THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

ACADEMIC MISSION AND PROGRAM

The mission of the AUA School of Business and Management (SBM) is to provide the highest quality education for business and academic leaders, and to promote the advancement of the understanding and practice of management through research, case analysis and projects. The School of Business and Management appreciates and values differences inherent within the geographical region. As an organization, it is committed to building and sustaining an environment conducive to capitalizing on the diversity within the region as a source of intellectual and professional growth and innovation.

The School of Business and Management offers a two-year, full-time graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA). The MBA is designed to prepare future business entrepreneurs, managers, and executives of private enterprises, and governmental and non-governmental organizations. It is expected that the graduates of the School of Business and Management will assume leadership positions and play pivotal roles in the development of Armenia's and the region's economies, private businesses, and international economic relations.

In an era marked with profound technological and institutional changes, communication revolution, globalization of the market place, and the transition to a free market economy, the ability to adapt to new conditions and realities is an essential requirement for effective and innovative management. The future leaders of both private and public sectors in the region must not only have the technical competence and knowledge to manage organizations and people, but, also, to act as agents of change for the future.

The MBA program is designed to help future managers interact freely and effectively within the global, competitive environment. The curriculum also takes into consideration the unique economic conditions, the social mores, and the cultural needs of the region.

Rubina Ohanian, Ph.D.

Rubina Ohanian, Ph.D., is the Dean of the School of Business and Management and the Director of the Center for Business Research and Development at AUA. Dr. Ohanian is the Global Lead for Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications Industries at NCR/Teradata, a leading provider of enterprise analytical technologies and services. She has held positions as the VP of Marketing and CRM at Sony Pictures, an Associate Partner at Accenture, a leading international consulting firm and the Vice President of Market Intelligence at Mpower Communications. Dr. Ohanian has also served as Director of Market Intelligence at BellSouth Corporation. She has consulted for companies such as Coca-Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken and MCI to name a few. Her educational achievements include a B.B.A. in Marketing with a minor in Petroleum Engineering, an M.B.A. in Finance and Statistics, and a Ph.D. in Advertising and Mass Communications from the University of Texas at Austin. She has authored and co-authored over thirty articles in marketing and advertising research and strategy.

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)

OVERVIEW OF THE MBA PROGRAM

The MBA program offers two concentrations: Accounting/Finance and Marketing/Management. To graduate a student must ensure that a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is maintained.

The first year of the MBA program consists of all required courses for the students meaning there are no elective courses during the first year. At the end of the first year and on the last Thursday in November, students must declare a concentration -- either Marketing and Management or Accounting and Finance. This declaration will be made to both the Dean’s and the Registrar’s offices. Upon declaration of concentration, students are assigned an advisor matched to their selected field of concentration.

During the second year, students must complete a minimum of thirteen (13) courses. Each student must successfully complete an Internship Program (BM800) and a Corporate Ethics and Responsibility (BM516) course. Both BM800 and BM516 are required for all MBA candidates. Of the remaining eleven (11) courses, seven (7) courses must be in their selected concentration area. The remaining four (4) courses can be selected either from their concentration area or if, in addition to the concentration, a student desires to minor in another Business area (specialization), then at least 3 courses must be completed from the non-declared concentration area. Students must meet all pre-requisite requirements prior to registering for courses. Additionally, where there is a cap on class size provided by the instructor, students of the relevant major concentration will receive priority enrollment.

In summary, first year MBA students will take all required courses, unless a waiver examination, where applicable, is successfully completed, while second year MBA students will have the flexibility to add elective courses to their required curriculum. This provides the opportunity to establish a concentration while acquiring a specialization in another area.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The MBA degree is awarded once a year during the Fall Quarter. To graduate with a MBA degree, students must successfully complete a total of twenty-five (25) courses, equivalent to ninety-eight (98) credit hours. In order to qualify as an MBA candidate, students must:

• Earn a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) both for the MBA program and their selected concentration,
• Complete a pre-approved Internship Program (BM800) and a Corporate Ethics and Responsibility (BM516) course, and
• Enroll for a minimum of two (2) academic years as a full-time student (i.e., present and participating in all classes).

