This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2023-2024 VCU Bulletin. This edition includes all programs
and courses approved by the publication deadline; however we may receive notification of additional program
approvals after the launch. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available
in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Joseph Coombs, Ph.D.
Associate professor and interim chair
business.vcu.edu/academics/management-and-entrepreneurship
The Department of Management and Entrepreneurship offers a Bachelor of Science in Business with concentrations in human resource management, management/business administration, management/entrepreneurship and management/international management. The department also offers a human resource management minor and a certificate in international management studies, as well as a doctoral degree in business with a concentration in management.
MGMT 540. Management Theory and Practice. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A foundation course that presents theories, principles and fundamentals applicable to contemporary management thought and productive activities.
MGMT 633. Issues in Labor Relations. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. The conceptual framework of labor relations; the interconnection between labor-management relations and the sociopolitical environment.
MGMT 634. Collective Bargaining and Labor Arbitration. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. The negotiation and administration of collective bargaining contracts; the handling of grievances.
MGMT 637. Advanced Human Resource Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MGMT 540 and MGMT 524. Provides exposure to the process of managing human resources; focuses on issues concerned with business decisions about acquiring, motivating and retaining employees. Topics may include HRM planning, recruitment, selection, training, performance management, compensation and strategic human resource management. Emphasis will be given to the development, implementation and assessment of human resource management policies and practices consistent with business, legal, environmental and strategic dynamics.
MGMT 641. Leading People and Organizations. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment restricted students who have completed all M.B.A. foundation courses or equivalent, or by permission from the graduate studies in business office. An advanced course in management involving theories and models aimed at developing the managerial competencies needed to analyze, understand, predict and guide individual, group and organizational behavior.
MGMT 642. Business Policy and Strategy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: completion of five of the following courses -- MGMT 641; MGMT 675; ACCT 608; ECON 610; FIRE 621 or FIRE 623; INFO 661; INFO 664; MKTG 671. Integration of principles and policies of business management from the fields of accounting, economics, marketing, finance, statistics and management in the solution of broad company problems and in the establishment of company policy. Emphasis on interaction of disciplines in efficient administration of a business. Course employs case analysis approach.
MGMT 644. International Business Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: ECON 500, MGMT 530, MGMT 540 and MKTG 570. Survey course for students interested in international and multinational management. Review of historical, governmental, monetary, and cultural issues affecting the transfer of resources and management knowledge across national boundaries; multinational business and management strategies; study of management practices in selected countries.
MGMT 649. Compensation Policy and Administration. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 637. Analysis of the concepts and processes involved in compensation systems. Includes evaluation of the internal and external dimensions of compensation, policy issues involved, concepts, and forms of compensation, administration of compensation systems, and current and future issues.
MGMT 654. Negotiations. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An advanced course in management using an experiential approach to explore the practice and theory of negotiation. Topics will include basic approaches to negotiation and conflict management, negotiating in teams, negotiating with agents, ethics in negotiations and international negotiation.
MGMT 655. Entrepreneurship. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Individual and corporate entrepreneurship in high and low technology enterprises. Develops an understanding of the role of entrepreneurship in management theories and practices. Students will develop comprehensive venture analysis plans for presentation.
MGMT 656. Best Practices in Leadership. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: graduate standing. A seminar and experiential exercise course designed to raise the student’s practical awareness of major leadership behavior patterns and strategies that promote effectiveness in organizations; raise awareness, flexibility and skill with the student’s own personal leadership style; and help students practice, discuss and develop the ability to influence others over whom they may or may not exert positional authority.
MGMT 657. Corporate Entrepreneurship. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Business Administration or Master of Science in Business programs. Few companies are immune to the forces of creative destruction. The corporate longevity forecast for S&P 500 companies anticipates average tenure on the list to grow shorter over the next decade. This trend speaks to the critical need for businesses (large, medium and small) to constantly examine their business models and look for innovative ways to keep themselves relevant. Students will be exposed to a corporate entrepreneurship framework used to develop new business opportunities (products, services, business models, etc.) inside an existing organization. Students will use this framework to examine how firms create value and generate sustainable revenue growth through entrepreneurial thought and action. This heavily revolves around innovation, business model generation, concept design, in-depth research, new product development and branding. An understanding of opportunity recognition, creative solutions and innovation will be emphasized.
MGMT 680. Health, Safety and Security Administration. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MGMT 524; and MGMT 530 or 540. Study of design and development of an effective safety or risk-control program. Topics include organizational needs and assessment, program evaluation, design/implementation of critical program components, training, accident cost-accounting, cost containment. Also addresses management strategies, communication techniques, motivation and incentive programs and other special topics.
