Philippine School of Business Administration
Manila, Philippines

This course introduces the student to the systematic and scientific techniques of investigations, including practical problems as are revealed by the findings. Likewise, the student is acquainted with the methods applicable in the preparation of case studies and the thesis. A baby thesis is usually required to gauge the student’s grasp of research principles and techniques. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

It is the purpose of this course to show a simple and non-mathematical way, and always through the motivating needs of real problems the basic concepts and principles of statistical reasoning. The course covers the following topics: statistical modelling and standards models; statistical inference including hypothesis testing, estimation, prediction and the Bayesian methods; investigations of dependence, through regression, correlation, association and analysis-of-variance techniques; estimation through sampling and simulations; techniques of decision-making under uncertainty. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course covers the fundamentals of the accounting process, the end products of which are three financial statements namely: the balance sheet, the income statement, and the cash flow statement. This subject is pre-requisite to “Managerial Accounting” (formerly “Accounting-A Management Approach”). Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This first part of the course covers the three inter-related financial functions; capital budgeting, corporate finance (including cost of capital, capital structure, and dividend policy), and the portfolio theory. Then, an analytical approach is taken where objectives are specified, constraints recognized and the resource allocation of capital on both personal and corporate level is investigated. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course focuses on the design and implementation of marketing plans. The emphasis is on management decision-making. The student will learn approaches and techniques of formulating marketing objectives, identifying alternative strategies, preparing the marketing plans, and implementing and controlling the plan. These techniques and approaches will be applied in the solution of marketing management cases throughout the course. A field project involving the formulation of marketing management plan provides the student with a first hand experience in the planning process. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

Areas covered include size and location choices, process and equipment selection, aggregate production planning and scheduling, production and inventory control, distribution system, project control, assembly-line balancing, and sampling inspection and quality control. Also discussed are aggregate scheduling, job-shop scheduling, and equipment replacement. Students have team responsibility for case analysis and presentation. Emphasis is placed to the awareness and resolution of difficulties encountered in attempting to apply theoretical models to actual decision situations. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

An introduction to the cultural, economic and political aspects of domestic, international and foreign environments and their effects on the international operations of business firms. The student is familiarized with the expanded world of the international business by examining the underlying concepts of international economic theory; developing a framework for examining the country’s constraints (sociological, educational, economic, politico-legal) and relating them to the operations of multinational enterprises; studying the relationship between the international firms and the state with particular reference to foreign ownership policies; payments concepts; and the role of multi-national enterprises in economic development and planned economies. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This Course is concerned with the justification, selection, design and implementation of business information systems. Systems to service the functional requirements of the organizations and concepts of total information systems will be considered. The case study method will be used extensively in this course. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

The aim of this course is to provide the students with thorough knowledge of the managerial policy-making process. This is approached in a theoretical way by delving deeply into descriptive theory on topics such as goal systems, organizational structure, managerial work, unprogrammed decision-making and strategy-making, and by assessing the relevance of management science techniques at the policy level. This course contains three essential elements; reading of the theory is applied in the field studies and the results are discussed in the seminar. In field studies, the students work in groups (say, of five) and analyze various policy aspects of one organization (of their own choosing) throughout the semester. This course thus provides a workshop in which students can study and improve their skills in field research, problem formulation and solution and group decision-making. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course aims the students to develop the students skill in analysis and decision-making. The cases selected will focus on the multi-functional problems of general management and will require the student to integrate the techniques and concepts presented in other courses.

The course provides explicit instructions and practices in defining administrative problems, evaluation, various types of evidences and assumptions; exploring alternative courses of action; making definite decisions and outlining programs of action to implement these decisions. The course also aims to develop the student’s skills in presenting his recommendations clearly and effectively in writing.

