Business Management

Division of Social Sciences

The Department of Business Management reflects Washington College values through our mission:

We transform students into leaders to create better worlds. Critical managerial skills in business combined with an emphasis on ethics, social responsibility, global business, and digital literacy infuse our business management major and minor as well as our minors in finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, marketing, and international business. Our students learn in the classroom and apply their new knowledge and skills through co-curricular programs, internships, and research.

Our quantitative orientation teaches you how to think with numbers. Our small class sizes sharpen your discussion skills and lets you work closely with faculty. Our team projects let you experience the challenges and rewards of collaborative work. Our senior capstone—a rigorous, senior-year individual project—polishes your research, analytic, and writing skills. And most importantly, our ethics-centered curriculum will help you infuse the practice of business with purpose. All in all, our program challenges you to link the College’s enduring liberal-arts values of critical thinking, effective communication, and moral courage with cutting-edge business leadership skills. At Washington College, business management is an active liberal art.

The Department of Business Management is a member of the AACSB Business Education Alliance, the SAP University Alliances, and the UiPath Academic Alliance, and is a partner with the B Local Mid-Atlantic community of certified B Corps. The department enjoys formal partnerships with several excellent master’s programs in accounting, data analytics, finance, and the MBA that provide benefits for our graduates.

Accounting Minor

The Accounting Minor covers knowledge of the accounting principles and practices fundamental to the capture and analysis of financial information about the firm, the use of accounting information to plan and control activities, accounting theory, and practical application of accounting in the areas such as taxation and auditing. This study also includes ethical and legal guidelines necessary in gathering and reporting information and in their internal and external activities. Details can be found in the separate catalog listing for the Accounting Minor.

Entrepreneurship Minor

Entrepreneurship is the process of developing concepts into finished, actionable plans which ultimately allow us to offer marketable products or services to a defined consumer base. In order to move a concept from just a thought to a finished plan, an entrepreneur needs to carefully develop virtually all aspects of a sound business model. It is not sufficient to have an idea, gather some money, hang a sign, and consider oneself “in business”. Today’s business environment demands careful planning at each step along the way. Students will learn how to create for-profit as well as nonprofit organizations that can help boost prosperity while also developing a corporate social responsibility mindset that fosters economic justice, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Details can be found in the separate catalog listing for the Entrepreneurship Minor.

Finance Minor

Students pursuing the Finance Minor learn how to make the financial decisions critical to the sustainability of corporations. The acquisition of foundational knowledge related to the financial analysis of firms as well as an understanding of risk and return allows students to pursue advanced finance concepts both from the internal view of the corporation which informs the study of financial policies as well as the external evaluation and assessment of firms needed for making meaningful investment decisions. Throughout, students will examine business ethics as it particularly pertains to the field of finance. Details can be found in the separate catalog listing for the Finance Minor.

International Business Minor

The International Business Minor offers students an opportunity to learn about and analyze the forces impacting decisions necessary for conducting business around the world, including the evaluation of international organizational models and an understanding of the impact of country differences, particularly the roles culture and ethics play. Students also gain insight into how trade affects profitability, the nature of international monetary systems, and how to configure international business functions. Details can be found in the separate catalog listing for the International Business Minor.

Marketing Minor

Students pursuing the Marketing Minor learn that marketing is a creative problem-solving process that begins with recognition of consumers’ needs and desires, culminates in the development or improvement of products and services in response, and repeats cyclically to refine consumption outcomes. The range of demands thus placed on the marketing professional necessitates a combination of strong quantitative and analytical proficiencies, along with robust creative and communication skills. The Concentration also underscores the ethical demands placed on marketing professionals. Details can be found in the separate catalog listing for the Marketing Minor.

Business Management Minor

If you are not majoring in Business Management, the Business Management minor will add value to your résumé by complementing your major. You’ll learn the language of business, the concepts of organizations, and lay the foundation for infusing your vision with these valuable tools whether you plan to pursue a career in the arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, or natural sciences. The five-course minor consists of three required courses (BUS 111 Principles of Marketing, BUS 112 Intro to Financial Accounting, and BUS 302 Organizational Behavior) and two BUS electives, which may be drawn from any upper-level (200-level or higher) BUS graded course listed below. BUS 109 Managerial Statistics is not required for the Business Management minor but is highly recommended. Please note that ECN 112 Principles of Microeconomics is a prerequisite for BUS 111 Principles of Marketing.

