BSL Courses

Micro Economics in the 21st Century

This course provides an introduction to micro-economic concepts and their application to managerial decision-making within a global context. We study the dynamics of Demand and Supply and their interaction; consumer choice and company decisions; Price determination under various market structures; decision-making under risk and uncertainty; the role of government in a market economy;the effects of international trade and globalisation upon corporate decision-making. The course focuses on real-world examples of the Economics of business strategy and business environment analysis; it provides an insight into real-world, economic trends, such as ever-larger, oligopolistic corporations despite the survival of small firms.

Marketing Communications

This course covers all the fundamentals of Marketing Communication from a European Perspective. The purpose of this course is to help students build communication strategies using the full media mix available to them. The Communication Plan and budgeting are covered in details as well as all above the line, through the line and below the line activities. A particular attention is given to advertising and new media. Budgets are shifting from traditional off line media such as TV, Print, Outdoor and Radio to Internet advertising and Search Engine Optimization. It is important for students to realize that advertising agencies are now seeking competences in new media management.This module is covering unit 2 of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Diploma called delivering customer value.

The History and Future of Business

This course provides students with the historic perspective of business, outlining how fundamental issues of money, power, and greed have influenced the purpose of business and has slowly corrupted the original mission to serve society and the larger good to become increasingly driven by shareholders demands for maximizing profits. The course also looks into the future, evaluating emerging new models of courageous business leaders who dare to assume a longer-term perspective embracing environmental and social responsibilities besides pure profit thinking. Students will gain a historic and future perspective of business from outside its domain, thereby developing a holistic understanding of what business can be and what alternatives are to address the challenges ahead.

Principales of Accounting

This module covers the basic principles of Accounting. It aims to provide an understanding of the process of accounting, accounting concepts and the uses of accounting information in decision making. In other words to answer the question WHAT are the steps that should be followed and, most importantly, WHY do we follow these procedures? Students at the end of the module will understand what is behind accounting, the role of the accountant and will be able to make some basic interpretations of financial statements, make performance analysis from financial reports such as Profit and Loss accounts, Balance sheets, and Cash Flow statements. Specifically the preparation, use and interpretation of financial reports will be examined. The second part of this course will be covered by the Financial Accounting course (BBA 112, ACCA F2).

Business English

This course will cover the essential components needed to write well-formed sentences and paragraphs. Students will explore grammar and vocabulary: nouns and pronouns, verbs, phrasal verbs, prepositions, adjectives and adverbs. The use of tenses will be revised extensively. Punctuation, an essential part of writing, will be addressed. Students will learn about style and register and how to write clearly and concisely for business purposes. Through a variety of exercises, including writing and reading exercises, students will learn to communicate professionally when writing and when speaking. These skills will make a difference when applying for a job, and help students succeed in their business studies and in their professional lives.

Financial Accounting & Reporting

This course module is the second part of the Principles of Accounting course (BBA 104). It helps to develop further knowledge and understanding of the underlying principles, concepts and regulations relating to financial accounting and technical proficiency in the use of double-entry accounting techniques, including the preparation of financial statements. This course introduces the candidate to more of the fundamentals of the regulatory framework relating to accounts preparation and to the qualitative characteristics of useful information. The syllabus concentrates in depth on recording, processing, and reporting business transactions and events that were not covered by the Principles of Accounting course. The syllabus covers some new specific transactions and shows how to treat them and report them in the financial statements. The course then moves in two directions, at first requiring candidates to be able to conduct further interpretation of financial statements, then requiring the preparation of simple consolidated financial statements from the individual financial statements of group incorporated entities.

Communication Skills

This course provides students with the required skills to both write and present well. Being able to get one’s ideas across to whatever audience, adapting one’s personal style to the appropriate professional environment and audience, writing concisely and clearly, is the very basis of success in business. Students will learn to communicate effectively with people from other cultures in a variety of situations. The course focuses on writing, reading, presenting and listening skills – all elements to ensure a constructive dialogue to take place. Preparing for meetings, taking minutes and notes, summarizing both verbally and in writing are critical skills to successfully navigate through a business day.

