DBA Core Curriculum.
MG 6201 Business and
Entrepreneurship
Prerequisite: No prerequisite
The purpose of this course is to prepare DBA students for
basic business management skills and introductory quantitative methods.
It emphasizes entrepreneurship skills to understand business
basics from local and international perspectives. Topics covered include
capital budgeting tools, project evaluation, market structures,
management principles, behavioral theories, knowledge management, human
resource management, organizational structures, consumer behavior,
distribution channels, product pricing, market segmentations, technology
management, franchising, data analysis, statistical research among
others.
OP 6201 Quantitative Analysis
Prerequisite: Adequate business statistics knowledge
This course focuses on developing introductory basic quantitative
methods for business analysis with computer software applications. It
introduces the probability concepts and covers decision-making under
uncertainty. Risk, utility methods, probability applications in
decision-making and decision trees, simple and multiple regressions,
model building, hypothesis testing and forecasting techniques. It also
studies inventory control, linear programming, network models,
simulation and Macro Analysis in business problems.
MG 6202 Research Methods
Prerequisite: Adequate business statistics knowledge
This course focuses on management problem solving, planning and
evaluation tools. Main themes of this course are role of business
research, acquiring research skills in both qualitative and quantitative
aspects of analysis. Students will be exposed to survey instrument
design, questionnaire design, sampling methods, data collection and
research design, basic inference analysis, research ethics, exploratory
research, qualitative analysis, measurement and scaling of data
attributes as well as business applications and interpretation of
statistical techniques.
MG 6203 Advanced Research Methods
Prerequisite: MG 6202
This course develops conceptual frameworks in research methodologies and
emphasizes business applications of modern software in research design.
Topics covered include analysis in survey and experimental data,
multivariate statistics, multiple regression applications and model
building, experimental design, model diagnostic analysis, factor
analysis, path analysis, discriminant analysis, cluster analysis,
structural equation modeling, multi-dimensional scaling and conjoint
analysis among others.
FN 6202 Econometrics
Prerequisite: OP 6201
This course is designed to build a solid background in econometric
theory and its applications to economic and business problems. It
provides the necessary background to perform empirical studies by
focusing on conceptual skills in basic and multiple linear regression
models, stationary and non-stationary time series analysis, panel data
analysis, and policy evaluations with advanced software applications.
Major Courses
AC 6201 Accounting Theory and
Practice
Prerequisite: DBA Council’s
permission
This course examines the process of measuring, recording and reporting
financial information required of contemporary business.
Aspects of financial accounting examined include valuation,
income measurement and the construction and interpretation of financial
reports. Accounting theory, in terms of the basic assumptions,
definitions, principles and concepts that underpin practice, will be
inter-woven throughout the course.
AC 6202 Studies in Strategic
Management Accounting
Prerequisite: AC 6201
This course examines advanced topics in contemporary
management accounting available to guide strategic decision-making.
Topics examined include: Activity Based Costing, Activity Based
Management, Target and Life Cycle Costing, Balanced Scorecard,
Performance Measurement, Incentive Contracts and Budgeting.
Through the course participants will come to understand
management accountants as “value-adding members of management teams,
creating information vital for enhancing operational excellence, and for
formulating and implementing new strategies” (Kaplan, 1998).
AC 6203 Comparative International
Accounting Standards
Prerequisite: AC 6201
This course examines the progress, tensions and problems associated with
the ongoing process of harmonizing accounting standards and functions
within enterprises and between countries, It examines, for example, work
of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which promotes
the adoption of comparable accounting practices and transparency needed
by investors and creditors to make decisions that optimize resource
allocation and enhance economic growth.
AC 6204 Special Topics in Accounting
Prerequisite: AC 6202
This course provides participants with the opportunity to make an
intensive and critical examination of a topic or topics arising from
recent empirical and theoretical literature in Accounting. The topic or
topics chosen for study will vary depending on the interests of the
students and course instructor.
