Graduate Programs and Courses

106 Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA)

Based on executive education models, this MBA program offers students a unique and valuable opportunity to advance their education while continuing to work. Specialized streams of study are available in “Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship” and “Innovative Management”. These will provide students with the theory, skills, experiential learning and research opportunities to advance their knowledge and enhance their success in these flourishing fields. Dedicated faculty, peer-to-peer learning, an integrated program approach, and an emphasis on developing global perspectives ensure that graduates are well prepared for the unique challenges of leading and innovating in an ever-changing, international business environment. The degree conferred upon successful completion of the program is a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Specialization in Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship

In this specialization stream, students gain a valuable combination of knowledge and skills in the business of science. The program will focus on the issues of commercialization, as well as the ethical and regulatory issues that face the biotechnology industry. Graduates of this specialization stream will be well equipped to develop and manage new ventures and small businesses or to work in the public and private sectors in the business of biotechnology/science fields.

Specialization in Innovative Management

The Innovative Management stream is designed to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively manage within and for an innovative environment. Courses integrate the concepts of creativity and entrepreneurial thinking as well as real world learning and management skills such as leadership and teamwork. Global content ensures graduates have a well- developed perspective on worldly issues and decision-making. This program fits those who are interested in business from new perspectives.

A) STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM

The Executive MBA program is designed for working people. The program structure is flexible to fit students’ needs as much as possible. For example, classes are held every other week on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate working students. Students normally enrol in four courses per semester and form small, self-managed teams to work on projects, thus enabling them to learn from each others’ backgrounds and experiences.

The first year of studies focuses on enhancing managerial skills and understanding functional business topics. Students are able to take four courses in each of the fall and winter semesters.

The second year of studies focuses on the development and application of more strategic perspectives and application within a dynamic global business environment. In year two, students are able to take four courses in the fall semester. The program finishes with the completion of BUS-8010.

B) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Students enrolled in the Executive MBA program are required to complete a total of 42 credit hours (14 courses) comprised of required courses, specialization courses, and a signature project. Students have the opportunity to complete the MBA program in twenty months. They must complete all required courses within six years of being admitted to the program.

C) GRADUATE COURSES

Students in both specialization streams must complete 24 credit hours of required core courses and a signature project equivalent to 6 credit hours. The required core courses for both streams are as follows:

Business 6010 – Management of People and Organizations
Business 6020 – Financial and Managerial Accounting
Business 6030 – Marketing Management
Business 6040 – Operations Management
Business 6050 – Corporate Finance
Business 6070 – Strategic Management
Business 6080 – Research Methods for Evidence-Based Practice
Business 6090 – Business Communication
Business 8010 – Business Research in Practice

Specialization Courses

Students are required to take 12 credit hours (4 courses) in one of the specializations. These four courses will normally include two required courses plus two elective courses in the chosen area of specialization. Students, however, will have the option to take one of the elective courses in the other specialization. Not all elective courses will be offered each semester. Electives may include Special Topics or Directed Studies courses.

Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship Courses
Business 7010 – Biotechnology Management and Development (required)
Business 7020 – Commercialization of Biotechnology and Innovations (required)
Business 7030 – Ethics and Governance in Biotechnology Management
Business 7040 – International Relations, Laws, and Policies of Biotechnology
Business 7050 – Growth Strategies
Business 7060 – Venture Financing Strategies
Business 7070 – Managing Biotechnology Innovation

Innovative Management Courses
Business 7200 – Innovation and Entrepreneurship (required)
Business 7210 – Innovative Culture and Leadership (required)
Business 7220 – Managing Customer Value
Business 7230 – Creativity and Innovation for Change Management
Business 7240 – Governance, Leadership, and Professional Development
Business 7250 – Management and Government Perspectives
Business 7260 – Strategy and Management Consulting
Business 7270 – Negotiation and Conflict Management
Business 7280 – International Business

Special Topics Course
Business 7850 – Special Topics in Business

Directed Studies Course
Business 7860 – Directed Studies

BUSINESS COURSES (EXECUTIVE)

BUS 6010 MANAGEMENT OF PEOPLE & ORGANIZATIONS
This course considers concepts, knowledge, and skills related to the behaviour and management of people in organizations. Human resource management entails thinking systematically and strategically, essential for achieving meaningful outcomes through others. Included are topics such as leadership, motivation, organizational structure, recruitment, selection, reward systems, performance management, training and development, employee commitment and retention, workforce diversity, and managing people across borders and cultures.

BUS 6020 FINANCIAL AND MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING

In this course students learn to become proficient at understanding and interpreting financial statements, assessing them for decision-making purposes and supporting value- creating organizational strategies, operational tactics, and performance measurement schemes. The course employs international standards and addresses how accounting is used in decision-making. Tools for learning include guest speakers, case studies, and projects.

