Management and Entrepreneurship
Professors Emeriti: David Caldwell, James Hall, James L. Koch
Michael J. Accolti, S.J. Professor of Leadership: Barry Z. Posner (Department Chair)
Charles J. Dirksen Professor of Business Ethics: Manuel G. Velasquez
Naumes Family Professor: Gregory A. Baker
Keck Foundation Professor: Tammy L. Madsen
Professors: Gregory A. Baker, Tammy L. Madsen, Barry Z. Posner, Michael Santoro, Manuel G. Velasquez, Jennifer L. Woolley
Associate Professor: Jo-Ellen Pozner
Assistant Professors: Andy El-Zayaty, Hooria Jazaieri, Ewan Kingston, Shuqi Li, Shaohua Lu, Andrew McBride, Kelly Patterson, Esther Sackett, Vyas Sreenivas, Adele Xing
Senior Lecturer: Nydia MacGregor, Sandy Kristin Piderit
Lecturers: Deirdre Frontczak, Francine Gordon, Fiona Xiaoying Ji, Long Le
Adjunct Lecturers: Phyllis Brock, Sylvia Flatt, Nik Tehrani
Dean’s Executive Professors: Sarah Cabral, Tim Harris
Management and Entrepreneurship Courses
MGMT 3000. Leading People in Organizations
Provides students with theories, frameworks, and empirical research on the topic of leadership and team dynamics to help students enhance their own leadership capabilities. Topics include empirically-grounded models of leadership, importance of self-awareness in leadership, effective group & team dynamics, group decision-making, conflict resolution, and design thinking. (4 units)
Prerequisites: None.
MGMT 3050. Strategic Analysis
This course focuses on the processes by which managers position their businesses to develop and sustain an advantage relative to rivals in the face of uncertainty, rapid change, and competition. Strategy involves understanding the utility of different choices and tradeoffs – choosing what not to do is as important as choosing what to do. As a result, the course covers a variety of tools, frameworks, theories and concepts for analyzing a firm’s strategic position and the environment in which it is operating to inform the strategic decision-making process. By covering the factors that make some strategic positions strong and viable, students will develop the ability to evaluate the effects of changes in resources and capabilities, industry forces, macro environmental forces, and technology on industry structure and firm behavior and, in turn, on a firm’s opportunities for creating, capturing and sustaining a superior strategic position relative to rivals. The course also requires that students integrate and extend the knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their MBA program course work (i.e. marketing, finance, economics, organizational behavior, ethics, information systems, accounting, etc.) into a “total” business perspective. Analyzing real world situations best facilitates this activity; therefore, case analysis plays a large role in the course. Students will develop skills in formulating viable and defensible strategies and in evaluating the strategic choices and options. (4 units)
Prerequisite: Must complete all core courses excluding MGMT 3060 Business and the Common Good.
MGMT 3052. Leading and Managing Strategic Change
Moving an organization from where it is to where it needs to go is rarely easy, and many strategic change efforts fail. The fast-paced nature of today's competitive environments adds another layer of urgency and complexity. This course is designed to deepen your understanding of the strategic and tactical issues that a leader must prepare for in order to initiate and implement strategic change successfully. (2 units)
Prerequisite: Must complete all core courses excluding MGMT 3050 Strategic Analysis and MGMT 3060 Business for the Common Good.
MGMT 3060. Business and the Common Good
This course analyzes the role of modern business enterprise and its leadership in addressing pressing social, ethical, political, and environmental concerns. The course utilizes the common good perspective and framework for analyzing within the context of business decision making a variety of issues facing employees and organizations. The course will grapple head-on with tradeoffs and tensions between competing goods and with both the intended and the unintended consequences (in the short- and long-term) of decisions and actions at the individual, group, organizational, and broader societal level.(4 units)
Prerequisite: Must complete all core courses excluding, ECON 3000 Managerial Economics, MGMT 3050 Strategic Analysis, and OMIS 3252 Operations Management (Starting Winter 2025 known as ISBA 3300).
MGMT 3200. Ethics for Managers.
This course is an introduction to business ethics that focuses specifically on the kinds of ethical issues that managers typically encounter. Course topics include the psychological factors that influence moral decision-making, normative approaches for dealing with ethical issues in management, and application of these concepts to cases describing real life ethical dilemmas managers have faced in a variety of organizational and environmental settings. (2 units)
Prerequisites: None.
