Hoos’ List

The primary objective of this course is to provide a foundational overview of business, including the themes of the history of business, business and society, and innovation. The course will enable students to gage interest in business and prepare students for business-related education, jobs, and careers. THIS COURSE IS A PREREQUISITE FOR THE MCINTIRE SCHOOL OF COMMERCE.

COMM 2000 is a one-credit CR/NC course for students considering a major in Commerce. The course provides an interactive learning environment that provides students with the content and skills necessary for success in today's global business environment. A variety of presenters deliver weekly instructional sessions that may include case analysis, group work, or projects.

This course introduces financial accounting, the role of accounting, and how economic transactions are identified and recorded in an accounting system. It covers the construction and analysis of basic financial statements and the accounting system's function in measuring, classifying, and reporting economic data. Students learn about financial statements, raising capital, business investments, accounting for inventory, and accounts receivable.

This course introduces students to essential foundational concepts in financial economics. Students learn to value simple streams of future cash flows and apply this skill to more complicated settings, including valuing marketed securities like stocks and bonds, valuing projects within firms, and valuing firms as a whole. Along the way, they are introduced to the concepts of arbitrage absence and market efficiency and their impact on valuation.

This course examines the critical role of information systems in modern organizations. It covers fundamental concepts (hardware, software, data, processes, and people) and explains how information systems generate organizational value. Through case discussions and hands-on practice with tools and frameworks, students gain a foundational understanding of information systems and their fit within broader organizational systems.

This course introduces fundamental statistical concepts and techniques used in business, including basic descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, correlation, simple regression, ANOVA, time series analysis, multiple regression, categorical variable analyses, and data visualization. Students will learn to collect, analyze, and interpret data to make informed business decisions using R Studio and EXCEL Megastat.

Through lectures, practice, and exercises, students master three channels of business communication: written memo, oral briefing, and visually supported persuasive argument. They practice and are assessed on giving and receiving quality feedback on their own and peers' written, oral, and non-verbal delivery skills. Activities include individual and group written and spoken tasks, emphasizing content, credibility, and persuasive power.

This course teaches how human and social cognition impacts decisions in individuals, groups, and organizations. It provides memorable frameworks to guide decision-making in individual and social settings and accommodates various negotiation and conflict resolution styles. The course uses lectures, interactive cases, case preparation, and self-reflection.

The initial focus is on how economic events are measured, classified and recorded, then students explore accounting issues for key business operating areas. Financial statements are studied to understand their content and uses. Course is delivered in an online format with no scheduled class meetings; students engage with all course content online. Faculty and teaching assistant support is provided via face-to-face and online interactions.

A continuation of COMM 2010 that examines accounting's problem-solving contributions to management. Emphasizes planning, control, performance measurement, cost behavior, ethics, and information for special decisions. Prerequisite: COMM 2010.

This course provides the opportunity to offer new topics in the subject of Commerce.

The purpose of this course is to develop your understanding of the keys to effective leadership across various contexts. The course will facilitate your learning by relating course content to real world situations and will include a number of guest speakers. Topics include leadership skills, values based leadership, building credibility, leader-follower relationships, managing groups, leading change, and the dark side of leadership.

This course provides the fundamental concepts in finance that are required for further finance courses in the real estate minor. It introduces students to foundational concepts and attendant empirical analytical techniques in finance, including valuation, capital structure, and theories of the firm. Drawing on cases and examples from real estate and other asset classes, the course exposes students to the diversity of markets in which individuals and firms interact. This is the pre-requisite course for application to the Real Estate Minor.

An introduction to personal finance, focusing on financial decision-making and financial wellbeing. Students will develop the knowledge and skills to analyze common financial situations and develop a financial plan. Topics include short-, intermediate-, and long-term planning; budgeting; taxes; credit; debt; insurance; stocks, bonds, and mutual funds; diversification; 401(k)s, IRAs, and HSAs.

This course enhances your ability to interpret financial data for business decisions. You'll analyze quantitative information for decision-making and problem-solving. The first half covers financial accounting, focusing on transactions, financial position, performance, and statement analysis. The second half introduces managerial accounting, emphasizing data use for planning, evaluation, and strategy. Apply concepts in a real-world project.

