COM7503 Communicating and Collaborating in Virtual Teams

3 Elective CreditsIn this fully online course, students will learn how to successfully collaborate and communicate in virtual teams. Students will begin by reading and discussing course readings on organizational and global communication; virtual communication; and theoretical frameworks of the use of AI technologies in order to build a working knowledge of current collaboration technologies and effective communication in different contexts. Using this knowledge as a backdrop, students will explore and analyze the impact that these technologies have on business and communication. Students will apply their communication knowledge to a practical experience with existing virtual collaboration tools through shorter group assignments, guest speakers, interviews with remote workers, and a longer writing and oral presentation final project.

During the course, students will be expected to hold virtual class and group meetings, use and evaluate collaboration and project management tools, reflect on their virtual communication and leadership experiences, lead weekly remote group work, and write a final professional research report analyzing the communicative and collaborative effectiveness of state-of-the-art technology used in today's corporate environment.

In this revamped offering, our Babson students will be paired with Nord University (Norway) students for half of the Spring semester to engage in an exciting VE/COIL project. VE/COIL, which stands for Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning, is an emerging global exchange opportunity for students and faculty to collaborate across institutions. Students will complete a consulting project for Yara International, a Norwegian company. In this project, students from Babson will partner with Nord University students virtually in a true global experiential learning environment.

Prerequisites: None

OIM9530 Competing on Analytics
(Formerly MIS9530)
1.5 Intensive Elective Credits

If you took and passed MIS9530, you cannot register for OIM9530, as these two courses are equivalent

Meeting Dates TBD
Drop Deadline TBD

McKinsey Global Institute is predicting a shortage of over a million managers and analysts with the analytics know-how to make effective decisions. In this course, you will learn about some of the most important analytics-related trends, how enterprises and entire industries are being transformed by analytics, and how to build a competitive data strategy and team. We will also discuss various approaches and tools for analyzing structured and unstructured data.

To complement our strategy discussion, we will explore some popular business intelligence tools. You will have the opportunity to get "hands-on" with a few of these tools.

The highlight of this course will be an industry-specific team project employing concepts and best practices discussed in class.

Note (1): If you have professional analytics experience, please contact the professor in advance of registering to assure alignment with your interests and needs.

Note (2): You will need a reasonably current PC or Mac. Mac users will need to download an app from the Apple AppStore. Details will be provided in advance of class.

MBA7541 Conscious Capitalism: How Business can Heal our World
(Formerly Building and Leading Conscious Business)

3 CreditsBusiness-as-usual is no longer an option. It has led to rising income inequality, devastated ecosystems and widespread social unrest. We are at a turning point in how we think about the role and purpose of business in society, with both the Business Roundtable and the World Economic Forum recently issuing calls for Stakeholder Capitalism and purpose beyond profit. Led by the co-founder of the fast-growing global Conscious Capitalism movement (www.ConsciousCapitalism.org), this course immerses students in a new business philosophy that challenges business leaders to re-imagine why their organizations exist and to consciously create long-term value for all stakeholders, including society and the planet. Research shows that companies that embody the principles of Conscious Capitalism substantially outperform their peers financially over the long term, while simultaneously promoting intellectual, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual, physical and ecological well-being. Students will learn in depth how to implement the tenets of Conscious Capitalism: higher purpose, stakeholder orientation, conscious leadership and caring cultures. In addition to discovering their personal higher purpose, they will critically examine the evidence on the impact of practicing Conscious Capitalism on the tangible and intangible well-being of all stakeholders; develop an understanding of systems thinking as an essential discipline for the practice of Conscious Capitalism; learn how to transform a conventional business into a conscious business; and embark on a lifelong journey of personal transformation to become more conscious human beings and leaders. The course incorporates a blend of discussions, interactive exercises, guest speakers, personal mastery exercises and a group project that entails performing a Conscious Business Audit of a company.

