Course Description of MSc (BEc)

Course Descriptions of Year I (Semester I) Courses

MBE 5101: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

The aim of this course is to cultivate the strategic orientation among the participants, primarily concerning of managing modern day organizations for their long-term survival and growth. Further, this course intends to address the process of strategic management and the emerging strategic issues of an organization in a complex and turbulent business environment. It also provides the opportunity to learn the art of gaining and retaining competitive advantages for an organization over its competitors. As overall the course brings the integrated knowledge in order to manage the organizations holistically and to understand how such organizations could formulate and implement good strategies.

MBE 5102: ADVANCED MICROECONOMICS

The aims of this course are to develop analytical tools of microeconomics and provide the economic intuition behind the decision-making process of individuals as well as firms. Topics include consumer theory, producer theory, market structures & competition, general equilibrium analysis, choice under uncertainty, static and dynamic games, the economics of information and asymmetricinformation, and pricing in input markets. At the end of the course, students should be able to understand academic papers representing the research frontier of microeconomic theory.

MBE 5103: ADVANCED MACROECONOMICS

The aim of this course is to deliver methodological understanding and analytical skills of modern macroeconomics theory. The course covers growth theories and applications in Module 1. Empirical validity of those models will be confronted using cross-country data and other empirical findings. Fiscal and monetary policies, business cycles and financial crises will be introduced in Module 2. Finally, general equilibrium analysis will be introduced in Module 3. At the end of the course, students should be able to understand academic papers representing the research frontier of macroeconomics theory.

MBE 5104: RESEARCH METHODS

The purpose of this graduate level course in research methods is to prepare students for performing and executing effective research studies in their specialization areas. The course is designed to provide an extensive knowledge on designing scientific inquiries, identifying interesting research problems, selecting research methods, and techniques used in social sciences, in general, and in Business Economics, in particular. Both quantitative research designs and qualitative research designs will be discussed and detailed explanation of various research methods, i.e., surveys, case studies, and experiments, in relation to social sciences will be provided. In addition, a thorough training in academic writing and referencing style will be provided towards the end of the course. At the end, the students should be able to develop a research proposal of their prospective study.

MBE 5105: APPLIED ECONOMETRICS

The course intends to provide an intermediate knowledge and skills in econometrics that enables students to understand the modern empirical economics and business management literature. The course begins with basic methods for analysis of economic data and simple regression formulation and will progress gradually towards more specific techniques used for time-series and cross-sectional data. The areas covered under this course include estimation of simple regression models, estimation of multiple regression models, remedial measures for multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation problems, qualitative response regression models, time-series econometrics and panel data regression models. The main feature of the course is the use of computer-based exercises, which will enable students to gain practical experience in analysing a wide variety of econometric applications and apply them to their own research works.

Course Descriptions of Year I (Semester II) Courses

MBE 5206: DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS

Due to the uniqueness of development problems from one case to another, and the more complex nature of them in the modern world, students should understand the conventional development principles as well as unconventional approaches to address development issues. The course starts with an introduction to economic development with special emphasis on the nature & importance of Development Economics, traditional measures of economic growth, new economic views of development, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Then the course extends its scope to comparative development concepts, classical theories of economic growth & development, contemporary models of development & underdevelopment, crucial development problems such as poverty, income inequality, urbanization and rural-urban migration and skilled migration. At the end of the course students will be able to critically evaluate the development polices in developing countries.

MBE 5207: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

This course provides an overview of international organizations and explores theories of International Trade and Investment. It gives emphasis to areas such as the role of multinationals and their entry strategies, functions of global monetary systems and practical applications of starting and maintaining international business relationships. This course also helps students familiarize with globalization and its impact on international businesses. By the end of this course, the students would have developed the skills to analyse and evaluate issues related to international organizations.

MBE 5208: LEGAL & REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

This course provides a general understanding of the importance of law to businesses and economics. The course also outlines the ways in which business and commerce are conducted in Sri Lanka today with reference to the international development where necessary. Contents of the course will help students to develop their decision-making skills and to emphasize the importance of complying with rules and regulations. The course mainly covers law relating to Banking, Human Rights with special emphasis on non-discrimination and gender studies, International Trade, moral issues in workplace and National Security. Knowledge of the contents imparted in this course will also help students considerably in their future careers.

MBE 5209: DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The aims of this course are to provide the students with an advanced knowledge and skills in project management and its application in development project management. The course covers the project phases: initiation, planning, executing, controlling and project closing with essential project techniques, which include project cycle management, participatory planning in projects and benefit-cost analysis. Special emphasis will be given to the allocation effects of public projects, non-market valuation techniques and shadow pricing in projects. In addition, the students will be trained to apply the MS Project software when and where necessary. The course includes relevant case study discussions, student projects, and guest lectures.

