The design and delivery of the courses described below are aligned with the Core Purposes of Higher Education as described by former Harvard University President Derek Bok:
“Learning to communicate, learning to think critically, building good character, preparing for citizenship, living with diversity, preparing for global society, developing breadth of interests, and preparing for a career.”
Derek Bok
Strategy
“Strategy is an integrated set of choices that positions an organization within its environment to achieve its vision over the long term.” – Ashish Nanda
Strategy
The Strategy course is an active learning course centered on the fundamentals of strategy and strategic management.
The core LEARNING OBJECTIVE of this course is to acquire an understanding of the knowledge and skills required to become an effective strategist, that is, a professional who can set a winning long-term direction for your organization. This course addresses the following topics:
- What is Strategy?
- Market Attractiveness (External Analysis)
- Competitive Advantage (Internal Analysis)
- Business Level Strategy
- Strategic Interactions – Competitive Rivalry and Dynamics
- Corporate Level Strategy and Systematic Strategy Execution
- Disruptive Strategy
- Global Strategy
- Crafting Strategy
Just as Strategy is a bridge between the firm and its environment, this capstone course is uniquely positioned as a bridge from the life of being a Professional Student to the life of being a Professional who makes a contribution to society by creating value.
The perspective adopted for this course is that of the top manager who has overall responsibility for the performance of the firm or of a business unit within the firm. Such a manager needs to understand the basis for the current performance of the firm and to identify those changes (inside or outside the firm) that are most likely
- to affect future performance adversely (i.e. threats and risks), or that
- provide opportunities for the firm to improve its performance.
The manager must then use the firm’s resources to formulate and implement strategies to compete successfully in its dynamically evolving environment.
The strategy crafted by the top manager and their team must define the scope of the firm’s activities, the logic through which the activities result in better performance, and what it is about the firm that allows it to carry out those activities better than its competitors.
Having a solid understanding of strategy is not only vital for top managers, but is also important for external consultants, auditors, financial analysts, and bankers in evaluating and valuing other firms.
Entrepreneurial Management
Entrepreneurial Management is the process by which opportunities are transformed into businesses.
Entrepreneurial Management – I
Entrepreneurial Management – I (EM-1) focuses on entrepreneurial management in large enterprises.
Entrepreneurial Management – II
Entrepreneurial Management – II (EM-2) focuses on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial management in startups.
Innovation Management
Innovation Management leverages managerial
a) perspectives (i.e. viewing and thinking about opportunities and threats through business-oriented theoretical lenses and frameworks),
b) decision-making, and
c) actions
to facilitate the innovation process which begins with the “fuzzy front-end of innovation” (i.e. trend analysis, brainstorming and idea generation) and [ideally] ends with the successful introduction of a new Product, Service, Process or Method, Material, or Experience (PSPMME) that creates value (internally or externally) and/or for which customers will pay.
Innovation Management – I
Innovation Management – I (IM-1) introduces students to the fundamentals of innovation management in an era of Disruptive Innovation.
Innovation Management – II
Innovation Management – II (IM-2) builds on the concepts from Innovation Management – I (IM-1) and examines additional topics in Innovation Management.
Thesis
This two semester course facilitates the design and implementation of a Master Thesis Research Project.
Thesis 1(A)
Thesis 1(A) facilitates the design of a Master Thesis Research Project. The learning objective is to write and successfully defend a Thesis Proposal; that is, the first three chapters of a Master Thesis as well as any supporting Research Instruments, References, and any supporting Appendices.
Thesis 1(B)
Thesis 1(B) facilitates the implementation of a Master Thesis Research and the completion of a thesis; that is, the collection of data and the writing of the last two chapters of a Master Thesis (IV. Chapter Four – Results & Discussion, and V. Chapter Five – Conclusions), References, and any supporting Appendices.
“Leading professors prepare thoroughly for class, build learning communities, highlight the big picture, balance complexity and simplification, make learning as interactive as possible, and continually emphasize the importance of the material. Truly effective and inspiring business professors have a sense of authenticity and purpose that extends beyond the classroom to benefit society at large. In my research, I identified four elements of authenticity that are key to the success of leading professors. These elements include [1] a passion for their subject, [2] a deep concern for their students, [3] a dedication to continuous learning from their students and from research, and [4] a focus on a higher purpose that has a positive impact beyond the classroom.”
– George Siedel, emeritus professor and former associate dean at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business