This course includes a comprehensive study of a business project covering the industry prospects, its relation to the national economy, and its feasibility as a business enterprise. A project study paper is required to be prepared by the student with the guidance and advice of the instructor. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course analyzes some of the basic concepts in the area of social psychology and discusses the implications of these concepts for the management. Stressing the development of an awareness of the methodological problems in behavioral research, the course introduces the students within the group and organization. It is believed that many managerial decisions depend upon a sound knowledge of the dynamics of human behavior. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

The aim of this course is teach students about the social, economic, and financial implications of disasters as priority for the governments. It also includes The Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment (DLNA) methodology, developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in the 1970s. Particularly, it comprises of i) the Design and Execution of a Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment for Task Team Leaders (TTL); ii) Conducting Damage and Loss Assessments after Disasters; and iii) Estimation of Post-Disaster Needs for Recovery and Reconstruction. The aim of this course is to train students in utilizing the above methodology to quantify the impacts of disasters and to determine the necessary financial resources to achieve full reconstruction and recovery of damaged assets. The final output is a DLNA report of a selected disaster that impacted the Philippines and the corresponding Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, Disaster Risk Strategy i.e. to retain, reduce, or transfer the disaster risk. It also includes identifying the socio-economic impact of any given disaster, as well as the exposure of sector assets. Further, report includes an estimation of expected hazards damage estimation to categorize the disaster i.e., minor, medium, or major disaster based on the damage shock on the economy of the impacted area i.e., local, regional, or national. The output can be individual or group effort and must be presented for oral defense.

This course is aimed at studying how organizations are designed. The focus is on the relationship between the nature of the external environment of the organization, the technology it uses, and the management style, the goals, the organizational structure, the behavior of individuals and groups in the organization and its performance. A system view is adopted. Implications for effective design of organizations are drawn. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course emphasizes the multi-national (global) view of marketing and presents it in an across-functional approach to the business operations. By offering this in the disciplinary perspective, the marketer gains better understanding of hoe the various functional areas of business operations interface with marketing. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course prepared the student to meet the challenges of the entrepreneur-driven business climate of Year 2000 and beyond. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course examines the role of accounting both as an internal and external information system. The stress, however, is on the internal use of accounting date by management for planning and control purposes. The basic concept of financial accounting are examined, and topics covered include the measurement of income, financial statements analysis, price level changes, and aspects of business combinations. In the planning and control areas, topics are cost and control concepts, costing system, budgeting, differential cost analysis and the measurement of performance. Credit 3 units; 3 hours a week; 54 hours.

This course includes the social, economic, and financial implications of disasters as priority for the government. It also includes The Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment (DaLA) methodology, developed by the globally-recognized Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in the 1970s. Particularly, it comprises of: the Design and Execution of a Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment for Task Team Leaders (TTL); Conducting Damage and Loss Assessments after Disasters; and Estimation of Post-Disaster Needs for Recovery and Reconstruction. The aim of this course is to train students in utilizing the above methodology to quantify the impacts of disasters and to determine the necessary financial resources to achieve full reconstruction and recovery. Further, it includes identifying the socio-economic impact of any given disaster as well as the exposure of sector assets. It also reinforces resilience by promoting the “Build Back Better” principles in reconstruction and recovery efforts.

This course provides tools for leadership to be equipped for the development of global disaster and crisis management policies, strategies, and programming approaches—particularly the Principles and Rules for Disaster Relief and a new Global Disaster Management Strategic Operational Framework to reflect the changing humanitarian environment and the growing capacities of National Societies to coordinate and deliver humanitarian assistance. It includes fundamental knowledge on how to develop communication and collaboration between the departments and disaster management colleagues. It also includes the understanding of disaster response standard operating procedures that clarify roles and responsibilities, set standards, and help us to measure our efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of our operations in context of the Philippines.

