You are in the official 1997-98 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Department of
Finance and Business Law
The Sid Craig School of Business
K.C. Chen, Chair
Peters Business Building, Room 285
(559) 278-2341
FAX: (559) 278-4911
Visit our Web site
B.S. in
Business Administration
Options:
Finance
International Business
Legal Environment of Business
Real Estate and Urban Land Economics
General Business Minor
Business Teaching Credential
Faculty
K.C. Chen, Chair
Tom Doyel
Lynn M. Forsythe
James M. Highsmith
Amir A. Jassim
Ida M. Jones
Deborah J. Kemp
Barry P. Laiss
Paul M. Lange
J. David Reitzel
Manuchehr Shahrokhi
Kuo-cheng Tseng
Alan Rufus Waters
Rassoul Yazdipour
The Department of Finance and Business Law offers four options (areas
of emphasis) within the Bachelor of Science in the Business Administration
degree program.
The Finance Option stresses the financial structure of businesses
through a common set of courses and specialized courses directed at various
applications. It consists of two tracks General Finance and Financial Services.
The General Finance track is designed to provide students with the basic
skills required to plan, supervise, and control the financial activities
of business organizations. These include understanding the trade-off between
risk and return, the time value of money, and the magnifying effect of leverage.
Students specializing in the General Finance track gain the skills related
to evaluating the financial needs of a business, obtaining the funds required
by the firm, and using these funds in such a way that the company's goals
are met.
The Financial Services track offers students the opportunity to broaden
their knowledge and under standing of financial services so as to improve
their ability to make effective decisions in financial planning and to facilitate
career development in this area.
Since financial planning typically involves responsibility for coordinating
work in more than one financial area, the Financial Planning emphasis enables
students to take the broad range of courses necessary to be knowledgeable
in this rapidly expanding field. The Risk Management and Insurance emphasis
prepares students for careers not only within the insurance industry but
also in business and government. More than half of all insurance employees
hold professional, managerial, or technical jobs. Businesses and governments
seek insurance-trained employees to manage employee benefit plans, oversee
risk management programs, and serve as actuaries. Government also offers
positions in insurance regulation and administration of social insurance
programs, including health insurance.
The International Business Option introduces students to the fastest
growing part of business today. The information and communications revolution
and declining travel costs have made all businesses aware of global markets.
The option stresses the role of global communications and the growth of
entrepreneurial opportunities in worldwide markets, with special attention
to California and the markets of the Pacific Rim.
The Legal Environment of Business Option provides an excellent background
for business people who will spend a considerable amount of their time resolving
business-related, legal and regulatory problems. Those obtaining a legal
environment option will be able to adjust and adapt to a variety of career
paths. These include working in law office management and in a number of
business departments, including public affairs, government relations, trust,
and finance. Depending upon the elective coursework chosen, this option
may prepare students for careers in underwriting, pension or benefits planning,
arbitration or other forms of alternative dispute resolution, and other
business areas requiring a familiarity with legal principles and processes.
Many nonlawyers find a broad knowledge of law extremely helpful in their
business careers. As a result, this option can be recommended for all business
majors.
The Real Estate and Urban Land Economics Option provides the background
for a wide range of career opportunities in addition to residential and
commercial real estate sales. These areas include development, lending,
banking, appraising, escrow, property management, and construction. Usually
students who enroll in the real estate option will complete all courses
necessary to take the California Brokers License Examination.
Internships
Many of our students also participate in internship programs, both in Fresno and in other parts of California. During an internship, students receive academic credit while being paid for their services. Students interested in internships in finance and business law should contact the internship coordinator in Peters Building, Room 185.
Faculty and Facilities
The faculty is comprised of more than 20 full-time and part-time individuals
who have outstanding reputations in both business and education. All full-time
members of the department have earned an appropriate doctorate degree and
many of them have gained national reputations for their scholarship. The
faculty is extremely active in research and textbook writing as well as
active in working with the business community.
A wide range of approaches are used in teaching the many different courses
offered by the department. These include computer simulations, team projects,
community projects, laboratory research, group discussions, collaborative
work groups, case studies, internships, and foreign studies programs. The
broad background of the faculty and their strong commitment to business
education assures students of a challenging and rewarding course of study.
Although the Sid Craig School of Business provides excellent computer laboratories,
each student majoring in business administration is encouraged to have a
personal IBM-compatible computer.