THE MBA CURRICULUM

The MBA courses are divided into twelve (12) required core courses during the first year and thirteen (13) courses during the second year, of which one (1) is an internship course. With the exception of Environmental Management (ESC295), which is two (2) credits, each course is equivalent to four (4) credits. Graduate students must carry a full-time course load for each quarter during which they are enrolled in the School of Business and Management. A course load of sixteen (16) credit units is usually needed each quarter. Prior approval from the Dean or the Associate Dean is mandatory before registration for an overload, which is not to exceed 20 credit hours, or for acquiring part-time status.

REQUIRED FIRST YEAR COURSES

The required courses during the first year are designed to introduce the student to:

• A set of Accounting and Finance and Marketing and Management analytic concepts, tools, and techniques drawn from economics, mathematics, quantitative and statistical analysis, and computer based information systems, psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, ethics, and philosophy, which are essential for rational decision-making in a modern and complex economic environment,
• A common body of knowledge about human factors, organizational structures and behaviors, and other economic, political, and social forces that shape and constrain management decisions.

This lock-step program model is common for many business programs across the world. During their first year of the MBA program, students will not be allowed to register in second year courses. Importantly, recognizing that in certain exceptional cases a student stands to loose one year due to failing a first year MBA course or from waiving a first-year course, a special exception, in such cases, can be made but is subject to approval

• Student waives one or more courses from the first year (number of waiver exams are limited to three courses).
• Student fails one course in the first year and must repeat such course. The cumulative GPA of such students must be at least 3.0.

In such cases, the student must ensure that s/he has completed all pre-requisites for the second year courses. Should first year students register and complete a second year course without the pre-approval of the Dean, the SBM reserves the right to reject this course as part of the credit hours requirement. No other relaxation of rules is envisaged.

SECOND YEAR COURSES

Students must have successfully completed all required first year courses (excluding ESC295) prior to enrolling in second year courses. If a student fails to achieve a passing grade in a course and subsequently fails the re-examination (if specifically provided for in the syllabus of that course) for that course, then the student must re-enroll and successfully complete that course during the time it is next offered. If a first year student has failed to pass a course, then his/her ability to take any second year course will be conditional on the successful completion of the failed course(s). Case method is utilized during the second year of the MBA program.

INTERNSHIP

An Internship at an approved organization is an essential requirement for all MBA candidates. Internships are required after completing the first year. This experiential learning component of the MBA program provides a medium where materials learned in the classroom are applied in a tangible situation. Students, working individually or in teams, work with small/medium size businesses, manufacturing companies, governmental agencies or non-profit and/or service organizations in order to analyze and solve actual and current problems facing the organization.

While the internship requirement can be completed anytime during the second year, it is recommended that most internships be completed during December/January and August. When it is scheduled at other times, students will be responsible for continued class attendance at AUA.

Details of the objectives, requirements and procedures of the Internship Program are made available to eligible students. All students must petition for Internship approval at the Dean’s and Registrar’s office and receive the pre-approval of the Dean’s office. Students are required to meet regularly with their faculty advisor and to present a final report detailing their Internship Program experiences.

Faculty

MHAER ALAHYDOAIN, JD, MBA, University of California at Berkeley
Visiting Instructor (Management)
Co-Founder and Interim Chief Financial Officer, Il Pomodoro D’Oro

ANNA ANDRIASOVA, MBA, American University of Armenia
Visiting Instructor (Marketing)
Doctoral Candidate, University of Texas at Austin

JANET COX, Ph.D., Georgia State University
Visiting Associate Professor (Management and Leadership)
President, Corporate Change Strategist

ROY DODGE, FCCA, UK
Senior Lecturer (Accounting)
Chairman, IAB Center

MATHAI BAKER FENN, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Visiting Associate Professor (Management)
Assistant Professor, XLRI, School of Management and Labour Studies, Jamshedpur