Interdisciplinary Connections

The Business Management department contributes to several interdisciplinary minors — Arts Management & Entrepreneurship, Data Analytics, Information Systems, and the International Economics minor — as well as two interdisciplinary majors — Communication & Media Studies and International Studies. Please see catalog listings for these programs for more information.

Internships

Most Business Management majors gain valuable experience by participating in for-credit internships during the fall, spring, or summer after completing Principles of Marketing and Introduction to Financial Accounting (see internship course descriptions below for BUS 390 Business Management Internship and BUS 490 Business Management Internship). The Business Management department works closely with the Center for Career Development to prepare our students to vie for internships and flourish during their experience. Students may gain academic credit for both paid and unpaid internships. Internships may also be taken not-for-credit.

Local, national and international internships garnered by our students include the following:

Cisco Systems
Corbin Advisors
Deloitte
Dixon (global manufacturer headquartered in Chestertown)
Equirus Capital Private Limited
JP Morgan Chase & Co,
Li & Fung Headquarters, Hong Kong
Louis Vuitton Qingdao office, China
Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA)
Morgan Stanley
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Department of Treasury
Philadelphia Phillies
T. Rowe Price

Students pursuing internships, whether for credit or not for credit, are encouraged to seek funding if needed from the William B. Johnson Business Internship Award. This program offers competitive internship awards of up to $2,500 to ensure that students do not need to pass up an opportunity to learn more about business. Johnson grants may be used to compensate for income foregone due to an unpaid internship or used for living and transportation expenses if the internship is outside the student’s home area. Please see our website or contact the chair of the department for more information.

The Warehime Fund for Student Excellence in Business

The Warehime Fund for Student Excellence in Business allows students to extend themselves beyond the classroom in ways that speak directly to their individual interests, aspirations, and passions. Grant funding available from the Warehime Fund provides financial support for individual and group participation in practitioner and scholarly activities to unlock student engagement, innovation, and creativity beyond the classroom. Please see our website or contact the chair of the department for more information.

American Marketing Association Student Chapter

Students of all majors and particularly those declaring the Marketing minor are invited to participate in the student chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), which provides a variety of opportunities and experiences, including speakers, networking, real-life case-based competitions and more. Students are invited to contact Dr. Caroline Le Bon, chapter advisor, for more information.

Brown Advisory Student-Managed Investment Fund Program

Students from any major can participate in the Brown Advisory Student-Managed Investment Fund Program and help manage an equity fund valued at more than $1.5 million. Under the mentorship of Richard Bookbinder P ‘10, founder and manager of TerraVerde Capital Management and Bookbinder Capital Management, LLC, you’ll learn to analyze and report on stocks, and then execute trades worth tens of thousands of dollars. The program includes career preparation, talks by visiting business leaders, and intensive work over the semester that will help prepare you for a career in the investment field. Networking events and special opportunities such as attendance at shareholder meetings allow students to acquire valuable real-world knowledge. Students are invited to apply for admission to this program by contacting Dr. Hui-Ju Tsai, Faculty Advisor.

Washington College Enactus

Enactus is an international organization that develops students into leaders through hands-on experience in designing and implementing entrepreneurial-based projects that empower people to engage in real, sustainable progress for themselves and their communities. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, students not only transform lives, but they also develop the talent and perspective essential to leadership in an ever more complex and challenging world. Current projects of the Washington College Enactus team include developing an all-electric vehicle ride-sharing program for rural communities, and an “ecotourism” project on the Chester River. Students participate in both regional and national competitions and have access to job fairs, internships, and employment opportunities. Membership in the Washington College Enactus team is open to students of all majors. Enactus: ENtrepreneurial ACTion for others creates a better world for US all. Students are invited to contact Dr. Caddie Putnam Rankin, faculty advisor, for more information.

Honor Societies and Awards

The Washington College chapter of Sigma Beta Delta, the national business honor society, recognizes Business Management majors and minors in the top 20% of their class who aspire toward personal and professional improvement and a life distinguished by service to humankind. Alpha Mu Alpha, the national marketing honorary, recognizes qualified undergraduate students for their outstanding scholastic achievement in the area of marketing.