MBE 5210: ADVANCED ECONOMETRICS I

This course presents a comprehensive treatment of econometrics methods in cross-sectional and longitudinal data. The course covers techniques to overcome endogeneity effects in econometric models with special emphasis on Instrumental Variables method. Fixed Effects and Random Effect models in panel data and qualitative dependent variables with special emphasis on censored and truncated dependent variables also will be discussed. At the end of the course, students should have acquired the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to carry out their own empirical analyses.

MBE 5211: TIME SERIES ECONOMETRICS

This course presents a comprehensive treatment of econometric methods in time series econometrics. The objectives are to impart theoretical knowledge and enhance the application skills of time series analysis in Economics, Finance, Marketing, and other Management disciplines. The module 1 of this course will introduce the basic concepts i.e. basic time-series models, Cobweb models, solving deterministic process and lag operators, ARMA, stochastic processes, stationarity, the autocorrelation function and the partial autocorrelation. Then, modeling time-series for trends and volatility will introduce in Module 2. This includes ARCH processes, GARCH models, deterministic and stochastic trends, removing trends and univariate decompositions. In addition, testing for trends and unit roots using Dickey-Fuller test will be discussed in this module. Advanced time-series topics such as VAR analysis, impulse response functions, structural decomposition, co integration and error-correction models will be introduced in Model 3. Students will be trained to estimate time-series models using software packages to enhance the practical application of the knowledge.

MBE 5212: INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FINANCING

This course aims to provide the students with an understanding of international trade theory and practice of international trade and trade-related policies. It will also emphasize both traditional, neo-classical trade theory as well as the more modern strategic trade theory. The course focuses on analysing the gains from trade, the changing patterns of trade, the income distributional consequences of liberalising foreign trade, the relationship between trade, investment, and economic growth, and the reasons for and consequences of trade policies.

MBE 5213: GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

This course will deal with gender issues in development looking at how the measures and processes of development are gendered. After providing an overview of gender differences in various aspects of human life, the course will examine a number of gender-related issues with special reference case studies from the South. Among them are issues in the measurement of gender inequality, causes and effects of gender inequality in education, labour force participation, and earnings, the causes and extent of gender inequality in mortality, issues relating to household production, fertility, and intra-household resource allocation, gender and development in the context of crisis and conflict, and the place of men in development discourse.

MBE 5214: ADVANCED FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

This is an advanced course in Financial Management. Throughout the course, the students are able to develop their knowledge on concepts such as corporate value & value-based management, option pricing with application to real options, financing decisions, mergers, acquisitions, financial distress and restructuring and risk management. The analyses are made from the perspective of the decision maker or the viewpoint of the analyst. The course also discusses Contemporary issues in financial management. Students get the opportunity to analyze cases using concepts and techniques of corporate finance to address problems faced by finance managers.

MBE 5215: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIONS

This is a study of the strategic significance of information technology (IT) and innovation within organisations. This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and appropriate practical understanding required to successfully manage IT. The course covers elements of innovation strategy; accepting the challenge, the innovation process, the importance of technological innovation for competitiveness, formulating and implementing strategy and delivering values, managing research & development, new product development, collaboration and commercialization, and production and operations. The course also covers ethical, legal, security and social issues, and responsibilities in information technology.

Course Descriptions of Year II (Semester I) Courses

MBE 6101: STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT

This is an advanced-level course that helps the students to critically evaluate development strategies and their contemporary application in the context of developing countries. The course aims to deliver necessary theoretical and empirical knowledge to engage in rigorous analysis of development strategies implemented in developed and fast-growing developing countries and assess the applicability of such policies for less-developed countries. At depth, this course intends to review the theoretical and empirical validity of trade liberalization policies, growth models, innovations and technology adoption, human capital theory, industrial policies, and poverty alleviation strategies. In addition, the role of various institutions such as government, the private sector, community and international organisations in shaping the development process of less-developed countries will be discussed.

MBE 6102 ADVANCED ECONOMETRICS II

This is an extension of MBE 5210 Advanced Econometrics I. The aim of this course is to further enhance the students’ expertise in handling cross-sectional and longitudinal data using advanced econometrics methods. The course covers dynamic panel data models, duration analysis and Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM) estimations. At the end of the course, students should have acquired the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to carry out their own empirical analyses.

