New Classes

The KU School of Business Faculty is committed to developing new classes to enhance the MBA program. These new classes are designed to meet the changing needs of employers. MBA students will make themselves more competitive in the job marketplace by taking advantage of these cutting edge classes.

Fraud Examination & Forensic Accounting (ACCT 741)
Explores various academic approaches to fraud to include factors learned from other disciplines such as sociology and psychology. Students will review the vast body of knowledge gained by practitioners throughout the world and will attempt to apply these factors to the prevention of financial statement and occupational (employee) fraud. Some of the topics covered include: skimming transactions, identity fraud, computer schemes, money laundering, bribery and kickbacks, and corporate
espionage.

Internet Marketing - Spring 2010 (MKTG 710)
The internet and digital technologies continue to profoundly impact all aspects of the marketing function. The broad objectives of this course are to better understand how digital technologies create value for customers and profits for companies. Special emphasis will be placed on new opportunities afforded by digital technologies. Specific topics include personalization, closed-loop marketing, online communities, new pricing formats, harnessing dispersed competence, and formulating win-win marketing strategies.

Topics in Prediction Markets
This class is offered for the first time in the Spring 2009 semester. It will introduce a new and exciting financial tool, prediction markets, which are a type of derivative market that can be used to make forecasts of upcoming events. Firms such as H-P, Google, Microsoft and Lilly have begun to use prediction markets to make forecasts on topics ranging from product shipment dates to outcomes of regulatory processes. Prediction markets have great promise for helping firms manage risk. This is one of the first Prediction Market class offered by a MBA program in the U.S.

Business Sustainability Strategies
The focus will be on the need for a sustainability strategy by businesses and how companies are addressing this critical issue in a way that enhances competitiveness and profitability. Case studies on best practices will be used.

Leadership
Two new leadership classes are scheduled for Fall 2009. It is critical that MBA have the ability to be leaders. KU MBA students will have the opportunity to learn about being a leader and then practice what they have learned.

Learning Leadership (Fall Semester 2009 - last eight weeks)
Students will: 1) gain exposure to the conceptual knowledge on leadership practice and the assumptions that underpin this knowledge, 2) enhance self-awareness through systematic assessment of their leadership capabilities, 3) learn how to become better self-directed experiential learners, and 4) establish leadership development objectives and action plans for achieving them. Students will engage in these activities in small learning teams and document their course-related work in electronic portfolios.

Practicing Leadership (Spring Semester 2010 - two practicums, one credit each)
Students will implement leadership development plans established during the Learning Leadership course. Plans will be implemented during the student's coursework, co-curricular activities, and personal and/or work-related experiences during the semester. These practicum-related activities will be driven by continuous reflection on and analysis of these experiences as reported in the student's electronic portfolio established in the Learning Leadership course. Portfolios will be presented at the end of each practicum.