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With this program, you get the best of both worlds: hands-on, real-world curriculum focused on the intricacies of global and domestic business - taught by world-renowned professors from two top-ranked institutions.


Core Curriculum

BC-4001 Business and Managerial Communications (1.5)

This course focuses on effective management communication for personal and corporate leadership development and illustrates how core concepts of communication strategy inform the various channels of management. Students analyze the components of effective communication with regard to theme, audience, style, clarity, cross-cultural sensitivity, structure and organization in both oral and written forms. Its thematic approach includes leadership, ethics, mergers and acquisitions, e-commerce, public language and corporate culture, teaming, and project management. The course includes instruction on oral presentation, career management and interviewing techniques.

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GF-5490 Global Management for the 21st Century (3.0)

An integrative capstone seminar led by a team of Thunderbird faculty. It is intended to examine issues related to management strategies, human resource management, services management, and the relationship to economic decision making.

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GM-4450 Global Business Leadership for the 21st Century (3.0)

Foundations for Global Business Leadership serves as in introduction to the Web-based Global MBA On-Demand program. As such, we will examine the changing international business environment. Our goal is to begin the program's process of understanding the dynamics of the global political economy, examining its effects at the firm level, and identifying skills managers need to function effectively in this environment.

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GM-4000 Global Political Economy (3.0)

This course offers an introduction to the fundamentals of the international business environment and its three major aspects: (1) the institutional framework and policy management of international economic relations; (2) risk assessment and strategic analysis of nation-states; and (3) the operational and organizational concerns of the transnational enterprise. The purpose of the course is to provide the international manager with (a) an informed perspective on the institutions and policy processes that shape economic relations between international and national factors and among economic blocs as a foundation for further study in the Thunderbird program, and; (b) the substantive base and analytical tools necessary for acquiring an informed perspective.

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GM-4102 Managerial Decision Making (1.5) (Elective)

This course covers the process of creating and using accounting information for long- and short-run decision making. Topics include cost allocations and their uses, cost behavior, relevant costs and decision-making.

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GM-4203 Global Financial Management (1.5) (Elective)

The third module of Finance examines corporate finance issues from managerial and strategic perspectives and extends the concepts covered in the previous two modules to cross-border settings. Topics addressed include cross-border capital budgeting; foreign exchange risk management (including currency swaps); domestic and cross-border corporate valuation; corporate valuation in high-growth/high technology/dotcom settings).

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GM-4210 Global Economics (1.5)

This course investigates the nature of international financial markets; balance of payments; foreign exchange markets and hedging instruments; alternative international monetary arrangements and institutions; and the respective adjustment mechanisms in response to fiscal and monetary policy changes.

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GM-4319 Global Operations Management (1.5) (Elective)

This course provides an overview of the design, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service productions systems. Topics include operations strategy, product design and process selection, quality management and statistical process control, materials requirements planning, lean thinking, theory of constraints, service delivery and service quality and global supply chain management.

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GM-4402 Global Enterprise (1.5)

This course focuses on the many aspects of creating and growing a global venture. The concepts of going to market, competitive sustainability, and building a company to last are discussed along with the aspects and characteristics of global entrepreneurs and the global entrepreneurship process. The concepts of creativity, innovation and opportunity analysis are discussed in both an individual and corporate setting as are global ethics, citizenship and intrepreneurship (corporate venturing).

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GM-4505 Global Marketing (3.0) (Elective)

This course provides a managerial orientation to the topic of global marketing in today's complex, rapidly changing international business environment. A key focus is developing competitive advantage by creating customer value. Course participants will gain a fundamental understanding of marketing strategy and marketing analysis (i.e., customer competitor and company analysis) as well as an appreciation of the basic strategic issues involved in market segmentation, market targeting, and market positioning in the international arena. The major tactics/tools used by global marketers to facilitate the management of their international marketing plans (i.e., product development, pricing strategies, marketing communications, distribution management) are also examined. Throughout the course, an emphasis is placed on developing skills for entering new markets and sustaining or growing current markets.

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GM-4600/4620/4640/4650 Regional Business Environment (3)

The Regional Business Environment courses deal with the political and social context in which business activities take place. This includes consideration of eight factors that shape or reflect the operational realities of management and business, including: patterns of historical development covers political, social and economic events and structures; geographic environment involves human and economic geography, covering population and natural resource distributions, regional financial and trade centers, and transportation systems; political environment includes government structure, state role, interest groups, political parties and the policy-making process; cultural traditions cover religious traditions and sociocultural dimensions that have a direct impact on business operations; international environment includes regional organizations, regional political and economic trends, regional peace and conflicts, and the place of the region in the global system; for economic environment, economic policies, current economy patterns, and major industries are discussed; under legal environment, major regional trade barriers, investment policies, and intellectual property protection issues are covered. There are also discussions on major current issues.

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GM-4800 Cross Cultural Communication (1.5)

This dynamic and interactive course provides managers with an effective framework for achieving their goals in competitive global business settings. The course will assist students to prepare for and execute time-tested strategies for achieving communication competence with persons from different cultures. It will not only examine theories of culture and communication, but will also place students in an experiential situation to gain valuable skills for overcoming obstacles in global management environments. Through use of cases, multicultural team exercises, and simulations, this course will equip the global manager with tools to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities in a multicultural world.

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GM-4801 Global Negotiations I (1.5)

This course will focus on the introduction of negotiating in the global context. Students will participate in a variety of hands-on activities, such as scenario-driven discussions, case discussions, and student-to-student negotiation exercises.

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GM-4802 Global Negotiations II (1.5)

This course will continue into the advanced skills of negotiating in the global context, with students participating in a variety of hands-on activities, such as scenario-driven discussions, case discussions, and student-to-student negotiation exercises.

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GM-5470 Global Strategy (1.5)

This capstone course helps students understand the problems faced by, and the decisions made by, executive managers who have to balance the needs and desires of shareholders, customers, and employees with the requirements of local country mores and government regulations. It requires consolidation of skills and knowledge from a variety of disciplines including management, finance, marketing, and ethics. The course uses the case study approach supplemented by readings and lectures. The cases are directed toward evaluating the conflicting pressures that managers encounter, rather than a detailed analysis of a particular facet.

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GM-5486 Global Leadership (1.5)

This course provides practical insights into those factors, both external and internal, which impact leadership effectiveness. Topics covered include the achievements of leaders, characteristics of leaders, leading across cultures, leading change and relationship between leaders and followers.

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