Management Department (MGT)

College of Business Administration
Department Chair: Christa Kiersch
2216 Wittich Hall; 608.785.8112
Email: ckiersch@uwlax.edu

www.uwlax.edu/academics/department/management

The management major offered by the Department of Management at UW-La Crosse is a program carefully structured to meet the requirements of AACSB International of which UW-La Crosse is an accredited member. Approximately 25 percent of the schools of business in the U.S. hold this accreditation.

The program prepares students for a challenging career in for-profit and non-profit organizations. Working with a highly-trained and specialized group of faculty and staff, management majors will gain knowledge and skills related to managing people and processes within a wide range of business contexts. Students can become more socially responsible leaders and team members and evidence-based decision makers, and enhance their communication skills, their ability to work with others, their willingness to accept leadership responsibilities, and their respect for human differences.

The management major provides opportunities for students to develop skills and knowledge across a variety of areas of management such as human resource management, entrepreneurship, production and operations management, healthcare management, international management and other targeted areas related to their career interests. Opportunities exist to explore specialized areas within the field of business management through upper-level elective courses as well as research projects (e.g., MGT 499) and internships (e.g., MGT 450, MGT 452). Some courses have community service projects. The major also provides students with important exposure to matters of corporate social responsibility and ethics, the Principles of Responsible Management Education and the UN Global Compact.

The Management Department also contributes courses for the interdisciplinary sustainable business minor (for business students), the international business major and minor (for both business and non-business students), the healthcare analytics management minor (for both business and non-business students), and the minor in business administration (for non-business students).


The following is the department's faculty and staff as of the publication date of this catalog. This list will not be updated again until the next catalog is published in July.

Professor

Nicole Gullekson

Christa Kiersch

William Ross

Andrew Stapleton

Associate Professor

Uzay Damali

Anup Nandialath

Assistant Professor

Christine Ascencio

Christine Manno

Anh Phan

Associate Teaching Professor

Brad Dobbs

Kelly Nowicki-Vanrooyen

Scott Reber

Assistant Teaching Professor

Rachel Funk-Johnson

Jackson Ver Steeg

Lecturer

Kel Olson

Adjunct Instructional Academic Staff

Phyllis Creek

Tanner Holst

Christopher Nelson

Mark Shay

Andy Temte

Administrative Support

Karen Brandt


Courses

MGT 250 Cr.1-3

Management Internship

This management internship provides an opportunity for declared management majors to earn academic credit for experiential learning when working for cooperating business, government, or civic organizations. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. Prerequisite: cumulative GPA of at least 2.50; declared management major. Consent of department. Pass/Fail grading. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

MGT/MKT 301 Cr.3

Business Communication

This course explores different genres of written and oral communication employed in the business environment. Emphasis is placed on utilizing communication strategies that are tailored to both the audience and the organizational context in which the communication takes place. The ethical implications of communication within a business environment are also considered. This course develops a process approach to writing, which moves from planning through revision and final editing in producing business-related documents. Students are also introduced to communication techniques that enhance productivity within groups as well as develop the ability to write as a team and create presentations that flow seamlessly. Prerequisite: ACC 221; CST 110; ECO 110, ECO 120; ENG 110 or ENG 112; sophomore standing; CBA major or healthcare analytics management minor. (Cross-listed with MGT/MKT; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Fall, Spring.

MGT 303 Cr.3

Principles of Labor-Management Relations

Instruction develops the necessary perspective and the theoretical and legal structure necessary to an understanding of current public policy and contemporary issues in labor-management relations. The case study approach is used in studying current applications. Prerequisite: admission to business or public administration major; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 308 Cr.3

Organizational Behavior

This course provides an introduction to organizational behavior. Emphasis is on key individual and group level behavioral processes deemed essential for effective management. They include perception, motivation, communication, and group dynamics. In addition, the course covers some basic concepts of organizational theory such as organizational structure and design, organizational culture, and strategy and goals. Prerequisite: admission to business. Also open to majors with a business concentration, or business minors, with junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

MGT/MKT 310 Cr.3

Principles of Sustainable Business

This course lays a business foundation on the relationships between social, environmental, and economic systems and their impact on business. Challenges to existing business theory will embrace a sustainability perspective of business that includes an introduction to sustainability frameworks, system thinking, and current trends in and among sustainability issues and business stakeholders. Prerequisite: admission to business. (Cross-listed with MGT/MKT; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Fall.

