[Back]

Undergraduate Course Descriptions 2009-2010
Last updated 10/20/2009


01524/General & Strategic Management (GSM)

The General and Strategic Management Department teaches and conducts research in three areas: entrepreneurship, international business, and strategy. The department is responsible for teaching the undergraduate Capstone course, Business Administration 4196 (W361).
 

Foundational Courses

2501. Fundamentals of Asian Business (3 s.h.)

(Formerly: GSM 0100.)

Prerequisite: Economics 1001 (C050), 1101 (C051), 1102 (C052) or 1103 (C055) or by permission of the instructor.

This course is designed to enable you to grasp broad knowledge on Asian business practices. It will examine the similarities and dissimilarities among Japanese, Chinese, and Korean businesses and the special features of Japanese business, such as the network relationships among companies and groups called ‘keiretsu’. Given our understanding of the above issues, we will examine how American companies should compete in Asia.

Note: Fox School of Business students must be a junior or have special permission from your academic advisor.

2502. Fundamentals of Latin American Business (3 s.h.)

(Formerly: GSM 0101.)

Prerequisite: Economics 1001 (C050), 1101 (C051), 1102 (C052) or 1103 (C055) or by permission of the instructor.

This course is designed to give you a solid basis to face a job assignment related to business in a Latin American country and to develop your ability to perceive the importance of cultural diversity and how it influences business activities across Latin American countries. Specifically, this course will help you understand the specific challenges of doing business in Latin America and enable you to perceive and understand the differences in the business environment, business customs, and business practices between countries of Latin America and of the rest of the world.

Note: Fox School of Business students must be a junior or have special permission from your academic advisor.

Upper Division Courses

3001. Fundamentals of Managing a Small Business (3 s.h.) F.

Prerequisite: Appropriate Discipline-Specific Entrepreneurial Thinking course. Engineering 4182/Science & Technology 4321/BTMM 4614/ or GSM 3501 (0111).

This course is designed for students completing a certificate in entrepreneurship. This course is designed to introduce students with limited or no business background to the day-to-day business management skills and tools needed to launch and manage a new or small enterprise and to become successful entrepreneurs. Course objectives include evaluation of various methods to become owners of a new/small enterprise, preparation of a marketing plan for a new/small enterprise, as well as developing an understanding of legal, financial, and operational issues of new/small enterprises.

3002. Business Plan Development (3 s.h.) S.

Prerequisite: Appropriate Discipline-Specific Entrepreneurial Thinking course. Engineering 4182/Science & Technology 4321/BTMM 4614/ or GSM 3501 (0111), and GSM 3001.

This course is designed for students completing a certificate in entrepreneurship. It provides students with an understanding of planning for new and small enterprises including how to research, write and present effective business plans. A major portion of the course will be directed to the preparation of a business plan. The business plan is a critical strategic document used in planning for and in implementing the growth of an enterprise. It captures the management team’s thoughts and future actions and is used to acquire/attract resources such as new partners and funding. Students will learn about the interrelationship among the various aspects of the plan including the industry, target market, competition, marketing strategy, human resources, financial resources, and management team among others. Students will also learn about presenting the business plan.

3501. Entrepreneurship (3 s.h.) F S.

(Formerly: GSM 0111.)

Prerequisite: Junior standing or above.

This course is designed to get students in creative, science, and technological fields excited about entrepreneurship. It introduces wealth creation process as a function of opportunity, team, resources and the fit between all of these. The goal is not to teach people to manage businesses nor to start a firm but to understand the links between their “knowledge, experience and skills” and commercial possibilities. The course gives opportunities to examine case studies and examples from specific areas – performing and visual arts, biological and medical sciences, and technology and science fields.

Note: This course is a prerequisite for GSM 4596, the capstone course for Entrepreneurship majors or minors. GSM 4596 is offered only in spring.

3502. Software Applications to Business Problems (3 s.h.)

(Formerly: GSM 0261.)

This course provides hands-on experience in the application of personal computer software to business problems. Students learn to use the Excel spreadsheet program for tasks such as evaluating investment opportunities, amortizing a loan and planning the timely completion of numerous related projects. Financial statement analysis, budgeting, and forecasting are also reviewed.

3503. Managing New and Small Enterprises (3 s.h.) F S.

Prerequisite: GSM 3501 (0111).

