Business (BU) Course Descriptions

Course Descriptions

Business (BU) Courses

BU-104 Technology Certification Lab (3)

The Technology Certification Lab is designed to provide students with practical, hands-on experience with essential business technologies used across modern industries. This course focuses on building digital fluency through guided lab activities, real-world application, and professional certifications. Students will work toward being career ready by earning industry-recognized credentials, such as the Microsoft Excel Professional Certification ®. The course emphasizes hands-on practice, skill-building workshops, and exam preparation sessions designed to equip students with career-advancing technical certifications early in their academic journey. AI fundamentals, prompting essentials, and data analytics are also discussed in this course. Upon completion, students will have developed foundational business tech skills and achieved certifications that enhance their competitiveness for internships and entry-level business roles. Key technologies students will work with include: Microsoft Excel (business functions and formulas, PivotTables, and basics of data modeling) and Google AI Learning Platforms. (A $200 fee for MS Excel 365 Desktop Subscription and MS Excel Certification is required for this course/lab.)

BU-200 Introduction to Business (3)

This course provides a survey of business functions, principles, and practices; managerial tools for analysis; people’s behavior in organizations; practical applications in problem-solving and decision-making. The course is designed for students interested in careers in organizations and for those intending to major or minor in business.

BU-201 Intro to Sport and Event Management (3)

Sport and Event Management is important to the economic well-being of Hawaii.  A basic introduction to the business of Sport and Event Management will give students the foundation needed for continued education and development in the SEM discipline.

BU-202 Corporate Finance and Accounting (3)

This course provides an overview of business finance and accounting to provide students with a basic understanding of the financial concepts in managing a business. Topics include, but are not limited to, budgeting, financial statement analysis, cost of capital, time value of money, and capital budgeting.

BU-224 Applied Business Statistics (3)

The course introduces students to the use of statistical information for business decision-making. Topics include summary measures, frequency distributions, probability, sampling, statistical inference, and simple regression. Emphasis is given to the interpretation and meaning of statistical information.
Prerequisites: MA-103

BU-225 Data Analytics and Stats in Excel (3)

This foundational course introduces students to the essential tools of applied business statistics and introductory data analytics. Students will learn how to collect, interpret, and analyze data to support smart business decisions in a rapidly changing, data-driven world. Key topics include: descriptive and inferential statistics, data visualization and interpretation, probability and frequency distributions, hypothesis testing, simple regression analysis, fundamentals of business analytics and performance metrics, and ethics and real-world applications. (A $100 fee for MS Excel 365 Desktop Subscription is required for this course). Prerequisite: MA-103.

BU-254 Personal Finance (3)

This is a basic, introductory course, which covers material essential to an understanding of personal financial management.  Topics will include, but not be limited to, consumer credit and loans, automobile and housing decisions, insurance, tax strategies, retirement planning and insurance.

English 102 and Communication 101 are prerequisites for all upper division courses.

BU-308 Professional Writing and Presentation (3)

Letters, proposals, reports, and presentations are often the vehicles through which professionals get their ideas accepted and their contributions valued. This course teaches students the rhetorical principles and writing and presentation practices required for effective communication in business. The course focuses on format, layout, and design strategies for developing informative documents and presentations that use business data to address specified audiences in a variety of professional situations.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101

BU-309 Business Communication (3)

Clear, confident, and strategic communication is foundational to success in today’s fast-paced, tech-enabled workplace. This course develops advanced skills in professional writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication within a business context. With a focus on both individual effectiveness and organizational professionalism, students will refine their ability to communicate ideas clearly, persuasively, and appropriately across diverse communication platforms and audiences. Key topics include foundational business writing, verbal and nonverbal presentation techniques, communication for job search and early-career development, interpersonal communication, professional presence, and business research and reporting. Through real-world assignments, presentations, and research-driven projects, students will build a communication toolkit that prepares them for professional impact and ethical leadership. Prerequisites: EN-102 and COM-101.