Introduction to Marketing Planning

This Course covers all the fundamentals of Marketing in various contexts in view of building a Marketing Plan. The Marketing environment, the competition, marketing segmentation and strategy, the Marketing Mix and Budgeting are all covered in the context of B2C, B2B, Services and virtual organizations. This module corresponds to the unit 1 of the Marketing Planning process from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Mathematics & Calculus

The course covers the principles of college mathematical analysis and calculus. A precise definition of the variables involved and a clear statement of assumptions are a prerequisite to any logical analysis. Equally important - but often overlooked - is the fact that assumptions and/or definitions must be tested for empirical validity. This module examines basic mathematical concepts, linear and non-linear functions, differential and integral calculus and matrix algebra as well as their application to concrete business situations. In addition to the use of Excel throughout the course, other mathematical programming software such as Maple, Octave, or Scilab will be introduced and used to set up and solve the problems.

Macro-Economics in the 21st Century

This course provides an introduction to macro-economic principles and policies and their application in a global context. Students study the Classical Theory and current economic theories and contrast them with emerging, new theories. We examine the tools available to economic policy makers along with their effectiveness under different, macro-economic constellations. Students compare and contrast the views of various schools in Economics, including their effectiveness, or lack thereof, to address the burning issues the planet faces in the imminent future. Reasons behind the current, global financial crisis are analysed. The focus in this course is on real-world examples of the macro-economic environment of business.

Office Software for Business

This course provides students with practical skills to professionally work with modern business software such as Outlook, Word, Excel & PowerPoint. Being able to format reports, manipulate tables and graphs as well as managing one’s inbox, calendar and contacts represents the basics in being a business professional. The course complements the practical acquisition of technical skills with applied writing and presentation as well as communication exercises (writing proposals, letter, developing tables and graphs, presentations and meeting invitations and scheduling as well as contact management). Focus is placed on ensuring a high professional standard in using these various tools of communication.

Management Accounting & Performance Management

This course is designed to acquaint students with accounting concepts and their underlying concepts. Emphasis is placed on the use of accounting information in decision making. The objective of this course is to help students develop a solid understanding of costs and cost behaviour and the use of cost information for planning, controlling, and making managerial decisions. It also helps develop an understanding of management accounting systems as well as the interrelationships of management accounting and financial accounting. Throughout the term, national and international financial and economic issues will be discussed in the class as they appear in the news.

Sociology for Business

This course will cover the essentials of sociology. Sociology focuses on the social forces that shape human activity. We will see how human activity and more particularly business activities are affected by social trends. We will look at the issues of population growth, political and economic instabilities. Religious tensions around the globe are increasingly influencing how businesses are being run. The perspective of the course is a global one taking examples from various countries.

Introduction to Project Management

Organizational Behaviour & Development

This course covers both critical concepts of organizational behaviour and organizational development. Students study individual and group behavior in organizations. Motivation, training, teamwork, leadership and decision-making will be explored. Students look into account the cultural and ethnical diversity of the workforce as well as the different attitudes and aptitudes. An important aspect will deal with group constitution, development and dynamics as well with the attributes of organisations in general. Practical individual research and group work will allow students to gain direct knowledge about organizations. Students will practice aspects of decision-making and the management of conflicts and negotiation.

Business Ethics & Corporate Governance (CG)

The course offers an overview of ethics in business as well as all areas of Corporate Governance (CG), ranging from its historical development all the way through its current status, the different interpretations of the concept of Corporate Responsibility and Governance, and the current and future trends within the context of globalization. Recent scandals such as Enron, Worldcom, Lehman Brothers etc. demonstrate the need for stronger ethics in business and responsible governance. The course aims to enable students to get a good grasp of what Ethics in Business mean and how ethics form the backbone of a responsible management and business practice. Corporate Responsibility and Governance includes implications for the private sector, its interfaces with other actors of civil society, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its role in the broader sustainability debate.

Business Stadistics

A basic and practical course in statistics oriented towards business and management. It will start with ‘Descriptive Statistics’; categorizing, tabulating, displaying data, measuring/interpreting central and non-central tendency parameters. It will be followed by the essentials of ‘Probability theory’; rules, theorems, important discrete and continuous probability distributions, sampling distributions. Next, it will introduce ‘Inferential Statistics’; use of fundamental ideas of sampling in Interval Estimation and Hypothesis Testing. Finally, fundamentals of simple and multiple correlation/regression analysis will be covered. All above statistical concepts and methods will be illustrated with practical examples and applied to an-going business statistics project with the help of a statistical package software (Excel Data Analysis or Minitab or SPSS).

