SEN1341 Beyond the Salesperson: The Future of Automotive Retailing

(Student Instructor: Matthew Safalow) It's 2023, and car dealerships still haven't figured out how to provide the ideal car buying experience. Customers become easily defeated by endless negotiation with salespeople, finance managers, and others. In fact, after members of Congress, car salespeople are ranked as the least trusted professionals in the US. In this course, students will explore the strategies of automotive retailers. We'll learn about electric vehicles, automotive finance, marketing, and sales, and we will hear from guest presenters from automakers and large dealership groups. Ultimately, students will redefine and imagine the future of car buying.

Tuesdays 6:30 - 9:00 pm

SCN3600: Biomimicry Applying Natures Design for Business

4 advanced liberal arts credits

In this course we will investigate the tools and principles of biomimicry, which seek to sustainably solve current challenges by taking inspiration from how nature solves these same problems. Nature provides us with an incredible amount of research and development for effective problem-solving methodologies with the ultimate test for organisms being survival of the fittest. For the past 3.8 billion years, life has evolved strategies that are constantly integrated and optimized to create conditions conducive for life to continue. Successful examples of biomimicry include something as simple as Velcro (imitating burrs that stick to sheep) to cutting edge advancements like a bionic leaf producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight (imitating photosynthesis) and medical grade internal adhesives (imitating how mussels adhere underwater).

In this course we will begin by exploring design principles in biology, chemistry and physics and applying them to specific technological design strategies by asking questions like "How does nature make color?" and "How does nature water-proof something?" Then we will explore ecological design principles to understand how we can use nature's strategies of interconnectedness and cycling as a way to solve problems in businesses and organizations and move toward the circular economy. This course will emphasize the development of skills in critical thinking, synthesis of information, scientific literacy, hand-on exercises, and current topical issues in biomimicry.

Prerequisites: NST1XXX

CSP2030 Black American Music
(Formerly CVA2030 African American Music in the U.S.)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts Credits

This course surveys music created by and about African Americans from the 19th century to the present, including spirituals, gospel, ragtime, blues, jazz, classical, R&B, rock and roll, soul, funk, disco, and rap. The course will emphasize: (1) African origins, and the historical and sociocultural contexts in which African American musical styles developed; (2) nontechnical musical analysis of the works studied; (3) the reciprocal relationships between African American music and other American music; and (4) the ways in which music participates in and shapes our national perceptions of and debates over race. No musical background required.

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)

OIM3560 Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies
(Formerly MIS3560 The Blockchain: Bitcoin, Smart Contracts, and Other Applications)
4 Advanced Management Credits

**Students who took this as MIS3560 cannot take this course**

MIS3505 and MIS3605 significantly overlap topics covered in MIS3560. Students who take MIS3505 OR MIS3605 cannot take MIS3560.

This course is about an exciting new technology called the blockchain. The blockchain is the technology behind bitcoin and other forms of digital cash. In this course, you will learn about the algorithms and protocols that enable blockchain creation, the theory behind and the potential of cryptocurrencies, how blockchains are used to enforce smart contracts, and how many other blockchain applications work.

Prerequisites: None

OIM7565 Blockchain Ventures
(Formerly MIS7565)
1.5 Elective Credits

If you took and passed MIS7565, you cannot register for OIM7565, as these two courses are equivalent

Blockchain Ventures takes students through a series of frameworks and case studies to highlight the specific benefits of blockchain and its applicability into various markets. Some existing markets, some new markets = new ventures. We will cover introductory overview and get into case studies of new ventures and projects within larger enterprises. We will also cover ICOs and fundraising mechanisms. And the regulatory environment in the US and globally. We will cover cryptocurrencies (bitcoin, ethereum, zcash, ripple, others) and Web3.0, DAPPS and emerging business models in these new frameworks.

Prerequisites: None

SEN1342 Bop to the Top: Practicum in Artist Management

(Student Instructor: Divya Achanta) Baby, to be number one you got to raise the bar. Grind out [your] best, anything it takes to climb the ladder of success. Despite being active consumers of music, many of us do not get the opportunity to be a part of the industry. In this course, students will learn an overview of music-specific concepts tailored to their interests. With an emphasis on artist management, this seminar covers branding, touring, merchandising, and musical career development for singers like Tyler the Creator and Taylor Swift. Students will end with a capstone presentation making career-sustaining recommendations for an independent artist of their choice.

Wednesdays 6:30 - 9:00 pm

MKT4515 Brand Management
4 CreditsBrand Management is an advanced marketing course that will prepare students to lead a brand-centered marketing team in the consumer products/services arena. The emphasis in the course is on marketing plans and day-to-day decision-making. Marketing decisions are usually made in a context of imperfect information, decision models that combine analysis with judgment, and a marketplace that is fast-changing. The course will prepare students to operate successfully in this real-world environment. The concept of _brand equity_ will be a unifying theme throughout.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: SME2011 or MKT2000

MKT7572 Brand Management
3 CreditsBrand Management is an advanced marketing course that will prepare students to lead a brand- centered marketing team in the consumer products/services arena. Branding and marketing decisions are usually made in a context of imperfect information, decision models that combine analysis with judgment, and a marketplace that is fast-changing. The emphasis in the course is to explore _what every brand/product manager needs to know_ to operate successfully in this real world environment. The concept of _brand equity_ is the unique aspect of this course versus other marketing classes and will be a unifying theme throughout. Understanding how to build strong brands is the strategic imperative of the course.

This class will first cover the role market research plays in helping make informed brand decisions. Next, the course will explore key branding concepts and frameworks that lead to effective management of these brands. Finally, the course concludes with applying these key strategic branding concepts to the more tactical aspects of executing a brand's marketing efforts. In this final section of the course, we will devote 4 classes to building brands in the Web 2.0 world.
In addition, given the course's focus on _what every brand/product manager needs to know_, 4-5 contemporary branding experts in key fields, such as branding law and digital/social media, as well as senior marketing executives, will be guests in class, adding their current and relevant branding experiences to the class discussions.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800 or equivalent core

LAW3573 Building Contracts for New Ventures
4 General Credits

Every business operates in a supply chain in which it buys and sells goods and services. The links to these suppliers and customers are formalized in contracts, which is why all managers should know something about how to read and write a contract. This course will teach you how to do that. We will review basic principles of contract law and apply them in a wide variety of transactions. The course will be writing intensive and will equip you to do on the spot drafting and to understand drafts produced by your counterpart. This skill will enhance your ability to negotiate and structure deals. The foundation law course is a prerequisite, as is a solid ability to write.

Prerequisites: LAW1000

MOB3523 Building an Inclusive Organization: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in the Workplace
4 Advanced Management Credits

People in the workplace are constantly interacting with peers, managers, and customers with very different backgrounds and experiences. This course is designed to help students navigate diverse settings more effectively and improve their ability to work within and lead diverse teams and global organizations. It also offers students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking on topics such as identity, relationships across difference, bias, and equality of opportunity in organizations around the world and how they relate to organizational issues of equality of opportunity, inclusion, and effectiveness. Class sessions will be experiential and discussion-based. Readings, self-reflection, guest lectures, case studies, organizational audits, and a team project will also be emphasized.

Prerequisites: (FME1000 and FME1001) or (MOB1010 and EPS1000)