Postgraduate Courses

The following courses are restricted to Kellogg-HKUST EMBA students only. All courses are graded HP/P/LP/U/Y.

• EMBA 5010

  Frameworks for Strategic Analysis

  [1-1-0:2]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 501

  Description

  Explores economic principles of business strategy and develops an analytic framework for identifying and evaluating alternative strategies.
• EMBA 5020

  Analytical Approach to Uncertainty

  [1-1-0:2]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 502

  Description

  Introduces fundamental probabilistic concepts that enable managers to make critical business decisions in the face of uncertainty.
• EMBA 5030

  Financial Reporting Systems

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 503

  Description

  Introduces generally accepted accounting principles and concepts along with the preparation and analysis of financial statements.
• EMBA 5040

  Marketing Management

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 504

  Description

  Introduces the importance of companies being market-driven and customer-focused and presents current theories and practices of marketing management.
• EMBA 5060

  Leadership and Organizations

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 506

  Description

  Focuses on the skills and ideas behind effective leadership: working well with teams, utilizing your personal and organizational resources, making difficult but critical decisions, and negotiating well, all with a broad, multifaceted outlook.
• EMBA 5070

  Statistical Decision Analysis

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 507

  Description

  Explores the use of sample data for purposes of estimating, predicting, forecasting, and decision-making.
• EMBA 5080

  Managerial Finance I

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 508

  Description

  Introduces the basic techniques of finance. Topics include discounting techniques and applications; evaluation of capital expenditures; and estimating bond and stock valuation.
• EMBA 5110

  Operations Management

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 511

  Description

  Examines the basic principles and useful tools of managing the production of goods or services. Emphasizes tools and principles that are equally useful in service and manufacturing sectors.
• EMBA 5120

  Accounting for Management Planning and Control

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 512

  Description

  Details the use of financial information in management. Topics include profitability and performance measurement and activity-based management and decision support.
• EMBA 5150

  Negotiation

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 515

  Description

  Develops negotiation and dispute resolution skills through simulations set in dyads, groups, and multilateral contexts within and between organizations and across cultures.
• EMBA 5160

  Strategic Marketing Decisions

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 516

  Description

  Examines topics of new product development, marketing resource allocation, and competitive strategy. Concepts are reinforced by playing MARKSTRT, a simulation game.
• EMBA 5170

  Law and the Corporate Manager

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 517

  Description

  Studies the legal environment in which business organizations operate. Topics include rights of shareholders, director's and officer's liability, mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and securities regulation.
• EMBA 5190

  Foundations for Strategy Formulation

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 519

  Description

  Explores economic principles essential for the formulation and evaluation of strategy. Topics include industry analysis, strategic positioning and the boundaries of the firm.
• EMBA 5270

  Executive Ethical Leaderships

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 527

  Description

  Examines the role of the CEO and other top leaders in modern organizations, highlighting their ethical challenges and exploring the implications of a variety of ethical frameworks to facilitate more effective complex organizational decision making in a rapidly changing business environment.
• EMBA 5320

  Deal Making in China and Asia

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 532

  Description

  The course offers participants the opportunity to strategize and be the decision maker in practical, real-world business situations throughout the Asia Pacific region, including China and India, which illustrate successful and unsuccessful deal-making strategies in Asia.
• EMBA 5390

  Corporate Governance

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 539

  Description

  To expose participants to, and get them actively involved in discussions of the most recent concepts, tools, and best practices regarding corporate governance in Asia. The analysis is aimed at investors as well as top management and directors.
• EMBA 5400

  Crisis Management

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 540

  Description

  Explores crisis management from the point of view of managers and consultants. Understands the motivations and strategic capabilities of stakeholders, and the importance of value-based management in preventing and managing corporate crises.
• EMBA 5410

  Innovation Strategy and Management

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 541

  Description

  Explores a broader, more inclusive view of Innovation, enabling the manager to employ innovation as a more effective competitive weapon and lead to an understanding of state-of-the-art Innovation Process management within and between firms, and across geographies.
• EMBA 5420

  Macroeconomics

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 542

  Description

  The purpose of this course is to provide a framework for addressing issues about the global economic environment. It will then apply the framework to understanding the global economy. It will introduce important insights in the labor, money and foreign exchange markets.
• EMBA 5460

  Understanding Consumers

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 546

  Description

  This course will give participants an appreciation of how getting inside the mind of the consumer enables the marketing manager to design better effective marketing strategies, with a particular emphasis on effective communication tactics. This course provides both a micro and macro perspective on the factors influencing a customer.
• EMBA 5470

  Contemporary Issues in Chinese Politics

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 547

  Description

  This course will familiarize the EMBA students with the political structure of the PRC, the continuing importance of the Communist Party to China's administration, how political elites attempt to control the political system and how citizens try to get the leaders to respond to their interests. The course also looks at China's external ties, particularly how the decision to open to the outside world was taken and how China's thirst for energy is currently influencing China's foreign policy. Finally, we will attempt to build scenarios for China's future. Grading will be based on a report about how politics can affect their business efforts in China.
• EMBA 5480