This course builds on 2nd-year finance to address corporate finance issues and the finance function's role in decisions. Learning includes case-based discussions, IC integrated project applications, and lectures. Students will enhance model-building skills, financial statement analysis, forecasting, and evaluating NPV and TEV. The course covers cost of capital, corporate capital raising, and capital structure basics.

This course explores how IT creates business value. Through readings, classes, case analyses, and a capstone project, you'll learn how IT helps organizations compete by reducing costs, creating value, and differentiating from competitors. You'll identify how digital transformations enhance competition and how firms structure tech development to drive value. The course covers process innovation, design thinking, and digital platforms.

This course covers fundamental marketing concepts and practices. Students will learn how marketing actions impact customer satisfaction, brand equity, & financial outcomes. Through case studies, discussions, & projects, the course examines marketing's strategic role & integration with other business functions. Emphasis is on market analysis, consumer behavior, marketing research, & global marketing strategies, applied in a real-world project.

This course develops competencies in internal and external communication through assessments, assignments, simulations, and activities. Emphasis is on client readiness, refining group presentation skills, and managing Q&A segments. Learners will master messaging strategies for corporate communication contexts, including reputation, investor, media/government relations, crisis management, bad news, and storytelling.

The Strategic Management course teaches students to identify, analyze, and solve complex organizational problems. It covers corporate governance, growth strategies, and evaluating environments. The curriculum bridges business disciplines, culminating in a corporate-sponsored project for real-world strategic analysis. Students develop strategic leadership skills through theoretical frameworks, case studies, and immersive learning experiences.

This course teaches effective teamwork skills. Students learn theoretical principles and apply them through case discussions and exercises in various contexts, including virtual and global teams. The OB curriculum integrates ITI and Communications for project management and communication strategies. Students enhance teamwork skills in Integrated Core projects, receiving feedback and support. The course prepares students for professional success.

Provides an overview of a business from both a strategic process perspective and as a system and introduces a broad conceptual framework. The remaining ICE sessions provide more specific concepts and techniques. A current business, as well as cases and lecture, is used to develop the framework. Topics include the transformation of business, the role of the general manager, systems thinking and process management, strategic thinking and information systems, global strategy and culture, organizational architecture, information architecture, and the value chain. Prerequisite: Third-year Commerce standing.

Studies the interaction of human behaviors both within the organization and within the business environment. Discusses personal effectiveness and interpersonal skills and introduces the marketing management process. Topics include individual differences, leadership, conflict resolution, group decision making, creating high-performance teams, globalization of markets and measuring markets, consumer markets and consumer behavior, developing communication strategies, organizational markets, organization buying behaviors, market segmentation, management of products and services, the use of the Internet and other promotion tools, and marketing decision systems. Prerequisite: Third-year Commerce standing.

Covers basic analytical tools used in marketing and finance. Introduces a disciplined problem-solving process to structure, analyze, and solve business problems that is used extensively in case discussions. Topics include marketing research; exploratory data analysis, financial statement analysis, basic stock and bond valuation, pro forma statement analysis, cash budgeting, capital budgeting, regression analysis, and analyzing risk and return. Excel is used extensively throughout this session. Prerequisite: Third-year Commerce standing.

Provides an overview of corporate & global strategy, introducing frameworks for valuing companies, assessing the impact of strategic initiatives on firm value, & understanding corporate communication strategies & techniques. Topics include corporate governance, diversification, mergers & acquisitions, alliances, international market entries, DCF & relative valuation methods, corporate reputation management, investor & media relations.

This course provides an overview of key quantitative and qualitative tools necessary for making effective individual- and team-based decisions. It includes a variety of topics that each emphasize three themes central to managerial decision making: (1) Data Management and Data Visualization, (2) Quantitative Analysis, and (3) Perception and Judgment. .

This course replaces Intermediate Accounting I and is the only required course in the ACC concentration. It deepens understanding of how financial statements are constructed, interpreted, and applied in practice. This course emphasizes judgments, estimates, disclosures, and financial reporting under U.S. GAAP. Students gain tools to evaluate financial statements and use accounting information in decision-making across accounting, finance, consulting, investing, and leadership roles.

Continuation of COMM 3110, with emphasis on accounting for the equities of a firm's investors and creditors. Continues to focus on financial accounting issues including financial instruments, asset impairment and long-term debt.