MAHMOUD M. HADDAD, Ph.D., University of Alabama
Visiting Professor (Finance)
Professor of Finance, University of Tennessee at Martin

JASON HARRIS-BOUNDY, Ph.D., University of Washington
Visiting Assistant Professor (Management)
Assistant Professor, San Francisco State University

KAREN HOVHANISSIAN, Ph.D., University of Siena, Italy
Visiting Assistant Professor (Economics)

JAMES McHUGH, Ph.D., Oxford University, United Kingdom
Visiting Associate Professor (Management)
Resident Representative, International Monetary Fund, Armenia

JULIA NEWTON, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
Professor (Marketing)
Associate Professor, University of Incarnate Word

RUBINA OHANIAN, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
Professor and Dean, Director of Center for Business Research and Development
Global Lead for Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications Industries, NCR/Teradata

SUDIPTA SARANGI, Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Visiting Assistant Professor (Economics and Finance)
Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University

NANCY J. SCANNELL, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Chicago
Visiting Assistant Professor (Economics)
Associate Professor, The University of Illinois

ANINDYA SEN, Ph.D., University of Southern California
Visiting Professor (Economics)
Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta

PURUSOTTAM SEN, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta
Associate Dean and Professor (Finance)
Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta

G.SHAINESH, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore,
Visiting Associate Professor (Marketing)
Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore

ALEXAN SIMONIAN, Ph.D., Moscow State University, Russia
Associate Professor (Quantitative Methods)
Professor, Agribusiness Teaching Center, affiliate of Texas A&M University

M. VEN VENKATESAN, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Visiting Professor (Marketing)
Professor, University of Rhode Island

PINGALI VENUGOPAL, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Visiting Professor (Marketing)
Professor, XLRI, JAMSHEDPUR

M. J. Xavier, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta
Visiting Professor (Marketing)
Professor, Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai, India

Course Listing and Descriptions

Accounting

BM421 Financial Accounting (4 credit units)
In 1998, Armenia adopted a financial accounting model similar to that found in many developed market economies. This course is based on Financial Accounting practices in Armenia although there are references to practices in other countries where this helps with the learning process. Financial Accounting is concerned with an entity’s legal requirement to report financial information to external users. This course assumes that Senior Managers are consumers of that financial information; they are not its producers. It is, therefore, vital for MBA students to develop a critical awareness of significance of information in financial statements produced by their own organization and to be able to analyze the information contained in the financial statements of competitors and other related organizations.
* Pre-requisite: None

BM423 Cost Accounting (4 credit units)
This course presents cost accounting in the context of a managerial tool for decision-making, planning, and control. Topics covered include different costs for different purposes (a study of the different concepts of cost), cost-volume-profit analysis including operational gearing, overhead cost absorption and activity based costing, relevant costs for short-term decision making, standard costing and variance analysis and budget preparation. It provides an excellent foundation for subsequent studies in managerial accounting, and the knowledge gained in some parts of the course is relevant to the auditing course.
* Pre-requisite: None

BM520 Managerial Accounting (4 credit units)
This course is an introduction to the use of accounting in enterprises for managerial planning and control. The focus will be on understanding and interpreting cost data, control reports and performance evaluation methods, and the use of accounting information in decision-making. Case studies will be utilized. Specific topics to be covered include product costs, cost reports, relevant costs for short-term and long-term decisions, and accounting controls for production activities and for decentralized operations, including transfer pricing.
* Pre-requisites: BM421 Financial Accounting and BM423 Cost Accounting

BM522 Armenian Taxation (4 credit units)
This course focuses on all relevant Armenian Tax issues. Emphasis will be placed on taxes impacting business activities including: profits tax, income tax, VAT, excise tax, property tax, and tax administration. This course has a strong practical element in that students will be required to prepare various types of tax computations and offer advice on tax planning. Comparisons will also be made to tax regimes in developed market economies, such as the UK.
* Pre-requisites: BM421 Financial Accounting and BM423 Cost Accounting

