Programs

Overview:

In the second year of the three-year program, students expand on the fundamentals they learned during the first year of study. Students will take a critical and practical approach to the core concepts of business administration and management. This is when students begin to move past foundational knowledge and dive deep into the concepts covered in the first year. At the end of the academic year, second-year students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-life situations through the required internships, which facilitates students to have a skillset beyond just theory but sought-after real-life practical skills in the job market today. This is equivalent to the Junior year of the three-year Bachelor Administration Program level. The Program awards 60 ECTS or 30 US Credits.

This program provides more advanced knowledge, understanding, and skills that will enable students to:

• Develop an understanding of the professional world through case studies and field research;
• Build an up-to-date knowledge base of management skills applicable to Business Administration within a context of understanding the broader industrial and economic interests.

Year 2 Courses (Table)

Year 2 Course Descriptions

ACC310: Advanced Accounting

This course aims to help students further develop their skills in some important Accounting topics. In particular, students will learn the principles of Financial Reporting of Accounting information, how to allocate overheads, and how to use Accounting for Control purposes. Finally, students will learn some techniques for measuring business performance.

FIN300: Venture Capital & Private Equity

In this course students learn how investment banks, VC, and private equity firms operate.   Venture capital, private equity, debt and equity financing, financial derivatives, capital structure, investment research, and investing, among other financial topics, are studied and discussed.  We cover the functioning of financial markets, analysis of risk and return, analytic tools, valuation of financial assets: stocks, bonds, options; investigative and research techniques, such as reading 10K’s, and other public filings for opportunity; valuation methodologies; and qualitative investigative techniques such as talking to company managements. 

MIS300: Managing Information Systems: Decision Science I

Good management implies good business decisions. Good business decisions are paramount to excel in running business processes. In any situation exists an optimal path to follow to achieve the strategic goals, and the disciplines of Artificial Intelligence and Operations Research can help find this optimal path among an infinite number of options. When applied to business decisions, those disciplines are typically known as Decision Science, and the tools used in this field are called Business analytics (BA). Business analytics (BA) is the practice of iterative, methodical exploration of an organization’s data via the processing and storage power of modern Information Systems. BA is used by companies committed to data-driven, bottom-up decision-making. BA enables organizations to gain insights that inform business decisions and can be used to automate and optimize business processes. Data-driven companies treat their data as a corporate asset and leverage it for a competitive advantage. Successful business analytics depends on data quality, skilled analysts understanding the technologies and the business, and an organizational commitment to data-driven decision-making.

The course will cover both an overview of the mathematical basics that are behind BA and their possible application limitations, as well as the BA’s significant applications in different Vertical Markets, with a particular focus on Retail. A critical implication of the BA application is Change Management, and a part of the course will be dedicated to this topic.

HRM300: Human Resource Management

This course explores the management of human resources from an overview perspective. Topics covered are payroll, compensation and benefits, staffing, training and development, performance appraisals, organizational management, policy, and maintaining effective employee relationships. Students will be exposed to the dynamics of how the human resource department and the company strategically work together to balance employee morale and return on investment. Thought-provoking questions will initiate a well-rounded learning experience of HRM and its business operations.

MKT300: Principles of Marketing

Students acquire the knowledge and skills required to develop, implement, and control successful marketing strategies. Topics include the art of case analysis; consumer behavior; marketing research and competitive analysis; marketing segmentation and position; market entry and pricing; retail selling, private labels, and channels of distribution; marketing communications; Internet marketing; corporate social responsibility and nonprofit marketing; sales management; and international marketing.

MBK300: Money & Banking, Business

MKT310: Consumer Behavior

Analyzes consumer motivation, buying behavior, market adjustment, product innovation, and adaptation; consumer market measurement, including a survey of economic and behavioral science theories of consumer market behavior, producer and intermediary reactions. Consumer decision-making is evaluated as to psychological drives, and sociological concepts used by producers, channel intermediaries, and consumers; it considers methods and techniques for measuring consumer behavior and analyzing consumer markets.

ECO300: International Economics,

This course aims to help the students acquire skills in macroeconomics theory linked to business management across all fields. In particular, the students will learn the practical use of macroeconomics and how it affects the decision-making process—the main macroeconomic variables affecting business decisions and the potential strategies to adopt. Finally, the students will learn basic methodologies to present their analysis and draw their main conclusions.

MIS301: Managing Information Systems: Decision Science II

Good management implies good business decisions. Good business decisions are paramount to excel in running business processes. In any situation exists an optimal path to follow to achieve the strategic goals, and the disciplines of Artificial Intelligence and Operations Research can help find this optimal path among infinite number of options. When applied to business decisions, those disciplines are typically known as Decision Science, and the tools used in this field are called Business analytics (BA). Business analytics (BA) is the practice of iterative, methodical exploration of an organization’s data via the processing and storage power of modern Information Systems. BA is used by companies committed to data-driven, bottom-up decision-making.

BA enables organizations to gain insights that inform business decisions and can be used to automate and optimize business processes. Data-driven companies treat their data as a corporate asset and leverage it for a competitive advantage. Successful business analytics

depends on data quality, skilled analysts understanding the technologies and the business, and an organizational commitment to data-driven decision-making. The course will cover both an overview of the mathematical basics that are behind BA and their possible application limitations, as well as the BA’s significant applications in different Vertical Markets, with a particular focus on Retail. A critical implication of the BA application is Change Management, and a part of the course will be dedicated to this topic.

FIN310: Principles of Finance

LEA310: Leadership & Change Management

This course is aimed at unveiling the rationales of bringing change in the organizational settings and examines the role of strategic leadership in the management of organizations. It delves into the details of nature and processes of the organizational change with a focus on technological, administrative, and process innovation. This course helps students to explore contemporary techniques and procedures used to understand, initiate, plan, implement and communicate change. Lectures, case studies, class exercises and projects will provide students a way forward to critically evaluate the process of change management and strategic leadership in organizations.

FOL300:  Foreign Language 3

In the second your of your Bachelor’s Studies, you will learn another new language and culture.

Congratulations,  you should have attended at least one of the foreseen Foreign Languages of the Swiss School of Management Bachelor Program by now.

Here are 5 good reasons to learn a foreign language:

1. Foreign language study will completely improve your traveling experience.
2. As immigration increases, we must prepare for American society’s changes.
3. One is at a distinct advantage in the global market if one is as bilingual as possible.
4. Foreign languages open the door to art, music, dance, fashion, cuisine, film, philosophy, and science…
5. Foreign language study is simply part of an elementary liberal education: to “educate” is to lead out, out of confinement, narrowness, and darkness.

The School will communicate before starting the new academic year which foreign language will be chosen for this course.