"The experience and point of views shared by other students was a highlight, as was the majority of our lecturers, the content was amazing – but the best thing was the program design. It allowed for deep digestion of the content, enabled critical thinking to flourish (rather than rote regurgitation), and thankfully allowed the freedom to relate the material to real world problems and interests that were close to my heart." – The Duke of Edinburgh Victoria Executive Officer Stephen Mason

Kisho Kurokawa Green Institute

The AU Online MBA in Global Sustainable Management (Green MBA) is comprised of 12 intensive 6-week courses. Complete 6 core courses, 4 specialized sustainable management courses (including the required Sustainable Management Capstone Course at the end of your program), 1 elective international business course and 1 elective entrepreneurship course. The program can be completed in 18 months from anywhere in the world.

Course Descriptions

Akio Morita School of Business Courses

BUS 510 International Economics (3 units)

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.

BUS 520 International Human Resource Management (3 units)

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.

BUS 530 International Accounting (3 units)

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 be able learn to identify problems in international harmonization while appreciating the capital market efficiencies to be gained from harmonization of international accounting standards.

BUS 540 International Marketing (3 units)

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.

BUS 550 International Management (3 units)

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.

BUS 560 International Finance (3 units)

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.

BUS 542 International Finance (3 units)

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.

BUS 570 Intercultural Communications (3 units)

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.

BUS 572 Seminar in International Business (3 units)

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.

BUS 575 Supply Chain Management (3 units)

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 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 significant increase in performance

Kisho Kurokawa green institute courses

BUS 535 Triple Bottom Line Accountability & Management (3 units)

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.

BUS 535 Green Marketing & Environmental Product Design/Recycling (3 units)

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).

BUS 555 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Ethics (3 units)

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 nonethical 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.

BUS 565 Sustainable Enterprise Development & Leadership (3 units)

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.

BUS 615 Sustainable Management Capstone Course (3 units)

This final, summative experience is the cumulation of the MBA in Sustainable Management and a capstone to the educational program. Students will develop a sustainable management plan for a company, using original market and industry research. This management plan will be comprehensive and cover all aspects of sustainability, including resources, case statements, financing strategies, potential partners, and a final action plan. Upon completion, students will be able to understand how to develop a management plan for sustainability; evaluate how to find appropriate ways to impact systems; and perform analysis of systems and create a vision for the future.

Carland Entrepreneurship Institute Courses

ENT 500 Entrepreneurial Innovation (3 units)

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

ENT 540 Entrepreneurial Forecasting (3 units)

The objective of this course is 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 startup costs for a new venture. Students will develop higherlevel critical thinking skills, evidenced by analysis, evaluation, and synthesis

ENT 560 Intellectual Property(3 units)

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.

ENT 580 Entrepreneurial Strategy (3 units)

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.