Curriculum

The European Union, NAFTA, APEC, and other
regional economic agreements offer important opportunities
and challenges for global managers. This course examines such issues as the origins and future of regional agreements; and their implications in such areas as trade, finance, and worker, environmental and other business regulations. The course may focus on a particular regional economic agreement or compare
different agreements.

This is a practically oriented course that provides participants with a number of tolls necessary for the successful operation of a business. The course begins with a brief introduction to the risk management process and to commercial insurance concepts. After the introduction, nine specific topics will be addressed. Each topic will require participants to read materials and to access the Internet for additional information. Internet resources will be emphasized not only because of their ease of use but also to identify websites that can be used for years to come.

Fundamentals I is intensive and emphasizes interactive activities that develop oral proficiency. Participants study the four communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing)with emphasis on the development of oral interaction. The use
of a cassette player may be required. Classes meet four times a week.

This is an introductory course for beginning language learners. No prior knowledge is required. Students study language fundamentals such as pronunciations, vocabulary and grammar. The emphases are: a) establishing a solid foundation in pronunciations; b) building up vocabulary and sentence patterns in communicative contexts; c) introducing writing systems and preparing students to read characters. In addition, cultural and social information that go along with language use are also included in the teaching.

This course instructs the participant in the design, application and use of structured products. Structured finance remains the fastest growing financial market instrument ever with an estimated $10 trillion outstanding. The course will analyze all forms of structured instruments in use today and examine their purpose, function, cost, and risks relative to alternative financial instruments. The course will also explore the recent crisis in the CMO market and what went wrong.

As we take the first steps in a networked economy, the transformation of our ways of doing business has become profound. The World Wide Web, MP3 compression, digital interactive television, wireless communication, video streaming, podcasting, video sharing, thin computing, and social networks are redefining the ways we interact with customers and manage market(ing) relationships.

The course objective is to provide an increased understanding of merger, acquisition, and restructuring activity. The course begins with a discussion of the basics of M&A analysis and a review of valuation techniques. We then discuss the theory of acquisitions as value-creating (or value-destroying) events and the use of corporate restructuring to increase the value of the firm to shareholders. Legal issues related to M&A?s, takeover strategies, and takeover defense tactics will then be discussed and illustrated through case analyses.

The goal of this course is to offer a variety of opportunities for students to learn about social entrepreurship and engage students in learning the contributors to high-performing social enterprises. Students will explore stories of established environmental and social enterprises through books and case studies to uncover common themes and approaches. In addition, students will engage in class discussion for full emersion into the mindset of socially oriented businesses and activities.

This course will provide seminar participants a richer understanding and an appreciation of the South African business environment in the contexts of the Southern African sub-region, the African continent, and the international economy.