This course will provide knowledge of product management in combination with project management skills, both of which are necessary for the management of the digital product innovation process end-to-end. Course consists of seminars on roles of the product & project manager, managing innovation, selecting projects, stakeholder mgmt, team mgmt, schedule & time mgmt, risk mgmt, & on leading changes. Workshops on digital innovation, agile & waterfall methods.

Provides an introduction to the management of database systems and how business intelligence can be used for competitive advantage. The course uses an applied, problem-based approach to teach students the fundamentals of relational systems including data models, database architectures, database manipulations (e.g., SQL), and BI tools. 

Innovation is no longer optional---it is the defining competitive advantage in an era of AI, rapid technological change, and evolving customer expectations. Examine how organizations transform ideas into successful products, services, and business models. Learn why some innovations reshape industries while others fail, developing judgment to make better innovation decisions under uncertainty. Combine real-world insights with practical frameworks you can apply from day one of your career.

The basic objective of this course is to develop a general understanding of research methodology as a prerequisite to the intelligent use of research results in marketing management. Thus, the course is designed to provide an introductory background that enables the student to evaluate the potential value of proposed research and to assess the relevance, reliability, and validity of existing research. This research-evaluation ability requires knowledge of the language and techniques of marketing research, including research designs, data collection instruments, sample designs, and varieties of data analysis. Prerequisite: Second-semester, third-year Commerce standing or permission of instructor.

Introduces the American legal system, emphasizing contracts, torts, agency, corporations, and partnerships. May be taken prior to enrollment in the McIntire School.

Further introduces the American legal system, emphasizing debtor-creditor law, bankruptcy, product liability, and sale of goods, property, and commercial paper.

Placeholder for fall integrated core courses. Students will be enrolled in the appropriate section of COMM 3001-COMM 3007 once block assignments have been completed.

New Course in Commerce

A seminar on issues drawing current attention in the finance literature and affecting non-financial business firms, financial institutions, or investment management.

Students in this course will acquire a working knowledge about markets and investing that any educated person should have in order to be a good citizen. The course is an introduction to what financial markets are and how they function, all within a broader social context. While the course will deal concretely with topics in economics, statistics, psychology and finance, no prior knowledge of any of those topics is required.

Provides an understanding of contemporary cash and derivative equity securities and markets. Investment theory and its practical applications are considered. Primarily, discussions are about institutional investors, but personal applications are included. U.S. and international equity and fixed-income markets are discussed. Topics include asset allocation, portfolio theory, market efficiency, models of asset pricing, program trading, and equity options and financial futures.

A rigorous introduction to the full field of finance. Students should gain an appreciation of the role of financial markets and institutions in our economy as well as an introduction to the responsibilities, concerns, and methods of analysis employed by corporate financial managers. We focus on the two fundamental aspects of financial decision-making: time value and risk (modern portfolio theory, the capital asset pricing model, and alternatives). The concepts of time value and risk are used to value the two basic financial assets, bonds and stocks, as well as real assets, investment projects, and companies. In addition, the course introduces derivative securities (options, futures) and discusses their application in a wide variety of settings (real options, contingent claims valuation of equity). The course also covers the theory and practice of capital structure decisions (Modigliani and Miller, taxes, bankruptcy costs, asymmetric information, agency) and dividend decisions. The course will include a thorough discussion of market efficiency and an introduction to the field of behavioral finance. A unifying theme of the course is how no-arbitrage conditions and the law of one price can be used to value most financial assets. The emphasis in this course (both in and out of class) will be on problem solving. Prerequisite: COMM 3010, 3020, and 3030.

The course provides an overview of venture capital and it's role/importance in financing early-stage companies. Students will utilize case studies, real world exercises, readings and outside speakers to gain both a macro (i.e., industry level) and a micro (i.e., professional practice) view into how venture capitalists search for, invest in, advise, and help scale 'the next big thing.'

This interdisciplinary course will explore the complex choices in environmental policy and management by examining and integrating three relevant perspectives: environmental science, ethics and economics. Environmental science provides a basic understanding of the impacts of human activities on the environment. Economic analysis focuses on the relevant benefits and costs. Ethics addresses the conflicts of values involved in decisions about the environment. The balancing of environmental and economic costs and benefits, coupled with human beliefs about what is 'right' or 'wrong,' is at the heart of the environmental decision-making process. The process is complex because it involves a diverse set of stakeholders with differing perspectives and objectives. A case study approach will be used to examine the wide range of scientific, historical, cultural, ethical and legal dimensions of environmental issues.