In addition, business management students may aspire to membership in other honor societies, including Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society, and Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society. Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is by invitation only, and eligibility is based on the totality of a student’s academic achievement and character. Students interested in Phi Beta Kappa are strongly advised to take a broad range of courses and work with their academic advisor to plan a program that includes at least 96 credits in liberal studies courses. The following business management courses count towards the liberal studies requirement:

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
BUS 109	Managerial Statistics	4
BUS 302	Organizational Behavior	4
BUS 303	Legal Environment of Business	4
BUS 310	International Business	4
BUS 330	International Business Experience	4
BUS 334	Leadership	4
BUS 360	Corporate Social Responsibility	4

Students should also note that intermediate language skills are required by Phi Beta Kappa (i.e. study through the 201 level or placing at the 202 level). Native speakers of languages other than English automatically meet this criterion. Interested students are encouraged to review information about Phi Beta Kappa available online at washcoll.edu/academics/honor-societies/phi-beta-kappa/index.php.

Graduating seniors may aspire to three senior awards. The Rebecca Corbin Loree Business Leadership Award recognizes a graduating business management major who has demonstrated outstanding leadership potential and academic excellence in their time at Washington College. The Department of Business Management Award is given to a graduating business major who has demonstrated outstanding qualities of scholarship, character, and leadership. The Department of Business Management Senior Capstone Experience Award is awarded to a graduating business major with the most outstanding senior research project, demonstrating high scholarship and analytical skills. More information may be found on the department website.

SAP Student Recognition Award

Washington College, a member of the SAP University Alliances Program, has been authorized by SAP to award students meeting the following criteria with the SAP Student Recognition Award. In order to earn this highly valued non-transcript resume-building recognition, students must successfully complete BUS 210 Management Information Systems, BUS 315 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems and BUS 316 Data Analytics, reflecting a breadth of experience and familiarity with the SAP software products that are used to support pedagogy in these three classes. BUS 210 Management Information Systems is offered every semester while BUS 315 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems and BUS 316 Data Analytics are offered on a rotating basis so students interested in pursuing this award should work with their advisors to plan accordingly.

BUS SCE Senior Capstone Experience 2 Credits

The Senior Capstone Experience is an intensive research project on a topic chosen by the student and guided by a faculty mentor. It hones research, analytic, and writing skills developed during four years of study. Students complete the Capstone while enrolled in the four-credit Senior Capstone Experience (SCE) course, usually in the spring of their senior year; however, planning for the SCE begins in the spring of their junior year with the submission of an SCE application during advising week. The Capstone receives a mark of Pass, Fail, or Honors.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 401

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 109 Managerial Statistics 4 Credits

Managerial statistics focuses on the use of statistical analysis to make fact-based decisions for business firms and other organizations. Topics taught include descriptive statistics, normal distributions, probabilities, sampling distributions, hypothesis testing, ANOVA, and simple and multiple linear regression analysis. Data analysis techniques using Microsoft Excel are included. BUS 109 and MAT 109 may not both be taken for credit.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 111 Principles of Marketing 4 Credits

A critical approach to the study of the marketing concept including policies and principles. Emphasis is placed on the identification of variables involved in marketing decision-making and the process by which marketing decisions are made.

Requisites: Pre or co-req: ECN 112

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 112 Intro to Financial Accounting 4 Credits

An introduction to the accounting principles and procedures used for collecting, recording, summarizing, and interpreting financial information. Students learn to read and interpret financial statements. Special emphasis is placed upon the concepts of internal control over resources and transactions. Computerized spreadsheets are integrated into the course.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 194 Special Topics 4 Credits

Topics not regularly offered in the department's normal course offerings.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 195 On Campus Research 4 Credits

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student, researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted on campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 196 Off-Campus Research 4 Credits

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 197 Independent Study 4 Credits

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 209 Financial Analysis 4 Credits

