Program Website: Management – Hiram College

Introduction

The management program engages students in the complexity of and interaction between organizations, the human behavior within them, and environmental contexts in which they operate. Our goal is to develop leaders of public and private organizations capable of success in a complex, rapidly changing global world. To accomplish this goal, we provide a strong ethical and analytical foundation through in depth learning combined with a wide variety of practical experiences (on and off campus) to develop professional networks and relevant skills. Students can prepare for careers in human resources, international business, finance, public administration, and change management.

Recent management graduates have found successful employment in a wide variety of public and private organizations. Examples include financial institutions, major sports teams, international marketing organizations, nonprofit organizations, human resources departments, government agencies and the Foreign Service. Many have continued their studies in graduate programs including Master of Business Administration, law degrees, master's degree in organization development, international management, and public administration.

This major is available fully online.

Faculty

Morgan R Clevenger, (2020) Associate Professor of Management, Program Manager
B.S., M.B.A., West Virginia University
Ed.D., University of Missouri, Columbia
clevengerm@hiram.edu

Timothy J Shick, (2020) Associate Professor of Management
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
shicktj@hiram.edu

Gail C Ambuske, (1981) Professor Emerita of Management and Communication
B.A., M.A., Kent State University
Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
ambuskegc@hiram.edu
 

Course Descriptions

MGMT 11800:  ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR:CA:  4 Hour(s)  
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR:CA ~ This course offers an introduction to the field of organizational behavior. The emphasis will be on learning theories and vocabulary to improve your analytic ability to make sense of behavior in organizations, teamwork, and to learn how to initiate an effective course of action. To this end, you will be exposed to some of the major ideas in the field and their disciplinary foundations in economics, psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology. You will be asked to apply these ideas to your own experience and to the vicarious experience of a field case study and simulations. We will cover such topics as intuition, decision-making, motivation, job design, organizational culture, personality and group dynamics, power and persuasion, innovation, social capital, and managing change, among others.
Core: Social/Cultural Analysis Meth
MGMT 15500:  PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT:  4 Hour(s)  
PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT ~ This course will provide the student with a conceptual framework for basic understanding of the management functions and process including planning, organizing, leading, directing, and controlling for establishing and accomplishing business objectives. This course will provide the student a broad overview of the subject of management, application of these concepts in real world scenarios; as well as with the basic skills that are necessary in order for a manager to be effective. The objective of the course is to expose the student to the theories and principles that are important for successfully managing organizations and people; serving as basis for further management studies.
MGMT 18000:  WKSP::  1 Hour(s)  
WORKSHOP ~ This workshop will provide the opportunity for students to examine a special topic in Management. Through readings, discussions and written assignments there will be opportunities to evaluate the topic at issue. Workshops may be taken Pass/No Credit only. Students may take no more than nine workshops for credit toward graduation. Workshops can be used as elective credit only.
MGMT 21050:  RESEARCH METHODS IN SOC SCI:SM:  4 Hour(s)  
RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES:SM ~ This course provides a broad introduction to the research methods, analysis techniques, and writing style used in the social sciences. Topics include the scientific method, ethical consideration, measurement approaches, reliability and validity, designing a research study, and basic descriptive and inferential statistics. Students will engage in hands-on experience in how social scientists conduct research, with an emphasis on methods, computational analyses, and the interpretation of data for a scientific and a lay audience. Also listed as SOSC 21000.
Core: Experimental Scientific Method
MGMT 22100:  GROUP INTERACTION PROCESSES:  3 Hour(s)  