BM524 International Accounting (4 credit units)
The general aim of this course is to develop the students’ ability to recognize the effect of differences in accounting practices between countries. In so doing, students will extend their knowledge in accounting theory, concepts and practices, particularly in the area of consolidation for multinational enterprises. The course includes a major research project on developments of accounting and auditing in Armenia
* Pre-requisites: BM421 Financial Accounting and BM423 Cost Accounting

BM526 Auditing (4 credit units)
The objective of this course is to review the theory and practice underlying the auditor's examination and reporting on financial statements. It includes professional ethics, internal controls, and the selection and application of auditing procedures with an emphasis on International Standards of Auditing.
* Pre-requisites: BM421 Financial Accounting and BM 423 Cost Accounting

BM528 Applied Armenian Accounting (4 credit units)
This course focuses on the practical aspects of accounting and accounting systems in Armenia, which are highly unified with standard documentation and a National Chart of Accounts. These aspects are not covered in any detail on the earlier accounting courses in the MBA program. Students will also learn how to use the accounting software that is popular in Armenia. The objective is to enable MBA graduates to discharge their duties as senior managers because in that capacity they are responsible for ensuring that the organization has adequate accounting systems and controls to discharge its legal obligations.
* Pre-requisites: BM421 Financial Accounting and BM 423 Cost Accounting

BM530 Special Topics in Accounting (4 credit units)
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to some of the emerging global trends in Accounting. The course covers concepts and practice not covered by other Accounting courses. The focus will be on areas that are likely to have wide applicability in Armenia and in the region.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

Economics

BM461 Managerial Economics (4 credit units)
This course is an introduction to microeconomic analysis useful for business managers. Topics covered include estimation of demand and supply functions, production functions, constrained output maximization and cost minimization, price determination in competitive and imperfect markets, strategic behavior, taxation, and governmental regulation of business.
* Pre-requisite: None

BM463 Macroeconomics (4 credit units)
This course is an introduction to models of the aggregate economy that are used for business forecasting: multiplier models, interest rate models, and aggregate supply-demand models. Specific topics covered include national income accounts, economic growth, business cycles, monetary and fiscal policies, exchange rate determination, and the trade-off between inflation and unemployment.
* Pre-requisite: None

BM562 Transitional Economies (4 credit units)
The purpose of this seminar course is to examine the current “transition economies issues”. Topics include macroeconomic issues (such as stabilization, unemployment, growth, and inflation), microeconomic issues (such as analysis of market structure, privatization, and financial markets), and economic analysis of related institutional topics.
* Pre-requisite: BM463 Macroeconomics

Finance

BM441 Financial Management (4 credit units)
The objective of this course is to analyze and manage the flow of funds through an enterprise, as well as, address the role of financial markets. Specific topics to be covered include financial statement analysis, the nature of risk, valuation of investments, optimum sources of financing, cash management, credit policy, cost of capital and capital budgeting.
* Pre-requisites: BM402 Business Statistics and BM461 Managerial Economics

BM540 Corporate Finance I (4 credit units)
This course addresses financial decision-making in the modern corporation. These decisions include choosing between competing investment opportunities, valuation of assets and financial instruments, measuring and managing risk, financing of the firm’s operations, dividend policy, and capital structure decisions, among others. Course concepts are integrated into the standard theories of risk and return, valuation of assets, the role of financial markets, and market structure.
* Pre-requisite: BM441 Financial Management

BM542 Corporate Finance II (4 credit units)
This course is an extension of Corporate Finance I (BM540). It involves case analysis and the application of theoretical concepts we learn in the real world. This process involves ingenuity, practicality, and tolerance of ambiguity, group effort, and an ability to innovate and brainstorm.
* Pre-requisite: BM540 Corporate Finance I

BM544 Investment Analysis (4 credit units)
This course will address the behavior of investment markets and pricing of securities. Topics include: security analysis, management of fixed-income securities, portfolio management, and equity investment strategies. Material on the operation of securities markets and institutional details of trading is also included.
* Pre-requisite: BM540 Corporate Finance I