AC 6205 Directed study in Accounting
Prerequisite: AC 6202 or AC 6203
Individual work related to the needs of DBA students may be arranged
both during regular sessions and during the intersession periods.
FN 6201 Theory of
Finance
Prerequisites: DBA Council’s permission
The
course engages intensive study and critical examination of modern
finance theory, emphasizing the integration of firm investment and
financing decisions under certainty and uncertainty, as well as, under
perfect and imperfect capital markets. Major topics may include, but are
not limited to, asset pricing and valuation, capital budgeting and real
options, capital structure and dividend policies, capital market
efficiency, information asymmetry and agency theory, term structure of
interest rates, option valuation, international parity relationships,
etc.
Empirical studies that have bearing on modern finance theories
are also explored.
FN 6203 Corporate
Finance
Prerequisites: FN6201
The course focuses on intensive review and study of theories and
practices of corporate financial policies and strategies. Areas of
study include complex capital budgeting under certainty and uncertainty,
valuation of projects and firms, capital structure and cost of capital,
dividend policy and stock repurchases, corporate risk management,
mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring, working capital
management, corporate governance and control, agency conflicts,
information asymmetry, etc. Case study may be utilized to examine,
analyze, and integrate corporation decision-making. Also,
theoretical and empirical literature on corporate finance issues will be
reviewed.
FN 6204 Financial
Markets and Institutions
Prerequisites: FN6201
The course focuses on intensive review and study of the financial
environment, including securities, markets, and institutions.
Emphasis is on interest rate determinants, fixed income, equity and
derivative securities, and the operations and management of all types of
financial intermediaries. Theoretical and empirical literature on
models and behavior of financial intermediaries, structure and
regulation, interest rate theories, financial markets, and the impact of
macroeconomic policies and procedures on financial markets and
institutions are explored. Regulatory structure over capital
markets and institutions, market developmental issues, market
microstructure issues, creation of capital market infrastructure, and
impact of globalization and technological development are also
discussed.
FN 6205 Special
Topics in Finance (May be taken more then once for Credit)
Prerequisites: FN6201
Intensive study and critical examination of special
topics recently or newly emerging as an interest in finance. These
special topics may include but are not limited to international finance,
financial derivatives, risk management, financial engineering, real
estate finance, etc.
FN 6206 Directed
Study in Finance
Prerequisite: FN6201
Individual work related to the needs of DBA students may
be arranged both during regular sessions and during the inter-session
periods.
MG 6204 Management Theory
Prerequisite: DBA Council’s permission
The objectives of this course are
to (1) investigate seminal works and theories which have shaped modern
management theory and research, (2) explore the likely impact of these
works on corporate decision making, operations, and results including
research in these areas, and 3) generate excitement about testing the
frontiers of knowledge. The
student will study theory formulation, elements of theory and models,
and a series of modern theories and models in management from a macro
perspective. The intent will be to understand how these works were
meant to and have shaped the generalist point of view in management
theory and practice in both a national and global context. The course is designed to assist
students to think conceptually about how to understand, synthesize, and
frame issues and problems facing business enterprises within an ethical
framework. In addition, the course will allow students to develop
expertise in communicating new ideas to their peers in a manner which
will both encourage further interchange of knowledge and lead to
acceptance of those ideas. Finally, students will have the opportunity
to apply these skills to conceptual issues confronting their own
disciplines.
MG
6205 Organizational Behavior
Prerequisite: DBA Council’s permission
Organizational Behavior
is a field of study that is primarily concerned with understanding
individual and group behavior in work organizations. As a result, it can
include such diverse topics as the motivation to work, emotions in
organizations, and career planning issues. At the heart of OB is people:
their aspirations, expectations, interactions, inclinations, and
behavior in work situations. Traditionally organizational behavior was
mainly influenced by psychology, but in the last decade the discipline
has been influenced by communication studies, sociology, and
anthropology. Consequently the field is both varied and intellectually
stimulating. The
organizational behavior course is designed to explore in depth the core
body of literature that constitutes organizational behavior and to
investigate the central debates, methodological issues, ethical
concerns, and other contemporary concerns within the field at an
advanced level. In addition, participants are expected to be able to apply
these theories to the design, assessment, reengineering, and adaptation
of systems and processes that will ensure the maximum organizational,
group, individual, and technological performance.