The aim of this course is to teach students how to assess the hazard vulnerability and risk parameters for Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Plan (CBDRRP) about the social, economic, and financial implications of disasters as priority for governments. This course involves the study of community-based Disaster Risk Management concepts for local authorities with the aim to enhance the capacity of local government units on community-based Disaster Risk Management. The course is specifically designed for community leaders and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), focusing on community-based needs and damage assessment, community-based prevention and mitigation planning, community-managed implementation, and monitoring and evaluation activities related to disaster risk reduction. The final output is the CBDRRP of the community under study. The output can be an individual or group effort and must be presented for oral defense.

Applied Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management

The aim of this course is to teach the students on industrial logistics know-how within the humanitarian supply chain. The subject includes material flow components and automation solutions; structural planning; systems engineering; and optimization of business processes, information and communication systems, traffic systems and traffic management; as well as ecological logistics solutions in the closed-loop economy. Further, a portion of the course is also developed to give understanding on Philippines’ current logistic setup, identify the areas where the humanitarian logistics is distinct from industrial processes, and to define adequate procedures for supply chain management in humanitarian operations.

Geographic Information System (GIS) Base Mapping Techniques for Disaster Management

The course focuses on the provision of Management Information System (MIS) with a strong focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that is vital in monitoring and evaluating development control, environmental sustainability, and hazard-impacted areas. Further, the framework is designed towards GIS in terms of modules meant for the application of GIS towards Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) spatial understanding in prevention and preparation. The aim of the course is to provide knowledge to the students on how to properly define the DRR- and CCA-related information in terms of maps or spatial distribution of disaster impact, hazards, flood vulnerability, earthquake impact, and tsunami vulnerability, among others.

Risk Sensitive Land Use and Development Planning

The Risk-Sensitive Land Use and Development Planning (RSLUDP) course is an extension of the Project Research and Development course under our existing MBA major field of concentration curriculum. This course provides the students an understanding that the RSLUDP processes are dynamic and cyclic in many ways and at many times. These are extremely important characteristics that the users, managers, and/or planners should continuously bear in mind. The students are further trained on the cycle of brainstorming, idea building, and data gathering; consensus-building and decision-making; and presentation and validation of decisions and results arrived at. The concept on sustainable development without sacrificing the environmental challenges (Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation) posed on the society is also part of this course.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) Local and International Policies

The DRR-CCA Local and International Policies course is an extension of the Management Policy course under our existing MBA major field of concentration curriculum. The course covers the main existing laws, policies, and principle guidelines of Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CCAM) in context of the Philippines. The International polices, conventions, agendas, protocols, frameworks, and goals which the Philippines is signatory, such as the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change, Agenda 2, Kyoto Protocol, Millennium Development Goals, Hyogo Framework for Action, and Post-2015 HFA are covered by the course. The aim is to provide students a common podium in understanding local, national, and global concerns on environment and development.

Financial Mechanism for DRR Measures and CCA Options

This course covers mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in Investment Programming, Budgeting, Project Evaluation and Development, and Monitoring and Evaluation. The objective of the course is to let students understand the secondary entry points for DRR mainstreaming in plan implementation, namely: investment programming, budgeting, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation, with project evaluation and development as an added tool to improve project design and financing. The course reviews the institutional arrangements and financing mechanisms of disaster management systems, and identifies the role of national and local actors in the processes related to risk assessment, mitigation, and financing. Guide questions for logically framing, monitoring, and evaluating during implementation are presented to reveal if planned risk reduction measures and development programs resulted to the desired outcomes and to further aid in future planning decisions that can assist in the preparation of the DRR-enhanced local to national plans.

This course provides students understanding regarding the environmentally critical projects and areas incorporated with natural hazards, climate change, and related risk consideration as a fundamental first step in broader project scoping. The findings should be used to determine if disaster and/or climate change risks should be examined in further detail in other components of the project appraisal process. The course also covers understanding regarding systematic analysis of the potential disaster or climate risk-related consequences of a project via its impact on the environment that is included as a central component of the assessment process, especially in hazard-prone areas. Measures to address identified environmental issues, including Disaster Risk Reduction/Climate Change Adaptation (DRR/CCA) concerns, are also part of this course.