Core courses
All business students, regardless of major, will take the credit core. Students admitted winter 2023 and previously will follow a 42 credit core. Students admitted fall 2023 and onward will follow a 48 credit core. These courses serve as an introduction to the essential areas of business and provide students with a strong commerce foundation. Core courses must be taken in the proper sequence. The flowcharts below show how the various courses are interrelated.
Admits fall 2023 and onwards
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously or concurrently: ECON 203. This course focuses on the theory and practice of effective business communications and basic tools and skills of project management. Using interactive classes and experiential activities, students learn to analyze, develop, deliver and evaluate oral and written business messages, while effectively planning and managing their projects using project management tools and strategies. Students apply formal, grammatical, stylistic and persuasive elements of written and oral business communication.
Notes:
- It is recommended that part time students complete this course, along with COMM 211, as early in their program as possible.
- Students who have received credit for COMM 212 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously or concurrently: ECON 201, ECON 203 or equivalent. This course provides a general understanding of globalization and international business. It covers the basic concepts and theories of international trade, economic development and co-operation, the role of global and regional agreements and organizations, the foreign exchange market and global monetary system, the internationalization process and various entry strategies employed by companies. Students learn to explain how cultural and institutional differences affect business and management practices and the reasons behind variations in business ethics, sustainability, and social responsibility practices around the world. Lectures, case discussions and other experimental teaching methods are employed in this course.
Notes:
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously or concurrently: ECON 201. This course introduces some of the fundamental skills of data analytics tools, useful in a business environment. Students learn how to use the software, to manipulate data, combine data sets and to create appropriate visualization and dashboards. Lectures, assignments, quizzes, and/or exams are employed in this course.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously: MATH 208 and MATH 209. The following course must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 213.This course introduces the fundamentals of analytics as applied to the various areas of business. Topics include basic concepts of big data, exploratory statistical data analysis, prediction modelling, and data visualization. Practical usages of the methodologies are demonstrated via assignments and projects based on data from various functional areas of business.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 215 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 205, COMM 214. The course explores the complex relationship between business and society, focusing on the role of business in protecting the planet and addressing society’s needs. Students work with several theoretical perspectives (i.e. ethical reasoning, stakeholder theory, corporate social responsibility, sustainability) to analyze real-world environmental and social dilemmas and identify courses of action for advancing sustainability and social responsibility in businesses. This course prepares students to integrate ethical and sustainable decision-making in their future professional roles.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 211. This course is an introductory course designed to provide all business students with a basic understanding of financial accounting. The course examines the theory and practice involved in measuring, reporting, and analyzing an organization’s financial information. The key concepts underlying financial statements are discussed, with an emphasis on international financial reporting standards (IFRS). Disclosures and requirements concerning financial statements, concepts of personal, corporate, and sales taxes, as well as information needs of various financial statement users are introduced.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 205. This course provides students with an understanding of the role of innovation in business organizations, society, and the world. Students learn the fundamentals of innovation management, creativity, value creation and capture, etc., that support the development of an innovative mindset. The course allows exploration of tools, techniques, and new ways of thinking which are better suited to addressing complex problems and opportunities inherent in organizations today.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously: ECON 201. The following courses must be completed previously or concurrently: ECON 203; COMM 214. An appreciation of finance as a discipline and a profession requires an understanding of how individual decisions involving the timing and riskiness of cash flows are both guided by market prices and influence the formation of those prices. This course covers these aspects of finance by exploring the functioning of financial markets within a historical context; the time value of money; the relationship between risk and return; the formation of portfolios; and the pricing of risky assets, including arbitrage.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 220 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 211 and COMM 219. This course familiarizes students with the key principles and concepts of marketing. Topics covered include marketing strategy, branding, positioning, market segmentation, buyer behaviour, product development, pricing strategies, channels of distribution, and integrated marketing communications. The course also explores the important role that marketing plays in advancing society, as well as the impacts of digital technologies and global factors on marketing practices.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 224 or MARK 201 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously: COMM 205, COMM 211 and COMM 214. This course is an introduction to contemporary operational issues and techniques in the manufacturing and service sectors. Among the topics covered are operations strategy, forecasting, materials’ management, total quality management, time-based competition, and minimal manufacturing. Mathematical modelling in resource allocation is also introduced. Cases and computer-aided quantitative tools for decision-making are used throughout the course with an emphasis on the interactions between production/operations management and other business disciplines.