Science Analysis, with a Minor in Environmental Studies, at U of Florida.

MGMT 857 Leadership in Action

Instructor: Joe Nezwek, President, FP International, 2008-2018

Overview:

This highly regarded course is designed to provide business graduate students with an opportunity to blend management and leadership theories with the real-world concerns of working executives. Students will have numerous opportunities to listen to various executives speaking about their career paths, management philosophies and styles, leadership challenges, issues and learnings.

Through papers and class discussions, the students will integrate the learnings presented by guest executives with leadership concepts/thoughts discussed in the course to identify different and effective styles of management and decision-making.

2022 Guest Speakers:

• Corrie Keegan, Director of Revenue Operations, Alloy
• Omar Ghani, Head of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement, Reddit
• Russ Stanley, SVP Ticket Sales & Services, SF Giants
• Christine Benninger, CEO/President, Guide Dogs for the Blind
• Jerry Kuns, Entrepreneur, Board Member, SF Lighthouse for the Blind
• Christina Stembel, CEO, Farmgirl Flowers
• Barry Braden, Co-Founder/CEO, Fieldwork Brewing Company
• Jeanine R Nicholson, Chief of Department, SFFD
• G. Michael Arnold, President & CEO, The Midnight Mission

Joe Nezwek was President of FP International, a leading manufacturer of packing materials and equipment, for 10 years until it was acquired by Pregis in July 2018. Joe is currently advising the Pregis executive team on business integration to merge companies successfully, while coaching key FP senior management through corporate leadership transition. Prior to the acquisition he served on the FP International corporate Board of Directors.

MGMT 858 - Innovation for Sustainability

How can business leaders position themselves to be positive change makers in their firms or entrepreneurial pursuits? In this graduate seminar course, we will address some of the most pressing modern issues on the frontier of innovation at the nexus of business, natural systems, and human well-being.

At the firm level, sustainable business refers to competitively advantageous strategies and practices that firms adopt to grow revenues, reduce costs, improve market share, and enhance brands. Viewing environmental challenges from the perspective of the business decision-maker, students in this course will explore a variety of relevant case studies, current academic and popular literature, and other innovative learning materials.

Course objectives are: 1) to explore and comprehend some of the most “wicked” problems of our time; 2) to examine examples of innovators implementing successful green solutions; and 3) become practitioners of sustainable business through the application of relevant concepts, frameworks, and tools.

Instructor: Ian M. Dunham, Ph.D.
Email: iandunham@sfsu.edu

Ian M. Dunham, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Business and Society / Environmental Sustainability in the Management Department in the Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State University. He teaches courses in responsible business and environmental sustainability including Business and Society and The Greening of Business. His research explores critical business sustainability and ethical issues including economic inequality, financial inclusion, and environmental justice.

What is Marketing?

Marketing is the business function tasked with attracting, retaining and growing customers. To do this effectively, marketers need to research customer needs, target the right customers, and then offer them value with the right combination of product, price, place and promotion. However, apart from the business function, there is a philosophy of marketing which is widely applicable to employees, organizations and ordinary people: everybody has a client, and if you serve them well, this will result in positive outcomes. Whether you choose to work in marketing or some other function, the study and practice of Marketing can bring professional rewards and personal fulfillment.

What Kinds of Jobs are Available to Marketers?

There are many sub-functions of Marketing which need to be staffed with people who have Marketing knowledge and skills: advertising, branding, channel management, customer relationship management, data analytics, marketing research, pricing, public relations, and sales, to name a few. Marketing tasks typically involve a blend of creativity and analysis. Both large and small organizations, for profit and non-profit organizations, need marketers to manage these sub-functions. Graduates of our MBA program who specialize in Marketing work for organizations such as Apple, Clif Bar, Clorox, Hewlett Packard, Kaiser Permanente, Samsung, and many small start-ups and non-profit organizations.

What Kinds of Graduate-Level Courses does the Marketing Department Offer?

The first Marketing course in the Graduate Program is MKTG 787 Marketing Management. If you have a Bachelor’s degree in Business from an AACSB accredited business school in the past 7 years, this course may be waived. The next course is MKTG 860 Strategic Marketing, which fulfills one of the core track requirements in the Graduate Business Program. Here you learn how to do strategic marketing planning and write a marketing plan for a real business. We also offer several 800-level Marketing elective courses, such as Marketing Research (MKTG 864), Brand Management (MKTG 875), Digital Marketing (MKTG 820), Marketing Analytics (MKTG 886), and Marketing of High-Technology Products and Services (MKTG 885). The courses are delivered by well-qualified faculty with practical business experience.

Graduate Certificate in Marketing in the Digital Economy

MBA students who complete the three-course sequence of MKTG 820 Digital Marketing, MKTG 885 Marketing of High-Technology Products and Services, and MKTG 886 Marketing Analytics can apply for this certificate, which provides evidence of specialization on the academic transcript. To learn more about this certificate program or individual courses, contact one of the faculty advisors below.

Graduate Marketing Advisors: Professors Bhat, Jang, Sengupta, Sinapuelas, and Tumbat

Learn more about all the Graduate Certificate programs we offer.