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MOB7500 Strategy Execution
3 Credits
This course in Strategy Execution is designed to introduce students to the complexity, and challenges associated with implementing a developed strategy into both emerging and existing markets. There are three major objectives in the course.
1. The first is to help students articulate a philosophy designed to guide in successfully executing strategic initiatives. Here, you will explore the concepts of intended versus emergent strategy, the operating environment versus the executing environment and the various levers of power available to managers to utilize in the successful execution of business-level strategy.
2. The second objective is to explore both successful and unsuccessful firm-level strategy executions. Using the case method, we will explore the various levers of power available to managers analyzing and critiquing the outcomes of various firms' efforts to execute a business level strategic initiative.
3. The third objective is in two parts. The first part is to give students hands-on experience via an online simulation in strategy execution. Strategy execution is best learned by doing. The intent is to expose students to the complexities of strategy implementation where information is incomplete and unanticipated challenges to implementing a strategy emerge from unexpected sources. Students learn to prioritize, work within tight time schedules, learn to cope with limited resources, and respond to unexpected demands. The second part is to fully demonstrate your understanding of the complex relationships that characterize strategy execution during the final exam.
For more information: http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/ownhj
Prerequisites: MOB7202 or MOB7801
- Program: Graduate
- Division: Management
- Level: Graduate Elective (Grad)
- Course Number: MOB7500
- Number of Credits: 3
LTA2062 Suburban America in Literature and Culture
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsAmerican suburbs are simultaneously reviled as physical spaces comprised of little boxes made of ticky tacky, churning out homogeneous values and people, and revered as mythically perfect imagined spaces in television sitcoms and advertising. This class aims to examine the American suburbs as constructed through popular texts, classic literature, and contemporary art. We will consider how the tension between utopia and dystopia is imagined and re-imagined over time and across genres and texts, reading and analyzing works such as the poetry of Anne Sexton, Richard Yates' novel Revolutionary Road, and the short stories of John Cheever. We will also examine representations of the suburbs in science fiction and film.
This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall
Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)
- Program: Undergraduate
- Division: Arts and Humanities
- Level: Intermediate Liberal Arts (UGrad)
- Course Number: LTA2062
- Number of Credits: 4
EPS7502 Summer Catalyst
3 Elective Credits**This is an application-based course. Students who are accepted will be notified by end of day, April 24th.**
The SC provides students the opportunity to gain course credit for developing their startup during a 10 week summer program at Babson. This application-based elective will help founders learn skills and processes necessary to launch and run a successful startup that creates social and economic value simultaneously.
The milestone driven curriculum will allow students to learn market research, market testing, business model development, go to market tactics, prototyping, financial analysis and forecasting, human resource and operations planning to their own venture. Students will examine how to apply systems thinking to decision making that supports integrated sustainability for the venture, its stakeholders and the community. In addition, communication and presentation skills will be honed over the course. Students who complete this program will learn functional skills as mentioned but also the entrepreneurial capabilities to use ET&A along their entire startup journey.
The course will take place over 10 weeks, beginning on June 1st - August 7th. Students in SC will have access to focused mentorship, training, experts in residence and serial entrepreneurs, as well as a cohort of like-minded entrepreneurs with the common goal of developing high growth ventures. Students are expected to fully embrace the "give and get" model of the cohort and actively participate in group meetings, peer to peer mentorship, and skill building workshops.
- Program: Graduate
- Division: Entrepreneurship
- Level: Graduate Elective (Grad)
- Course Number: EPS7502
- Number of Credits: 3
OIM3573 Supply Chain Management
(Formerly MOB3573)
4 Advanced Management Credits
**Students who took this course as MOB3573 cannot register for this course**
Supply chain management (SCM) is an integrated approach to managing the flow of goods/services, information and financials from the raw materials to the consumer (throughout the supply chain) to satisfy customers' expectations and achieve profitability. Demand Chain management (DCM) takes a more customer focused approach to SCM. This course is designed to provide undergraduate students with an integrated perspective of SCM & DCM to develop the capability to analyze current supply chain operations, to reconfigure the structure of supply chain, and to develop competitive supply chains. Students will identify major barrier to effective supply and demand chain management, recognize best practices in supply and demand chain management, and assess the effect of advanced technologies on supply chain implementation.
Prerequisites: (SME2001 or ACC2002) and (SME2002 or OIM2001)
- Program: Undergraduate
- Division: Operations and Information Management
- Level: Advanced Elective (UGrad),Advanced Management (UGrad)
- Course Number: OIM3573
- Number of Credits: 4
OIM7572 Supply Chain Management
(Formerly OPS7572 Supply and Demand Chain Management)
3 Elective Credits
If you took and passed OPS7572, you cannot register for OIM7572, as these two courses are equivalent
This course will benefit not only those who expect to assume operating roles, but also those who wish to work on strategy, finance, accounting and sales/marketing, and who ultimately expect to build companies. That's because every business, regardless of size or industry, requires supply and demand chains to function. Effective supply chain management (SCM) integrates the management of goods/services, information, and financial data, from raw materials through to the consumer. The top level objective is to satisfy or exceed customers' demands and expectations, yet do so profitably. This course is designed to provide students with an integrated perspective of SCM and to develop the capability to analyze existing supply chain operations with intent to develop plans for improvement. Such improvements will be designed with the end goal of enhancing the company's competitiveness through more effective operational execution. Students will learn to recognize best practices in supply chain management, identify possible barriers to high-performing supply chains, and assess the effectiveness of advanced technologies to potentially improve supply chain execution. There is one prerequisite for this course - completion of an Introductory Operations course.