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 211. The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the role of information technology in business organizations and society. Students learn how information technologies, digital tools, and digitization of processes can be leveraged for creation of business value, solving business problems, and driving competitive advantage as well as their impacts in the workplace, environment, and the world.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 301 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously: COMM 205. This course helps students to acquire foundational knowledge about interpersonal processes in organizations. They participate in skills-based labs, and complete hands-on and experiential learning activities, to improve their ability to work effectively with others. Students also learn to take a critical perspective on the various topics, including decision-making, teamwork, conflict management, power and leadership. Through in-depth reading and reflections, they examine claims and evidence, uncover the assumptions underlying them, compare claims and evidence with theoretical principles, and write persuasively about the issues.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 222 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 227 or MANA 201; and MANA 202. This course introduces students to systems and processes that can be put in place for organizations to realize their human capital potential. It covers core human resource management topics, such as recruitment and selection, performance management, monetary and non-monetary rewards, training and development, and health and safety. Key concepts underlying these topics, such as perception, personality, motivation, and attitudes and values, are also discussed. The course relies on diverse learning activities, such as short cases and applied projects, to build student competencies in human resource management.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for MANA 362 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously: COMM 217. This course presents managerial accounting tools for business decision-making. The course introduces concepts, tools and applications used in all areas of business. It examines fundamental cost accounting techniques, tools for business decision-making, and concepts for planning and control.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously or concurrently: COMM 217. The following course must be completed previously: COMM 221. The course introduces a framework for analyzing the major types of investment and financing decisions made by businesses. It applies fundamental concepts of finance theory to the analysis of the market for corporate control (mergers and divestitures), firm’s financing decisions (choice between equity and debt and between private and public financing), short-term capital management, capital budgeting principles, and concept and measurement of cost of capital.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 308 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following course must be completed previously: COMM 216. This course focuses on specific legal and ethical issues that one may encounter in the workplace. Students examine the legal principles of contract law, civil liability and employment law through the analysis of laws and court judgments. As most business enterprises operate as corporations, this course introduces students to important legal principles regarding the internal organization and operation of a corporation. The course also covers the relationship between law and ethics and examines various ethical business issues that may arise within the workplace, including whistleblowing, professional standards/corporate codes of conduct, corporate governance and ethical issues that arise when doing business in other countries.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 315 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously: COMM 223 or COMM 224; COMM 227; COMM 305; COMM 309. This course emphasizes the entrepreneurial aspects of management that are required to create, develop, and sustain either a new business venture or a major growth project/initiative within an existing organization. The integrative nature of the course requires an understanding of each functional area of business. Students have the opportunity to demonstrate teamwork, leadership, communication, and other skills stressed throughout the program.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: The following courses must be completed previously: 45 business credits including COMM 225, COMM 229; COMM 226 or COMM 301; and COMM 316, COMM 320 previously or concurrently. This capstone course provides students with an understanding of how firms gain and sustain a competitive advantage in today’s business landscape. The course covers several topics associated with strategic decision-making processes and consequences. Specific topics include industry dynamics, internal resources and capabilities, business and corporate level strategies, and various strategic alternatives such as M&As, strategic alliances, and internationalization strategies. The course uses case analysis as the main approach to build abilities in strategic analysis and decision-making.
Notes:
- Students who have received credit for COMM 310 may not take this course for credit.
Admits in and previous to winter 2023
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: BTM 200 or INTE 290 previously or concurrently. This course focuses on the principles and techniques of clear, concise, and effective, written and oral communication, especially as they apply to business. The formal, grammatical, and stylistic elements of written and oral business communication are emphasized. In addition, students are instructed in and experience the use of audiovisual means of communication.
Prerequisites & notes
Students who have received credit for COMM 212 may not take this course for credit.
It is recommended that part-time students complete this course, along with COMM 210, as early in their program as possible.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 205 previously or concurrently; ECON 201 or 203 or equivalent previously or concurrently. This course exposes students to an in-depth reading of several contemporary business books. It aims to incite students to develop a critical perspective on business literature. Students are also encouraged to explore popular and influential business writing; expose and evaluate the central ideas for scope, relevance, and managerial utility.
Prerequisites & notes
NOTE: It is recommended that part-time students complete this course, along with COMM 205, as early in their program as possible.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: MATH 208 or equivalent; MATH 209 or equivalent; BTM 200 or INTE 290 or COMP 248 previously or concurrently. This course introduces the fundamentals of statistics as applied to the various areas of business and administration. Topics covered include techniques of descriptive statistics, basic theory of probability and probability distributions, estimation and hypotheses testing, chi-square tests in contingency table analysis and for goodness-of-fit, and simple linear regression and correlation.