MG
6206 Strategic Management
Prerequisite: MG6204, MG6205
Students will explore current academic research in management strategy and change management. This course examines the standard model of Vision, Mission, Strategies (or Policies), Tactics (or Procedures), Implementation, Measuring Results, and Control. Students will explore complex, strategic decision problems, and in the selection and application of appropriate techniques for reaching realistic decisions within an ethical framework in e-commerce and bricks and mortar commerce in both the for-profit and the not-for-profit realms and in the local, national, and global environments. Complex, judgmental problems are considered for a variety of organization types, business and non-business respecting the organization’s operating policies and procedures; and the organization, administrative, and operational problems of both national and multinational companies.
MG6207 Special Topics in Management
(May be taken more than once for Credit)
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission
Intensive study and
critical examination of recent empirical and theoretical literature in
management. Topics of studies will vary depending on the interests of
the students and course instructor.
MG 6208 Directed
Studies in Management
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission
Directed studies are
readings courses in which the professor will direct non-classroom
independent study by students. The topic will be dependent upon the
professor’s area of expertise. Readings will be in areas not offered
in lecture or seminar courses and it is anticipated that they will deal
with subjects at the leading edge of current management thought.
The responsible faculty will meet regularly with students to assess
their progress. It is anticipated that publishable research papers may
be the output of these courses, fitting directly with the overall course
requirements for curriculum research papers.
MK 6201 Marketing
Theory
Prerequisite: DBA Council’s permission
The objective of this course is to familiarize students
with the history and evolution of marketing thought. The course will
review the literature regarding the definition of marketing, marketing
as a science, and major theoretical perspectives in marketing. Special
emphasis will be placed on theoretical paradigms and perspectives in
marketing such as systems theory, the behavioral theory of the firm,
resource dependent theory, and social exchange theory that have
influenced marketing as a discipline. Philosophy of science including
scientific inquiry and the nature of scientific explanation, theories of
truth, and distinctions between science and non-science will be
discussed as it pertains to theory development.
MK 6202 Strategic
Marketing
Prerequisite: MK6201
This seminar course builds on
previous courses in marketing theory development, organizational
behavior theory, innovation theory, and research to examine substantive
areas in marketing. It
examines the development of marketing strategies that can be adapted to
the changing needs of consumers, to the strategies of competitors, and
to the globalization of commerce. Other
topic areas include: segmentation,
strategy, advertising, promotion, pricing, product development and
management, distribution channels, sales force, relationship marketing,
new product introduction, marketing across sectors, and retailing.
In this course, strategic management concepts as they
relate to for-profit, not-for-profit and professional organizations will
be examined to enhance the student’s ability to analyze an industry
and develop relevant ethical marketing strategies. As
such, this course is designed to offer exposure to the substantive
issues that marketing theoreticians are grappling with and an
opportunity to delve more deeply into one or more areas of special
interest.
MK 6203 Theories in
Consumer Behavior
Prerequisite: MK6201
This seminar course provides an in-depth study of the
nature and determinants of the behavior of organizations in relation to
their marketing activities. This course will emphasize the cognitive
processing perspectives of decision making within ethical marketing both
locally and internationally. Students
will also gain experience in comprehensively surveying the literature in
subject areas such as memory, attitudes, perceptions, preferences, and
buyer/seller behavior. The
seminars will focus on practical, professional decision making
incorporating the challenges faced by marketers who must balance the
needs of customers, suppliers, shareholders, employees, and other
stakeholders. The course requires the student to synthesize and
integrate theory and practice and to apply them toward the development
of innovative and creative solutions for specific marketing situations
found within an organization's environment both locally and in the
global environment.
