The Management Process
This course covers a spectrum of issues in global operations management. We start with a discussion of global supply chain strategy and analyze the impact of mergers and acquisitions on global operations. We investigate supplier selection strategies, technology selection toward global integration of enterprises, and identify the challenges of operating in both excess and insufficient capacity environments. We conclude with an analysis of the risks associated with capacity expansion in global markets, and the operational risks associated with dealing multiple currencies.
Strategic Planning and Implementation
Strategic Planning and Implementation is the study of how a business creates value necessary to sustain itself, pay wages, support its communities through tax contributions and provide a return on investors’ capital. The subject of this course draws upon economic fundamentals and an understanding of organization theory. Industry structural analysis begins the course. It is followed by an analysis of the firm’s capabilities, along with industry segmentation and firm positioning as the basis for strategy formulation. Next, it looks at Strategy in a global context, focusing on the risks associated with global competition. Finally, it looks at strategy implementation, the development of action plans, structure and systems to carry out the strategies and visions of the organization’s leaders and members.
Global Environment of Business
The purpose of the course is to provide a basis for understanding the fundamentals of international business. The course is organized around three major topics: (1) Differences in the business environment across nations from a social, cultural and political perspective as well as the effect of business environment on managerial decisions. (2) Firm’s international expansion and entry strategies. (3) International business strategy and organization across borders.
The course is designed as a seminar divided in three modules that will be covered during the course. Each module has a specific objective which is intended to be fulfilled through the learning activities required for the session and in-class discussion.
Teambuilding
The goals of the course are as follows: 1) gain understanding of ideas and frameworks for analyzing leadership and teams, 2) stimulate, strengthen and develop leadership, and 3) learn from others in a challenging, multicultural learning laboratory.
Leadership is analyzed in terms of personal characteristics of effective leaders. What are the qualities that great leaders possess? How can we develop those qualities in ourselves and in others? What kinds of qualities do we like to see in leaders that we choose to follow? Are there cultural differences in how we think about leadership? Leadership is also examined from a functional point of view. What are the most important functions of a leader in an organization? What are the best ways for accomplishing those functions? We will pay special attention to participative leadership, leading a change in strategy or operating culture, and leading teams.
We will also take a critical look at team performance. What are the factors that influence team effectiveness? How do teams realize synergies from differences that exist between members? How can teams make decisions more effectively? How can a leader foster team effectiveness?
Topics in International Finance
This course is offered in Europe and introduces students to the European Union financial market system and includes executive lectures from banking sector, the stock exchange, and local financial market regulators. Students also have advanced topics in international financial market structure and transactions.
Topics in International Management
Globalization is a major challenge faced by an increasing number of companies.
Competing internationally is an obvious and long established necessity for firms who decide to do business abroad, but it is also an obligation for companies facing global competition on their domestic markets.
The objective of this course is twofold:
- Understanding the patterns of global competition: In a given industry, what are the forces pushing toward globalization, how do they affect the key players, and what are the factors underlying the success of a global competitor in the industry?
- Examining the ways to design international strategies set up an organizational structure and manage people with different cultural backgrounds, for competing efficiently in global markets.
Entrepreneurial Finance
Entrepreneurs like the adrenaline generated by managing a new business opportunity. Examples of new business opportunities are (1) the development of a new product or service, (2) the management of a franchise, and (3) the optimization of an existing company with problems. However, one of the areas where entrepreneurs have fewer skills is financial management which includes basic accounting, fund raising and cash management. Entrepreneurial Finance is a comprehensive course that not only includes finance-specific concepts but also other more qualitative subjects like marketing, sales, and strategic planning and their implications in the value of the venture. |
 |
Entrepreneurship
This class will teach how to train the student to apply the skills learned in the functional area courses to the task of identifying and evaluating new venture opportunities. Working in teams, each student will learn to identify, conceptualize, evaluate, plan, finance, launch, manage, and harvest new ventures. Finally, intrapreneurship, the application of entrepreneurial methods of management to established organizations, will be discussed.
International Finance
This course provides a good understanding of the basic principles of international finance. These principles are reinforced through an ongoing study of the international transition to a market economy. A framework will relate the concepts of international financial markets, international financial risk and its management through various financial instruments, and international financing of corporations.
Leadership
This course analyses leadership in terms of personal characteristics and qualities of effective leaders. Students learn to develop those qualities in themselves. The course also examines the cultural differences in how people view leaders and their functions in different organizations. The course also focuses on the application of common sense morality to business conduct.
Global Supply Chain
The course provides an introduction to supply chain management language, concepts, tools, and strategies and is targeted to executives and general managers. The course focuses on supply chain strategy; therefore, the course begins with an overview of business, corporate, and global strategy. The case method is used and supplemented with lectures.
International Marketing
This course covers a broad range of topics related to managing global marketing efforts and deals with the different stages and challenges of the international expansion efforts of the firm. The course also analyses the dilemma of tailoring versus standardizing marketing programs for specific foreign markets.
International Entrepreneurship
This course approaches the subject of entrepreneurship from the perspective of the entrepreneur. It covers the issues that are of particular concern and the most crucial in managing the smaller enterprise that remains relatively small and is kept for a long period of time.
New Venture Creation
The goals of the course are to train the student to apply the skills learned in the functional area courses to the task of identifying and evaluating new venture opportunities. Working in four person teams, each student will learn to identify, conceptualize, evaluate, plan, finance, launch, manage, and harvest new ventures. Finally, intrapreneurship, the application of entrepreneurial methods of management to established organizations, will be discussed.
Negotiations
Negotiation is a process of capturing and creating value through discussion and voluntary agreement. It is analyzed several ways in this course. First, we ground our analysis in the context of on-going negotiation challenges. Second, we participate in a series of role-playing exercises. Negotiation exercises are designed to test negotiation skills, increase self-awareness, stimulate discussion, and facilitate learning about negotiation concepts. Third, we supplement in-class activities through individual reflection, reading and writing in order to summarize, integrate and apply course lessons.
Throughout the course, we will seek answers to important questions about negotiation, about being prepared, evaluating results, strategic and tactical choices, personal qualities, the role of leadership, etc.
In this course, we will also learn about ethics; our examination of ethics will reflect the notion that business is a practical endeavor.
Business Ethics and Leadership
This course provides an overview of Business Strategy—its formulation and its execution. In general, the course is about gaining and sustaining competitive advantage. It focuses on the decision-making and action of the firm’s chief executive or the leader of a business unit within a firm, as strategy is largely a top executive activity.
Cross Cultural Management
We will consider how culture and cultural differences impact perceptions of social, organizational and societal environments. Our analysis will include some ideas from the psychology of human perception as well as research on the ways in which cultures differ. Some guiding questions for us are: What is the nature of culture and cultural differences? How can we respond to cultural differences that lead to emotional conflict? How do national and organizational cultures differ? How can we incorporate culture into business and investment decisions? How can we find value in differences? How is business negotiation affected by culture? How should cross-cultural negotiations be conducted?
Corporate Finance
In this course, we will learn how to calculate returns, look at historical returns in the U.S. capital markets, see how we can use statistics to model expected returns, learn how to measure the tradeoff between risk and return in a portfolio of financial securities, and calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital for a firm. |