MKT7550 Consumer Behavior
3 CreditsIn-depth analysis of factors that affect purchase decisions in the marketplace. Applies behavioral and social science concepts to the study of buyer behavior. Focuses on the use of knowledge of buyer behavior in marketing decisions. Emphasizes theory, application, and ultimate consumer and organizational buyer behavior. Special attention given to exploring and evaluating buyer behavior research, the role of models in explaining behavior, influence of buyer behavior on development of marketing programs, and issues of consumer protection as they affect marketing strategy.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800

EPS6601 Corporate Entrepreneurship

3 Credits (MSAEL Core)Corporations caught up in the web of commoditization and stagnation have come to realize that they need entrepreneurial capabilities to create new platforms of business that will be the promise of the future. Yet overall, these efforts have produced uneven success. Although entrepreneurs in organizations can benefit from the resources, experience, financial assets and networks of the large company, they are constrained by its bureaucratic practices. Recent evidence points to corporate leaders' renewed attention to developing management systems that work with, rather than against intrapreneurs. In this course we will examine various approaches companies have taken to build this organizational capability. We examine five different approaches and consider the shortcomings or each. We will build the rationale for why innovation must become an organizational function if a company truly wishes to compete for the Future. We focus at the organizational level rather than the individual project level, seeking insights about how organizations can institutionalize structures and processes for entrepreneurship, even within a dominant culture of operational excellence that, of necessity, pervades most large established firms.

Prerequisites: MOB6600 and EPS6600

EPS7507 Corporate Entrepreneurship

3 Credits Corporations caught up in the web of commoditization and stagnation have come to realize that they need entrepreneurial capabilities to create new platforms of business that will be the promise of the future. Yet overall, these efforts have produced uneven success. Although entrepreneurs in organizations can benefit from the resources, experience, financial assets and networks of the large company, they are constrained by its bureaucratic practices. Recent evidence points to corporate leaders' renewed attention to developing management systems that work with, rather than against intrapreneurs. In this course we will examine various approaches companies have taken to build this organizational capability. We examine five different approaches and consider the shortcomings or each. We will build the rationale for why innovation must become an organizational function if a company truly wishes to compete for the Future. We focus at the organizational level rather than the individual project level, seeking insights about how organizations can institutionalize structures and processes for entrepreneurship, even within a dominant culture of operational excellence that, of necessity, pervades most large established firms.

FIN7516 Corporate Finance: Evaluating Opportunities
(Formerly Strategic Corporate Investment)
3 Elective CreditsIf you have taken and passed FIN7506, you cannot register for FIN7516, as these two courses are equivalent

This course is designed for those interested in evaluating complex long-term strategic investment proposals and valuing firms and subsidiaries for merger and acquisition purposes. Building on the foundation of the finance core, it explores finance theory to identify pitfalls, common mistakes, and best practices in corporate valuation. It expands valuation skills by introducing the equity approach and the adjusted present value (APV) valuation method, the preferred approach when capital structure is changing over time (e.g. in private equity transactions). It also covers the identification and valuation of real options embedded in strategic initiatives.

Prerequisites: FIN7200 or FIN7800

FIN7511 Corporate Finance: Raising Capital

(Formerly Financing the Firm)

3 Elective Credits

This course is designed to help students develop analytical and communication tools and skills to build and present financing strategies and manage the right hand side of the balance sheet. It explores the theoretical and practical issues of capital structure design and considers firm financing alternatives, including equity, long-term debt, hybrid securities, leasing, securitization, project finance, and It also examines the processes through which securities are issued and capital is raised, such as angel financing, venture capital and private equity, and public offerings. The course also explores share repurchase, dividend policy, and risk management.

Prerequisites: FIN7200 or FIN7800

MOB7200 Creating and Leading Effective Organizations

2 CreditsCreating and Leading Effective Organizations (CLEO) - This course studies the core issues of entrepreneurial leadership: how to get things done when you can't give orders, how to develop influence and build effective teams and organizations, and how to design and implement management structures and processes for high performance. There will be opportunity for practicing influence, stakeholder analysis and action planning skills.

MOB6110 Creating Entrepreneurial Leaders

3 CreditsCreating You is designed to prepare students for the lifelong process of building and managing their career in a global context. Becoming an entrepreneurial leader is a process of self-discovery and self-creation that is enhanced by time for active experimentation and reflection. This course will guide students through the process of developing their professional identity and foster the skills necessary to navigate the journey after graduation.