300

Students explore extensive practical application of diverse forms of written and oral business communication with the aid of technology. Topics include writing effective memos, reports and e-mail messages; using multimedia Power Point slides in presentations; facilitating business meetings; creating resumes; using online blogs and wikis; and handling the challenges of international and cross-cultural communication.

This course is an introduction to the concepts, principles, problems, and practices of operations management. Operations management is directly involved in the creation and delivery of an organization's goods and/or services. Emphasis is on managerial processes for effective operations in both goods-producing and service-rendering organization. Topics include operations strategy, process design, capacity planning, facilities location and design, forecasting, production scheduling, inventory control, quality assurance, and project management. The topics are integrated using a systems model of the operations of an organization.

The course introduces students to the historical development, structure, operation, as well as the current and future directions of the major components of the American health care delivery system. It examines the ways in which health care services are organized and delivered, the influences that impact health care public policy decisions, factors that determine the allocation of health care resources and the establishment of priorities, and the relationship of health care costs to measurable benefits. Issues concerning health insurance, health care facilities, various health care services, and medical products will be analyzed to help students become wise health care consumers.

This course will cover procurement to include the purchase of materials, work-in-process, finished goods, and services by the procurement function of an organization. The importance of procurement in providing a sustainable competitive advantage through lower costs, higher quality, and better service for both internal and external customers will also be covered.

This course covers managing a value-added service business; customer expectations of service and quality; use of the Internet and related technology to transform businesses; interplay among managerial, personnel and technology issues that will shape the future of business; identification of emerging forms of business models observable on the Web; and analysis of management practices using case studies. Entrepreneurship and franchising are also covered in this course.

Topics covered include personnel recruiting, selection, orientation, placement, training, and development; performance evaluation, wage and salary administration; employee benefits; and safety and health issues.

Students explore human behavior in the organization and how it affects and is affected by management; organizational psychology; corporate culture; and individual, group and intergroup relationships.

This skill-building course stresses supervisory competencies: self assessment, time and stress management, creative problem solving, motivation and performance, conflict management, power and influence and team building. Emphasis is on in-class group exercises.

Business Administration Special Topics courses are offered periodically, in various terms, to students who want to expand their knowledge on a particular management related topics. These courses are offered in various teaching formats and require significant student participation.

An introduction to entrepreneurship, this seminar will focus on developing entrepreneurial thinking skills. The application of critical thinking skills and the identification of viable entrepreneurial concepts will be explored. We will then focus on developing entrepreneurial venture strategies. This involves learning how to identify a new venture's market niche, defining a business strategy, and determining when to launch the venture. Venture capital and financing issues will be explored. Identification and evaluation of various types of entrepreneurial opportunities including e-commerce will be addressed. A final project is required for academic credit.

This is an introductory seminar in the area of business ethics clarifying the purpose of codes of conduct: be it ethical, moral or civil. This seminar will address the challenges facing organizations and businesses to educate employees on the proper behaviors in the workplace. Through the use of films, group discussions and presentations, this seminar will prove to be an exciting learning experience in a very practical and important dimension of business.

As people move up the organizational ladder they are often thrown into situations for which they are not prepared.  Social skills and etiquette are requirements for leaders of today.  This seminar will provide an opportunity to learn about wine and formal dining etiquette with an Illinois sommelier at a local restaurant, how to handle challenging etiquette conversations and situations, as well as additional topical etiquette issues.

The fundamental activity of a startup is to turn ideas into products or services, measure how customers respond, and then learn whether to change or grow. In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to the Lean Startup management concepts and techniques. They will also experience and apply these concepts on hands-on exercises and simulation games. In short, you will walk out with a thorough understanding and working experience with how to start your business or develop a new product or service in a lean and productive way.

This workshop is designed as a first step for those thinking of setting up a new business, but don't know how to take it further. The workshop will go through a host of activities to assist in the concepts of thinking critically and creatively, to develop a business idea. It will also discuss business formation and other preliminary steps to business ownership.

A prototype is an unfinished and physical test version of a product, a service, or a process and prototypes may be used in order to develop, test and communicate ideas and concepts. This workshop will demonstrate how to operate a basic 3D Design Software package. Participants in this workshop will use this software to design a customized keychain that can be printed in our lab. The skills learned this workshop can be easily applied to create a wide variety of fun and useful 3D printable objects.

This workshop provides students, early in their college career, an introduction to the soft skills that make or break a business career - business etiquette, professionalism, and business ethics. Students become familiar, and experience all the educational and support resources available at Lewis University to build their portfolio of professional skills, such as basic computer skills and resume writing. This workshop is a prerequisite for 3 additional workshops dedicated to preparing students for a successful career in any field of business.

Through a series of Executive Briefings and visits to local, regional and national company sites, students are exposed to a myriad of business environments where they can compare, contrast, and witness the authentic world of business. With executive guidance, students will develop strong resumes and engage in opportunities to further develop professional networking and communication skills.

In this workshop, students will apply their newly acquired leadership and project management skills to solve a real and genuine problem faced by many business organizations. A powerful result of these activities will be advanced development of their interviewing and presentation skills.

Students will develop both online and offline portfolios that showcase their background, skills and experience as they relate to the needs of a potential employer in their job and career search. Students will engage in a variety of real-world opportunities that will allow students to showcase their business expertise.