BU-310 Current Issues in Sport Management (3)

This course explores the contemporary issues influencing management decisions in the business of sport - from amateur sport to professional sport.  It covers business and economic issues, social issues, political issues and legal issues. Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101

BU-314 Event Management (3)

This course is designed to prepare students for every aspect of planning, organizing and executing major events with an emphasis upon events in Hawaii (sporting, academic, civic). Pre-requisites: COM-200, BU-201, CIS-103, EN-102, COM-101

BU-324 Quantitative Methods in Business (3)

Each of the business disciplines uses quantitative information in its planning, operations, and performance evaluation. This course introduces students to a variety of methods and tools for using quantitative data effectively: linear programming, Bayes Decision Rules, forecasting, multiple regression, network models, utility measures, and inventory models. Prerequisites: MA-103, BU-224, EN-102, COM-101

BU-325- Business Intelligence and Decision-Making (3)

This course builds on foundational concepts in statistics and business analytics to explore more intermediate tools and techniques for data-driven decision-making and equips students with the skills and tools necessary to solve complex business problems using business intelligence. Throughout this course, students will deepen their ability to extract insights from complex datasets and apply analytical reasoning to business problems. Key topics include predictive and prescriptive analytics, data modeling and forecasting techniques, decision trees, and regression analysis, and data storytelling. Students will gain hands-on experience understanding key performance indicators (KPIs) and business dashboards through the use of contemporary analytics software like Tableau and Microsoft Power BI to visualize data and communicate actionable insights. Real-world case studies and applied projects will give students the opportunity to analyze business problems, make evidence based recommendations, and present their findings using visual and written formats. Emphasis will be placed on ethical data usage and common pitfalls in analytics. (A $100 fee for MS Excel 365 Desktop Subscription is required for this course). Pre-requisites: EN-102, COM-101, and MA-103.

BU-385 AI and Emergent Technologies in Business (3)

AI & Emergent Technologies in Business is a hands-on, future-focused course that equips students with the skills to critically engage with cutting-edge technologies shaping today’s business world. With a strong emphasis on practical application, this course explores how emerging tools—from artificial intelligence and machine learning to immersive technologies, digital automation, and fintech—are transforming business models, operations, customer experiences, and decision-making. Students will gain direct experience using advanced tools to enhance their strategic thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Through cooperative discussions, collaborative challenges, and technology driven case studies, students will learn to evaluate the role of innovation in business performance, agility, and growth. By the end of the course, students will not only understand the possibilities of today’s evolving technological landscape—they will be ready to use these tools to think, create, and lead with confidence in a digitally dynamic business world.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101 & MGT-310

BU-362 Legal and Ethical Issues in Business (3)

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the legal and ethical issues business decision-makers face in determining appropriate policies and actions. Focus is given to the effect of decisions on stakeholders including employees, customers, investors, and society. Topics include application of moral philosophies to common business dilemmas, professional codes of ethics, and elements of business law including contracts, the Uniform Commercial code, and agency. As part of this class, students will have the option to participate in activities that integrate meaningful business-related service to the community with course learning. Service-Learning.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101

BU-402 International Business (3)

This course is designed to provide students an understanding of the global environment in which international business takes place, as well as the role and behavior of the multinational firm in responding to the environment. The course seeks to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and sensitivities to engage in business activities more effectively in the complex international context. Topics include trade theory, import and export strategies, international investment, negotiations and diplomacy, and global supply chain management.
Prerequisites: BU-200, EN-102, COM-101

BU-416 Career Development (3)

Starting one’s career is often both an exciting goal and a mystifying, overwhelming challenge. This course provides students with the knowledge and tools needed for successful career planning and entry. The course covers developmental issues, theories, and activities useful for career exploration. Also included are approaches to making career and lifestyle choices, societal trends that may affect career decisions, and self-management skills at work. Students develop an action plan for initiating their career and personal portfolio of resources for use in the job search.
Prerequisites: BU-308, EN-102, COM-101