GROUP INTERACTION PROCESSES ~ This course examines the complex dynamics of small group life within the context of organizational systems. Small group theory as it applies to perception, membership, leadership, norms, communication, problem-solving and decision making is explored. The focus of the course is to develop individual competence in group settings. Through a laboratory approach students are provided with opportunities to experiment with new behaviors and to improve group effectiveness. Students experience the development of a group through predictable stages and engage in critical analysis of the experiment. A group project is required. Also listed as COMM 22100.
MGMT 22400:  INFLUENCE & NEGOTIATION SKILLS:  3 Hour(s)  
INFLUENCE AND NEGOTIATION SKILLS ~ Negotiation and influence skills are key components of everyday life. We negotiate daily with potential employers, co-workers, bosses, landlords, merchants, service providers, partners, parents/children, friends, roommates, and many other people. Although we negotiate often, many of us know very little about the strategy and psychology of effective negotiation. The purpose of the course is to develop expertise in managing negotiations and to understand the influence tactics so often used to persuade us (most notably among salespeople). This course seeks to increase your competence and confidence to confront negotiation and influence opportunities through a progressive sequence of simulations. Through this process we will explore your own personal style and its impact, as well as specific areas for individual development. We will encourage you to expand your negotiation toolkit and develop greater strategic flexibility across situations and people by encouraging you to try out new behaviors and strategies.
Prerequisite: MGMT 11800 or MGMT 21800
MGMT 22700:  PROJECT MANAGEMENT:  4 Hour(s)  
PROJECT MANAGEMENT ~ Project Management is both people and process (technical) oriented, and is a discipline where one must oversee complex, and often very unique projects to meet organization’s strategic goals. Special attention will be given to understand first what a project is, and how they differ from standard processes. As a prospective project manager, organizational and management skills will be taught and developed to improve the chances of making a project successful. Project management coordinates a vast and complex network of vendors, subcontractors, project team members, senior management, functional managers, and customers. We will explain and teach how to build a high-performance project team. The goal of successful project management is to help the project stakeholders understand the role of the project within the organization. Emphasis will be on developing and mastering the project manager’s tools, techniques, and interpersonal skills necessary to manage projects. Emphasis will include project proposal, commercial terms, starting, running and completion of the project along will financial analysis, closure and lessons learned.
Prerequisite: MGMT 15500
MGMT 23000:  STOCK MARKET INVESTMENT I:  2 Hour(s)  
INVESTMENT CLUB I ~ The emphasis of this course is understanding the stock and bond markets. Fundamental techniques for analyzing stocks and bonds are introduced and applied. Students will manage an actual stock portfolio on behalf of Hiram College. Advanced investment strategies such as short sales, margin, options and futures are also discussed.
MGMT 24000:  PROF RESPONSIBILITIES:ES:  3 Hour(s)  
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:ES ~ Leaving the development of ethical boundaries to chance is no longer an acceptable practice. The activities of professional firms in the 2000's have fundamentally changed the expectations for the behavior of business professionals. Corporate risk management practices must now include ethics risk management practices that aim to ensure the reputation of the individuals of the firm, as well as the reputation of the firm itself, is not tarnished. The Professional Responsibilities course will provide an understanding of why ethics has become a critical success factor for firms, specific rules governing required behavior for accounting professionals, types of ethical decisions that professionals can be faced with, in the form of videos and case studies, and how ethical behavior and decision making can be guided and improved upon. Also listed as ACCT 24000.
Core: Meaning/Ethics/Soc Responsibil
MGMT 28000:  SEM::  1-4 Hour(s)  
SEMINAR ~ An introduction to selected topics of current interest in management.
MGMT 28100:  INDEPENDENT STUDY:  1-4 Hour(s)  
INDEPENDENT STUDY ~ Open to all management majors with the consent of the instructor. It affords management majors the opportunity to design their own course of study in an area that is not currently taught. The independent study normally requires the students to write a research paper.
Prerequisite: MGMT 11800 or MGMT 15500
MGMT 29800:  FIELD EXPERIENCE:  4 Hour(s)  
FIELD EXPERIENCE ~
MGMT 30200:  CORPORATE FINANCE:  4 Hour(s)  
CORPORATE FINANCE ~ This course provides students with the foundations of corporate finance. Students apply these foundations by analyzing decisions that are made within firms and other institutions. Topics examined include risk analysis, valuation, present value concepts, debt and equity offerings, and underwriting.
Prerequisite: ACCT 22500