MGMT 682. Human Resource Staffing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 637. Addresses the activities and processes that affect the staffing function. Subjects include attracting, selecting, and retaining people who will facilitate the accomplishment of organizational goals. Designed for the future human resource professional who will be involved with designing, administering, revising, and evaluating selection programs and procedures.
MGMT 684. Issues in International Human Resource Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 637 or MGMT 641. Focuses on issues affecting the application of human resource management practices in an international environment. Examines current challenges in the selection, appraisal, development, compensation and maintenance of expatriates, repatriates, host country nationals and third-country nationals. Includes contextual factors of industrial relations systems, legal environment, demographics and culture.
MGMT 691. Topics in Management. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1, 2 or 3 credits. Study of current topics. Topics may vary from semester to semester.
MGMT 693. Field Project in Management. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Approval of proposed work is required by graduate studies office in the School of Business. Students will work under the supervision of a faculty adviser in planning and carrying out a practical research project. A written report of the investigations is required. To be taken at the end of the program.
MGMT 697. Guided Study in Management. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 1, 2 or 3 credits. Prerequisite: Approval of proposed work is required by graduate studies office in the School of Business. Graduate students wishing to do research on problems in business administration or business education will submit a detailed outline of their problem. They will be assigned reading and will prepare a written report on the problem. To be taken at the end of the program.
MGMT 702. Causal Analysis for Organizational Studies. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: two graduate courses in statistics or permission of instructor. Focuses on conceptual and statistical issues involved with causal analysis with nonexperimental and experimental data. Course covers basic and advanced confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation techniques, with an emphasis on organizational and psychological applications. Crosslisted as: PSYC 702.
MGMT 703. Advanced Topics in Research Methods for Organizational Studies. 1,2 Hour.
Continuous course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisities: MGMT 632 or equivalent and permission of instructor. Students must enroll for two semesters. Extensive coverage of applications of methodological and statistical analyses to an array of disciplines related to organizational studies. Emphasizes the skills essential in designing, conducting and interpreting research. Course contact hours spread over fall, intersession and spring semesters. Credits alloted one in fall and two in spring. May be repeated once for credit as topics change each year.
MGMT 737. Seminar in Human Resources. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 637 or equivalent, or permission of intructor. Provides broad exposure to theory and research in the field of human resource management. Topics include strategic and operational human resource planning and staffing; employee relations, development and performance management; external factors such as legal and international environments; and compensation policy and practices.
MGMT 738. Special Focus in Human Resource Management: ____. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 637 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Provides exposure to specific advanced theoretical and methodological topics related to human resource management. Topics may include staffing, training and development, motivation (i.e., compensation and rewards), HRM metrics, and validity generalization. Topics vary depending upon instructor. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered.
MGMT 743. Organizing Systems. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 524 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Surveys the foundations of management theory as well as more recent research and theory on the leadership through which work is organized and directed.
MGMT 745. Advanced Operations Research. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 645 or equivalent. Advanced discussion of topics in mathematical programming and network analysis as applied to organizational decision making. Includes network flows, integer, nonlinear, and dynamic programming, and multicriteria optimization. Emphasis on applications and the use of the computer for problem solving.
MGMT 746. Cognitive and Emotional Processes in Organizations. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 524 or equivalent. This course examines organizational life in terms of cognitive and emotional processes at the individual, group, and organizational level. Special attention will be given to how people perceive and evaluate each other.
MGMT 747. Seminar in Human Resources: Macro Foundations. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 737 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Provides broad exposure to theory and research of how firms can use human resource management practices to enhance individual and organizational performance. Topics include emerging theoretical perspectives related to HRM systems, human capital, contextual factors and other factors that influence the linkages between human resources and performance.
MGMT 749. History of Management Thought. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 540. Traces the history of management from its beginnings to current approaches and theories.
MGMT 750. Attitudes and Motivation in Organizations. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 524 or equivalent. Critical examination of classic and emerging research on attitudes and motivation in organizations, as well as their relationships to individual and organizational outcomes.
MGMT 757. Corporate Strategy and Long-range Planning. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MGMT 642 or equivalent. Analysis and evaluation of current methods and research in the areas of corporate strategy and long-range planning.
MGMT 790. Doctoral Seminar. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Open only to Ph.D. students in business. Analyzes and critiques general theories, practices and functions in a specialized area of management research.
MGMT 798. Thesis in Management. 3 Hours.
Year course; 6 credits. Graduate students will work under supervision in outlining a graduate thesis and in carrying out the thesis.
MGMT 799. Thesis in Management. 3 Hours.
Year course; 6 credits. Graduate students will work under supervision in outlining a graduate thesis and in carrying out the thesis.
MGMT 898. Dissertation Research in Management. 1-12 Hours.
1-12 credits. Limited to Ph.D. in business candidates.