STR7504 Mysteries, Puzzles, and Imagination
3 Elective CreditsThe course will help you learn how to think insightfully and become a skilled problem solver. Excelling in both is essential for success, no matter what your choice of career. Employers routinely rank critical thinking and problem solving as prized skills that are difficult to find in business school graduates. A rising number of companies now look for these skills using case interviews.

We will solve problems that are puzzles and mysteries, and we will slay problems that are wicked. Wicked problems are messy, multifaceted, lack sufficient information, and are difficult to solve. It is easy to get them wrong, especially under time pressure. Using various techniques and ways to think, we will learn to frame problems well to make sense of messy, ambiguous situations; identify needed evidence without wasting time on irrelevant information, draw upon different business disciplines but not be limited by any, find the story in numbers, use judgment, be original, and so much more.

The course has a workshop format to emphasize in-class exercises and practice. We will minimize the use of conventional cases (14 pages of text and many more with exhibits). Instead, to simulate case interviews and workplace realities, we will use cryptic cases and live cases.

Few business schools teach problem solving rigorously. Acquiring this skill will differentiate you in the job market, prepare you for doing well in case interviews, and position you for success in your career of choice.

Prerequisites: None

MOB7511 Negotiation
3 CreditsExplores formal and informal ways that business professionals negotiate with colleagues, supervisors, employees, clients, suppliers, competitors, and others. Examines research and concepts developed in a number of academic fields, and looks closely at personal skills and experiences. Requires intense involvement in negotiation simulation exercises, and thoughtful application of theory and research.

Prerequisites: None

EPS7500 New Venture Creation

(Formerly Entrepreneurship)

3 CreditsThis course integrates many of the concepts, tools and practices of entrepreneurship. Students will learn to be superior opportunity assessors and shapers, to understand the integration of people and process in entrepreneurship, to write, articulate and present a new venture execution plan, understand the alternatives and trade-offs in financing, starting and operating a venture, and gain a better understanding of their personal entrepreneurial capabilities. Students will engage in feasibility assessment, venture viability analysis and resource acquisition. Students will learn how to conduct rigorous business-planning, and also how to network for resources and to be able to communicate about a new venture in a confident, articulate and effective manner. The course builds on foundation concepts from the Opportunity and Entrepreneurship courses, and is designed for students seriously considering launching a new venture in a variety of contexts (e.g. corporate, family, organization, franchise) or students planning to work in an early-stage venture.

Prerequisites: EPS7200 or EPS7800

EPS7553 On Becoming Entrepreneurial: Context-based Entrepreneurial Action
3 Elective Credits

This course drives students to uncover, develop, and put into practice Entrepreneurial Thought & Action (ET&A) regardless of the type of organization they are in. The tenets of the course are applicable in all organization but there is an emphasis on becoming and being entrepreneurial inside a large existing organization. Students will assess and develop their own entrepreneurial skills and learn how to apply them in their particular organizational setting (corporate, non-profit, government, etc.). The focus is on how to apply the concepts of ET&A and other frameworks in order to affect entrepreneurial outcomes in any organizational setting. Students will benchmark from existing research within Fortune 500 companies, popular press books, case studies, mini-cases, videos, experiential exercises, business press articles, and other relevant material.

Prerequisites: None

OIM7800 Operations and Information Management
2 Credits (Core MBA)

If you have taken and passed OPS7200, you cannot register for OIM7800, as these two courses are equivalent

This course focuses on the role of operations and information in executing a firm's strategy and delivering the organization's products and/or services. Within this focus, students learn to apply operations design and strategy in three ways. First, they learn to configure resources and design processes to achieve performance, identify improvement opportunities, and leverage strategic capabilities for sustainable growth. Second, they learn the strategic role of technology and data, and use data for improving the operational model. Third, they study the operational model of innovation to create sustainable value for an organization. With an emphasis on building long-term sustainable models, this course helps managers consider environmental and social impact in their operating models.

OIM6111 Operations Management
(Formerly OPS6110)

If you took and passed OPS6110, you cannot register for OIM6111, as these two courses are equivalent

In enterprises of any kind, managing operations effectively is essential to success. The course explores the role of operations in enabling a firm's strategy, affecting its business model, and in creating extensible systems to capture value for multiple stakeholder classes. Students will identify critical systems, design solutions, and apply problem solving practices in ways that could potentially reset competitive conventions or enable a new initiative or venture to overcome constraints posed by a nascent & uncertain operating environment.

QTM9510 Optimization Methods and Applications

1.5 Credits

This is a hands-on course in quantitative business modeling designed to give you a practical approach to the main mathematical techniques necessary to make better business decisions. Models discussed span different business disciplines including finance, operations, transportation and supply chain, marketing and human resources. Throughout the course, our focus is going to be on modeling, and on best practices for creating optimization models.

FIN7519 Personal Financial Management
3 Elective CreditsThis course teaches students to negotiate the retail financial landscape, emphasizing issues that have a large impact on their future financial well-being. It assumes no finance knowledge other than first-year finance. The course covers topics such as selecting a financial adviser, financing the purchase of a house, college saving, retirement saving, behavioral finance, trusts, and investment frauds and scams. Specific investment products studied include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, municipal bonds, emerging markets, alternative investments (including hedge funds, private equity funds, and commodities), annuities, and insurance products. Consideration will be given to the problem of an entrepreneur or start-up employee who has a substantial fraction of personal wealth invested in a single business venture, including evaluating stock- and option-based compensation plans. Over the duration of the course, students may work to develop a personal financial plan for themselves, or if they prefer, for a fictional person with a defined set of financial traits.

Prerequisites: None but it is recommended that students take FIN7200 or FIN7800 first

MSA6600 Personal Project
6 Credits (MSAEL Core)This course bridges key MSAEL Program learnings into demonstrated application, by delivering real Project impact, while enhancing the ability to mobilize others to drive organizational growth and renewal. With Faculty coaching each student will identify, in alignment with their work stakeholders, a specific challenge or opportunity at their organization. Clear Learning Plan frameworks, built on Project Management under Uncertainty principles, will be used to frame their project considering stakeholder needs, potential resistance to change, benefits of implementation and leadership challenges (self, others, organization). Their Entrepreneurial Leadership Project Action Plan, with relevant Analytics, will be reviewed for progress through ongoing check-points with Faculty, and key stakeholders inside their organization. By the end of this Capstone course, the student successfully implements a measurable pilot solution and a plan for further actions.

COM7500 Persuasive Business Presentations
(Formerly MOB7502)
1.5 Credits

If you have taken and passed MOB7502, you cannot register for COM7500, as these two courses are equivalentManagers and entrepreneurs need effective presentation skills to persuade key audiences, such as employees and team members, investors, and prospective clients. A successful presentation depends on delivery and non-verbal factors as well as careful preparation and a logical organization of ideas.

In this workshop format class, you will deliver four or five formal presentations, which we will video record to help you evaluate your technique. We will also give you some opportunities for impromptu speaking. Topics may include: rocket pitch to investors, B2B sales presentation, strategic recommendation to senior management, and a technical financial or data-driven presentation. Students are encouraged to use material from other courses or from your work context. We will also cover creating effective visuals and interacting with your visuals to tell a compelling story. The focus will be on providing extensive and constructive feedback and coaching you on assessing and improving your own capabilities.

Prerequisites: None