Pre-Program Foundation Courses
Courses
PPF 501 Statistics (3 credits)
This course develops methods of structuring managerial problems for analysis and decision-making. It emphasizes critical judgment and the use of technology as a decision and communication tool. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, decision theory, random sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, and correlation and regression analysis, as well as linear programming. These methods are developed using cases and problems typically faced by decision-makers in the functional areas of business. Students will use Excel and a statistics package such as SPSS or SAS for data analysis.
PPF 502 Economic Environment of the Firm (3 credits)
Pre- or corequisite(s): PPF 501 (or BF 501)
This course serves as an introduction to micro- and macroeconomics. The first half of the course (microeconomics) explores decision-making in manufacturing, service, and information age businesses. It examines the determination of prices, wages and profits in market economies; the advantages and disadvantages of unfettered competition; and the impact of government intervention on market outcomes. The second half (macroeconomics) investigates the factors influencing gross domestic product, interest rates, unemployment, inflation and growth; the causes of the business cycle; the role of the federal government and the Federal Reserve in stabilizing the economy; the impact of information technology on productivity and growth; and the influence of international trade and finance on economic activity.