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of finance and equips students with the ability to make meaningful financial decisions. This course addresses topics including the analysis of financial statements, the operation of financial markets, and the valuation of financial instruments, such as stocks and bonds. After taking this course, students should be able to (1) conduct financial ratio analysis, (2) understand the time value of money and apply the discounted cash flow (DCF) method to value assets, (3) understand the concept of risk and return, and (4) understand the importance of business ethics to the operation of financial markets.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 112. BUS 109 or MAT 109 or ECN 215 or PSY 209

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 210 Management Information Systems 4 Credits

Management Information Systems (MIS) is the ethical use of information systems to achieve corporate goals and objectives. Students learn how to use MIS in solving business problems, finding new opportunities for organizational improvement, and supporting enterprise strategic, operational, and analytical objectives as well as how to apply ethical models to the process of design and deployment of information systems. Microsoft Access, SAP S/4HANA ERP software, and Tableau visualization software are used to illustrate database, transactional and analytical concepts.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 112

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 212 Managerial Accounting 4 Credits

Study of the use of accounting information to plan for, evaluate, and control activities. The course explores various product and service costing procedures. Other topics include responsibility accounting, budgets, financial analysis, costs control, and the time value of money. Emphasis is placed upon the use of information for management decisions.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 112

Term(s) Offered: Spring, Odd Years

BUS 220 Creativity&Innovation for Products&Serv 4 Credits

This course introduces the student to the techniques and process of creativity and innovation in the context of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, leading to the creation of marketable products or services to a defined customer base. While existing enterprises are used as models, the tools acquired are also essential to the conception and formation of new ventures.

Term(s) Offered: Fall, All Years

BUS 224 Digital Marketing 4 Credits

This course introduces the practice of using social media and other digital communication channels, including Internet and mobile-based tools and platforms, to reach consumers and advance marketing strategies. Digital media can be used to build brands, create and maintain relationships, launch promotions, advertise products and services and more. While this course will aim to offer theoretical underpinnings needed to launch, manage, and measure digital marketing efforts, it will also attempt to teach students to creatively engage with digital marketing tools and to stay abreast of the latest developments in the fast-growing world of digital marketing.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 234 Intro to Nonprofit Management 4 Credits

In this course we explore the foundations of nonprofit management in our society. We focus on how nonprofits contribute to the heatlh and wellbeing of our communities. We investigate the unique challenges of nonprofits and how to manage them to promote success and longevity. We also discuss and debate how to maximize their social impact. The course focuses on case studies of high impact nonprofits and nonprofit failures from a thematic standpoint in order to critically examine the future of the sector.

Term(s) Offered: Spring, Non Conforming

BUS 250 Portfolio Management 1 Credit

This course offers a unique opportunity for students to develop and utilize their investment skills by providing real-life investing experience. In applying their research, student participants actively manage the Brown Advisory Student-Managed Investment Fund valued at over $1.5 million with an investment objective to achieve positive performance results that compare favorably to major market indices. Students learn how financial concepts and current global news information influence investment decisions. To further enhance investment skills through experiential learning, student participants may have meetings and/or conference calls with professionals from investment banks, commercial banks, public company forums, or institutes that focus on ESG (environmental, social, and governmental) investing. This class may be taken up to six times for credit. Admission subject to application and interview process. 1-credit.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 290 Business Management Internship 2 Credits

A learning contract is developed prior to enrollment in an internship. Evaluation of student performance is completed by the faculty mentor based on the fulfillment of the contract terms and written evaluation by the internship site supervisor. Students must work at least 45 hours for each internship credit and be enrolled in the course prior to beginning work. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 294 Special Topics 4 Credits

Topics not regularly offered in the department's normal course offerings.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 295 On Campus Research 4 Credits

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 296 Off-Campus Research 4 Credits

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 297 Independent Study 4 Credits

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 302 Organizational Behavior 4 Credits

A research-based exploration of how organizations function. Topics include the division of labor, career management, culture, bureaucracy, teams, motivation, emotional intelligence, power, communication, gender, diversity, leadership, and ethics. Students read and discuss key scholarship, conduct primary research, and collaboratively lead a class. Not open to first-year students.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 303 Legal Environment of Business 4 Credits

This course looks at how American law has evolved from English common law to today's statutory and regulatory legal environment. The course explores recent statutes such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank and how they have impacted the way businesses operate. The course also investigates legal and ethical issues facing businesses today, different types of business associations, and liability issues faced by businesses under current tort law, contract law, and property law. Not open to first-year students.

