Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2018 Catalog 
    
2016-2018 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Business Administration, Global Business Management Option, B.S.


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Program of Study


After successful completion of the Lower-Division Pre-Business Core, students take an associated set of Foundation of Business and Core courses for their selected option/track. Each option/track has numerous required and elective courses from which a student can tailor a program to satisfy individual career goals. Students in the College of Business Administration (CoBA) will find that their program of study is both rigorous and relevant to real-world business problems. The curriculum is designed to help students develop a wide range of skills and abilities applicable to both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors of the economy. The program’s focus on problem identification and problem solving allows students to develop analytical and critical thinking skills that gives Cal State San Marcos business graduates a distinctive advantage in today’s job market.

Senior Experience is a one-semester, 3-unit capstone course. This course challenges students to integrate and apply their business education by participating in real-world consulting engagements. This project is conducted while working in a team with fellow students. The goals for the first two weeks of the semester are to have students form into teams, match teams with projects, and provide them with the tools needed to successfully complete projects during the remainder of the semester. Topics to be covered during these first two weeks are: the problem-solving process, primary and secondary research, critical thinking, consultation, project management, and strategies for team effectiveness. Senior Experience is offered each semester, Fall and Spring.

For additional information, please contact the Director of Senior Experience at (760) 750-4266, or email seniorexperience@csusm.edu. Throughout the curriculum, the program emphasizes intellectual, ethical, and social issues likely to affect business in the 21st Century. Global issues and the realities of demographic diversity in the workplace are an integral part of the coursework. In summary, the goal of the program is to help students apply their critical thinking skills to solve problems encountered in the business world in innovative ways using team-based approaches.

Student Learning Outcomes


The goal of CoBA is to ensure that our graduates have learned and are able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, competencies, and values they will need to achieve their personal and professional goals. Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration will be able to:

  1. Effectively and professionally communicate both orally and in writing;
  2. Demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
  3. Demonstrate interpersonal and collaboration skills;
  4. Apply analytics to business situations;
  5. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of information technology;
  6. Apply ethical and socially responsible perspectives/viewpoints and demonstrate an understanding of their consequences;
  7. Identify and apply global perspectives in making business decisions; and
  8. Describe and apply foundational business concepts, theories, processes, and strategies.

Program Requirements


The undergraduate program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Careful planning is the key to efficiently meeting program requirements. There are General Education and university-wide graduation requirements, lower-division pre-business core, and upper-division requirements for the major.

All students applying for admission to the CoBA are initially classified as Pre-Business status. Students need to submit a Business Status Application (available at www.csusm.edu/coba) to the CoBA Advising Office in person, or via online, fax, or U.S. mail, along with complete copies of unofficial transcripts for all non-CSUSM coursework in the pre-business core. This is in addition to the official transcripts that are required by the Office of Admissions. Upon verification of successful completion of the pre-business core requirements, a student will be accepted in the Business Program (i.e., attain business status).

Completion of the pre-business core (Business Status) is a prerequisite for all upper-division CoBA business courses.

The CoBA requires that at least 50 percent of the upper-division major coursework required for each of its options be earned at Cal State San Marcos. Completion of the Senior Experience at Cal State San Marcos is required of all students.

Transfer Credit


Lower-division courses clearly equivalent in scope, content, and level will be accepted for transfer credit (if taken from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or from a foreign institution recognized by Cal State San Marcos and the CoBA).

Transfer credit will be granted for upper-division courses only in those cases where the course content and level are equivalent to Cal State San Marcos courses and/or where the courses were taken in a program accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Exceptions will be made on an individual basis only where a review of the proposed transfer credit course indicates content and depth at least equal to the equivalent of a Cal State San Marcos course. An Upper-Division Transfer Credit Approval Form is available on the CoBA website. A student requesting such a review will be required to provide supporting documentation, such as course syllabi and required texts, along with complete copies of unofficial transcripts. This is in addition to the official transcripts that are required by the Office of Admissions.

Requirements


In order to receive a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a student must earn a minimum of 120 units. All courses counted toward the major must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better. The Lower-Division Pre-Business Core must be completed with a minimum GPA of 2.5 or better.

Students should refer to the College of Business website (www. csusm.edu/coba) for an option checklist and a suggested course sequence for each option.