MK 6204 Special
Topics in Marketing (May be
taken more than once for Credit)
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission
Intensive study and critical examination of recent
empirical and theoretical literature in Marketing. Topics of studies will vary depending on the interests of the
students and course instructor.
MK 6205 Directed
Studies in Marketing
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission
Directed studies are readings courses in which the professor will direct non-classroom independent study by students. The topic will be dependent upon the professor’s area of expertise. Readings will be in areas not offered in lecture or seminar courses and it is anticipated that they will deal with subjects at the leading edge of current marketing thought.
The responsible faculty will meet regularly with students to assess their progress. It is anticipated that publishable research may be the output of these courses, fitting directly with the overall course requirements for curriculum research papers.
OP 6202 Business Process Fundamentals
Prerequisite: DBA Council’s permission
This core course focuses on understanding levers
for structuring, managing, and improving a firm's recurring business
processes to achieve competitive advantage in customer responsiveness,
price, quality, and variety of products and services. These levers are
as applicable to banks, hospitals, and brokerage firms, for example, as
to traditional manufacturing. Processes within firms, as well as between
firms, i.e. supply chains, are explored. The fundamental principles
underlying state-of-the-art practices, such as Quick Response,
Just-in-Time and Time-Based Competition, are explored so that students
learn to critically evaluate these and other operational improvement
programs. Students learn the basics of how to manage the operations of a
firm, and how operations issues affect and are affected by the many
business decisions they will be called upon to make or recommend in
their careers. As such, this course is essential to students aspiring to
become consultants, entrepreneurs, or general managers.
OP 6203 Operations Management and
Strategy
Prerequisite: OP6201
It examines how to manage all the operations and
activities in the firm irrespective of department, and thus is
particularly useful to students who want the larger view of running the
entire enterprise. The course covers decision-making methodology and how
to make decisions that propel the processes of the firm forward. In
particular, for operational success the firm needs:
Procedures to promote better decisions and reduce errors,
Processes that are highly efficient, Flexibility and responsiveness to
the customer, Innovation that beats the competition, Better trained and
motivated employees, Superior management, Excellence in information
technology. This course will present key concepts necessary for
achieving strategic objectives, but will do so on a general level
related to senior management.
OP 6204 Supply Chain Strategy and Practice
Prerequisite: OP6203
Supply chains are networks of organizations that
supply and transform materials, and distribute final products to
consumers. If designed and managed properly, these networks are a
crucial source of competitive advantage for both manufacturing and
service enterprises. Students will learn how to examine and improve the
flow of materials and information through this network of suppliers,
manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in order to help firms get
the right product to the right customer in the right amount and at the
right time. Key topics covered in this course include the role of
coordination within and across firms, the impact of incentives, and the
use of information technology. Special emphasis is given to
understanding how the business context shapes managerial decisions
regarding the strategic design and management of the supply chain. This
course is intended for students interested in general management or
careers in consulting, operations, or marketing.
OP 6205 Special Topics in Operations
Management (May
be taken more than once for credit)
Prerequisite: OP6203
The Course includes new methods of decision making that are designed to
provide better results through the state of art modern operations
management concepts as listed below:
Processes
management: The process view of operations management in producing
services and goods of business are looked into. In addition the supply
chain management from process viewpoint is designed.
New
product and software development: Firms gain strategic advantage by
developing new products better and faster. The study provides procedures
for doing that quickly and effectively.
The
use of game theory: As a design principle for distributed algorithms
and network protocols, and as a foundation for complex autonomous agents
engaged in both cooperative activity and strategic competition. From the
traditional economic and game theory side, motivations include the
development of richer ways of modeling complex and modern problems of
strategic interaction and confrontation. This course will survey the
progress so far in this exciting and rapidly growing area.
Strategy and operations:
the content focuses on strategy in service, production systems designs
and performance evaluation. Topics include quality principles,
operations strategy, staff and production scheduling, Just-in-Time and
time-based competition.