BUS 6030 MARKETING MANAGEMENT
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the essentials of marketing practice. Students work together to apply principles and techniques for assessing changing consumer wants in an environment driven by globalization and evolving technological change. Emphasis is placed on providing managers with the tools necessary to make timely, strategic marketing decisions from the perspective of targeted consumer wants.

BUS 6040 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
This course focuses on concepts and techniques for the design, planning, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service processes. These concepts and techniques pertain to a range of applications in the private and public sectors. Topics include quantitative decision making; process mapping flows of labour, material, capital, and value; supply chain coordination; inventory management; risk mitigation; quality management; process design; and revenue management. Students will complete problem solving and case applications.

BUS 6050 CORPORATE FINANCE
This course is designed to provide students with a broad overview of corporate finance and financial markets.  The focus is on the conceptual and analytical techniques necessary for making financial decisions. The information collection, problem solving, and decision-making skills inherent in the finance function are stressed.  Key concepts covered include the relevance of financial markets to the firm, understanding the relationship between risk and return and its importance in all financial decisions, and learning how financial and real assets are valued and the impact on a company.
PREREQUISITE:  Business 6020 

BUS 6070 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

This course looks at the development and implementation of management strategies to create a sustainable advantage in new ventures and entrepreneurial activities in the fast-changing global economy. Utilizing a variety of pedagogic approaches, the course may include topics such as venture concepts, product and market development, intellectual property strategies, pipeline and portfolio management, licensing, alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and international expansion strategies.
PREREQUISITE: Business 6010 and 6020
BUS 6080 RESEARCH METHODS FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE
This course looks at research as a systematic, objective, and creative process and provides students with a foundation for practicing evidence-based management. Through an introductory yet thorough overview of research methodology, this course enables and encourages students to consider ways managers can use research to support decision-making and actions. Students learn how to locate and evaluate existing knowledge and how to conduct (or participate in) original research.

BUS 6090
 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
This course is designed to help students hone their oral and written communication skills. Students will learn how to deliver professional, engaging, and persuasive public presentations and written work. The course will also teach effective communication within meetings and team settings. In addition, the course will review the principles of academic integrity.
3 hours credit

BUS 7010 BIOTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (required)
This course provides an overview of management in the biotech/sciences fields. It develops a framework for understanding and analyzing issues in the strategic management of technology and innovation in the context of taking a scientifically feasible idea and examining whether or not it is commercially viable. It evaluates opportunities and challenges in the management of growth in entrepreneurial settings and looks at funding sources from venture capital, business angels, investment banking, and commercial banking sources, and considers the potential global impact of biotechnology research, regulatory requirements, and knowledge management.

BUS 7020 COMMERCIALIZATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIONS (required)
This course examines the theory and practice of commercializing innovation through the launching of new business ventures in the biotechnology industry. It looks at the determination of the value of an innovation; if, when, and how to commercialize an innovation; the research, development, preparation, and presentation of a business plan; how to manage cross-disciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, lawyers, and MBAs; and the strategic alliances and partnerships that are critical to a successful biotech business.

BUS 7030 ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
This course provides a foundation for the ethical and social problems involved in running today’s biotechnology companies which may not have the advantages of deep cumulative knowledge and experienced long-term leadership. The course addresses major transitions in technology, markets, and government policy in industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, information technology, energy, and communications. It examines research collaborations between university and industry, ethical drug advertising, rules of competition, and incorporating ethics into the fabric of business decision-making. Classes feature guest speakers, venture capitalists, business executives, regulators, and others who can bring their insights and expertise to the issues.

BUS 7040 INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS, LAW, AND POLICIES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
This course reviews current legal issues affecting the biotechnology industry and the general public. Special attention is devoted to approval processes and regulations, technology transfer, facility design, and cleaning validation, with emphasis placed on intellectual property issues involving patents, assignment and licensing of technology, and trademarks. Included are international regulations and political policies and their impact on strategic and policy development. Major theoretical and practical approaches are utilized to examine such issues as the debt crisis, trade disputes, NAFTA, and the expansion of the European Union.

BUS 7050 GROWTH STRATEGIES
This course focuses on the evaluation of opportunities and the challenges involved in the management of growth. Because growth is the ultimate resource “constrainer,” often stretching systems in a company to the limit and beyond, the course emphasizes management “at the limit” of what students may have already learned in other functional courses. It provides students with a series of frameworks, analytical skills and techniques, and decision-making tools used in growing businesses.

BUS 7060 VENTURE FINANCING STRATEGIES
This course focuses on raising seed and growth capital from various sources such as venture capital, business angels, investment banking, and commercial banking sources. It considers financial problems unique to small and medium-sized firms undergoing rapid growth. It also examines financial management for entrepreneurs over the life of a business project, including financing start-ups, financial planning for smaller enterprises, going public, selling out, bankruptcy, and other related topics.

BUS 7070 MANAGING BIOTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
This course takes a critical look at biotech industries and the life sciences revolution, examining what major transitions in technology, markets, and government policy mean to both established and emerging players, and to the demands on management. Since biotech industries have not normally enjoyed experienced long-term leadership, it is often difficult for them to acquire a cutting edge, particularly when the playing field is being drastically altered and the rules of competition rewritten. Students leave the course with a better understanding of the global challenges facing these industries, and with a broader perspective of leadership and strategy.