BU-469 Business Strategy (3)

This course for business majors provides students the opportunity to integrate the knowledge gained in their business coursework to better understand and engage the work of organizations. Topics include organizational assessment; organizational “visioning” and mission compositions; strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation; and the coordination of resources, core competencies, and processes to achieve competitive advantage and provide social value. Student teams conduct and present rigorous case analyses of exemplar organizations.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101, BU-200, AC-202, EC-201, EC-202, FIN-301, MKT-301, MGT-312 & BU-308

BU-470 Senior Field Experience (3)

This capstone course is designed to connect students’ course work in business to the operations of a real-world organization and to facilitate their transition from student to professional. Student teams function as consultants, with the guidance of a Faculty Supervisor, to analyze an organizational situation, develop recommendations, and implement an appropriate project in a sponsoring community organization. Teams accomplish their project, complete a project report and group process assessment, and present their results. Service-Learning.
Prerequisites: BU-469, EN-102, COM-101

BU-471 Becoming a Data Jedi: Info Analytics (3)

This course is a capstone course for the Chaminade University of Honolulu General Education Program. In this course, students will present mastery of foundational skills, Marianist and Native Hawaiian values and a global awareness through a program reflection and student-developed project designed to positively impact the world. In this course, we explore the fundamentals of data, and how anybody can find meaning in data to communicate more effectively, provide better insights to various stakeholders as well as improve decision-making ability to drive value in both for-profit and nonprofit environments that exist in our communities around the world.
Prerequisites: EN-102 COM-101.

BU-475 Practicum in Business (3)

The Business Practicum is an experiential course that gives business students the opportunity to apply their cumulative learning in a real-world setting. Through immersive, team-based projects, students tackle authentic business challenges while honing their leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills. Students may be assigned a project from a variety of formats, including but not limited to: Developing and pitching a new venture through a business plan competition, conducting professional consulting for a real business or nonprofit organization and planning and executing a significant business event or marketing campaign. Each project emphasizes applied strategy, project management, teamwork, stakeholder engagement, and measurable outcomes. Students will work under faculty mentorship and receive feedback from faculty, external clients, partners, and/or judges. Final deliverables are dependent upon the assigned project, but may include successful execution of a professional event, a professional report, and/or a formal presentation to an audience of peers, faculty, and industry professionals.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101 & MGT-312

BU-476 Business Seminar (3)

Business Seminar is a professional immersion course designed to support students as they transition from academic life into the world of work through mentoring and coaching. As a culminating experience to students’ academic preparation before internship or full-time employment, this seminar provides a deep dive into what it means to be workforce-ready in a dynamic and competitive global economy. Students will engage with guest speakers and professional coaches from a variety of industries, exploring topics such as personal branding, workplace professionalism, communication strategies, and ethical decision-making in the workplace. Through interactive discussions, real-world case analysis, guided coaching, and student-led presentations, learners will explore contemporary business issues, reflect on career goals, and cultivate essential career-readiness skills such as networking, adaptability, and self-advocacy. By the end of the course, students will have built a polished learning portfolio and strengthened the confidence needed to succeed in their internship and beyond.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101 & BU-475

BU-480 Special Topics (3)

Special topics in business that are presented as announced. Prerequisites vary according to course.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101

BU-487 Business Internship (3)

This course involves the student engaging in a minimum of 135 hours of professional work experience that is related to the student’s career goals and approved by the instructor. The student meets regularly with the instructor during the term and completes a report documenting the work experience and its relationship to the student’s business education. This course may be repeated, but a new work experience must be undertaken.
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing in business, minimum 2.00 GPA, EN-102, COM-101

BU-499 Directed Study (1 to 3)

Individualized study on a student-selected topic arranged through the program advisor.
Prerequisites: junior or senior standing, permission, EN-102, COM-101