BM546 Management of Financial Institutions (4 credit units)
This course focuses on the study of financial policies and practices of commercial banks, savings and loan associations, pension funds, insurance companies, and other major financial institutions. It will review the current major problems facing senior managers in these financial institutions.
* Pre-requisite: BM540 Corporate Finance I

BM548 International Financial Management (4 credit units)
This course emphasizes the management of exchange rate risk through the use of internationally traded derivatives: futures contracts, options, and futures options. Also considered are forward markets and “swaps”. Further, this course will examine financial practices and instruments – arbitrage, factoring, letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances, and electronic transfers and financial markets and institutions, including trans-national banks (IMF, World Bank), venture capital markets, and tax havens.
* Pre-requisite: BM540 Corporate Finance I

BM550 Management Control Systems (4 credit units)
This course will focus on providing skills on contemporary Management Control Systems methodologies, issues and controversies. This will be done in two parts. First, a conceptual introduction will be provided to Management Information Systems. The second part will provide an introduction to some of the current tools of Management Control Systems. This discussion will span areas such as control alternatives, planning and budgeting systems, issues in financial results control, contemporary issues in management controls and formal control models,
* Pre-requisites: BM405 Computer Applications in Business, BM421 Financial Accounting and BM423 Cost Accounting

BM552 Special Topics in Finance (4 credit units)
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to some of the emerging global trends in Finance. The course covers concepts and practice not covered by other Accounting courses. The focus will be on areas that are likely to have wide applicability in Armenia and in the region.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year.

Management

BM411 Introduction to Organization and Management (4 credit units)
The purpose of this course is to understand the interrelationships of structure, operations, and processes and how individual, group, and organizational behaviors influence operational, managerial, and strategic activities in the firm. Emphasis will be on acquiring knowledge and skills necessary for the effective practice of management. This course will rely on didactic lectures, group discussions, and experiential exercises as classroom teaching methods.
* Pre-requisite: None

BM414 Organizational Behavior (4 credit units)
This course is concerned with the study of human behavior in organizations: how people influence organizational events and how events within the organization influence people’s behavior. Organizational behavior is a field in which the principles of psychology are applied to both profit and non-profit business environments. Thus, it draws ideas from social psychology, learning theory, the psychology of perception, cognitive psychology, as well as, other areas of psychology. The field of organizational behavior covers a wide range of topics: organizational culture, motivation, decision-making, leadership, and communication.
* Pre-requisite: BM411 Introduction to Organization and Management

BM502 Organization Analysis and Change (4 credit units)
This course provides approaches to analyzing organizational structure and decision-making processes, including the study of organizations as systems in a rapidly changing global environment. Topics include: applied behavioral analysis, group development, decision-making, inter-group dynamics, transformational leadership models, change-management processes and strategies, and the effect of change on individuals and the organizational goals and strategies. This course will rely heavily on case analysis, along with didactic lectures, group discussions, and presentations.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM504 Human Resource Management (4 credit units)
The objective of this course is to introduce the student to a general overview of personnel policies and best practices in organizations. The course will focus on human resources from the perspective of the human resource professional. Specific topics to be covered include staffing, training and development, performance evaluation, compensation, employee discipline, work safety/health, and labor/management relations to name a few. This course will rely heavily on case analysis, along with didactic lectures, group discussions, and presentations.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM506 Production and Operations Management (4 credit units)
The focus of this course will be on the quantitative aspects of the elements, which contribute to the effective and efficient operations of an enterprise. Emphasis will be equally placed on the means for attaining organizational objectives for both service and manufacturing oriented entities. Topical areas will be the planning for and management of services and/or products, the design of processes, facility location and layout, forecasting, scheduling, and quality control.
* Pre-requisites: BM402 Business Statistics and BM405 Computer Applications in Business