Includes the planning, processes (gathering evidence) & judgments required to render an opinion on an entity's internal controls and financial statements. Deals with evidence theory, risk identification & professional judgment. Audit methodology is examined through a study of auditing standards & the concepts & procedures developed to implement those standards. Other topics include data analytics, auditor independence,materiality & audit reports.

This course aims to provide students with a practical, managerial perspective on Artificial Intelligence. It covers key factors for the successful development, deployment, and management of generative AI, machine learning, and algorithmic approaches to automated decision-making. Students will better understand the societal impacts of AI and approaches to balance AI risks and benefits in organizations.

This course introduces students to various emerging AI applications across societal, governmental, organizational, and personal sectors. We assess these uses through ethical and justice perspectives and AI ethical frameworks, evaluating their implications for individuals, organizations, and society. Students will develop policy recommendations for governments and organizations to advance the common good and mitigate potential harms of AI.

This course covers the fundamentals of data wrangling, exploration, and visualization for business decision making. In this course, we will learn techniques that will allow us to clearly, efficiently, and effectively communicate information and analyses through visual representations.

Comm 4230 covers practical uses of information technology in financial settings. You will learn by doing: you will develop technologies that manage an online portfolio of stock and options, and will design and code financial strategies to compete in the yearly McIntire Hedge Tournament. Through these activities you will gain a hands-on understanding of SQL, advanced Excel, and VBA/macros.

Tech's Role in Business and Society. Students will focus on current topics in the fast-growing technology industry including tech business models, Silicon Valley and global industry culture, and public policy. Sessions are discussion-driven, include engagement with executives, and emphasize how future leaders in the tech industry can be a catalyst for change.

We will study the role of open source innovation through case studies and discussions that examine the potential of open source innovations to address long-standing societal problems, increase resilience to climate change impact, and foster new economic models. Students will leverage open source in team projects and work closely with identified organizations to gain experience in the application of open source innovation.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence form the foundation of a large variety of analytics applications that offer significant value in today's business environment and beyond. In this accessible, hands-on course, students will learn the basic concepts of how ML and AI models are developed, evaluated, and deployed to create value, as well as how to how to practically apply these concepts to support real-world decisions and actions. No prior coding or technical experience is required.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence form the foundation of a large variety of analytics applications that offer significant value in today's business environment and beyond. In this accessible, hands-on course, students will learn the basic concepts of how ML and AI models are developed, evaluated, and deployed to create value, as well as how to how to practically apply these concepts to support real-world decisions and actions. No prior coding or technical experience is required.

This course provides a manager's view of cybersecurity and privacy that contains an overview of methods for managing and mitigating cybersecurity risk in organizations. Further, this course includes an emphasis on applying analytics to understand cybersecurity threats. The course will also explore the role of privacy in society.

Examines the concept of global marketing and the institutions, literature, managerial processes, models and/or frameworks, strategies, tactics, and theories related to marketing in the global arena. The impact of international economics, culture, and nationalistic governmental policies, global and regional trade alliances, and other multilateral entities on trade patterns and marketing decision-making in global firms are considered. Prerequisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing or instructor permission.

This is a research oriented class that examines how firms can leverage customer analytics to successfully create, manage, and grow brands. The class provides marketing managers and operational business leaders with the analytical tools to develop and operationally execute brand strategies that enhance customer engagement and loyalty. Prerequisite: 4th Year Commerce

This course prepares students to use cutting-edge generative and agentic AI, AI-enabled workflows, and advanced analytics to solve real-world marketing problems in a consulting-style, project-based environment. Students apply a variety of AI and analytics tools to understand customers and competition and to develop strategic recommendations. Projects emphasize client problem-solving, AI judgment, executive communication, and portfolio-ready experience. No prior AI or coding experience required.

This course examines how firms can integrate social media into their digital marketing strategy. We will focus on understanding the current social media landscape, building social media mktg strategies, & measuring their effectiveness using appropriate metrics. Students will conduct social media mktg projects to understand how to leverage social interactions that take place between companies and customers to create and/or enhance value.

This course introduces students to the field of advertising and promotions and the role these play in the overall marketing program of an organization. The course covers the strategic aspects of marketing communications and the executional tactics used to carry out such strategic initiatives. Students work with a real client on a case study provided by the American Advertising Federation's (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC).

