Course Descriptions

BLW 289 - Topics in Business Law (1-3 hours)
Topics of special interest in business law, which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current Schedule of Classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite:

BLW 342 - Legal Environment of Business (3 hours)
Core Curr. SB
Introduction to the fundamentals of law as it relates to business including the social, equitable, and ethical concerns. The influence of the government regulation of business including procedure, managing disputes, constitutional law, contracts, torts, international business, business organizations, labor, agency, environmental concerns, and consumer law. Emphasis on analytical legal reasoning and the case method. Prerequisite: junior standing

BLW 345 - Law of Business (3 hours)
Core Curr. WI
Principles of the law of contracts, sales and the commercial code, commercial paper, agency, business organizations, and bankruptcy. Prerequisite: BLW 342

BLW 347 - Law and the Entrepreneur (3 hours)
Introduces students to legal requirements of forming a business and how to anticipate legal concerns and risks during the life of the business. Covers legal issues, such as intellectual property, contracts, entity formation, and venture capital funding. Prerequisite: junior standing

BLW 355 - Labor-Management Relations (3 hours)
Collective bargaining as a social innovation in labor-management relations. Current public policy, major substantive issues in management and union policies, and tactics in collective bargaining and dispute settlement. Case studies. Prerequisite: Junior standing; M L 350 or consent of ETL department chair

BLW 360 - Business & Intellectual Property (3 hours)
Introduction to the different types of intellectual property a business may acquire and the legal principles surrounding the protection of the intellectual property. Prerequisite: Junior standing

BLW 389 - Advanced Topics in Business Law (1-3 hours)
Advanced topics of special interest in business law, which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current schedule of classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite:

BLW 395 - Real Estate Law (3 hours)
Basic principles of real estate law and practices including extent of real estate interests, present and future interests and non-possessory interests, fixtures, liens, legal descriptions, co-ownership, landlord-tenant, brokerage, contracts, financing, mortgages, deeds, closing, transfer of real estate after death, and tax aspects. Prerequisite: junior standing

BLW 446 - Employment Law (3 hours)
Legal issues surrounding employment, including the employment relationship, equal opportunity laws, discrimination, personnel handbooks, testing, workers' compensation, federal wage and hour law, OSHA, ERISA, and federal labor law. Prerequisite: BLW 342

BLW 499 - Independent Studies in Business Law (1-3 hours)
Studies undertaken by academically qualified students under the guidance of a faculty member, with the approval of the chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Law. Repeatable to 6 s.h. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

BLW 540 - Legal Environment for Managers (3 hours)
Analysis of the basic principles of business law while focusing on global information technologies using the case study method. Topics will include an understanding of the legal system, ethics, cybertorts, cybercrimes, information privacy issues, intellectual property, and contracts. Prerequisite: Foster College of Business Graduate Student or consent of Associate Dean.

BLW 542 - Legal Environment of Business (2 hours)
Analysis of the legal environment in which business operates emphasizing the ethical and equitable influence on legal development. Study of specific areas of procedure, constitutional law, contracts, torts, international business law, business organizations, and the regulatory environment related to labor, environmental, and consumer law. Cannot be used to satisfy MBA elective or concentration requirements. Prerequisite: Consent of director of graduate programs

BLW 648 - Legal Aspects of Fraud Examination (3 hours)
Introduces students to the various legal issues associated with both civil and criminal fraud examinations and the process of taking the fraud issues to trial. Prerequisite: Graduate student in the Foster College of Business or consent of instructor.

BLW 689 - Topics in Business Law (1-3 hours)
Conceptual treatment of topics related to business law. 1-3 hours, may be repeated up to 6 hours under different titles/topics.

ENT 280 - Entrepreneurial Creativity (3 hours)
Toolkit to think more innovatively. Students will gain knowledge of various theories of creativity and innovation and will learn how to rebuild cognitive models. By the end of the semester, students will develop at least one marketable business opportunity.

ENT 281 - The Entrepreneurial Career (1 hour)
This course is designed to give students a feel for an entrepreneurial career. The course will consist of entrepreneurs and investors as guest speakers, case studies, and opportunity recognition theory and activities. By the end of the course, students should have an understanding of the benefits and risks of being an entrepreneur and how entrepreneurs recognize opportunities

ENT 289 - Topics in Entrepreneurship (1-3 hours)
Topics of special interest in entrepreneurship, which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current Schedule of Classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite:

ENT 381 - Entrepreneurship for Non-Business Students (3 hours)
This course is designed for students throughout the Bradley campus, except for those majoring in business. Whether your major is the arts, engineering, education, or science, the focus will be on how to launch a new venture enterprise. Students may have a serious interest in starting a business or only want to explore the world of entrepreneurship. The course will answer the question,"Would creating my own enterprise be for me?" Subjects include finding an opportunity, determining if there would be satisfied customers, the use of a business plan, obtaining financing/resources, and deciding on the next steps to take. Students will develop an idea for starting a new venture. Prerequisite: Junior Standing, Not open to Business Majors, Cannot earn credit if taken ENT 382.