Term(s) Offered: Fall, All Years

BUS 310 International Business 4 Credits

Introduction to the study of international business, including the dynamics of conducting business across national boundaries. Focuses on the critical roles that environment, culture, technology, politics, economics, communication, and ethics play in successfully conducting business on an international level. Not open to first- or second-year students.

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 311 Global Business Strategy 4 Credits

An interactive course designed for future leaders to understand and experience the challenges associated with business at the global level. The course focuses on long term strategy, short term tactical options, the active management of functional areas within global operations, corporate structure, and supply chain management from raw material procurement to sales, marketing, and distribution of finished products. The course includes lectures, cases, guest speakers, and actively operating a competitive global business simulation. Not open to first- or second-year students.

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 315 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems 4 Credits

This course introduces students to software essential to the functioning of the firm -Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Using SAP S/4HANA ERP software, students learn the information flows for distribution and manufacturing business processes and learn how ERP systems support these business processes in an integrated fashion. The course includes an introduction to system configuration, in which organizational structure, policy rules and other corporate information are analyzed and then mapped to the ERP system. Ethical consideration of impacted stakeholders is integrated throughout. Guest speakers and field trips provide real-world context.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 210

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 316 Data Analytics 4 Credits

Introduction to theory and practice encompassing tools used to perform descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics in business and other social science settings. Topics include visualization, big data, and methods to approach both structured and unstructured data. Students develop actionable information from databases and spreadsheets using SAP, Tableau, and other software products.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 210

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 320 Entrepreneurship 4 Credits

A study of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, the process of identifying opportunities, the marshalling and management of resources, and strategic planning and development of a business plan. An examination of the management process through growth and change, including reasons for the successes and failures of specific companies.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 323 Consumer Behavior 4 Credits

This course is concerned with how and why people behave as consumers. Its goals are to: (1) provide conceptual understanding of consumer behavior, (2) provide experience in the application of buyer behavior concepts to marketing management decisions and social policy decision-making; and (3) to develop analytical capability in using behavioral research.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 324 Digital Marketing 4 Credits

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 325 Marketing Research Methods 4 Credits

This course examines the role of marketing research in the formulation and solution of marketing problems, and the development of the student's basic skills in conducting and evaluating marketing research projects. Special emphasis is placed on problem formulation, research design, alternative methods of data collection (including data collection instruments, sampling, and field operations), and data analysis techniques using SPSS. Applications of modern marketing research procedures to a variety of marketing problems are explored.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111 and BUS 109 or MAT 109 or PSY 209

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 327 Washington Center Internship 12 Credits

A full-time, semester-long internship in Washington, DC, with a federal agency, non-profit organization, or private firm. Depending upon interest and internship placement, students may attend hearings, conduct policy research, draft correspondence, monitor legislation, lobby members of Congress, or write analytical reports. Students will create an in-depth portfolio of their internship experience. 12 credits.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 328 Washington Center Seminar 3 Credits

Washington Center Interns participate in an evening seminar selected from a variety of topics offered during the semester. Students engage in class discussion and may also research seminar topics, prepare written assignments, and take examinations. Required of and limited to students enrolled in BUS 327. Three credits.

Requisites: Coreq: BUS 327

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 329 Washington Center Forum 1 Credit

Washington Center Interns participate in lectures, site visits, small group discussions, briefings, and other required events designed to help them understand the connection between their academic and professional goals and the special educational opportunities available through living and working in Washington, DC. Evaluations of these experiences are included in the student portfolio. Required of and limited to students enrolled in BUS 327. One credit.

Requisites: Coreq: BUS 327

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 330 International Business Experience 4 Credits

This summer course, taught by a Washington College Business Management faculty member, takes students abroad for up to two weeks of intensive study and experiential learning in international business. The itinerary is intense. Students visit two businesses each weekday for facilities tours and/or presentations by managers on their firms' international strategy. Cultural activities are scheduled in the evenings and on weekends. On-campus sessions prior to travel round out the academic component of the course and ensure that students get the most out of their experiences abroad.