This course is usually offered in the following semesters: Fall
Prerequisites: OIM7800
- Program: Graduate
- Division: Operations and Information Management
- Level: MSBA Elective (Grad),Graduate Elective (Grad)
- Course Number: OIM7572
- Number of Credits: 3
OIM7529 Sustainability Innovation
1.5 Elective Credits
**Students who took this as MOB7529 cannot register for this course.**
Our economic systems are running on an enormous ecological deficit. However, there's some good news for entrepreneurial leaders everywhere; everything needs to be redesigned. What you get when you have new technologies, new user needs, new markets, and new business plans is new opportunities for sustainable development. With this mindset, the industrial and economic systems are in sustainability transformation from the industrial age to the climate change and social impact age.
In this new age, entrepreneurial leaders must understand the socio-ecological impacts of their businesses, and integrate sustainability risks and opportunities into discussions and decisions on risk, revenue, and business strategy. They must explore and develop innovations with sustainability priorities for their markets and industries. They must be able to evaluate value and impact at scale in the context of short- and long-term strategic decision making. Otherwise, their businesses will be inevitably extinct in the climate change and social impact age.
This course aims to prepare entrepreneurial leaders for critical sustainability transformation. Students will gain knowledge about the sustainability challenges (e.g., energy, transportation, waste, carbon management, agriculture, production and consumption) and practical skills for exploring sustainability innovations and accelerating the growth of sustainable businesses (e.g, net zero, zero-carbon tech, decarbonization, ESG, UN SDG). Students will 1) learn and employ integrated systems thinking to address social responsibility, ecological integrity, and value creation; 2) apply an innovation process framework to generate sustainability ideas and develop business strategies; and 3) assess the suitability, scalability, and sustainability of innovations for consumers/users, investors, and other stakeholders of interest.
Students who are interested in any of the following roles may find this course useful:
- An entrepreneur wanting to understand sustainability as a business opportunity
- An individual or corporate strategy group developing a sustainability strategy
- An individual or corporate strategy group seeking growth through sustainability innovations
- A leader wanting to develop a culture of sustainability and organizational change
- An R&D group aiming to integrate sustainability into its innovation process
- A financier deciding whether to invest in a sustainability-oriented entrepreneur
Prerequisite: NONE
- Program: Graduate
- Division: Operations and Information Management
- Level: Graduate Elective (Grad)
- Course Number: OIM7529
- Number of Credits: 1.5
SUS3600 Sustainability Synthesis
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis project-based course helps students synthesize learning from the Introduction to Sustainability course and certificate electives by providing them with a chance to apply and integrate the concepts and tools of business, engineering, and the liberal arts (science, social science, and the humanities) to address sustainability. Students will work in multi-campus groups on a project with a client throughout the semester, along with common readings and discussions about taking place in class time. Course meetings will take place at Olin College.
Prerequisites: Declared participation in the certificate program and completion of the Introduction to Sustainability plus at least two out of three elective courses for the program, or substantial equivalent background and instructor permission.
- Program: Undergraduate
- Division: Other
- Level: Advanced Elective (UGrad),Advanced Liberal Arts (UGrad)
- Course Number: SUS3600
- Number of Credits: 4
EPS3533 Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Island Nations and Territories
4 Elective Abroad CreditsIsland nations and territories face particular problems with respect to resource usage and environmental impact given their geographic isolation and boundaries. While this is true of all island nations and territories, based on natural resources, policies, and other factors different islands are often faced with varying degrees of environmental challenges in key areas. The purpose of this course is to learn about the challenges faced by a particular island and investigate possible solutions that may be viable for that nation or territory given their specific policies and constraints. The initial offering will focus on waste in Jamaica, which is currently a significant problem for that country. Students will learn about the waste management system, major sources of waste on the island, current policies and solutions that are being investigated and develop initial proposals for business opportunities that may help with the problem.
- Program: Undergraduate
- Division: Entrepreneurship
- Level: Advanced Elective (UGrad),Advanced Management (UGrad)
- Course Number: EPS3533
- Number of Credits: 4
SEN1204 Sustainable Fashion and Design(Senior Instructor: Elise Drake) This course will examine the often unexplored relationship between sustainability and the fashion industry. Students will learn about the sustainable (and not-so-sustainable) practices of clothing companies in an effort to understand the impact that consumers can make through their purchases. In the design portion of this course, students will have the opportunity to design their own sustainable fashion lines using common materials such as glue, thread, and paint. These fashion lines will be showcased at the end of the semester. No prerequisites or prior craft experience required.
- Program: Undergraduate
- Division: Other
- Course Number: SEN1204
- Number of Credits: 0
NST2040 Case Studies in Sustainable Food Systems
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsWhat is food - where does it come from, how is it grown, what resources does it use, what's the difference between a GMO and an organic product, what do labels mean, is it sustainable? This course looks to take a scientific and systems based look at the food we eat and deeply examine all of the steps that occur between "farm to table". We need food to survive and food must be grown, cultivated, harvested, processed, and distributed so that we can benefit from it. These steps take place in different ways all across the globe, across the country, and among our neighbors. In this class, we'll look at what it means to be a sustainable food system, look at historical approaches that worked to meet/deviate from this goal, and look at how the future aims to feed a growing world with increasingly diminishing resources.
By the end of this course, you will recognize the importance of sustainable food systems and know the different areas that comprise this system. You will be able to distinguish between sustainable and non-sustainable food systems. Through this design, this course meets the college learning goals of Rhetoric, Quantitative and Information Analysis, Ethics and SEERS, and Critical and Integrative Thinking.
Prerequisites: NST10%%
- Program: Undergraduate
- Division: Mathematics Analytics Science and Technology
- Level: Intermediate Liberal Arts (UGrad)
- Course Number: NST2040
- Number of Credits: 4