MBA FINANCE

This course explores various theories and practice for organising, managing, and leading within the workspace and the implications for both organisational efficiency and effectiveness. Critical emphasis is placed on facilitating positive relational dynamics, and there is a focus on the individual as an effective member of a team or an organisation. An understanding of an individual’s work motivation and workplace interactions in the context of the contemporary social environment will advance personal and organisational productivity, achievement and general progress. The course content will be treated in three main sections: core behavioural and relational concepts; leadership and managerial processes and systems; and a review of the principle of the learning organisation.

This course is designed to develop core information systems (IS) management skills and competencies. Contemporary IS innovation is enabling entrepreneurs and intrapreneurial managers and firms to create new business process models, and disrupt business models and entire industries, and develop opportunities for wealth creation as a result. Managers need critical competencies in IS knowledge, strategy and planning, problem-solving and decision-making abilities, and communication to effectively compete. This course facilitates improved decision making for people in functional disciplines, operational managers, and executives to maximise value from IS investments. Emphasis will be placed on internet technologies and their impact on global and local commerce and business.

Mastery of statistical and problem-solving tools and techniques are essential for the contemporary manager and leader, and the ability to manipulate data and to produce information is becoming increasingly important. On this module, you will get an insight into the application of operations research and management science, and will gain applied knowledge on problem solving and data management tools and techniques such as: root cause analysis, Pareto analysis; fish-bone diagrams; game theory; network applications; forecasting; and histograms. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to explain the advantages of quantitative techniques for effective managerial decision making and recommend and apply appropriate quantitative tools for specific organisational challenges.

This course is intended to enhance your understanding of fundamental economic principles to guide managerial decision making. Critical issues such as supply, demand, markets, pricing practices and strategy in contestable markets are discussed, and the impact of the macro-environment on the profitability and success of an organisation is explored. Emphasis is placed on the idea that business success is enhanced by an appreciation of the global business economic environment, including business cycles, socio-economic trends, and industry-specific characteristics. This course consists of micro- and macro-economic analyses of consumers, firms, markets, business cycles, and policy formation from a managerial perspective. It examines the attributes and behaviour of key units comprising the economy - consumers, markets, individual firms, and industries – as well as the nature, role, and the varied impact of policy making and application on the macro-economy.

There are many aspects to HRM, including: determining the number of persons required to undertake the approved functions; identifying the skill sets required; attracting the right candidates for each position; creating the optimum environment to retain and develop employees; and providing a framework to stimulate high productivity for organisational profit and growth. This course examines the human resource landscape within Jamaican organisations, enabling you to apply the principles of people development and management to these situations thereby designing and proposing systems and strategies that will result in a workforce of high performers with high morale and motivation to support organisational goal achievement. This course will cover most of the critical areas of managing human resources through case studies, role play, lectures, group discussions, project assignments and evaluations.

This course seeks to prepare you for senior management positions in business by exposing you to advanced topics in financial accounting. This course will focus on key issues that face managers in accounting environments, providing you with the skills needed to deal with theoretical and practical accounting issues that present themselves in business. Topics are integrated in such a way as to provide you with a broad overview of factors which impact accounting in organisations. The major focus is on accounting in corporations especially consolidation and taxation, but coverage also includes accounting for a sole trader business, accounting for partnerships and measuring business performance through financial analysis.

For many organisations in contemporary business environments, effective marketing strategies are a critical determinant for success. As such, this course is designed to provide marketing practitioners, business managers and decision makers with the understanding of various strategic marketing techniques for business success. This is an advanced marketing course which utilises an analytical approach and appropriate case studies to solve marketing problems at the executive marketing and managerial level. It examines the principles supporting effective and efficient marketing strategies to promote sustainable growth for modern organisations. Emphasis is placed on the development and application of strategic marketing management theory and practices to achieve competitive advantage and substantive growth.

This course recognises that business is conducted by economic organisations in a highly competitive market environment. The purpose of this course is to communicate theoretical and practical insights and developments in the fields of business ethics and sustainable business. It is a practical course on the principles, practices, and ethical concerns and challenges that organisations face in their daily operations. The course covers the theoretical basis of business ethics, including: stakeholder-theory; theories of responsibility and normative ethical theory; and intercultural ethics.

This course presents a systematic overview of global and international business. There is an integrated progression of topics, which covers: understanding of what constitutes global business; the globalisation of markets and the internationalisation of the firm; the cultural environment of international business; political, legal, and economic systems, and government intervention; entering and operating in global markets; influences on international investment, finance and business; global strategy and marketing; and human resource management in the global firm.

This module covers strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation and control. The framework is applicable to non-profit, private and government entities. In this course, you are expected to learn not only about the strategic management process but also about the various analytical frameworks and strategy formulation tools that can aid managers in strategic decision-making and in building and sustaining competitive advantage. Strategic management issues and concepts that are relevant to management in today’s global environment will be tackled, along with the management of ethical issues. You will apply and integrate your learning from this course through group discussions and reports, and each student will be required to submit and present. The learning methodologies to be used are aimed at developing your strategic thinking capability.

This course is designed to provide you with an introduction to the nature and functions of financial markets and the management of financial institutions. The course emphasises the role of financial markets and institutions as well as the institutional structure of the Central Bank and the conduct of Monetary Policy. Special focus is on financial markets, international financial systems, risk management and financial institutions, and non-bank financial institutions, including credit unions, finance companies, insurance companies, pension funds, mutual funds, and security brokers and dealers.

In this course, you will explore the characteristics of international financial management and evaluate the associated benefits and risks involved in operating globalised and integrated world economies. You will address the distinct risks and exposure multinational firms face, the available financial tools they utilise to address them, their capital structure, investment decisions, and the specificity of their valuation. The course further looks into the perspective of international investor costs and benefits of international portfolio diversification, and the available instruments - such as currency swaps, futures and options - to conduct diversification.

This course describes the process of analysing decisions relating to modern investment theories, behavioural finance, and securities valuation using both fundamental and technical analysis of securities with reference to their market, industries and companies. The course will also cover the analysis of financial assets with emphasis on securities market, the valuation of individual securities, and portfolio management. Modern portfolio theory includes the examination of asset pricing models, behavioral finance theory and practice and efficient market hypothesis. The course will also deal with other topics like mutual funds, options, futures and other financial derivatives.

This course will focus on the integration of value based financial decision making as a means of improving strategic operating results and investors’ wealth maximisation. This course will review and add to the core concepts developed by Ogden et al. with special focus on valuation and financing decisions, information asymmetry and the markets for corporate securities, the leverage decision, analysis of the firm and the valuation of equity and debt, managing equity and debt, the market for corporate control and risk management, and security design.