International Business & Economics

This course covers the basis of international business practices. It will handle, on a global basis, the recent, theoretical and practical evolutions in modern international business, such as globalisation, outsourcing, decentralization and market segmentation, ethical and multicultural approaches. Companies working on the international/global scale need to achieve financial, marketing, staffing and structural competitiveness that implies an accurate understanding of the economic external environments of international business. Students will evaluate the global, managerial perspective of current, economic trends. They will study the greater role of Laissez Faire, Free Market forces and lower levels of government Interventionism within mixed economies; the ever-increasing, global Privatization and debt-for-equity-swap strategies within emerging markets; the greater importance of Free Trade within newly-deregulated, global markets and Customs Union trading blocs; Foreign Direct Investment within global Capital Markets.

Consumer Behaviour

This course will cover consumer attitude towards products, services and companies. The purpose of the course is to see how consumer research can be used in marketing. The perspective taken is of a European nature. Customers are not similar across cultures and countries. The course looks first at consumers in the market place. Then it progresses into consumers as individuals and decision makers. Finally the European customer will be addressed in terms of culture and lifestyle.

Global Environment

BSL’s course in Global Environment studies the economic, political, and cultural dimensions of globalization and examines the institutions and forces active in shaping it. Various motivations for businesses to expand their operations internationally are analyzed. The challenges introduced by the existence of a multitude of cultures are identified and debated. The role of major international institutions and NGOs, including the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO, and their importance in global business activities is emphasized. The advantage and disadvantages of regional economic integration are discussed. Class review of current events and case studies are used to exemplify the underlying concepts.

Global Human Resource Management

This course develops a strategic, multicultural and practical approach to the full range of Human Resources Management and Development policies and techniques as used by operating managers and HR specialists in modern international business. It will cover all the aspects of HRM in a local and international environment and will trace back the main theories that have allowed personnel management to evolve to human resource management. The emphasis is on how to achieve productivity, and competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining the top industrial talents. Aspects of cultural, ethnical and linguistic diversity in the daily HRM of multinational companies will also be included.

Corporate and Business Law

This course covers all the fundamentals of corporate and Business law such as the court system and sources of law including human right legislation. It then leads into the area of the law of obligations including contract and tort, which underpin business transactions generally. The syllabus then covers law relating to employment and companies. These include the formation and constitution of companies and types of capital and the day to day management, the administration and regulation of companies and legal aspects of companies facing difficulty or ion crisis. The module also covers issues relating to corporate governance, ethics and ethical behaviour relating to business including criminal law.

Financial Management

An introduction to the principles of finance and the corporate finance function. Topics covered include the time value of money, financial analysis and planning, security valuation, capital budgeting, short- and long-term financing, working capital management, investments andthe money/capital markets. Value maximization and risk/return trade-offs in financial decision making are used as integrative concepts throughout the course.

Marketing Research

This course covers all the fundamentals of market research. The purpose of the course is to understand how to conduct research for business and academic purposes. Primary and secondary research will be covered as well as qualitative and quantitative research. One to one interviews, observation techniques, focus groups are useful to gather information for complex behavioural issues. The outcome of qualitative research usually needs to be assessed with larger samples of the population using statistical software packages. The design of surveys and questionnaires is critical for quantitative research techniques. The marketing aspect of research will also be addressed in this module.

Introduction to Management Information Systems

This course provides an overview of fundamental principles and concepts in Information Systems. A particular attention is given on how they are used in organizations. Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) are recognized as vital tools available to business managers for reaching operational excellence, developing new products and services, improving decision making and gaining competitive advantage. Their dynamic nature requires managers to be aware of both current and emerging technologies. Therefore, in addition to a framework of proven concepts, the emerging trends and new technologies will be explored. The evolution of: the Web and the Internet, Databases and Business Intelligence, Telecommunications and Wireless Technologies, Information Security and Social Networks, will continue to transform the business world. Students will realize how innovations in IT and IS change the business models.