Term(s) Offered: Summer, All Years

BUS 334 Leadership 4 Credits

What do leaders do? Are they born or made? Why are some leaders effective, and others ineffective? What role do followers play? This seminar explores these and other questions by focusing on leadership in organizations. Topics include vision, power,trust, ethics, communication, gender, and change. Not open to first-year students.

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 340 Intermediate Accounting 4 Credits

The study of current and emerging financial accounting theory and techniques. Emphasizes financial statement presentation and the underlying treatment of cash, investments, receivables, inventory, long-lived assets, and intangible assets.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 112

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 341 Income Tax Accounting 4 Credits

Federal taxation of individuals focusing on income, exclusions, deductions, depreciation, credits, and capital transactions. Property coverage includes the tax consequences of sales and dispositions of investment and business asserts. Both tax planning and tax compliance issues are covered.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 112

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 342 Auditing 4 Credits

Auditing consists of a set of practical conceptual tools that help a person to find, organize, and evaluate evidence about the assertions of another party. This course will focus on those analytical and logical skills necessary to evaluate the relevance and reliability of systems and processes. Critical thinking and communications skills are developed through a variety of means including case analyses, presentations, discussion, preparation of group and individual case papers, and research of professional and scholarly literature. Recognizing that ethics is an integral part of the entire accounting-related profession and a significant topic in all the College's accounting courses, this course will contain a section reviewing audit ethics, and will cover lapses of ethical behavior by both auditors and audited firms.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 112

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 343 Intermediate Accounting II 4 Credits

Continuation of Intermediate Accounting I. Continued emphasis on generation and presentation of financial statements. Special attention to inventory valuation, analysis of long-term debt instruments, asset impairment, share-based compensation, and the importance of ethical behavior in the business and reporting environment. Emphasis on comprehension, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 340

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 351 Advertising 4 Credits

Overview of the advertising industry from client and agency sides. Advertising is placed within the marketing context of consumer behavior and market segmentation. Included is media strategy and selection, creative startegy, print and broadcast advertising from concept through production, advertising research, and international advertising strategy.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 352 International Marketing 4 Credits

International marketing is crucial in today's environment due to factors such as globalization of markets, emerging economies, development of innovation, and creation of regional cooperation as well as unique economic, political, and social situations within each country. We will analyze those factors along with their impact on marketing strategies and the development of opportunities in and outside the home country. Emphasis is placed on ethical concerns marketers must consider when developing a marketing strategy abroad.

Requisites: Pre-req: ECN 112 and BUS 111

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 355 Corporate Finance 4 Credits

This course provides an in-depth analysis on the financial policies of corporations. Students learn how to use and analyze financial data to make sound managerial decisions. Topics covered include capital budgeting, capital structure, dividends, and payout policies, working capital management, real options, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, to help students develop an ethical sensitivity in business, topic about ethics in corporate finance are included.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 209

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 356 Multinational Financial Management 4 Credits

Today's firms are directly or indirectly exposed to an increasingly competitive global environment which presents significant implications for their financial strategies. This course provides students with a conceptual framework within which the key financial decisions of the multinational firms can be analyzed. It focuses on decision-making in an international context and on the use of financial analysis in solving international financial challenges, risks and threats as well as opportunities faced by international firms. Topics addressed include exchange rate determination and global risk management as well as financing and investment options for corporations in an international context.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 209

Term(s) Offered: Other, All Years

BUS 357 Intro to Quantitative Finance 4 Credits

This course provides an introduction to the application of mathematical models to the solution of financial problems. This course covers important topics in quantitative finance such as modeling risk-return relationships, risk management, optimal consumption decisions, portfolio analysis, correlation structure between securities and/or markets and the pricing of financial securities. This is a data applied course, in which the student will work on real-world data. For the computational aspects of the course, the student will work with Microsoft Excel. After taking this course, students should be able to (1) model different types of financial data, (2) analyze financial models, (3) confidently use Excel for calculations, optimization and modelling, and (4) be aware of the limitations of the data and models in the financial world.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 209

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 360 Corporate Social Responsibility 4 Credits

This course offers an introduction to corporate social responsibility and a discussion of business ethics. Students will examine and debate the minimal social expectations for organizations embodied in ethical theories, legal doctrines, and community principles. We then explore and critique broader corporate social responsibilities by drawing upon theories that discuss an organization's role in maintaining a vibrant civil society. Finally, we analyze how corporate responsibilities can promote strategic and competitive advantages for the firm.