Prerequisites & notes
Prerequisite: MATH 208 or equivalent; MATH 209 or equivalent; BTM 200 or INTE 290 or COMP 248 previously or concurrently.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 210 previously or concurrently. This course examines the theory and practice involved in measuring, reporting, and analysing an organisation's financial information. Concepts underlying financial statements are discussed, with an emphasis on generally accepted accounting principles. Disclosures/requirements concerning financial statements as well as information needs of decision-makers are introduced.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 210, 215; ECON 201 or equivalent; ECON 203 or equivalent previously or concurrently. This course provides a general perspective on the history, operation and relation ships between Canadian and international product, labour and financial markets. Specifically, students will be introduced to issues of fundamental importance to today's managers and entrepreneurs such as changes in structure and competitiveness in these markets in response to government policies, the determination and behaviour of interest rates, inflation, market integration, and the role and function of financial intermediation. It further provides students with the knowledge of the role and impact of regulation and other government interventions in these markets.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 205, 210. This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to study individual behaviour in formal organizations. Through theoretical case and experiential approaches, the focus of instruction progressively moves through individual, group and organizational levels of analysis. Topics in the course include perception, learning, personality, motivation, leadership, group behaviour, and organizational goals and structure.
Prerequisites & notes
.Prerequisite: COMM 205, 210.
Note: Students who havae received credit for MANA 202 may not take this course for credit
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 205, 210 previously or concurrently. This survey course introduces students to the key concepts in marketing. Topics covered include marketing strategy, buyer behaviour, and the impact of technology on the discipline. The course also explores the important role that marketing plays in advancing society.
Prerequisites & notes
Prerequisite: COMM 205, 210 previously or concurrently.
Students who have received credit for COMM 224 or MARK 201 may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 205, 210, 215. This course is an introduction to contemporary operational issues and techniques in the manufacturing and service sectors. Among the topics covered are: operations strategy, forecasting, materials' management, total quality management, timebased competition, and minimal manufacturing. Mathematical modelling in resource allocation is also introduced. Cases and computer-aided quantitative tools for decision-making are used throughout the course with an emphasis on the interactions between production/operations management and other business disciplines.
Prerequisites & notes
Prerequisite: COMM 205, 210, 215.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 210 previously or concurrently. The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the role of information technology in business organizations. Students learn how information technologies can be used to create business value, solve business problems, accomplish corporate goals and achieve and maintain a competitive advantage. NOTE: Students who have received credit for COMM 301 may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite/Corerequisite: Completion of COMM 217 is required. This course offers an in-depth exploration of managerial accounting as a tool for business decision-making. It covers a broad range of concepts and applications essential to all business areas, focusing on key cost accounting techniques, decision-making tools, and startegies for planning and control.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 217; COMM 220 previously or concurrently. This course provides a general understanding of the fundamental concepts of finance theory as they apply to the firm's long-run and short-run financing, and investment decisions. Building on the objective of firm value maximization, students will become familiar with the conceptual issues underlying risk and return relationships and their measurements, as well as the valuation of financial securities. They will also learn the concept of cost of capital, its measurement, and the techniques of capital budgeting as practised by today's managers. Students will be introduced to the basic issues surrounding the firm's short-term and long-term funding decisions and its ability to pay dividends.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 308. This course will allow students to develop a degree of familiarity with the important ethical and legal aspects of business and to become more aware of and comfortable with resolving ethical and legal components of their decision-making and with distinguishing right from wrong business behaviour.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: COMM 222, 223, 305, 308. This course emphasizes the entrepreneurial aspects of management that are required to create, develop, and sustain either a new business venture or a major project/initiative within an existing organization. The integrative nature of the course will require an understanding of each functional area of business. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate the teamwork, leadership, communication, and the other skills stressed throughout the program.
Prerequisites & notes
NOTE: Students who have received credit for COMM 410 may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: 45 business credits including COMM 225; COMM 226 or 301; COMM 315 and 320 previously or concurrently.This capstone course requires graduating students to demonstrate their ability to integrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired during their program. This course introduces the major models and theories in strategic management. Emphasis is on integrating concepts and methods for systematically assessing the external environment and internal company conditions that influence firm performance. Lecture topics and case studies are selected to portray the nature of the strategic process and the dynamics of competition in a variety of contexts. Additionally, the connection between organizational strategy and the physical environment is examined.
Prerequisites & notes
Prerequisite: 45 business credits including COMM 225; COMM 226 or 301; COMM 315 and 320 previously or concurrently.
Students who have received credit for COMM 310 may not take this course for credit.