MGMT 31200:  OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT:  3 Hour(s)  
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT ~ An investigation of the process of organizing the resources of humans, machines, and materials in the production process. Topics covered include plant location, design of facilities, choosing equipment, layout of equipment, product development, time and motion studies, quality control, and efficient decision making. Cases are used to illustrate methods of approach. The latest managerial concepts will be discussed including PERT, CPM, and other operations research techniques.
Prerequisite: MGMT 15500
MGMT 31700:  SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT:  3 Hour(s)  
SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ~ This course examines the history of small business and the role it plays in U.S. society. It also examines the unique challenges that are presented to small-business success. The course focuses on the tasks and issues that are associated with operating a small business after start up, with a primary emphasis on day-to-day operation. Students will study strategic planning for the small business through a field case study. Other operational aspects of a small business will also be addressed; for example, accounting and financial aspects, marketing of goods and services, managing human resources, and succession planning.
Prerequisite: MGMT 15500
MGMT 32100:  BUSINESS LAW I:  4 Hour(s)  
BUSINESS LAW I ~ This course develops the student's familiarity with doctrines traditionally distilled as the law of negotiable instruments, agency, partnership, and corporations. This course will also deal with the laws pertaining to property protection; title protection; freedom of personal action; freedom of use of property; enforcement of intent; protection from exploitation, fraud, and oppression; furtherance of trade; creditor protection; nature and classes of contracts; interpretation of contracts; breach of contracts and remedies; obligations and performance; warranties and product liabilities; creation, management, and termination of corporations.
MGMT 32200:  BUSINESS LAW II:  4 Hour(s)  
BUSINESS LAW II ~ A continuation of the business law sequence.
Prerequisite: MGMT 32100
MGMT 32210:  ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION:  4 Hour(s)  
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION ~ The course involves the study of communication theory as it relates to organizations. Topics include communication systems analysis, intergroup communication, team building, goal setting, meetings, and organizational change. The course requires a field research project during which students work with actual organizations to diagnose communication systems. The course contains a significant writing component. Students will develop skill in writing proposals, letters, memos, agendas, progress reports, final reports, and executive summaries as they progress through the field research project. Also listed as COMM 32210
Prerequisite: MGMT 11800 or COMM 22000
MGMT 32600:  PERSUASION & ATTITUDE CHANGE:  4 Hour(s)  
PERSUASION AND ATTITUDE CHANGE ~ This course focuses on the interaction of attitudes and verbal communication process emphasizing recent experimental studies dealing with source, message, receiver and environmental variables. Additionally, specific persuasive situations such as bargaining, negotiations, trial processes, marketing and political campaigns are examined. A research paper on an aspect of persuasion theory and recent experiments is required. A research paper on an aspect of persuasion theory and recent experiments is required. Also listed as COMM 32600.
MGMT 32800:  HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:  4 Hour(s)  
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ~ Analysis and examination of personnel practices; selection, interviewing, training programs, merit rating, and promotion. Students also learn techniques of preparing job descriptions and case analysis.
Prerequisite: MGMT 11800 or MGMT 15500 or PSYC 10100
MGMT 32900:  COMPARATIVE HR MGMT:EW:  3 Hour(s)  
COMPARATIVE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:EW ~ Human resource management practices vary considerably across organizations and countries. Personnel management concerns--recruitment and retention, compensation and evaluation, among many others--are universal. However, the handling of them is generally place-specific or contextual. This course examines various core human resource management issues through a comparative lens. Therefore, students will gain exposure to personnel management practices in the United States and other countries. Through this survey of comparative human resource management practices, students will focus on three units of analysis--employees, employers, and government--and develop a working sense of how HR management is a product of complex and sometimes fluid forces.
Prerequisite: MGMT 11800 or MGMT 15500
Core: Experiencing the World
MGMT 33100:  MODERN MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS:  3 Hour(s)  