MGT/FIN/MKT 323 Cr.3

Integrated Core Business Consulting and Professional Communication

In this course, students build knowledge and skills needed to integrate and apply material across the functional areas of business to solve complex business problems. Knowledge areas and skill sets that are specifically targeted include decision making and critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and time management. Students develop in these areas while building a foundation in effective business consulting. Students work in teams to complete applied business consulting projects, while also engaging in smaller written assignments and exercises throughout the course. Prerequisite: students must take this course concurrently with integrated core sections of MGT 308, MKT 309, and FIN 355. (Cross-listed with FIN/MGT/MKT; may only earn credit in one department.) Consent of instructor. Offered Fall.

MGT 350 Cr.3

Healthcare Management

Through this course students develop the foundational knowledge and skills to manage healthcare organizations. Specifically, this course provides an overview of the healthcare system in the United States as well as an introduction to the management of people and processes within healthcare organizations. Prerequisite: admission to CBA or declared HAM minor with junior standing. Offered Fall.

MGT 360 Cr.3

International Management

Through this course, students will be introduced to the opportunities and challenges corporations face when doing business internationally and identify strategies and practices to manage effectively in a global environment. In particular, students will be exposed to, and encouraged to critically think about, international management topics such as the global business environment, ethics and corporate social responsibility, culture, international strategy and entry, organizational behavior across cultures, and international human resource management issues. In the end, students develop an understanding of, and appreciation for, culture and its impact on management and strategies for managing in a complex, global environment. Prerequisite: admission to business or international business minor with a non business major; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

MGT 385 Cr.3

Human Resource Management

This course serves as an introduction to human resource management (HRM), emphasizing the processes of employment and the related HRM functions. Functional areas in HRM related to HR strategy and workforce planning, recruitment, staffing and hiring, employee training and development, performance management, and employee wellness are covered. Across these functional areas, principles related to legality, diversity and inclusion, and business analytics are emphasized and applied. Students may take this course as a foundational experience toward a career in HR, or as exposure to pertinent HRM knowledge and skills needed by any effective manager. Prerequisite: admission to business or sports management major; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

MGT 386 Cr.3

Compensation and Benefits Administration

A comprehensive treatment of issues involved in compensation and benefits administration. Issues involved are wage theory, job evaluation, job pricing, types of incentives. Mandated and voluntary benefits, ERISA, legal issues in compensation, cost, impact and future of compensation and benefits administration are also considered. Prerequisite: admission to business. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 393 Cr.3

Production and Operations Management

This introductory course explains the theories and analytical techniques about how manufacturing and service operations create value through operations management function. High-performing, world-class organizations have demonstrated that they execute not only efficient but also socially responsible operations management practices. This operations management course covers some of these practices: process management, operations strategy, project management, quality management, lean operations, global supply chains, sustainability, forecasting and inventory management. Prerequisite: STAT 145; MTH 160, MTH 175 or MTH 207; admission to business. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

MGT 395 Cr.3

Management Science

Introduction to the quantitative models used in the private and public sectors. Topics include linear programming, transportation and assignment models, project planning, basic inventory models, decision theory, queuing models, and game theory. Prerequisite: MGT 393; admission to business or information systems major. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 399 Cr.3

Project Management: Planning, Scheduling, Executing, and Controlling

This course emphasizes the use of special tools and techniques in management to accomplish the organizational mission through better control and use of existing resources. It explores ways to harness cross-functional synergy in an organization to successfully plan, schedule, execute and control projects. Prerequisite: STAT 145; admission to business; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 400 Cr.1-3

Special Topics in Management

Emphasis will be on examination and study of current management issues. Topics will vary from semester to semester. Same topic may not be repeated if a grade of "C" or better was earned in that topic. Repeatable for credit - maximum nine. Prerequisite: admission to business. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 402 Cr.3

Healthcare Analytics Management

This course is primarily concerned with the study of how data and analytics can impact the overall performance of healthcare organizations. The course answers a fundamental question: How do some healthcare firms leverage data analytics and the accompanying technology to perform better than others? Students will explore multifunctional problems that confront top management and gain exposure to the current use of analytics in consumer driven healthcare, risk management, quality and safety, financial performance and reimbursement, health outcomes analysis, and healthcare value and costs. Prerequisite: grade of "C" or better in STAT 145 or STAT 245; ECO 230; cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above; declared major. Offered Spring.