This course exposes students to the best practics of an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) campaign and has them create their own campaign for the National Student Advertising Competition's (NSAC) national client. Students are also exposed to the strategic media planning process which is an important part of any IMC plan.

This course introduces students to the software used by creative personnel within an advertising agency, such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, to name a few.

This course focuses on the techniques and database used by media agencies to develop a media plan in a rapidly changing and increasingly digital media landscape. The course also builds upon and utilizes the software skills learned in Comm 4373.

This course focuses on how consumers meet needs through the evaluation, acquisition, and use of goods and services. Covers major influences on the consumption process, including psychological, situational, and socio-cultural factors. Specific topics include perception, attitudes, values, consumer decision-making, and customer satisfaction, among others. The marketing implications of understanding the consumer are emphasized, but social factors are also considered. Prerequisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing or instructor permission.

Analyzes the federal income tax law and its application to business, investment, and personal transactions.

Presents the opportunity to examine new and emerging IT topics or study a particular IT related area in greater depth than is covered in other courses. Prerequisite: 4th Year Commerce or instructor permission

Topics in business analytics leverages the vast data resources available today to identify trends and patterns critical to enhancing business performance. This course introduces students to contemporary business analytics methods, including predictive and descriptive analytics techniques, and demonstrates how to apply analytics to real-world business decisions.

Global Commerce courses that count in the Information Technology concentration.

Courses taught in the Marketing area. Prerequisite: 4th Year Commerce

Global Commerce courses that count in the Marketing concentration.

This course provides the opportunity to offer new topics in the subject of Commerce.

Courses taught in the Management area. Prerequisite: 4th Year Commerce

Global Commerce courses that count in the Management concentration.

A seminar on issues drawing current attention in the finance literature and affecting non-financial business firms, financial institutions or investment management. Prerequisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing and instructor permission.

Global Commerce courses that do not count in any concentration.

This course seeks to develop students' ability to respond to complex leadership challenges in multiple contexts. Through experiential learning, students will be better prepared to influence the strategic direction of their organizations. Topics include understanding the role organizational leaders, managing firm culture, guiding firm change, utilizing power and influence, balancing stakeholder expectations, and managing organizational threats.

This course focuses on the role of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in work motivation and strategy implementation. Assignments and tasks focus on helping you understand your own values and personality and on gaining insight into how firms design, structure, and align goals and rewards to achieve desired strategic outcomes.

The course utilizes several active learning activities when considering classical rhetorical elements, audience analysis, speech organization, and strategies for improvement in the structure and delivery of extemporaneous and impromptu speeches. Students work with conceptual methods, observe exemplary models of good speech making, explore personal communication apprehension, and hone individual rhetorical style.

COMM 4643 increases students' comfort with public speaking. In a safe environment students work to cultivate individual speaking styles by engaging in daily public speaking. Students deliver a wide variety of speeches, engage in activities designed to refine speaking styles, receive weekly feedback, and review their own recorded speeches. The most successful students participate fully, have a sense of fun, and help each other to improve.

This course helps you find and grow your innate capacities of voice and influence. Each week, you'll test techniques in the real world (talking to strangers, negotiating, deciding under uncertainty) before unpacking how they worked, and why. We'll explore the power of presence, the art of deep listening, when a sale becomes a scam, and how to use influence ethically in an age when AI lets us reach, read, and manipulate people with unprecedented speed and scale.

This course is designed to provide a broad overview of management consulting and other related advisory services professions and help students develop skills that are broadly applicable in these professions as well as in other fields (business, politics, not-for-profits, etc). Students will gain experience in key skills including problem identification and structuring, data collection, problem solving, client presentations and client management.

Explores the entrepreneurship process as well as basic concepts and analytical tools that facilitate new-venture success with a focus on a start-up's ability to make money and its ability to generate attractive financial and personal returns for the entrepreneur compared to alternative career options. Examines various considerations for generating, screening, and evaluating new venture ideas, creating and presenting compelling business plans, acquiring early-stage funding and other required resources, as well as measuring value. Prerequisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing or instructor permission.

In the capstone course, approximately five teams comprising five students each attempt to commercialize business concepts (of their design and with faculty approval) through the "pre-money" stage of development. The course culminates in a New Venture Competition, the winners of which, as judged by Entrepreneurship Track professors and program donors, will receive modest seed money to continue exploration of their business concept. Prerequisites: Open only to students in the Entrepreneurship Track.