Requisites: Pre or co-req: BUS 302

Term(s) Offered: Spring, All Years

BUS 375 Arts Administration 4 Credits

This course explores various aspects of leadership, management, and entrepreneurship for the visual and performing arts. Students will learn how arts organizations define themselves, make decisions, and plan for the future. Topics may include: leadership & governance, mission & strategy, program planning & evaluation, intellectual property & contracting, marketing & public relations, and/or budgeting & fundraising. This course has no curricular prerequisite, but requires a baseline interest in and understanding of the arts.

Cross-listed as: ART 375/BUS 375/MUS375/THE375

Term(s) Offered: Spring, Even Years

BUS 390 Business Management Internship 2 Credits

An upper-level internship combining work experience and faculty supervision. Summer internships require attendance at regular Zoom meetings. Internships can be paid or unpaid. Prerequisite: BUS 111 and 112 and minimum 2.5 GPA, or approval by the department. Cannot be used to fulfill the Business Management elective. Graded Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 111 and BUS 112

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 394 Special Topics 4 Credits

Topics not regularly offered in the department's normal course offerings.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 395 On Campus Research 4 Credits

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 396 Off-Campus Research 4 Credits

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 397 Independent Study 4 Credits

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 401 Strategic Management 4 Credits

Culmination of the study of business management, covering strategic analysis and implementation. The case study method is used, requiring oral and written presentations. All separate functional areas are integrated in the strategy process in relation to the firm's social responsibilities with regard to society, employees, and the larger environment. Must be taken at Washington College; cannot be transferred from study abroad or other institutions.

Requisites: Pre or co-req: BUS 111, BUS 209, and BUS 302

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 440 Investments 4 Credits

This course provides students with the essential concepts in investment and enables them to make meaningful investment decisions. To reach this goal, students discuss current investment theories and the associated empirical evidence found in academic research. Topics addressed include the operation of financial markets, financial assets and their valuation, and the construction of optimal investment portfolios. After taking this course, students should be able to (1) understand the operation of financial market, (2) be familiar with various financial instruments and investment strategies, (3) apply the discounted cash flow method to determine the value of financial assets, (4) conduct financial analysis to make investment decisions, and (5) understand the importance of business ethics to investment professionals.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 209

Term(s) Offered: Spring, All Years

BUS 455 Financial Derivatives 4 Credits

This course introduces financial derivatives and the operations of derivatives market. Coverage includes options, forward contracts, commodity and financial futures, and swaps. Students also learn how to use analytical models to determine the proper value of these financial products. Since the existence of a well-functioning financial market depends a lot on the integrity of its participants, especially the investment professionals, cases regarding financial crisis and business ethics will be provided and discussed. These case studies also allow students to strengthen their oral as well as written communication skills.

Requisites: Pre-req: BUS 209

Term(s) Offered: Other, Non Conforming

BUS 490 Business Management Internship 2 Credits

Upper-level internship combining work experience and faculty supervision. Summer internships require attendance at regular Zoom meetings. Internships can be paid or unpaid. Graded Pass/Fail. Cannot be used to fulfill a Business Management elective. 45 hours are required per credit.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 494 Special Topics 4 Credits

Topics not regularly offered in the department's normal course offerings.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 495 On Campus Research 4 Credits

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

BUS 496 On Campus Research 4 Credits

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty member and a student researching a topic of interest that is relevant to a student's major or minor. Research is conducted off-campus. Students must be enrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-F or Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.

Term(s) Offered: Spring, All Years

BUS 497 Independent Study 4 Credits

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty and a student letting the student study a topic of interest not offered at WC. 45 hours are required per credit.

Term(s) Offered: All Terms, All Years

Catalogs & Handbooks

Business Management

Accounting Minor

Entrepreneurship Minor

Finance Minor

International Business Minor

Marketing Minor

Business Management Minor

Interdisciplinary Connections

Internships

The Warehime Fund for Student Excellence in Business

American Marketing Association Student Chapter

Brown Advisory Student-Managed Investment Fund Program

Washington College Enactus

Honor Societies and Awards

SAP Student Recognition Award

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