Decisions Analysis

In the competitive world of business, effective decision making is crucial. This course provides a foundation for various quantitative models applied, as an aid, to decision making and analysis, in several business areas. The danger in using quantitative methods does not generally lie in the ability to perform the requisite calculations, but rather in the lack of fundamental understanding of why to use a procedure, how to use it correctly, and how to properly interpret results. This course focuses on useful concepts and tools for today’s managers. It provides strong connections between the statistical concepts introduced and problems students will face in the business world, showing students how to find patterns, create statistical models from the data, and deliver their findings to an audience. To support the presentation of topics in business statistics and decision modelling, this course also integrates fundamental theory and practical applications in a spreadsheet environment using Microsoft Excel and various spreadsheet add-ins, specifically:
• PHStat, a collection of statistical tools that enhances the capabilities of Excel.
• Crystal Ball, the most popular commercial package for risk analysis.
• TreePlan, a decision analysis add-in.
• SimQuick, an Excel-based application for process simulation
• Premium Solver, a more powerful version of Excel’s solver.

Knowledge Management

This course provides an overview of how to develop a learning organization based on the concept of knowledge management. Students will study practical concepts in managing knowledge in organizations: managing what people know, how they share what they know and how best to capture and retain it. Company knowledge leads to internal effectiveness and competitive advantage, but knowledge is not neat and simple, and does not just fall into place. It is both scattered around the world and awkwardly local. Students will be introduced to the concept of learning, the role of technology and the use of social networks in organizations. Through case study analysis students will explore the role of knowledge management within the strategy of the organization.

International Marketing

This course covers all the fundamentals of International Marketing. The purpose of this course is to help students prepare global marketing activities. Students will learn how identify potential foreign markets, design entry strategies and implement a global Marketing mix as well as a global budget. Researching international markets and understanding international organizations are a key part of this module.

Introduction to Corporate Strategy

This course provides an introduction to corporate strategy including both classical approaches as well as latest thinking. In order to determine the strategic position of a company, its environment, strategic capacity and purpose, as well as the company’s culture need to be understood, evaluated and determined. Students evaluate strategic choices at the business and corporate level, including international strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship. Strategy in action includes how to organize for success in an environment of continuous change. An introduction to Blue Ocean Strategy – the strategic tool of the 21st century, shows a different approach to strategy.

Operations Management

This course will introduce you to a core business function: ‘Operations Management’ with its set of concepts, skills and tools used to create and add value to the manufacturing of goods and to the delivery of services. Because modern ‘Operations Management’ (OM) plays a strategic practical role in realizing a competitive advantage, the critical decisions made by Operations Managers will be emphasized. The course’s scope of how organizations transform inputs into outputs will be extended to SCM (Supply Chain Management), with built-in sustainability concerns. It will cover topics such as TQM (Total Quality Management), JIT (Just-in-Time), ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning), etc. Other fundamental topics such as Production Planning, Inventory Control, Technology management, Productivity and Performance Measurements, Management of Service operations will provide the practical dimension of ‘Operations Management’ that contributes, altogether with its processes and strategies, to corporate success. Case studies, Excel applications, and video clips from the textbook’s resources will complement the topics to be covered. The course will center on the Case Studies at the end of each chapter in the textbook. In addition, the students will prepare a report on a selected OM and /or SCM topic and present in the class at the end of the term.

Psychology for Business

This course will cover the essentials of psychology. Psychology is a broad topic covering various aspects of human behaviour. The purpose here is to see how Psychology can help understand business behaviour. We will start with an introduction to Psychology covering various approaches to the science of psychology. Then we will look at the topic of sensation and perception and see how gesture and physical posture can express someone’s thoughts. We will look at language and intelligence and find thinking strategies. Motivation and Emotion have implication in business. We will also explore social psychology and Industrial and Organizational psychology.

Introduction to Manage your Self-Effectiveness

Employers , employees, entrepreneurs are facing ever-greater demands in the marketplaces . It demands increased productivity, greater customer focus, better sales results, expansion of responsibilities and creating sustainable results for the environment. All these factors combine to increase the workload. This in turn can lead to frustrations, which in turn can give rise to conflicts. Employees do not have a clear insight into what is required to improve their performances, or are unable to respond flexibly to rapidly changing working conditions. Participants of this program learn how to unlock their own talents and potential, enabling them to pioneer and maximize their performance. This is achieved through highly effective communication techniques, and by learning to identify the counterproductive aspects of their own behaviour.