MBE 6103: PROGRAMME EVALUATION TECHNIQUES

This course introduces students to methods and models (both qualitative and quantitative) of programme evaluation. It aims to make the students capable of evaluating the impacts of different policies and programmes at micro as well as macro level. The course would contain methods to evaluate the impact of programmes before implementation as a forecasting measure as well as post implementation (essentially longitudinal methods). The course extends its scope to other areas of evaluation i.e., techniques and models for individual and portfolio of projects, monitoring of programmes, operational evaluation, comparative models, relative value models and programme portfolio diagrams. Amongst these techniques; randomized evaluations, propensity score matching, double-difference methods, use of instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity and pipeline approaches will be commonly discussed. Furthermore, students will be able to address and account for selection bias in participation. By the end of the course the students would be fully equipped to evaluate policies and programmes in the complex, challenging and uncertain economic climate.

MBE 6104 : FEMINIST ECONOMICS

This course will critically analyse both economic theory and economic life from the perspective of gender, and advise various forms of feminist economic transformation. It will examine the areas of feminist economics understudied or ignored in traditional economics – gender discrimination in the labour market, the economics of the household, and caring labour, to name a few – as well as feminist economic policy prescriptions. The course will also look at feminist critiques of and alternatives to mainstream economics methodology and view of “economic man,” the firm, and the economy itself. Other themes in the course will be racial-ethnic, class, and country differences among women, and the emergence of the solidarity economy.

MBE 6105 : WOMEN IN ASIAN CULTURE

This course explores the experiences and representations of Asian women, from ancient times to contemporary era. It will investigate how Asian womanhood is constructed, institutionalized, appropriated, re-invented, and re-interpreted in different socio-historical discourses. Interrogating the mechanisms that tend to reinforce and perpetuate Asian women’s subordination and marginalization, the course will look at women’s negotiation of their gender roles, self-identity, and agency. Situating Asian women in national, regional and global contexts, it will also explore their interface with sexuality and gender, family and patriarchy, class and race, social justice, conflict and post-conflict settings, nation-building, modernity, (post)colonialism, consumerism, and globalization.

MBE 6106 : FINANCIAL SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT

This course provides students with a broad understanding of how the domestic and global financial systems work. This course includes money market, capital market, interest rate behavior and its impact on macro economy, commercial banking sector, savings associations and credit unions, insurance management, investment banks, finance companies, risk management in financial institutions and regulatory framework of financial institutions. At end of the course, students will be able to broadly understand the functions of the financial system and critically analyse the issues and challenges of financial institutions.

MBE 6107 : FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

The course analyses comprehensive financial statements, and exposes to valuation framework that integrates strategy, financial reporting, financial analysis and valuation, and the application of this framework to fundamental analysis. Within the valuation framework that integrates a firm’s strategy, performance, and accounting credibility, the course examines ‘value’ identifying key value drivers and risks. It essentially discusses a firm’s underlying business reality, assessing earnings quality. The course applies the framework to a variety of business valuation contexts, including equity-investment analysis, IPOs, and mergers. The content covers techniques in evaluating current performance and its future sustainability, making forecasts of future profitability and risk, and valuing businesses using earnings and book value data.

MBE 6108 : OVERSEAS FIELD WORKS

The aim of this programme is to give a practical exposure to conduct surveys in the context of a foreign country. This programme is offered for the students who have selected Option B of the M.Sc. Programme. The program consists of several stages and focus of OFW would be on firm-level studies. Firstly, there will be a pre-departure seminar on selecting research topics and drafting research plan. Secondly, students participate at the overseas field work for the purpose of collecting data/information from overseas firms. Lastly, students should present their research findings and submit a field report by the stipulated deadline.

MBE 6109 : DOMESTIC FIELD WORKS

The aim of this programme is to give a practical exposure to conduct surveys in the context of Sri Lanka. This programme offers for the students who have selected Option B of the M.Sc. Programme. The program consists of several stages and the focus will be on household-level studies. Firstly, there will be a pre-workshop seminar on selecting research topics and drafting research plan. Secondly, students should participate at a residential workshop organised in the research site and conduct the necessary surveys. Lastly, students should present their research findings and submit a field report by the stipulated deadline.

MBE 6110 : WORKSHOPS

This course enables the students to participate in workshops and guest lecturers conducted by world class leaders and practitioners in the business world during the Second Year of the programme. Guest lectures and domestic workshops will be based on current economic affairs and application of economics into the real world. Detailed structure of the programme will be published in student’s handbook.

MBE 6111 : PROJECT

This course requires the students to carry out an individual project which addresses a contemporary national issue. This project could be a social welfare project, corporate social responsibility project or organizing of an event or workshop such as a Marketing Campaign or a Promotion of a product. The projects are supervised by the assigned supervisors of the programme and the funding for the project need to be arranged by the student by fund raising activities or through sponsorships. It is expected to develop the intellectual and analytical skills of the students through this course unit.