MGT 408 Cr.3

The Global Responsibility of Business

This course considers the turbulent environment in which organizations function and examines specific dimensions of this environment including the evolution of a framework of global human rights, the impacts of economic and social globalization, the convergence of global approaches to sustainability and the changing ideological and political frameworks affecting business. It will also examine matters of global corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship. Prerequisite: admission to business or chemistry major with business concentration, or physics major with business concentration; senior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

MGT 412 Cr.3

Leadership and Team Development

This course focuses on key differences between management and leadership and the importance of leadership in the context of effective team building. The emphasis is on organizational change and the role that leadership plays in providing direction for this change. Collaborative and non-hierarchical strategies that facilitate team building will be discussed as an alternative to top-down behavior. The course will provide opportunities to think deeply and systematically about the development of leadership skills and the creativity, initiative and motivation critical to that development. Prerequisite: admission to business or leadership development minor; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 420 Cr.3

Entrepreneurship

Students are introduced to the theories, methods, knowledge and skills required of successful entrepreneurs. In addition, students will evaluate the business skills and commitment necessary to successfully operate an entrepreneurial venture and review the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. Students will understand the role of entrepreneurial businesses in the economy. Prerequisite: admission to business; junior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

MGT 422 Cr.3

Social Entrepreneurship

This course introduces students to the utilization of business entrepreneurial skills as a means of creatively responding to societal problems. Course discussion will include the drivers of social entrepreneurship, opportunity identification, social venture financing, hybrid legal forms, and social impact measurement. Prerequisite: admission to business; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 423 Cr.3

International Business Research and Consulting

In this course, students apply conceptual and theoretical material from prior business coursework to complete an applied business consulting project in an intercultural setting. Through this course, students have the opportunity to develop a foundation in effective international business consulting by building their knowledge areas and skill sets related to intercultural communication, global leadership competencies, adaptability, teamwork, critical thinking and decision making, and project management. Prerequisite: MGT 308 or MKT 309; grade of "C" or better in ACC 221, ACC 222, BLAW 205, ECO 110, ECO 120, ENG 110 or ENG 112, MTH 160 or MTH 175 or MTH 207, and STAT 145 or STAT 245; 54 credits earned. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 425 Cr.3

Doing Business in...

The goal of this course is to give students the opportunity to explore how business is conducted in the country of interest and to improve their capabilities for doing business in that country. Students learn country-specific knowledge and skills and develop a deeper understanding of the issues, opportunities and challenges for companies doing business in the country of interest. They also increase their awareness of the kinds of differences that organizations, and its employees, might find when operating in other parts of the world. Prerequisite: MGT 308 or MKT 309; grade of "C" or better in ACC 221, ACC 222, BLAW 205, ECO 110, ECO 120, ENG 110 or ENG 112, MTH 160 or MTH 175 or MTH 207, and STAT 145 or STAT 245; 54 credits earned. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 430 Cr.3

Cross-Cultural Management

Comparative management is concerned primarily with studying the similarities and differences among nations in the context of management systems in different countries. The focus of the course is on the interaction between sociopolitical and cultural environments and management systems. This course seeks to encourage future managers in a global environment to think in a global context and be knowledgeable about the cultures, political economies and business practices of other countries. Prerequisite: admission to business or international business major/minor or French/German/Spanish major with a business concentration; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 431 Cr.3

Business, Labor and Human Rights

The course examines the impact of globalization, trade regulation and international conventions, agreements and law on human rights, specifically in the context of business and labor rights. Topics include the emergence of post-war human rights structures; the impact of the International Labor Office on Human Rights in the workplace; the establishment of economic, social, and cultural rights in the context of business; the growing conflicts between trade agreements and national policy and emerging partnerships between business organizations and international agencies. Managerial and trade union responses to emerging human rights issues are considered. Prerequisite: admission to business or international business minor with a non business major; senior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 449 Cr.3

CBA Capstone: Applied Business Strategy

The course will operationally apply the principles, concepts, and methods of the College of Business Administration core requirements in the context of strategic decision making within organizations using both actual and simulated case situations. May be taken only in the semester of graduation. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of all core requirements (ECO 110, ECO 120, ECO 230; ACC 221, ACC 222; BLAW 205; IS 220; FIN 355; MGT 301 or MKT 301, MGT 308, MGT 393; MKT 309); admission to business; senior standing. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

MGT 450 Cr.1-6

Advanced Management Internship

An advanced management internship provides an opportunity for students to gain professional job experience by working in an area of management, applying theory and concepts to the management needs of a cooperating business, government, or civic organization, for a minimum of 150 hours. Repeatable for credit - maximum six credits; only three credits apply toward the management major. Prerequisite: MGT 301; MGT 308; grade of "C" or better in ACC 221, ACC 222, BLAW 205, ECO 110, ECO 120, ENG 110 or ENG 112, MTH 160 or MTH 175 or MTH 207, and STAT 145 or STAT 245; 54 credits earned; three additional credits of completed or concurrent MGT coursework; cumulative GPA of at least 2.50. Consent of department. Pass/Fail grading. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