Global Business Management


The mission of the Global Management Option is to develop talent for a sustainable world. The GBM program has been designed to develop professionals with a global worldview. In addition, required courses are directed specifically toward developing the personal skills that are essential to be successful in today’s dynamic, uncertain, and complex business environment. There are three tracks in the GBM Option: Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Information Systems.

GBM students must complete a Foreign Academic Experience. The Foreign Academic Experience is completed through either an individual international business internship (GBM 495 ) or through a foreign study experience at the university level of at least one semester in duration. Students considered by the California State University to be “international (foreign) students” satisfy the Foreign Academic Experience through the CSUSM residence requirement.

GBM students may substitute GBM 495  for the Senior Experience team-oriented project (BUS 495 ) required in other Business Administration options. All GBM students must complete either BUS 495 , or GBM 495 .

Marketing Track (51 Units)


The Marketing track is primarily for those who want to become involved in global sales and marketing. This can include account management, global marketing campaign and strategy development and delivery, and related areas such as advertising. In all but very small firms, a career in global marketing and sales normally requires several years of experience at a domestic site and a good familiarity with the firm’s products and services. As a result, the specialized courses for this track are focused primarily on fundamental marketing principles and knowledge that are important for domestic and global operations.

Foundations of Business Courses (14 Units)


*Equivalent 4-unit courses can be substituted for these 2-unit courses, however, the excess units cannot count toward GBM: Marketing Track Electives.

A Foreign Language Proficiency Exam


Students will be required to demonstrate proficiency at the advanced level in at least one foreign language. For details, see www.csusm.edu/gbm.

Entrepreneurship Track (51 Units)


The Entrepreneurship track is specifically designed to help students incubate a business idea, learn the different components essential to starting and managing a start-up business, and evaluate closely the viability of their idea. The program is designed to help students develop their ideas into a well-conceived business plan that can lead to a start-up business. In order to accomplish these objectives, students will move through a sequence of courses that build upon one another. Students begin by learning about the challenges of entrepreneurship, and by completing a first-level analysis of the viability of their business idea. Students then take courses in new venture marketing, management, and financing to increase their understanding and skills to further develop their business idea and determine its potential. Students will also benefit significantly from the experiences of entrepreneurs in the community, and learn from their successes and failures. The track concludes with the development of a business plan in the capstone course.

Foundation of Business Courses (14 Units)


*Equivalent 4-unit courses can be substituted for these 2-unit courses, however, the excess units cannot count toward GBM: Entrepreneurship Track electives.

Foreign Language Proficiency Exam


Students will be required to demonstrate proficiency at the advanced level in at least one foreign language. For details, see www.csusm.edu/gbm.

Information Systems Track (51 Units)


The Information Systems (IS) track in the Global Business Management (GBM) Option is designed to equip students who are interested in helping firms manage their information systems while working in an international or global environment. An increasing number of firms, both small and large are operating in foreign countries in various capacities: direct sales, sourcing of supplies, working through distributors, entering into joint ventures, performing market research, coordinating subsidiary units for more efficient operations, and so on. The significant demands on firms to manage their information systems in this increasingly complex and interesting global environment requires students who understand both information systems and global business demands. The IS track within the GBM Option will prepare students to perform well in this kind of an environment.

Foundations of Business Courses (14 Units)


* Equivalent 4-unit courses can be substituted for these 2-unit courses. However, the excess units cannot count toward Information System Track electives.

** MIS 304  can be substituted for MIS 302 . The two excess units may be used for electives.

Business Professional Development Program


Business Professional Development consists of numerous activities, packaged into two modules that are incorporated into the student learning outcomes of BUS 495 , Senior Experience and GBM 495 , Global Management Experience. These activities prepare students to engage in professional environments and situations, focusing on foundational behavior and business practices, and are designed to ensure that all CoBA students are equipped to pursue their career searches confidently and secure fulfilling jobs upon graduation. Due to the nature of these activities, each module is meant to be completed in one semester.

  1. Beginning Fall 2016, BPD Module I and BPD Module II were added to the Option Checklists and Suggested Course Sequence Sheets on the CoBA Advising website (http://www.csusm.edu/coba/advising/optionchecklists.html). 

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