BUS 7200 INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (required)
This course looks at how to manage a business in an innovative and entrepreneurial culture. Topics include an overview of innovation and its value for a firm, entrepreneurial thinking as an approach to general management, how the innovation process works, creating entrepreneurial companies, organizing and managing innovation within existing firms, the role of technology, and coping with the strategic challenges facing all innovators. The course utilizes real-world learning techniques such as case studies, guest speakers, and projects.

BUS 7210 INNOVATIVE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP (required)
Economies around the world have become increasingly knowledge- based. In accordance, innovation has become integral to organizational success, especially in a global context. This has forced organizational executives to gain the knowledge and skills required to foster an innovative work culture. This course provides a practical and theoretical understanding of how to create an innovative workforce through effective leadership and employee management. A complexity approach to innovation in organizations is used to contextualize the course content. A selection of leadership styles, competencies and methods are presented and explored through various experiential processes and activities.

BUS 7220 MANAGING CUSTOMER VALUE
This course develops business decision-making skills that touch on customer value as a prerequisite to business success. Topics include defining the term “customer value”; how to align the company’s product or service with customer needs and to distinguish it from competitive offerings; how to provide customers with a superior total package of benefits comprising the product itself, associated services, brand image, appropriate pricing, and availability; and an intimate understanding of customers’ needs and behaviour. Particular attention is paid to the unique contexts of marketing knowledge-intensive products and services, new and rapidly growing markets, business markets, and investors. Topics such as fusion branding and value-based marketing are also explored. This course readily lends itself to real-world learning and management skills.

BUS 7230 CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION FOR CHANGE MANAGEMENT
This course considers the dynamics of change in organizations and how to achieve key goals by combining analysis, creativity, and wisdom. Topics include the forces affecting the nature and rate of innovation, the advantages and disadvantages of existing organizations in pursuing innovation objectives, and the choices made at different levels in the organization which promote or hinder creativity/innovation. Teaching and learning tools include research, practice, student experience, case discussions, group work, peer consulting, teamwork, and projects.

BUS 7240 GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This course provides a theoretical and practical understanding of leadership, professionalism, and governance. It takes a comprehensive and timely look at social responsibility and corporate citizenship for large and small enterprises, shareholders, and society at large as corporate leaders and managers consider the impacts of their activities and decisions on their employees, communities, and international markets. Consideration of leadership styles and methods are explored through various experiential processes such as self-assessment exercises, case studies, and presentations.

BUS 7250 MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVES
In this course students examine the workings of various levels of government in order to understand more clearly how they, as managers and future leaders, can build knowledge of the interface between business and government into daily business operations and strategy. By developing a thorough command of how government works, students learn how executives and managers can deal more effectively with various levels of government and make better use of public affairs resources to address more astutely the public policy aspects of strategic planning.

BUS 7260 STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
This course looks at the subject of management consulting, which can provide some of the most challenging and rewarding aspects in today’s business world. Topics include global strategy, game theory, management of innovation and creativity, strategy implementation, structure of global industries, strategic alliances, and building global organizations. Emphasis is placed on challenges in the consulting industry, working with clients, and preparing effective reports. This includes how to analyze cross- functional business problems and provide recommendations by applying appropriate frameworks and quantitative tools.

BUS 7270 NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
This course teaches the dynamics of conflict in the workplace and the use of negotiation and conflict management skills to effectively manage such situations. Through a combination of discussion sessions, workshop exercises and simulation, participants will learn and apply essential negotiation strategies and approaches. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to focus on developing conflict management skills and negotiator styles through a series of self-assessments and role-playing exercises.
PREREQUISITE: Permission of the instructor

BUS 7280 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
This course focuses on the challenges and opportunities of venturing into international markets.  The course addresses the complexities that arise when doing business in different business environments and cultural contexts.  Specific topics may include international strategy, managing currency risks, opportunity assessment, managing across borders, intercultural management, international negotiations, and ethical decision-making.

BUS 7850 SPECIAL TOPICS
This course focuses on a number of topics judged by faculty to be current and relevant within the context of managing in a business environment.

BUS 7860 DIRECTED STUDIES
In this course students pursue a specific topic or issue in business. Before approval is granted, each student must prepare a detailed outline of the topic to be studied, and obtain the consent of a faculty member to supervise the work.

BUS 8010 BUSINESS RESEARCH IN PRACTICE
This course requires students to complete a project or set of projects involving in-depth research. Potential projects include academic research papers, business plans, business case analyses or business consulting. To ensure integration of knowledge and skills, students will be expected to apply the concepts learned in the core courses of the EMBA program and to make evidence-based recommendations.
PREREQUISITES: All 8 core courses or permission of the Program Director
HOURS OF CREDIT: 6

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