BM508 Entrepreneurship (4 credit units)
Seminar exploring the complexities of creating and sustaining an entrepreneurial venture. We concentrate on the impact of innovative behavior and its implication to decision making. The primary focus of the course is on the behaviors involved in forming new enterprises: recognizing and evaluating opportunities; developing a network of support; building an organization; acquiring resources; identifying customers; estimating demand; selling, writing and presenting a business plan; and exploring the ethical issues entrepreneurs face. The course consists of case studies and discussion, in-class exercises, readings, guest speakers, and an outside project.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM510 Organizational Leadership I (4 credit units)
This course will focus on an overview of the fundamental concepts of leadership in today’s global marketplace. The course will serve as an introduction to tools for topics such as strategic thinking, leading change and performance, critical thinking, leading teams and groups, influencing others, conflict resolution and Emotional Intelligence to name a few. The method of instruction for this course will combine didactic lectures, self-assessments, case analysis and group interactions.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM512 Negotiations (4 credit units)
This course will focus on developing negotiation skills and practices. The course will provide a conceptual framework to diagnose problems and promote agreements, both outside and inside an organization, from preparing an argument and briefing a team to establishing the right atmosphere and closing a deal. Upon completion of this course, students will have a sound understanding of using negotiation and conflict resolution skills in a variety of settings. The method of teaching will be an interactive classroom involving didactic lectures, role simulations, and case analysis.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM516 Corporate Ethics & Responsibility (4 credit units)
This course is designed to examine contemporary issues in ethical behavior in organizations. Drawing from the fields of philosophy, law, ethics, business and society, and management, the course will explore decision dilemmas that require multi-disciplinary thinking as it pertains to corporate ethics and responsibility in today’s global marketplace. Emphasis will be to practice decision principles that allow students to take into account their own moral principles in making business decisions. This course will be taught drawing heavily on the case method along with didactic lectures, group discussions, and group presentations.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM518 Organizational Leadership II (4 credit units)
This course is designed to provide an in-dept examination of contemporary issues in organizational leadership. It is customized for students who have taken BM510 and are aspiring to acquire the necessary leadership skills and attributes to successfully compete in leadership roles in today’s global marketplace. Emphasis will be on helping each student become an ethical, effective, and empowered leader while inspiring excellence. The primary teaching method for this course will be case analysis, leadership training and experiential exercises.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year and BM510 Organizational Leadership I

BM519 Special Topics in Management (4 credit units)
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to some of the emerging global trends in management. The course covers concepts and practice not covered by other management courses. The focus will be on areas that are likely to have wide applicability in Armenia and in the region. The primary method of instruction will be didactic lectures, case analysis and group presentations.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

Marketing

BM481 Principles of Marketing (4 credit units)
This course is an introduction to the role of marketing within the business firm. Quantitative methods and behavioral theories are utilized. It provides the student an opportunity to apply analytical concepts and techniques developed in psychology, economic, quantitative analysis, accounting, and finance to marketing problems. The course will utilize case studies, and oral and written presentations. Specific topics to be covered include: customer analysis and buyer behavior, market segmentation, market research, distribution channels, product pricing and strategy, pricing, advertising, and sales force management.
* Pre-requisite: None

BM514 Strategic Management and Marketing (4 credit units)
It is an integrative course designed to provide an executive perspective of strategy. This course focuses on making and analyzing complex decisions to describe the firm’s strategies for long-term survival and growth in competitive markets. Techniques for analysis of environmental conditions and trends, opportunities and threats, and resource strengths and limitations are examined. The primary method of instruction will be case analysis.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM582 Advertising (4 credit units)
This course is designed to give students the basic understanding of advertising principles and practices. Methods used and effectiveness of various types of advertising will be analyzed. Because our environment has grown increasingly complex and technology is rapidly changing, it is essential that students understand the role played by advertising in our society and the advertising consequences: every principle and practice that stimulates the purchase act.
* Pre-requisite: BM481 Principles of Marketing

BM584 Applied Consumer Research (4 credit units)
This course examines and evaluates marketing information sources and information gathering methods used to identify and define business problems: generate, refine and evaluate actions and monitor performance.
* Pre-requisite: BM481 Principles of Marketing