The goal of this course is to provide business students with an understanding of the challenges and opportunities of managing new and small firms. Managers of new and small enterprises tend to have limited resources and limited experience. Their goal is to beat the odds of failure, grow and become profitable. This course brings the “hands-on” tools and techniques that students will need to launch and manage a small business successfully.

Note: For Entrepreneurship majors or minors, this course can be substituted for GSM 3585, Internship I. GSM 3503 or 3585 is a prerequisite for GSM 3685 and 4596, the capstone course for Entrepreneurship majors or minors. GSM 4596 is offered only in the spring.

3566. Global Strategic Management (3 s.h.) F S SS.

(Formerly: GSM 0380.)

Cross Listed with International Business Administration 3566 (0380).

An examination of the distinctive management issues that arise when firms are either contemplating or already doing business across national boundaries. This course examines the phenomenon of Globalization, what drives it, and how managers in multinational firms grapple with a complex and rapidly changing international economic environment. Untilizing the case study method, the course also introduces the critical business skills of understanding and managing strategic issues in international settings.

3580. Special Topics - General & Strategic Management (3 s.h.)

(Formerly: GSM 0394.)

Special topics in current developments in the field of general and strategic management.

3582. Independent Study (3 s.h.) F S SS.

(Formerly: GSM 0395.)

Prerequisite: Consultation with faculty member and approval of department chair.

Readings and/or papers under supervision of a faculty member.

3585. Internship in Entrepreneurship I (3 s.h.)

(Formerly: GSM 0385.)

Prerequisite: General & Strategic Management 3501 (0111).

This course consists of an internship with Temple University’s Small Business Development Center working with a startup business, high-growth business, or family business (100 hours in total). Students are encouraged to select an industry or economic sector on which to focus their consulting work in an effort to facilitate the refinement of the feasibility study written in GSM 3501 (0111) and the writing of the business plan in GSM 4596 (W362).

Note: Students must contact Chris Pavlides at pavlides@temple.edu upon registering for GSM 3585 to arrange for the internship. GSM 3503 can substitute for GSM 3585 for Entrepreneurship majors and minors (no internship is required for 3503.) Either GSM 3585 or 3503 is a prerequisite for GSM 3685 and GSM 4596, the capstone course for Entrepreneurship majors and minors. GSM 4596 is offered only in the spring.

3682. Independent Study (3 s.h.) F S SS.

(Formerly: GSM 0396.)

Prerequisite: Consultation with faculty member and approval of department chair.

Readings and/or papers under supervision of a faculty member.

3685. Internship in Entrepreneurship II (3 s.h.)

(Formerly: GSM 0386.)

Prerequisite: Completion of GSM 3585 or 3503. One of these courses must be taken prior to 3685.

Course consists of an internship with a startup business, high-growth business, or family business (10 hours per week). Students are encouraged to select an internship related to their feasibility study written in GSM 3501 (0111) and the business plan required in GSM 4596 (W362).

Note: Students must contact Chris Pavlides at pavlides@temple.edu upon registering to arrange for the internship.

4587. International Business Practicum (3 s.h.)

(Formerly: GSM 0381.)

Prerequisite: All other courses in the International Business Administration major.

Cross Listed with International Business Administration 4587 (0381).

The IB capstone prepares international business students to thoroughly understand the ways and means of international trade. It arms them with the information, the skills, and the analytical capabilities to act as a competent international trade specialist and, if you so choose, to take and pass the NASBITE examination to become a Certified Global Business Professional. The course covers four domains of competencies essential to the conduct of international trade on the firm level: Global Business Management, Global Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Trade Finance. The course consists of lectures, discussions, multi-media presentations, and group work, all of which is directed toward acquiring proficiency in the four competency domains of the international trade professional.

Note: This course is for majors only. Special Authorization required in 506 Alter Hall.

4596. Senior Entrepreneurship Seminar (3 s.h.) S. RCI: WI.

(Formerly: GSM W362.)

Prerequisite: General & Strategic Management 3501 (0111), GSM 3503 or GSM 3585, and the majority of the major courses.

The main objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the problems and challenges facing an entrepreneur in the process of creating a business plan and seeking investors. Students are required to write a business plan and formally present their business plan. To facilitate the writing of the business plan, the plan will be discussed and completed in sections. Multiple iterations of the business plan will be submitted for feedback and refinement.

Note: This course is ONLY offered in the spring semester.
[Back] [Top]
Last updated 10/20/2009