Simulation and its application
in business: taking a
process view, the course develops the business models and evaluates the
business strategy. It includes the modeling business concepts and
scenario analysis.
OP 6206 Directed Study in OM
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission
The course is for the students who are studying a specific advanced
subject area in Operations Management. Students must submit a proposal
outlining and detailing the study area, along with the faculty/
supervisor's consent, and to the Operations Management doctoral program
coordinator. The specific content of this course varies depending on the
interest of the student as outlined in proposal.
IS
6201 Information Systems Theory
Prerequisite: DBA Council’s permission
Specialize in this area is gained through the introduction of integer
and nonlinear programming.
In-depth study of the theory and algorithms related to the solution of
linear programming problems. Optimality conditions, duality and
sensitivity analysis. It discusses the primal and dual simplex, interior
point methods, Large-scale optimization,
Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition. The course will introduce students
to the issues and techniques involved in handling large volumes of data
and extracting information/ knowledge / intelligence from that data. The
course will cover Data warehouse, Data warehouse definition,
Terminology, Properties & Components, Data warehouse development
approach, multidimensional data model, Data warehouse design through
examples.
IS 6202 Management Information Systems
Prerequisite: IS6201
This course provides a broad overview of the key
managerial issues relating to development and usage and components of
information systems in an organization.
The course will cover electronic business
frameworks. Internet and the WWW. Advertisement and promotions on the
web. Service industries online. Emerging payment methods and
micro-payments. Public policy and legal issues. Infrastructure for
electronic business. Economics of electronic business.
Telecommunications infrastructure, and Internet technology,
Client-server architecture of Internet applications, standard Internet
services, HTTP, markup languages, dynamic Web content, Internet access
and services: measuring and pricing the Internet, Digital economy,
Security of e-commerce: Cryptography and security of Internet
information flows, host security, intranets and extranets, Electronic
payment systems Trust and assurance in e-commerce, continuous online
auditing, online financial reporting.
IS
6203 System Analysis and Design
Prerequisite: IS6202
Much of the content will be focused on current
research areas in information strategy such as the information and
organizational economics, information technology, firm performance,
search cost and pricing, information and incentives, coordination costs
and the boundary of the firm, and the economics of information goods
(including pricing and intellectual property protection). In addition,
promising empirical approaches such as the use of intelligent agents for
data collection or click stream data analysis will be discussed.
IS 6204 Special Topics in Information
Systems (May
be taken more than once for credit)
Prerequisite: IS6202
The module of the course will include:
Integer Programming:
In-depth review of solution methods: Lagrangean relaxation and column
generation, Benders partitioning, surrogate relaxation, cutting planes
and valid inequalities, logical processing, probing, branch-and-bound,
and branch-and-price. Study of special problems and applications:
matching, location, generalized assignment, traveling salesman, forest
planning, production scheduling.
Graph Theory:
Deals mainly with algorithmic and computational aspects of graph theory.
Topics and problems include reachability and connectivity, set covering,
graph coloring, location of centers, location of medians, trees,
shortest path, circuits, traveling salesman problem, network flows,
matching, transportation, and assignment problems.
Advanced Nonlinear Programming:
Convex sets and functions. Optimality conditions and duality theory.
Methods for unconstrained and constrained optimization. Interior and
exterior penalty methods. Lagrangean and augmented Lagrangean methods.
Information
technology: the course review key areas including supply chain
management, customer relationship management, ERP and the successful
application of IT. These capabilities are re-creating strategy.
IS 6205 Directed Study in Information
Systems
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission
For students who are studying a specific advanced subject area in Computer Information Management. Students must submit a proposal outlining and detailing the study area, along with the faculty supervisor's consent, to the Operations and Information Management doctoral program coordinator. The specific content of this course varies depending on student’s interest.
Bang
College of Business, KIMEP, 2 Abai Avenue, Almaty, 050010
Tel.: +7 327 270-44-96 Fax: +7 327 270-44-63
E-mail: malika@kimep.kz,
bcb_adv@kimep.kz