BM586 Special Topics in Marketing (4 credit units)
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to some of the emerging global trends in marketing and advertising. The subjects of Armenian market trends are investigated, as well as, global technology and developments which then are applied to the country’s transitional business techniques. Different topics will be covered.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM588 Product Development and Pricing (4 credit units)
The purpose of this course is to explore various issues and problems that are faced by managers making decisions in the marketing of new products and services. The course is intended to acquaint students with the idea of a new product marketing process such as opportunity identification, pre-testing and test marketing, launching and the approaches in addressing relevant problems involving new products.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

BM590 Service Marketing (4 credit units)
Service Marketing is intended to broaden the understanding of how marketing is practiced in the service industry. The course will apply the principles of service marketing to organizations in the private, non-profit and public sectors. Service Marketing is designed to help individuals understand the critical elements in the development of customer satisfaction and service quality in today’s competitive business world.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year

Quantitative Methods

BM402 Business Statistics (4 credit units)
This course is an introduction to statistical methods and techniques as tools for management decision-making. Specific topics to be covered include: sampling and sampling distributions, parametric and non-parametric statistical inference methods, simple and multiple regression, and forecasting techniques as applied to business and management problems.
* Pre-requisite: None

BM405 Computer Applications in Business (4 credit units)
This course is designed to teach the use of relevant computer tools for business and management including: spreadsheets, databases, presentations and project management, personal finances, statistical analysis, etc. Major topics to be covered include Excel for Business (business data manipulation personal finance; linear programming for managerial and investment analyses; advanced statistical data analysis); Use of Statistical Software SPSS; Access Database for Business (tables, relationships, queries, forms, reports, import/export data); Power Point Presentations of Business Reports; HTML Web Design (personal pages and sites).
* Pre-requisite: BM402 Business Statistics

Internship

BM800 Internship (4 credit units)
An Internship is compulsory for every student and registration of this course is compulsory for every student after completion of the first year. As mentioned earlier, this experimental learning component of the MBA program provides a medium where materials learned in the classroom are applied in a tangible situation and is therefore considered a vital element of the MBA program.
* Pre-requisite: Completion of first year and approval of the internship by the Dean’s office

Important Note on Pre-requisites

As a point of clarification for MBA students, all first year courses are required. Successful completion of all first year courses (except ESC295) is an essential requirement and a pre-requisite for registering for any second-year course. Pre-requisites mentioned above do not, in any way, change this essential requirement.

Indications of pre-requisites are important for the following:

• To enable 2nd year MBA students to plan course selection keeping in view the pre-requisites of the course. For example it will not be possible to register for Organizational Leadership II if Organizational Leadership I has not been successfully completed
• To enable students from other programs of AUA to select courses for which they are eligible. Currently such students are allowed to select only from first year MBA courses.

Center for Business Research and Development

The Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD) was established in 1992 to help the economic development of Armenia in its transition to a market economy. The School of Business and Management administers the Center. CBRD carries out organized research and development projects through teams of faculty, local experts, and graduate assistants. Some of its studies and research projects include Synopsys Armenia, Virage Logic, The Echmiadzin Church, Nork Marash Medical Center, and Kotayk Beer.

CBRD serves as a resource for information and expertise for both local and foreign firms. CBRD was the first to provide “western” research and consulting services in the areas of business and management to Armenia. With this experience, CBRD has developed a unique mix of knowledge and capabilities that can apply to a wide range of problems that face Armenia.

CBRD is capable of designing and implementing a variety of studies and research projects. These include business analysis and planning, feasibility studies for business start-ups, market research and analysis, industry analysis, due diligence reviews and financial analysis, production planning and optimization, accounting conversion, and implementation of classroom and on-the-job training programs.

CBRD books and translations include: A. Aghabekyan, English-Armenian Dictionary of Business & Economics, 1998; P. Samuelson & W. Nordhaus, Economics, vol.1 and 2, 1996 and 1997; R. Heilbrowner & L. Thurow, Economics Explained, 1995; P. Drucker, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 1994; P. Hawken, Growing a Business, 1993.

For further information, write to: cbrd@aua.am

Last updated: August 24, 2007