Management

Introduction

Management describes what is perhaps the most challenging and difficult of human endeavors. It is the process by which we attempt to attain goals beyond the reach of a single individual. Collective action requires that we work effectively and efficiently with and through others. Managing is not a single skill, but rather a dynamic body of knowledge with the goal of the fusion of multiple and diverse skills possessed by many into a cohesive force, the effectiveness of which exceeds the sum of its parts. Management is eclectic, drawing upon the entire fund of human knowledge and experience that is necessary to attain the goals established. Management is also almost universal in application. Any time two or more people join together in pursuit of a common goal, and one leads by virtue of skill, experience, personality or authority, management has been initiated.

Faculty

MARY D. SASS (2005) Chair and Associate Professor. BS, University of Albany; PhD, George Washington University.
EDWARD H. ALDEN (2018) Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor of Canada-US Business and Economic Relations. BA, University of British Columbia; MA University of California-Berkeley.
AKANKSHA BEDI (2019) Associate Professor. BCom, Delhi University; MCom, Delhi University; MA, Simon Fraser University; PhD, McMaster University.
SHIH-FEN CHEN (2018) Kaiser Professor of International Business. BBA, National Cheng Kung University; MBA, Michigan State University; PhD, University of Illinois.
JASON M. KANOV (2007) Professor. BS, University of Florida-Gainesville; MA, PhD, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
JONGWOOK KIM (2003) Professor. BBA, MBA, Yonsei University; PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
K. SKYLAR POWELL (2013) Professor. BA, Montana State University; MA, Durham University, UK; PhD, University of Hawai’i.
THOMAS W. ROEHL (1999) Professor. BA, Valparaiso University; MA, University of Oregon; PhD, University of Washington.
SHANTALA SAMANT (2016) Associate Professor. BS, Indira Gandhi University; MA, University of Mumbai; PhD, Virginia Tech.
ARTHUR L. SHERWOOD (2014) Associate Professor. BBA, University of Wisconsin-Madison; MBA, MS, PhD, Indiana University-Bloomington.
MEG A. WARREN (2018) Associate Professor. BMS, University of Mumbai; MA, Alverno College; MBA, ICFAI University, India; PhD, Claremont Graduate University.

Emeritus Faculty

MATTHEW LIAO-TROTH (2002) Professor Emeritus. BA, University of California at Santa Cruz; MBA, San Diego State University; MS, PhD, University of Arizona.
KRISTI M. TYRAN (2001) Professor Emeritus. BS, MBA, University of Washington; PhD, University of California, Irvine.
BRUCE D. WONDER (1981) Professor Emeritus of Management. BS, University of California, Berkeley; MS, San Francisco State University; PhD, University of Washington

Departmental Mission

The mission of the Department of Management at Western Washington University is to advance the understanding of managerial issues in a complex environment. Additionally, we challenge students and faculty to achieve their professional aspirations and civic responsibilities by creating an environment where students and faculty learn, integrate, and apply business principles and liberal arts.

Our values, in no particular order, are:

Higher level learning. We value learning that integrates a variety of disciplines, perspectives, and ideas. Such learning occurs on more than a rudimentary basis. We promote intellectual rigor, lifelong learning, and critical thinking. We do this both in our own research and in our teaching. We engage in service for our professional areas to promote higher level learning throughout our disciplinary communities.

Civic and community engagement. We are committed to giving our students an understanding of what it means to be a citizen of the world, community and organization. We want students to understand the importance of being engaged in the world for the sake of the organization they are a part of, but also for the benefit of the world in general, as well as for themselves. We model our commitment to civic and community engagement by serving our college and university in various roles. We also engage in service with the local community and the disciplinary communities we participate in as part of our profession.

Collegiality. By this we mean that we have respectful relationships with each other, we are open to feedback, and we communicate fully and truthfully with one another. We are interdisciplinary in our approach to research and teaching and support each other in our own passionate pursuits. We are committed to service to our department, college and university so as to promote collegiality throughout our WWU system.

Professionalism. Professionalism is defined as presenting ourselves in a business-like manner in attire, speech, communication, and interpersonal relationships. We model professionalism and teach professionalism. We are professional with each other, our students, and community members who participate in our environment of teaching and learning. We provide our students with opportunities to practice professionalism in our classes and out in the community. We give feedback to our students in professional and ethical practice. We are professional in our service to the department, college, university and community.

Declaration Process

Students must confirm admission to Western Washington University before applying to the College of Business and Economics (CBE). Students are encouraged to apply as soon as they meet the requirements listed below. The electronic application is located on the CBE website and submissions are processed on a continual basis.

Please note: No individual course grade lower than a C- will be accepted and credited toward degree requirements. Cumulative GPA requirements for College of Business and Economics degrees are listed below.

Please see individual Programs of Study for their Declaration process.

Retention Standards

To remain in good standing in CBE, students must maintain a minimum Western cumulative GPA of 2.50. Should a student fall below the 2.50 Western cumulative GPA retention standard, the student will receive a warning and have one quarter in which to repair the academic record. If the student’s academic record remains below the 2.50 Western cumulative GPA retention standard, the student will be dropped from the college.

All majors in the College of Business and Economics (CBE) must maintain good academic standing with the University. A student with a Western Washington University cumulative GPA average below 2.0 will be dismissed from the college immediately and not permitted to register for additional courses in the College of Business and Economics until the deficiency is repaired. A transfer student with no Western GPA (no graded Western courses) at the time of CBE application must maintain good standing with the University moving forward.

Please note: No individual course grade lower than a C- will be accepted and credited toward degree requirements.

Academic Status

Pre-major: A student who has applied and been accepted to CBE but has not completed the foundation courses required for their major/concentration.

Provisional Major: A student who is enrolled in their last foundation course(s). Note: If at the end of their provisional quarter a student does not meet all requirements for full major status, they will revert to pre-major status and cannot register for any major-restricted courses until they repair the deficiency. A student is eligible for provisional major status in CBE only once.

Full Major: A student who has completed all foundation courses required for their major/concentration and has a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher for all college-level coursework and a Western cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Other Departmental Information

The Curriculum

The development of the curricula in the Department of Management has been guided by the standards of the AACSB International-the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and those of the Academy of Management. These standards stress a broad education preparing students for managerial roles in business and leadership roles in society.

Curricular paths in the department are structured:

To develop competence in analysis, decision making and evaluation in both public and private organizations
To develop and enrich interpersonal skills
To develop the competence to manage within the social, economic and international environment of organizations
To provide access to the technical skills necessary in each of the major functional areas of organizations
To enhance educational opportunity through the theoretical and applied research and business consulting activities of its faculty and students
To encourage intellectual inquiry into the lessons and skills of the past and present so as to be able to affect the future
To develop and promote ethical behavior and social responsibility in future managers

Students normally devote most of the freshman and sophomore years of study to completion of the General University Requirements (GURs) and foundation courses in the major. Several foundation courses also satisfy GURs and careful planning may save time for additional elective course work. Electives which emphasize oral and written communication skills are particularly recommended. The junior and senior years are primarily devoted to core degree requirements and elective course work.

Student Advising

Students should consult this catalog and the department’s Planning Sheets as well as meet with the College of Business and Economics pre-major advisor. A faculty advisor will be assigned to each student upon acceptance into the major.

Enrollment Priorities

Because of high student demand for Department of Management courses, the department must give enrollment priority to students for whom those courses are requirements rather than electives. Priority is given to majors in CBE and other declared majors for whom the classes are required.

Programs

Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate Minor

Certification