Explores the strong influence of culture on business practices and cultivates skills for developing and implementing strategies in multicultural environments. Topics include culture and its implications, interpersonal effectiveness, organizational systems, political and economic environments, and corporate social responsibility. Prerequisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing or instructor permission.

Provides an understanding of contemporary cash and derivative equity securities and markets. Both investment theory and its practical applications are considered. The primary perspective for most discussions is that of an institutional investor, although applications to personal finance are included. Both U.S. and international equity and fixed-income markets are discussed. Topics include asset allocation, portfolio theory, market efficiency, models of asset pricing, program trading, and equity options and financial futures. Prerequisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing or instructor permission.

This course covers corporate valuation and the restructuring of both non-distressed firms (for example, leveraged buyout transactions) and distressed firms. Prerequisite: fourth-year Commerce.

This course familiarizes students with the restructuring of financially distressed firms and distressed investing. We analyze credit documents, model credit risk, and survey restructuring methods. Throughout, we consider credit and distressed debt as asset classes and develop techniques and models for investing in credit and distressed instruments.

This course covers the valuation and use of derivative and fixed income securities in corporate finance and investment management. The securities covered include calls, puts, exotic options, forwards, futures, swaps, floating rate notes, credit derivatives, and other structured products.

This course is about how securities are traded. It focuses on the design, operation and regulation of trading processes and mechanisms. The intellectual framework for the material comes from economics, financial economics, and a newer subfield of financial economics known as market microstructure. In-class simulations play an important role in the learning process in this course. If you have not completed COMM 3720/4710, request Instructor Permission.

This course focuses on two questions. How do global macroeconomic conditions drive returns across asset classes? How do global investors use this information to build better portfolios? Topics will include issues in measuring economic data, the role of models in investing, portfolio analytics and allocation methods, factor-based investing, global growth, inflation and monetary policy, credit cycles, foreign exchange economics, and other timely topics in asset management.

Foundations of Global Commerce examines the global context of business, the evolution of that context, and the many business implications. The course covers the global macro-economy, application of an analytical framework, and important future trends. In addition to mastering a defined body of knowledge, the course emphasizes conceptual thinking and a commitment to curiosity, critical analysis, active participation and intellectual risk-taking.

This course will provide an overview of the entire "private equity cycle" running from fund formation through investment exit. Both theoretical and practical issues will receive attention with the balance tipping toward the latter. Students are to be prepared to discuss a case or other reading assignments during the first half of most class meetings. The second half of our meetings will most often include speakers with expertise in the subject. Pre-requisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing.

In this class you will apply quantitative tools to deconstruct each of the main asset classes, developing a more nuanced understanding of the risks one owns, and to evaluate a managers' returns for delivering those risks. You will also learn how to design and evaluate strategic asset allocations for specific goals through a case evaluating the portfolio of the University of Virginia Endowment.

Introductory course forms the background of concepts, tools and techniques. This course details the study and practice of real estate as it draws from a multitude of disciplines including architecture, urban and regional planning, building construction, urban economics, law, and finance. Prerequisites: Fourth-year Commerce standing.

Develops an analytical framework by which individuals and institutions can make optimal real estate investment and financing decisions. Emphasizes theory, concept building, financial modeling, and investment related real estate decisions. Uses the case method and industry experts to illustrate implementation of an analytical framework in evaluating both private equity and public (REIT) real estate investments. Prerequisites: Fourth-year Commerce standing or instructor permission.

This course addresses advanced, decision related issues within a value-based theory of real estate development, investment and finance. It facilitates student insights into the analytical techniques and theoretical perspectives relevant to such decisions. Uses the case method, industry experts, and site visits to illustrate implementation of an analytical framework in evaluating investments in established and development real estate projects.   Prerequisites: Fourth-year Commerce standing or instructor permission.

This course provides instruction in the foundations of sustainable commerce, that is, business activities designed for a finite and equitable planet. The course begins with a review of our pressing sustainability challenges, then describes how the fundamental business disciplines (strategy, accounting, marketing, operations, finance and management) are innovating, operating and facilitating commercial solutions to these issues.