ENT 382 - Entrepreneurship Startups (3 hours)
Activities involved in starting, financing, growing, and harvesting a new business venture. Entrepreneurs and their behavior, analysis of opportunities, obtaining capital, and venture strategies. Prerequisite: ATG 157; 42 credit hours and a declared entrepreneurship first major or junior standing for other majors.

ENT 383 - Managing Entrepreneurial Growth (3 hours)
Students will gain a better understanding of the challenges of growing an entrepreneurial business. The course will focus on adapting growth strategies, marketing, cash management and personnel in changing competitive environments. Prerequisite: M L 350 and junior standing.

ENT 384 - Entrepreneurial Finance (3 hours)
Planning and strategies involved in starting or expanding a business. Emphasis on capitalization, record keeping, liquidity management, fixed asset management, financial analysis, expansion strategies, establishing firm value, and exiting the firm. Cross-listed with FIN 384. Prerequisite: ENT 382 or FIN 322.

ENT 385 - Technology Entrepreneurship (3 hours)
This course focuses on fostering the analytical and conceptual skills required to develop and test the feasibility of technology-based product-focused business concepts. The course will expose the student to issues that a product-focused company would face when attempting to launch a new venture. Prerequisite: Junior Standing

ENT 386 - Social Entrepreneurship (3 hours)
This course is designed to give students some of the tools and knowledge necessary for understanding, launching and managing a social venture (not for profit or for profit). Social entrepreneurship combines the passion of a social mission with the techniques of the discipline of business. The social entrepreneur applies practical solutions to societal problems. The result may be a new product, new service, or new approach to a social problem. Prerequisite: Junior Standing

ENT 387 - Family Business (3 hours)
Family-controlled businesses are characterized by challenges that threaten their continuity and distinct core competencies that can result in unique competitive advantages. The course will explore and analyze family business continuity challenges and best management, family, and governance practices for leading family-owned businesses. Since the focus is on pragmatic, action-oriented, management, governance, and family/business leadership skills, the course will be taught primarily through live and written cases, discussions, lectures, and a study/consultation experience with a family business. Prerequisite: 56 hours

ENT 389 - Advanced Topics in Entrepreneurship (1-3 hours)
Advanced topics of special interest in entrepreneurship, which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current schedule of classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite:

ENT 482 - The Entrepreneurial Experience (3 hours)
This entrepreneurship course is for students who have one or more ideas for starting a business (or nonprofit). The idea could be a retail shop or a biotech product, whatever the students decide. The course is heavily focused on actually creating an enterprise, ideally up to selling products or services. It is also possible to work on an existing venture concept and contribute to its actual development. This "hands on" course will enable students to launch ventures after the course concludes, with mentoring and assistance from the Turner Center. Prerequisite: ENT 382 or ENT 381 or consent of instructor.

ENT 488 - Internship in Entrepreneurship (1-3 hours)
Supervised experience with an approved new or emerging firm or with an agency providing assistance to emerging high-technology firms. Application of entrepreneurship skills. Written application required (available from internship director). May be repeated for a maximum of 3 hours. Prerequisite: junior standing; entrepreneurship major; 2.5 overall GPA; at least one entrepreneurship-related course

ENT 499 - Independent Study in Entrepreneurship (1-3 hours)
Studies undertaken by academically qualified students under the guidance of a faculty member, with the approval of the chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Law. May be repeated up to 6 hours. Prerequisite: Junior standing and stated in the Schedule of Classes.

ENT 660 - Additional Readings in Entrepreneurship (1-6 hours)
Individual readings for qualified students, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. 1-3 hours, may be repeated up to 6 hours under different titles/topics. Prerequisite: Advancement to candidacy; consent of instructor and director of graduate programs.

ENT 680 - Entrepreneurial Creativity (1 hour)
Students will develop the tools necessary to think more creatively and generate creative entrepreneurial ideas. Students will gain knowledge of various theories of creativity and innovation and will learn how to rebuild cognitive models for creativity.

ENT 682 - Entrepreneurship (3 hours)
This course is for MBA students who wish to explore launching a venture of their own or immersing themselves in another actual venture. Beyond the readings, a variety of exercises, live cases and other learning opportunities will enable participants to partially customize the course content to fit their needs and interests. Several specialists and entrepreneurs will serve as distinguished guest entrepreneurs for certain sessions. This is an applied, experiential course that allows for the application of knowledge from other MBA courses. A primary focus will be on conducting a venture feasibility or other project.

