Curriculum

MBA in International Business Curriculum

In the Anaheim University Akio Morita School of Business online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in International Business, students complete twelve courses: six core courses, three International Business specialization courses selected from four options, the required International Business Capstone, and two electives—one in Sustainable Management and one in Entrepreneurship.

 

Courses are taught in an accelerated format — each term is six weeks long, and students may enroll in new courses every six weeks, with the option of taking a single course, several courses, or the entire degree. Coursework moves from the core disciplines of international economics, human resources, accounting, marketing, management and finance into a specialization in international business, and concludes with a capstone case study built on a real-world challenge.

Anaheim University MBA graduates at the University’s graduation ceremony in Tokyo, Japan.

Program Requirements
Units
Core courses — 6 required
18
Specialized courses — 3 of 4 plus the required capstone
12
Electives — 1 sustainable management, 1 entrepreneurship
6
Total required to graduate
36

Each course is six weeks long and carries three units, and a new term begins every six weeks. Students may enroll in a single course, several courses, or the entire degree. The 36 units above are the six core courses, four specialized courses (three chosen plus the required International Business Capstone) and two electives. Students must pass the capstone with a grade of 80% or higher in order to graduate.

Coursework and Capstone

Six core courses, a specialization in international business ending with the required capstone, and two electives drawn from sustainable management and entrepreneurship. Open any course to read its full description.

Core Courses

6 courses · 18 units

The six core courses taken by every MBA student, covering the foundations of international business — economics, human resources, accounting, marketing, management and finance.

Economics is an important subject that affects the way we live in not only the United States but internationally for countries who use the market system to determine the allocation of resources in their society. The aim of this course is to help students understand the operation of a market system in an international setting and to explore the nature and organization of various societies and the arguments underlying many of the great global public issues of the day in an international setting, and to understand the operation and behavior of international business firms and other decision-making entities through the study of the principles of international economics useful to students in the international MBA program.
Human beings are the most crucial components of any organization as all other company assets are always subject to human decisions. Recruitment, management and training of the workforce are then crucial tasks that contribute to the company’s success and can even be decisive for its survival. This is true whether we are considering domestic companies or international companies. This course focuses on the study of human management principles as they reflect on the basic assumption of treating employees as investments benefiting a company in the long run from the international perspective. The class is designed as an overview of traditional functions of international human resource (IHRM) management and an examination of its governing mechanisms contributing to the success of an organization. Compensation, staffing, training, labor relations and employee performance evaluation are studied from an international perspective among other aspects of international human resource management.
In our increasingly globalized world, accounting students need to understand the main features of financial reporting practices as they differ in different countries so that they will be able to distinguish accounting and reporting differences that would otherwise give rise to problems for report readers. It is also vitally necessary to understand the ongoing efforts to harmonize standards using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The course aims to give participants a thorough grounding in the key principles of accounting while enabling them to understand the major features of the international IFRS standards. The course shows the links between accounting statements, valuation methods and investment analysis. The course also reviews important technical areas of differences among accounting systems such as inventory valuation, the use of reserves, consolidations, and taxation of income. The student will learn to identify problems in international harmonization while appreciating the capital market efficiencies to be gained from harmonization of international accounting standards.
International Marketing frequently requires major changes in how organizations conduct business in a global marketplace. It is a necessity for today’s business leader to be aware of the implications of marketing strategies and how they are employed in different countries with different cultures. This course focuses on identifying and meeting the needs of specific international target markets through close interaction with managers from other functional areas, such as promotion, finance, accounting and human resources.
We are observing a fundamental shift in the nature of geopolitics. No longer will global business leaders focus on one or two stock markets, currencies, economics or political leaders. Today’s business environment is far too complex and interrelated for that. Nation-states and multinational corporations will remain both powerful and important. Global networks comprising technological, entrepreneurial, social and environmental interest groups will remain powerful. Future economic and business endeavors will increasingly be characterized by a search for common ground, productive partnerships, and mutual benefit. This course will focus on developing a deeper understanding of how and why management practices and processes can differ around the world, and the development of the skills necessary to function successfully in this international business environment.
This course covers material essential to a comprehensive understanding of international financial management. Topics will include, but not be limited to, foreign exchange markets, the global cost of capital, corporate strategy and foreign investment and multinational capital budgeting.

Specialized Courses

3 of 4 + capstone · 12 units

Four specialized courses in international business. Students choose three of the first four courses and complete the required International Business Capstone at the end of the program.

Intercultural communication is international communication across national boundaries involving many different cultures. There is a wide range of communication problems that naturally appear when one moves across national boundaries, and within organizations which are made up of individuals from different countries representing different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. Intercultural communication seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures behave, communicate and perceive the world around them quite differently. From a management perspective, it studies situations where people from different cultures interact in a business environment. The purpose of this course is to gain an understanding of the variations in language, customs, social attributes, thought patterns, and other aspects of cultures of different groups of people. An understanding of intercultural communication is essential for the conduct of international businesses. It is the purpose of this course to provide this understanding.
Supply Chain Management involves the flows of materials and information among all of the firms that contribute value to a product, from the source of raw materials to the end customer. The goal of this course will be to help students understand the strategic importance of good supply chain design, planning, and operations for every firm, to provide students with the use of key drivers on a conceptual and practical level to improve supply chain performance, and to give students a solid understanding of analytic methodologies for supply chain analysis necessary to achieve a significant increase in performance.
This course provides a comprehensive coverage of the legal, cultural, political, economic and ethical issues faced by global business managers. An understanding of these issues is enhanced through the use of real-world examples, cutting-edge cases, managerial problems, and ethical issues.
Successful managers in a world of global competition must have an array of skills, talents and abilities at their disposal. This course uses extensive examples to illustrate the vibrancy and challenge of international business. Coverage of relevant topics includes the degree of geographical literacy necessary to succeed in international markets, which is frequently overlooked in more traditional courses.
This final, summative experience is the cumulation of the MBA in International Business and a capstone to the educational program. MBA students will be required to prepare a summative assignment in the form of a case study that will be based on a real-world challenge. Upon completion, students will be able to develop a management plan to create and manage an international business; evaluate how to find appropriate ways to establish an international business; and understand the importance of cross-cultural sensitivity in international business. Students must earn a final grade of 80% or higher in this course in order to graduate.