This interdisciplinary course explores four critical areas at the intersection of business and sustainability: 1) Climate Finance, 2) Conservation Finance, 3) Circular Economy and 4) ESG Investing. In addition to acquiring an understanding of these key sustainability challenges, participants will gain skill in applying analytical tools and techniques to the evaluation of sustainable investment opportunities.

Aristotle maintained that the goal of life is to achieve well-being through wisdom. In this course we seek new understanding and tools as to how wisdom and sell-being apply to professional and personal situations. Emphasis is on marketing management and leadership. the course proceeds by way of readings, discussions, and exercises in addition to a culminating individual project for growth in career and/or personal life-planning.

The GCS thesis program takes place over 3 semesters. Registration for COMM 4839 does not guarantee admission to the program. Admission to the program is determined by a faculty advisor's willingness to take on the student's project. During the 1st semester students will focus on developing their research idea with their advisor. They are expected to meet with their advisor regularly. Students must make sufficient progress to remain in the program.

Students admitted to the GCS program will meet periodically with their advisor & other students & faculty members involved in the program. Over the course of the semester, students will first produce a literature review & then a research proposal that will serve as the roadmap for the thesis to be completed during the spring semester (Comm 4841). The proposal will be presented at the end of the semester before student & faculty of the program. Prerequisite: Must be admitted into the Global Commerce Scholar Program

Students will meet regularly with their advisor during the semester as they work to complete the independent research program developed in Comm 4840. Students will submit a preliminary thesis document for review prior to the end of the semester and will present the final thesis before the McIntire student community and faculty at the end of the semester.

Capitalizing on the leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities that students have fostered through courses in the Leadership Minor, students will complete an applied leadership project that focuses on providing solutions to a real problem facing a sponsor organization. In addition to the project, students will engage with leaders in the Charlottesville community to learn about the challenges leaders face in different contexts.

Cross Cultural Experience

Independent study under the supervision of a Commerce instructor. A project directly related to business must be submitted to, and approved by, the supervising instructor prior to the Commerce School add date. Students may take COMM 4993 only once. Prerequisite: Fourth-year Commerce standing.

This course is designed to strengthen your ability to correctly interpret financial statements & their accompanying disclosures. Throughout the semester we will discuss the key disclosure rules in the United States, the communication methods available to managers, managers' incentives & ability to exert discretion over reported earnings, & the interplay between a company's corporate strategy and its financial reporting policies and practices. Prerequisite: 4th Year Commerce

This course provides an understanding of financial reporting issues related to business combinations, inter-corporate investments, consolidated financial statements, corporate restructurings, and international transactions and operations. Understanding the economic substance and impact these issues have upon the financial statements are important for professional accountants and financial analysts. Prerequisite: COMM 3110.

How do managers use financial information to help deliver their organization's value proposition? This course will help you actively learn how to prepare and use financial information that can be used by managers when making critical business decisions. This course is designed specifically for accounting, management, marketing and finance majors.

This course will introduce you to financial reporting, budgeting, and auditing in not-for-profit entities; government-wide and fund financial statements for state and local governments; and generally accepted government auditing standards. This course will help prepare you to take the portion of the CPA exam related to government and not-for-profit issues and will provide a foundation for auditing, working with, and/or serving on GNP boards.

This course introduces students to sustainability reporting and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, attempting to give a more expansive view of organizations' financial, social, and environmental performance. We will critically evaluate current sustainability metrics, attempt to quantify and compare firms' sustainability efforts, and discuss the challenges behind adopting rigorous, universal sustainability standards.

Tax rules are pervasive in their effect on the decisions of businesses. This course uses the economics-based framework of "all parties, all taxes, all costs" to consider how both tax and non-tax factors affect business activities. Specific decision settings examined include mergers and acquisitions, compensation, and multi-jurisdictional tax planning. How firms report these tax effects in their financial statements will also be covered.

The study of current issues in Commerce.

Seminar on Current issues in Accounting.

This course provides the opportunity to offer new topics in the subject of Commerce.

This course examines the nature and influence of trading on financial market prices. Attention is directed to the role of noise in financial markets; the psychology of market participants; the identification of potential profitable trading opportunities; the management of the trading function; and quantitative trading systems. Mock pit trading sessions are held to give firsthand experience in simulated pit trading environments and illustrate some of the skills necessary for successful trading.

This course is for international students engaged in CPT (Curricular Practical Training). Students will report out and reflect on their experiences within professional practice and in their specific discipline.