Job Hunting Skills

The purpose of this course is to help young graduates quickly enter the competitive employment marketplace, making a difference in getting noticed. The job market is difficult for young graduates with limited work experience. The course will help you find internships and jobs through the Internet and networking. Social networks can help develop job opportunities. Writing a strong CV, and its introduction into a company website as well as preparing for different types of Interviews are fundamentals in the job-hunting process. The course will include opportunities for interview practice.

Managing Social and Environmental Responsability

The course is designed for BBA students to introduce all the fundamentals of Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability through pragmatic case study approach with introduction to important theoretical concepts and frameworks. The course offers a good understanding of this complex discipline that enables students to appreciate different viewpoints. It offers an overview of the different possible and pragmatic ways to set up a CSR and Sustainability program in place meeting its pre-requisites, opportunities and challenges. Students will study the systematic considerations involving the stakeholder perspective to business. Understanding the benefits of CSR and sustainability for business and society will serve as a basis to critically evaluate leadership and strategy of a socially and environmentally responsible management. Students will analyze how a company can measure social, environmental and economic performance and impact and what it means for a business to embrace accountability in a global context.

Political Economy

The course studies globalization in its political, cultural and economic dimensions and examines the institutions and forces which are active in shaping it. We will first examine various perspectives on international political economy (IPE) ranging from laissez-faire liberal perspective to structuralist and alternative views. Next, we study the structures of IPE, where not only international trade and finance structure but also global security and knowledge & technology structures will be examined. The third part of the course will highlight the IPE approach to international development where the emergence of the BRICs, the role of major international institutions and NGOs, including the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO, as well as their importance in global business activities is emphasized. The advantages and disadvantages of regional economic integration are discussed. Last, we will study the origins and implications of a number of current transnational problems and dilemmas, such as the illicit global economy, migration and tourism, food and hunger, oil & energy, and the environment. Class review of current events and case studies are used to exemplify the underlying concepts.

Entrepreneurship

This course will provide participants with very practical knowledge and tools about entrepreneurship and leadership.Focus will be placed on key aspects of entrepreneurship including : identifying and evaluating opportunities, writing a business plan, developing a business model, marketing for entrepreneurs, raising capital and building a successful team. The course will also provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and foundation in leadership necessary to be effective in a variety of settings. Participants will develop an understanding of the components that make leadership successful. They will gain both the theoretical and practical skills necessary for success. A number of teaching methods will be used in this module including lectures, group activities, problem-solving scenarios, case studies, videos and guest speakers.

Solving big problems

This course looks at the big problems in business, society and the environment and how they may be solved. Big problems are those that if solved even partly will transform industries and change the way we live. Examples include viable alternative energy, affordable transportation based on fossil-free fuel, addressing environmental damage, developing treatment for diseases neglected for economic reasons, alleviating food and water shortages, responding to disasters, and bringing products to ignored markets. Big problems are complex, systemic, and difficult to solve. Solving them requires creativity, managerial skills, and an understanding of the world. This is a learning-through-discovery course seeking to develop your critical, entrepreneurial, and integrative thinking.

Sales and Key Account Management

This course will cover all the essentials of sales and selling techniques. Selling is a hard job. It is even more so when there are unfavourable economic circumstances such as high exchange rates or economic crisis. This course will help you identify your target and prospect effectively until you can close a deal. You will learn to develop the kind of confidence that will give you the edge in any sales situation. You will learn a series of mental tools and strategies to perform at your best and will be able to create a sales blueprint to achieve your goals.

Integrated Business Management

This course provides an integrative overview of how a business is managed. By focusing on service companies, students study the both the functioning and the interaction of all areas of business including marketing, operations, finance, Human Resources. Students evaluate the importance of customer satisfaction and relationship marketing to understand the nature of service and the customer logic. Integrating all disciplines to evaluate and measure business performance from an integrated perspective is essential for a global and holistic understanding of any business.