MODERN MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS ~ This course will provide students with advanced knowledge and set of skills in modern management of business organizations.  The course will touch on various concepts within the four management functions of planning, organizing, influencing, and controlling.  The course will focus on issues such as business strategy and competitive edge, understanding business structure and functions, management of critical processes, contemporary management methods and new trends in management of innovation, social responsibility and globalization.
Prerequisite: MGMT 15500
MGMT 34000:  INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT:EW:  4 Hour(s)  
INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT:EW ~ This course examines the application of management concepts in an international environment. Topics include: worldwide developments, cultural contexts, organizational structures, management processes, and social responsibility and ethics. Case studies will encourage students to explore the critical issues related to doing business in a global context.
Prerequisite: MGMT 15500
Core: Experiencing the World
MGMT 35400:  CAPSTONE DEVELOPMENT:  3 Hour(s)  
CAPSTONE DEVELOPMENT ~ This course is the first step in a yearlong process of reflecting on the meaning of the management major. This part of this process focuses on students identifying a research topic and initiating the research necessary for the completion of a high-quality, senior-level paper. Prerequisite: Must have junior or senior standing.
MGMT 36600:  ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT:  4 Hour(s)  
ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT~ This course concentrates on the process of planned, systemic change in open organizational systems. Emphasis is placed upon understanding change as a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges. International organization development is also explored. The course requires a field research project.
Prerequisite: MGMT 11800 or MGMT 15500
MGMT 36800:  ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP:  4 Hour(s)  
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP ~ This course is designed to help you better understand organizations and how effective leadership can be exercised in them. Better understanding of how organizations work helps leaders to eliminate surprise, reduce confusion, and make success more likely. Self-awareness, sound intuition, valid theory, and leadership skills are all important. Through this course, you will gain experience in diagnosing and addressing organizational problems, and hone your personal leadership skills. This course is also offered in a 3 credit hour format as MGMT 36700.
Prerequisite: MGMT 11800
MGMT 38000:  SEM::  1-4 Hour(s)  
SEMINAR ~ Includes various topics or upper-level specialty courses.
MGMT 38100:  SPC TPC::  1-4 Hour(s)  
SPECIAL TOPICS: ~ Various advanced courses.
MGMT 39310:  CHINA: TRAD & CHG:BACKGROUND:  1 Hour(s)  
CHINA: TRADITION AND CHANGE: BACKGROUND ~ As a prerequisite for INTD 39300 and Study Away trip to China in the subsequent semester, the course will introduce students to China's history, geography, philosophies, religious traditions, and cultural values. The course will also address issues associated with the process of cultural transition and practical considerations for preparation for the trip abroad. The course will provide the broader context for understanding the readings, sites, and interactions when the students travel to China.
Corequisite: INTD 39300
MGMT 47900:  RESEARCH FIELDWORK:  3 Hour(s)  
RESEARCH FIELDWORK ~ This course will focus on instrumentation, IRB approval, data collection, and data analysis, all of which shall lead to preparation of the research paper that will be completed in Management Senior Seminar or for Independent Research. Prerequisite: Must have junior or senior standing.
MGMT 48000:  MANAGEMENT CAPSTONE:  4 Hour(s)  
MANAGEMENT CAPSTONE ~ This course is designed as a capstone to the management major. The format for the seminar is to have each student write and present a significant research paper on a topic of his or her choice. The research effort will be a group process with continuous discussion, criticism, and suggestion from the participants, in order to improve the quality of the paper during the research and writing process. Participants give progress reports and summarize their readings to receive constructive evaluations. Also listed as MKTG 48000.
Prerequisite: MGMT 40100 or MGMT 35400
MGMT 48100:  INDEPENDENT RESEARCH:  1-4 Hour(s)  
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ~ The course is open to management majors with junior standing or above with the consent of the department. This affords junior and senior management majors the opportunity to design their own course of study in an area that is not currently taught. The independent research course would normally require the student to write a research paper.
MGMT 49800:  INTERNSHIP:  4 Hour(s)  
INTERNSHIP~ For a complete description of this program students should consult with a member of the management faculty.

Academic Offerings