Elective Courses

choose 2 · 6 units

Students choose two electives — one Sustainable Management course from the Kisho Kurokawa Green Institute and one Entrepreneurship course from the Carland Entrepreneurship Institute. Elective offerings are subject to faculty availability and may vary by term, so students select from the electives available during their enrollment period.

The Triple Bottom Line Accounting and Management course is an expanded version of accounting for corporate activity. Contemporary society has moved away from the mere financial bottom line to a higher level of social responsibility where we account for the true social impact of our business activity. Through this expanded version of accounting and accountability, social and environmental impact is added to the equations. Thereby the report of corporate activity and management comprehensively reflects a true bottom line. The three prongs of the true bottom line become clear: economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice. This course provides the basis for business students to go forward and determine the true social effects of the businesses they are working for and to manage for the future.
Green Marketing & Environmental Product Design/Recycling is a course structured around the traditional “4Ps” of marketing and explains how marketing mix decisions can and do influence environmental outcomes. Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on the conversion of consumption systems to a sustainable paradigm that represents a circular use of resources, not the linear approach (materials > products > consumption > disposal) that leads to the pollution of ecosystems. The major theme of the course is that marketers can reinvent strategy and craft “win-win-win” solutions, where customers win (obtaining genuine benefits), organizations win (achieving financial objectives), and ecosystems win (ecosystem functioning is preserved or enhanced).
Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics is a comprehensive study of the core issues for business in the questions of sustainability, social responsibility and ethics. The course introduces the student not only to relevant issues, but the views of corporate stakeholders. Approaches for presenting and carrying out a program of sustainability are presented, including strategic planning, targets, goals and alternative approaches. A principal part of the course is devoted to the ethics of business and issues of transparency, including discussion of the social impact of non-ethical and non-transparent business practices. Case studies, a team project and practice assignments assist in presenting these themes on a practical level. The course concludes with information and discussion on trends in sustainability and business ethics. A principal goal of the course is to show that community engagement and the maximization of profit/shareholder value are not mutually exclusive, but mutually reinforcing.
Sustainable Enterprise Development and Leadership is a course which provides a comprehensive and practical analysis of what sustainable business development is and how companies can use it to make a significant difference. Sustainable development involves articulating, integrating and achieving social, economic, and environmental objectives, and initiatives to protect humankind and the natural world from destructive behaviors. Sustainable business development is a holistic management approach which includes the entire value-added system from the origins of raw materials, to production processes, to customer use, to product end of useful life. Sustainable outcomes are those that balance the performance objectives of the present with the needs and expectations of the future. To achieve these outcomes, there must be a profound change in strategic thinking, leadership and the management of businesses.
This course is imperative to successful entrepreneurial ventures. The ability to differentiate oneself from the competition is paramount. Each of us has the gifts for innovation, but we are often loath to use them as risk always accompanies innovation. Some are more comfortable with risk than others, thus understanding the personality of entrepreneurs enables us to use the gifts of others to our advantage. Unfortunately, the emphasis on “right answers” and “minimizing risk” causes many of us to react cautiously in the workplace where compensation and rewards are applied for convergence rather than divergence, no matter the outcome. This course helps us to find out about ourselves, helps us to understand how others think and react, helps us to practice creative exercises which can open our minds to new possibilities, helps us to understand why some companies are more innovative than others and discusses what might be accomplished in the creative environment.
The objective of this course is to inculcate in students an understanding of the forecasting and budgeting process and for students to learn how to prepare sales forecasts for new and for existing ventures, to prepare variable and fixed cost budgets to support the sales forecast, and how to document and support the resulting forecasts, and how to prepare cash flow forecasts and determine start-up costs for a new venture. Students will develop higher-level critical thinking skills, evidenced by analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
The objective of this course is to inculcate in students an understanding of the value of intellectual property to an entrepreneurial venture and for students to learn how to create, protect, and preserve intellectual capital. Students will develop higher-level critical thinking skills, evidenced by analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
The objective of this course is to inculcate in students the strategic skills which are required to support the ongoing development of strategy and distinctive competencies, the vision required to support effective environmental scanning, and the knowledge required to plan for harvesting/succession and to design and create innovative and effective entrepreneurial compensation plans. Students will develop higher-level critical thinking skills, evidenced by analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.

Graduation Requirements

3 milestones

Key requirements students complete as they progress through the degree and to graduation.

The MBA culminates in the International Business Capstone (BUS 610), a summative case study based on a real-world challenge. Students must earn a final grade of 80% or higher in the capstone course in order to graduate.
Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in order to graduate. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.0 is placed on Academic Probation and given two terms to bring it back to a 3.0 level. A grade lower than 80% (a C, D or F) on any course means the course must be repeated.
The maximum time allotted for completion of the International MBA program is three years. Students who need additional time may be granted an extension only after receiving written approval from the Program Director, the Office of the Registrar, and the Office of Financial Affairs.