  Learning from Family Business Leaders

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 548

  Description

  This course will focus on family businesses with emphasis on Asian-based family businesses. Specifically the course will discuss the following key subjects: 1. Importance and complexities of family businesses 2. Why family business have difficulties surviving beyond 3 generations: A Chinese perspectives 3. Key differences between family and non-family business with emphasis on the management and capital structure, governance, corporate board structure and selection, succession, investment decision process and accounting and finance performance 4. Challenges facing the Next-Gen in managing the family business and the family 5. Challenges of a non-family manager working in a family business 6. Wealth preservation and management from a family's perspective.
• EMBA 5520

  Building a Powerful Consumer Brand in China

  [1-0-0:1]
  Previous Course Code(s)

  EMBA 552

  Description

  This course approaches the challenge of establishing a strong consumer brand in China from the perspective of the General Manager of a Multinational Corporation, outlining the practical steps that one needs to take when scoping the opportunity, tailoring the product and marketing mix and measuring success.
• EMBA 5580

  Digital Marketing

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  The objectives of this course are to 1) provide participants with an understanding of the impact of digital and social networks on customer behavior and marketing strategies 2) share conceptual frameworks and analytical tools for formulating and implementing marketing strategies 3) help participants understand best practices in digital marketing through cases, exercises and examples.
• EMBA 5590

  International Growth

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Description

  The why and the how of corporate international growth will be analyzed throughout the course. In a world fixated by "globalization", the most fundamental questions for companies planning and managing their overseas growth will be examined. Successes and failures will be discussed in order to understand what management teams must do to get international growth right.
• EMBA 5600

  Strategic Decision Making

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  This course aims to develop participants' intuitions to help them make these decisions using formal models, role playing, case studies, and class discussion. Specific topics covered include strategic thinking , flexibility, commitment, pricing, auctions, wars of attrition, and common biases in strategic decision making.
• EMBA 5620

  Private Equity in Asia

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Description

  Provides an overview of private equity, underwriting methods and various details in structuring. Focus will be put on the Asian market. The course is taught by the head of an Asian private equity platform.
• EMBA 5630

  Managerial Finance II

  [1-0-0:1]
  Prerequisite(s)

  EMBA 5080

  Description

  The course deals with firm valuation and the implication of financing decisions for shareholder value creation. Topics covered include sources of financing and the process of raising capital, capital structure, firm valuation, leverage and cost of capital, and cash distribution policy.
• EMBA 5640

  Strategic Decisions in Operations

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  The goal of the course is to understand how strategic decisions in operations impact the performance of the firm. The key will be to understand the link between operations configurations, the customer experience, and the financial performance of the firm.
• EMBA 5650

  Creating and Managing Strategic Alliances

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  This course examines the theory and practice of creating and managing different types of strategic alliances, such as joint ventures, licensing agreements, buyer-supplier partnerships, and consortia. This will enable the student to better understand the costs and benefits of strategic alliances (and why such alliances may be preferred over other strategies such as internal development or mergers and acquisitions).
• EMBA 5660

  Capstone

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  This course is intended as a capstone for students' Executive MBA experience. Students will develop an integrated understanding of business planning and strategy and test strategies in a competitive environment.
• EMBA 5670

  Founders' Dilemmas

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  Founders' Dilemmas examines the early, often difficult, decisions that have important long-term consequences for founders and their ventures. The goal of the course is to help students be much more informed about those long-term consequences before they make early choices that can lead to them.
• EMBA 5680

  Microeconomics

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  The course will focus on the economic forces that determine the extent to which businesses can capture the value that they create.
• EMBA 5690

  Applied Mergers and Acquisitions

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Description

  Applied Mergers and Acquisitions is designed to prepare executives to succeed as members of an M&A project team. It takes the perspective of a company involved in M&A, not investment bankers or private equity.
• EMBA 5700

  Strategic Human Resources Management

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Description

  Most organizations declare their employees to be among their most valuable assets, yet an examination of their systems and practices show inconsistencies in the management of this valuable asset. This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of five key challenges that general managers face in managing their human resources.
• EMBA 5710

  Leading a Global Company

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  The focus of this class is to provide a thorough understanding of what is involved in leading a global company. Through a combination of lectures, cases and readings, the class will discuss and debate the key ingredients required to establish and manage a global company.
• EMBA 5720

  Value Investing

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  This course will systematically present the fundamental tenets of value investing: search; valuation; and the construction of a portfolio. It will also introduce the styles of famous value investors and discuss the basic similarities and differences between them. The course is intended for 'active' investors who are willing and able to devote significant amount of time to continually research, select and monitor stocks.
• EMBA 5730

  Big Data Applications in Business

  [0.5-0-0:0.5]
  Description

  Data plays an increasingly important role in business decision making. This course investigates and applies the cutting-edge concepts and knowledge, and applications of business analytics in the world of Big Data. Example business problems to be solved analytically include customer relationship management, financial trading, social media marketing, search engine strategy, etc. Participants will acquire hands-on experience with popular data analytical tools.
• EMBA 5740

  New Venture Discovery

  [1-0-0:1]
  Description

  The course focuses on the 'customer discovery' process, often referred to as "Phase Zero" in the innovation process. This is perhaps the most important moment in the life of a business. This is designed to help participants identify opportunities and then improve the quality of their ideas, whether they want to pursue an entrepreneurial path or innovate inside an existing firm.