ENT 689 - Topics in Entrepreneurship (1-6 hours)
Conceptual treatment of topics important to entrepreneurship. Topics stated in current Schedule of Classes. 1-3 hours, may be repeated up to 6 hours under different titles/topics. Prerequisite: Stated in current Schedule of Classes.

MIS 173 - Introduction to Business Analytics (3 hours)
Develop spreadsheet applications for analyzing and solving problems. Learn how to gather, store, organize, secure and disseminate data with spreadsheets and databases. Learn how to convert data into information that is beneficial to supporting business decisions.

MIS 175 - Introduction to Developing Business Applications (3 hours)
Provides an introduction to object-oriented computer programming using VisualBasic.NET. Demonstrates the advantages of using a programming environment to efficiently develop computer programs. Focuses on developing logical approaches to problem solving and implementing programmed solutions to those problems.

MIS 272 - Business Analytics Software and Applications I (3 hours)
Students will learn commonly used data analysis tools and techniques. They will learn how to use and apply software that allows business professionals to gather, store, access, and analyze data to aid in decision making. The course will teach students how to discover and communicate information from data through the use of basic, intermediate, and advanced functions and tools in commonly used spreadsheet and database software. Each student will learn about the visual representation of data, optimization techniques, queries, pivot tables, reporting tools, data storage, and more. Prerequisite: MIS 173 or consent of department chair

MIS 275 - Business Applications Using Visual Basic (3 hours)
Object oriented business application development using Visual Basic. Emphasis on object classes, events and properties, and data structures, controls, and objects. Prerequisite: MIS 175.

MIS 289 - Topics in Management Information Systems (1-3 hours)
Topics of special interest in management information systems, which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current Schedule of Classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite:

MIS 373 - Applied Networking (3 hours)
Gives students an understanding of basic network design concepts and an opportunity to apply them in a business context. Studies the functionality, performance and management of multiple network designs. Application of the theories, design and technologies utilized in modern business data communications networks. Prerequisite: 42 hours

MIS 374 - Database Management and Administration (3 hours)
Introduces the fundamental concepts of database analysis, design, and implementation with emphasis on the relational model. Topics include SQL, data modeling, data normalization, tables, queries, data mining, security, database administration, and backup/recovery. Prerequisite: MIS 272 and 42 hours

MIS 375 - Business Systems Analysis and Design (3 hours)
Core Curr. WI
Information systems in business applications. Emphasis on relationship of information systems planning to overall business goals, policies, plans, management style, and industry condition; analysis, design, and implementation of information systems. Overview of future trends in data management. Prerequisite: MIS 272 and junior standing.

MIS 378 - Human-Computer Interaction and Usability Testing (3 hours)
Provides an introduction to the theory of human factors and process of usability testing. Explores current theory of human factors and human-computer interaction and how they should be applied to designing business systems. Emphasis placed on the scientific approach to systems testing to ensure systems meet usability standards and on the statistical benchmarking these tests provide. This is a non-technical course designed for those interested in managing the development of technical products and evaluating the usability of existing products and processes.

MIS 379 - Information Systems Security (3 hours)
An introduction to the various technical and administrative aspects of information security and assurance. Provides the foundation for understanding the key issues associated with protecting information assets, determining the levels of protection and response to security incidents, and designing a consistent, reasonable information security system, with appropriate intrusion detection and reporting features. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

MIS 389 - Advanced Topics in Management Information System (1-3 hours)
Advanced topics of special interest in management information systems, which may vary each time the course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current schedule of classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite:

MIS 471 - Business Analytics Software and Applications II (3 hours)
Explores data analysis and statistical methods as well as best practices for continuous iterative investigation of past business performance to gain insights and drive business planning. Exposes the students to several aspects of Business Analytics. Investigates data analytics fundamentals, data cleansing and transformation, and supervised/unsupervised data mining techniques for tasks like targeted mailing campaigns, customer segmentation, customer churn, fraud detection and market basket analysis. Prerequisite: QM 262 or MTH 111 or MTH 325

MIS 473 - Data Visualization for Business Analytics (3 hours)
Visual illustration of how to better understand data, present clear evidence of findings to an intended audience, and tell appealing stories through data graphics. The topics covered include but are not limited to: design principles, multivariate displays, geospatial displays, dashboards, interactive and animated displays. Some knowledge of basic programming (in any language) will be helpful, but not required. We will use several tools to refine our data and create, edit, alter, and display their visualizations. Prerequisite: MIS 272

MIS 478 - MIS Capstone Consulting Project (3 hours)
Students provide consulting to clients for projects, such as information systems development, the evaluation and/or implementation of new technology and other technology related business needs. Application of concepts and skills of project management. Prerequisite: MIS 375.