MGT 452 Cr.1-6

College of Business Administration International Internship

The internship program is designed to provide an opportunity for students in the College of Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to participate in an approved program with a cooperating business, governmental or civic organization for usually the equivalent of 15 weeks of their undergraduate work. Credit for international internships can be received for only internships classified as internationally related internships by Career Services. Students may apply up to three internship credits toward the management major, either MGT 450 or MGT 452. For additional information, see internship description under the College of Business Administration heading. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. Prerequisite: ACC 221, ACC 222; BLAW 205; ECO 110, ECO 120, ECO 230; FIN 355; IS 220; MGT/MKT 301; MGT 308; MKT 309; admission to business; senior standing. Pass/Fail grading. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

MGT/MKT 480 Cr.3

Business Sustainability Capstone

The purpose of the capstone course is to integrate the knowledge and concepts students have gained through the sustainable business minor. The course is designed to apply the tools and insights gained in this and other courses to a defined project, creating deliverables that will be useful to partner organizations. This is done by developing a substantial project in any of the following formats: a client-based project with a client of your choosing, a business plan, research study, white paper, training manual, survey/interview, case study, strategic/long-range planning document, grant proposal, feasibility study, or sustainability campaign design (for marketing). Prerequisite: MGT/MKT 310; MGT 408; three credits of CBA sustainable business minor electives. Open only to minors in sustainable business. (Cross-listed with MGT/MKT; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Spring.

MGT 483 Cr.3

Employee Training and Development

The course examines principles and practices of employee training and development in business organizations. Students learn to analyze training needs and objectives at the organization and job level. They also learn about various instructional methods used in business. Differences between formal and informal training and development programs will be considered. Methods of evaluating training and development programs will also be discussed. The relationship between training and development and other organizational and human resource management goals will also be examined. Prerequisite: admission to business. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 484 Cr.3

International Human Resource Management

This course examines how human resource management (HRM) changes strategically depending on the internationalization of the company, as well as HRM practices in countries outside the United States. It focuses on the connections between corporate strategies and the effective management of human resources which, at times, may require differing policies across countries. Through this course, students will be exposed to, and encouraged to critically think about, international HRM topics such as global strategic HRM, international organizations and their structures, cross-cultural management, global staffing and international assignments, compensation and benefits, the legal and regulatory context, international training and development, among others. In the end, students develop an understanding of, and appreciation for, culture and its impact on human resource management. Prerequisite: admission to business, international business minor with a non business major, or French major with a business concentration; junior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 485 Cr.3

Collective Bargaining

Nature, scope and historical background of collective bargaining in the U.S. Labor- Management sector covering organization of the parties for bargaining, procedures, strategies, issues. Analysis of contents of labor agreements. Prerequisite: admission to business; senior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 486 Cr.3

Human Resources: Current Issues and Policies

An in-depth investigation of selected current trends and issues of importance in personnel and industrial relations. An integrative, case-oriented approach to the study of problems and policy in personnel and industrial relations. Simulation exercises and case analysis are used in addition to lecture and student presentations. Prerequisite: admission to business; senior standing. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 487 Cr.3

Managing Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations

This course provides a thorough understanding of the advantages and challenges of managing an increasingly diverse and global workforce. The course examines the basic psychological and social processes that influence how members of different groups perceive and interact with one another (e.g., bias, stereotypes, discrimination). From this foundation, various diversity issues in organizations are addressed (e.g., race, sex, LGBT+, religion, age, ability, and intersectionality). The best practices for successful diversity management are also discussed through improving recruitment and staffing, developing and retaining talent, facilitating strong performance in teams, and creating a climate for inclusion. Prerequisite: admission to business. Offered Occasionally.

MGT 492 Cr.3

Global Supply Chain Management and Logistics

The course is a seminar in contemporary, leading-edge theory and practice in global supply chain management, logistics, and transportation. The emphasis is on framing, analyzing, designing, planning, implementing, coordinating, and controlling activities that add value to an organization or a supply network in a global context. Prerequisite: admission to business. Offered Fall.

MGT 493 Cr.3

Green Operations Management

This course is a discussion-based forum focused on historical and contemporary environmental sustainability initiatives, and the relationships amongst these initiatives and global business strategies and tactics. This course is designed to be a survey of leading-edge thinking and knowledge in the field, where contemporary practice and theory intersect. Prerequisite: STAT 145; admission to business. Consent of instructor. Offered Spring.

MGT 499 Cr.1-3

Independent Study

Individual reading or research under the guidance of a staff member. Open to selected advanced students who have excellent records in the department. Registration with the consent of the student's regular adviser, the instructor, and the department chairperson. Students may apply up to three independent study credits toward the management major. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. Prerequisite: admission to business. Consent of instructor. Pass/Fail grading. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.