Course Offerings
Consult the LORIS Browse Classes for a list of course offerings by term. Register for courses online using LORIS. Refer to MyLearningSpace to view course materials, or see your faculty member for further information on how to access your course material.
Required Course Descriptions
0.5 Credit
An examination of the key processes involved in managing the total enterprise from the point of view of the general manager. These include strategy formulation, implementation and change. The course seeks both to integrate material from other more specialized required courses and to familiarize students with the basic concepts, theories, tools and methods in the field of strategic management.
0.5 Credit
An overview of marketing management with an emphasis on understanding and applying theories and concepts in marketing. An analytical foundation for creating, communicating and implementing integrated marketing plans is developed and reinforced through application. The course also introduces the unique contexts of marketing and illustrates the need to integrate marketing with the other functional areas of business.
0.5 Credit
An introduction to the fundamentals of corporate finance, including securities valuation and interest rates, risk and return tradeoff involved in corporate investment decisions, capital budgeting and sources of long-term financing, capital structure decisions and how they affect corporate value, dividend policy and corporate restructuring, and sources of short-term financing and working capital management.
0.5 Credit
An introduction to the human side of managing organizations in today's environment, including links between the organization's strategy, its human resources, the internal systems and processes, and the outcomes achieved. Creating, managing and responding to change is a major focus.
0.5 Credit
An overview of important concepts and methods used in managing business operations. Topics include: product and process design, facility location and layout, capacity planning, quality assurance, materials management and scheduling. Essential ideas and techniques from probability, statistics, management science and information systems are also covered.
0.5 Credit
An introduction to the fundamental accounting skills required by managers, including the analysis of financial statements, the use of accounting information in both short-run and long-run decisions, and an understanding of the impact of management control systems on the organization.
0.5 Credit
The course introduces systematic approaches to management decision making under conditions of certainty and uncertainty. Applications of all approaches to functional areas of business will be considered through the use of case studies and computer software.
1.0 Credit
Prerequisites: BU601, BU602, BU603, BU604, BU605, BU607, BU609
This capstone course offers MBA learners a unique opportunity to integrate their diverse knowledge and skills gained throughout their program into practical business contexts. Through a collaborative and team-taught approach, students will explore advanced management topics and contemporary issues that are crucial in today's dynamic business landscape, including an applied business research field component and a not-for-profit organization practicum component.
Elective Course Descriptions
A dynamic blend of relevant course elective topics are offered within the Waterloo MBA program. Below are a sampling of potential electives that could be offered.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU601, BU602, BU603, BU604, BU605, BU606, BU607, BU609
Specializations: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
An understanding of the process of starting a new business, including the study of the characteristics of the entrepreneur, the identification and evaluation of opportunities, the assembly of resources and the development of the business plan. Franchising and starting a new venture by an established company are also examined.
0.5 Credit
Specializations: Data-Driven Business Intelligence
This course helps students become more sophisticated in terms of their personnel analytics to support decision making and prepare reports to present findings and recommendations. Students learn which analyses are appropriate for various kinds of HR-related data-driven questions. The types of analyses to which students may be exposed include but are not limited to: a brief introduction to psychometric theory; how to build predictive models of employee turnover and job performance; statistical methods for validation of HR assessment measures; estimation of adverse impact; utility analysis; how to analyze and interpret employee engagement data; multi-level analysis of organizational data; methods to investigate pay equity; methods to effectively visualize/communicate complex organizational data to decision-makers.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU607
Specializations: Financial Management for Professionals
The process and techniques by which management assures that the organization carries out its strategies effectively and efficiently. Management control systems focus on the control and motivation of managers as a means to the attainment of the organization’s strategy.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU604
Specializations: Strategic Leadership and Foresight
This course focuses on the nature of effective organizational leadership. Competent leadership will contribute to more effective management of people and organizations.
0.5 Credit
Specializations: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This course provides an understanding of the process of starting a new business dedicated to tackling social and environmental issues. The characteristics of the entrepreneur, the identification and evaluation of the opportunities, the assembly of resources and the development of the business plan will be covered. The method of instruction involves cases, lectures, and a research project.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU605
Specializations: Demand-Supply Dynamics and Customer Insights, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This course focuses on strategic issues and operational problems that are relevant to companies that source, produce, distribute and sell products and services in multiple nations and compete in the global arena. Inbound and outbound logistics in a global setting, the management of risks associated with fluctuating exchange rates, and other issues relating to the coordination of transnational supply chains are examined.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU602
Specializations: Demand-Supply Dynamics and Customer Insights
The use of marketing planning concepts, with particular emphasis on the determination of marketing strategy considering environmental, competitive and company characteristics.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU603
Specializations: Financial Management for Professionals
An introduction to the international tools and conceptual framework of financial analysis. All of the traditional areas of corporate finance are examined from the perspective of a multinational firm, with emphasis on those decision elements rarely encountered by the purely domestic firm.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU605
Exclusions: BU695q
Specializations: Demand-Supply Dynamics and Customer Insights
This course covers central topics in supply chain management and helps develop skills in managing the flow of goods and information between a firm and its suppliers and customers. The performance drivers of supply chain management are introduced: inventory, transportation, facilities, and information. Risk pooling, strategic alliances, and other key supply chain management ideas are examined.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU607
Exclusions: BU697l
Specializations: Financial Management for Professionals
This course familiarizes students with relevant tax rules, and how they are applied in day-to-day decisions faced by general managers and decision makers.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU602
Specializations: Demand-Supply Dynamics and Customer Insights