MIS 479 - Topics in Management Information Systems (3 hours)
Topics of special interest which may vary each time course is offered. Topic and prerequisite stated in current Schedule of Classes. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite: stated in current schedule of classes

MIS 483 - Advanced Ethical Hacking (3 hours)
Core Curr. EL
Provides students with hands-on experience with all phases of a security assessment for a live client. Students are responsible for planning the assessment, executing assigned tasks, and reporting results. Prerequisite: MIS 373 or CIS 430, and MIS 379 or CIS 435, or permission of Instructor

MIS 490 - Capstone Project for Business Analytics (3 hours)
Applies the concepts and skills learned by Business Analytics undergraduate students. Students are required to work on a team with a business client on an analytics project. Prerequisite: MIS 471 and MIS 473

MIS 499 - Independent Studies in Management Information Systems (1-3 hours)
Studies undertaken by academically qualified students under the guidance of a faculty member, with the approval of the chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Law. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisite: Stated in current schedule of classes

MIS 570 - Introduction to Business Analytics (3 hours)
Introduces the concepts of business analytics in general. Illustrates the use of spreadsheet software for descriptive, prescriptive and predictive analytics and decision making. Introduces students to relational databases, queries and visual analytics software. Prerequisite:

MIS 571 - Business Analytics Software and Applications II (3 hours)
Explores data analysis and statistical methods as well as best practices for continuous iterative investigation of past business performance to gain insights and drive business planning. Exposes the students to several aspects of business analytics. Investigates data analytics fundamentals, data cleansing and transformation, and supervised/unsupervised data mining techniques for tasks like targeted mailing campaigns, customer segmentation, customer churn, fraud detection and market basket analysis. Prerequisite: A statistics course and consent of the department chair. May not register for MIS 571 if credit earned for MIS 471

MIS 572 - Information Systems Management (2 hours)
Knowledge and application of information-related resources from a management perspective: identifying information needs, strategic uses of information systems, emerging information technologies, legal issues in information technology, managing information resources effectively. Prerequisite: Foster College of Business Graduate Student or Consent of Associate Dean.

MIS 573 - Data Visualization for Business Analytics (3 hours)
Visual illustration of how to better understand data, present clear evidence of findings to an intended audience, and tell appealing stories through data graphics. The topics covered include but are not limited to: design principles, multivariate displays, geospatial displays, dashboards, interactive and animated displays. Some knowledge of basic programming (in any language) will be helpful, but not required. We will use several tools to refine our data and create, edit, alter, and display their visualizations. Prerequisite: MIS 570. May not register for MIS 573 if credit earned for MIS 473.

MIS 590 - Capstone Project for Business Analytics (3 hours)
Applies the concepts and skills learned by Business Analytics graduate students. Students are required to work on a team with a business client on an analytics project. Prerequisite: MIS 571 and MIS 573

MIS 613 - Advanced Algorithms for Business (3 hours)
Study of advance algorithms focusing on complex data structures and nonlinear systems using chaos and fractal theory for quantitative analysis. Course implements graphical geometry to represent recursion, termination of solution progress, limits, self-similarity and moving target analysis as it applies to business based financial approximations. This course is tailored to the needs of Master of Science in Quantitative Finance (MSQF) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) students. Various programming environments will be used to program solutions. Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor or MIS 275 or CIS 275\x09\x09

MIS 614 - Topics in Advanced Business Technology (3 hours)
Study of advanced topics in business technology. Topics may vary each time course is offered. Topics will be stated in current schedule of classes. May be repeated for a total of 6 credit hours. Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor\x09\x09

MIS 658 - Topics in Management Information Systems (1-6 hours)
Topics of special interest, which may vary each time the course is offered. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six (6) hours credit. Topic stated in current Schedule of Classes. Prerequisite: Stated in current Schedule of Classes

MIS 660 - Readings in Management Information Systems (1-6 hours)
Individual readings in Management Information Systems for qualified students, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours. Prerequisite: Advancement to candidacy; consent of instructor and director of graduate programs

MIS 671 - Productivity Software for Managers (3 hours)
The use of packaged software to improve personal productivity in the business environment: spreadsheets, databases, presentation graphics, database retrieval, statistics, word processing, and electronic mail. Problem-solving laboratory exercises using the different software packages.

MIS 673 - Data Communications for Managers (3 hours)
Data communications for supporting management decision making and group coordination: communication technologies, idea generation and group collaboration, data and video conferencing, emerging technologies for communication and coordination. Prerequisite: MIS 672 or consent of director of graduate programs.