An analysis of the consumer decision process, consumer relations, marketing problems, consumer policies (education, protection, and information) and the many legal, social and media influences in the marketplace.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU605
Specializations: Data-Driven Business Intelligence
Transfer The course focuses on the scope and complexity of the issues and problems related to the strategic management of technology and innovation, and insights into the skills necessary to be effective as a manager in the technology transfer process.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU601
Specializations: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
An examination of strategy formulation and implementation in enterprises whose vital interests and major activities extend across national boundaries either by choice or competitive necessity. A variety of issues are investigated, including foreign market entry strategies, developing and sustaining international competitiveness, and adjusting to industry globalization.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU602, BU609
Specializations: Demand-Supply Dynamics and Customer Insights
The stages of the research process provide the framework for understanding marketing research as decision support for management. Research and analytic techniques frequently used in business are discussed and their application to a research project is required.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU603
Specializations: Financial Management for Professionals
This is a course in advanced corporate finance dealing with corporate valuation methods and applications to key corporate finance decisions. It covers the traditional valuation methods (i.e. discounted cash flow and relative valuation methods), as well as the contingent claims valuation approach (i.e. options theory based valuation). The applications of the traditional valuation methods to value-based management (i.e. mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring and capital structure choices) and of options theory to corporate finance will be emphasized.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU609
Exclusions: BU695h
Specializations: Data-Driven Business Intelligence, Demand-Supply Dynamics and Customer Insights
Statistics plays a role in virtually all areas of business. This course will develop student skills for application in all the functional areas of business.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU601, BU602, BU603, BU604, BU605, BU606, BU607, BU609 (or approval of the program director, based upon granted exclusions from the core curriculum)
Specializations: Data-Driven Business Intelligence
This course seeks to integrate principles of strategic management learned earlier in the program with the challenges of strategy implementation and strategy-related processes in the organization. The course takes a general management perspective, focusing on the challenge faced by business leaders with a mandate to put business strategy into action, and to ensure the continuing development and effectiveness of strategy.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU603
Specializations: Financial Management for Professionals
This course covers the theory and practice of security analysis and portfolio management using simulated trading. Coverage includes investment taxes, mutual fund management and equity and bond market analysis. Technical and fundamental analyses are also covered.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU605, BU609
Exclusions: BU695W
Specializations: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Project management is vital for effectively managing complex projects, which are the major tool for implementing and achieving the strategic goals and initiatives in most organizations. Effective project management makes possible rapid innovation and execution, better and more efficient use of firm resources,and increased cross-functional communications. This course covers both the technical elements (e.g., scope, schedules, resource and risk management)and the socio-cultural elements (e.g., leadership, teamwork, politics) needed to become a better project manager.
0.5 Credit
Prerequisites: BU604
Specializations: Strategic Leadership and Foresight
This course, which examines strategies for more effective human resources management in organizations, is divided into four major sections: the challenges facing human resources management; planning and staffing in organizations; employee development and evaluation; and the compensation and protection of employees.
0.5 Credits
Prerequisites: BU601, BU602, BU603, BU604, BU605, BU606, BU607, BU609
Specializations: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This course aims to address rapidly changing and globally competitive marketplace challenges by providing an understanding of both design and innovation and how managers will need to build and harness these capabilities to be competitive.
0.5 Credits
Prerequisites: BU601
Exclusions: BU691o
Specializations: Strategic Leadership and Foresight
This course explores the nature of the “triple bottom line” – the simultaneous delivery of economic, social, and environmental performance – by organizations. Sustainable enterprises use business as an instrument of social development and environmental improvement. Environmental thinking and social responsiveness are integrated proactively into core business processes, systems, and strategies. For a growing number of companies, competitive advantage is rooted in such new capabilities as pollution prevention, design for environment, social development, and stakeholder engagement. Through a combination of cases, readings, lectures, videos, guest speakers, projects, and simulations, students will engage in discussions aimed at developing strategy models and applying new strategy tools that integrate the principles of environmental management and social performance with competitiveness.
0.5 Credit
Specializations: Strategic Leadership and Foresight
This course provides students with an intensive exposure to Environment (E), Social (S) and Governance (G) finance. The emphasis is on the major financial implications associated with climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy. The course will focus on understanding various elements of impact investing related to ESG metrics, and the relevant ESG analytics. The course delves into corporate finance, portfolio allocation, credit risks, banking, and accounting disclosure aspects of ESG, with a particular focus on climate risk.
0.5 Credits
Prerequisites: BU601, BU602, BU603, BU604, BU605, BU606, BU607, BU609
Specializations: Strategic Leadership and Foresight
Corporate Governance examines broad topics that include legal frameworks for governance, board composition, directors' fiduciary and strategic responsibilties and monitoring roles, governance in specific industry and non-profit contexts, and current issues in governance.
This course will include 2 modules. The first covers the theory and practice of corporate governance. Broad topics include legal frameworks for governance, board composition, directors’ fiduciary and strategic responsibilities and their monitoring roles, governance in specific industry and nonprofit contexts and current issues in governance. The second module addresses types of risks and principles, instruments, and practices of enterprise risk management. It will include a special focus on managing certain types of risk (eg. reputational) and risk management in specific industry and nonprofit contexts.
0.5 Credits
Specializations: Strategic Leadership and Foresight
Corporate Strategy examines the strategic issues and decisions critical to the succes of multi-business enterprise. The course consists of four parts. The first part deals with foundational concepts (e.g., corprate advantage, synergies and governance). The second part examines increasing portfolio composition scope (e.g., diversification and orgranic or inorganic growth). Part 3 deals with decresing th scope of corporate portfolio composition (e.g., divestiture and outsourcing). The last part of the course looks at portfolio decision making (e.g., designing the multi-business corporation, manageing the M&A and the alliance processes).