MGMT 3504. Innovation in Silicon Valley
The course focuses on the skills, practices and processes for evaluating and managing technology and innovation in fast paced environments. Students learn to apply human-centric design thinking to the innovation decision making processes. The course delivery is informed by foundational and emerging empirical work in innovation. The content complements that in other elective courses (product marketing, product development, and intellectual property, small business entrepreneurship) and core courses in strategy. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3512. Leadership of Dynamic Organizations
Investigates and examines priorities of exemplary leaders. Emphasizes developing conceptual understanding of the leadership process and on building leadership skills. Classes are often experiential and highly reflective, using written and video case studies. Some team assignments may be made. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3516. Organizational Politics
Explores the use of influence and political skills in leadership and organizational decision-making. Emphasizes innovation and the politics of change. (2 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3526. Strategic Talent Management
Focuses on the strategic role of talent management–especially (1) designing and managing the human context of organizations; (2) talent selection, development, and deployment; and (3) developing organizational execution capabilities by ensuring the right people are in the right positions in organizations. Analytical topics include: business strategy and environment, risk-optimization frameworks, linking human resource (HR) management to strategy and performance, HR communication techniques, employee engagement, HR strategy, forces and trends driving HR strategy, and HR analytics through “big data.” (2 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3538. Leading Teams and Projects
This course focuses on building and leading project teams in dynamic environments. The course covers tools and concepts for effective project management and techniques for creating high performing temporary teams. Students will assess team composition and team dynamics, and learn to intervene when conflict is unhealthy. Key practices for project planning, monitoring and controlling are examined, including an examination of common sources of project risks. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3540. Food Industry Management
Focuses on the key issues and management decisions necessary to effectively lead food and agribusiness firms in the competitive, global food system. Includes topics on the principal regulations and regulatory bodies governing the food industry, food safety and crisis management, ethical issues in food production and distribution, and resource and environment issues. (4 units)
Only for MBA students. Prerequisites: None
MGMT 3542. Management Consulting
This course is designed for students who are interested in learning about consulting including tools and techniques to gain a consulting mindset. The course requires students to complete a series of case readings, assignments, classroom discussions, and a team project. Students will have the opportunity to understand the consulting process right from sourcing and starting engagements to closure and follow up engagements. Further, with the help of some practical execution in the classroom, students will also learn how to manage client needs and situations, articulating client needs in a succinct proposal, planning and executing consulting assignments, managing client interactions and in the process, learn to leverage some common frameworks for consulting. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3544. Strategic Business Negotiations
We examine the process and theory of negotiating so the student can negotiate successfully in a variety of settings. This class covers a broad spectrum of negotiation problems faced by organizational leaders and everyday actors. We consider that, while a leader needs analytical skills to discover optimal solutions to problems, a broad array of social persuasion skills is needed to get these solutions accepted and implemented. This class gives students useful analytical frameworks and develops their influence skills through experiential negotiation exercises. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3545. Healthcare Management and Innovation
This course examines management challenges and innovation in diverse segments of the healthcare industry, including healthcare providers, information systems, insurance, medical research, and government. The course will focus not solely on the U.S., but also on healthcare in other developed and developing economies. We will dive deeply into healthcare innovation in Silicon Valley and throughout the world and will examine various public and private efforts to make healthcare systems more efficient, more ethical, more effective in serving unmet healthcare needs, and more creative in developing new healthcare therapies and business models. The approach will be highly practical and hands-on and will draw heavily from case studies and other examples from the healthcare industry. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3546. Spirituality and Business Leadership
Explores the relationship between business leadership and spirituality through the lens of contemporary, as well as classical, religious literature. References both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions and explores why successful leaders often derail in the absence of spiritual integration, includes attention to spiritual disciplines such as prayer and meditation tailored for the time-pressured life of business professionals and leaders. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3548. Social Benefit Entrepreneurship
Introduces students to social benefit entrepreneurship through readings, case study analysis, and participation in assessing business plans for existing social benefit ventures. Considers that social benefit entrepreneurship is the management and leadership of innovative social ventures that produce a social benefit and that these ventures typically innovate to produce products and/or services that help alleviate important social problems in areas such as economic development (poverty), health, equality, education, and environment. Emphasizes understanding management techniques for maximizing the financial sustainability and scalability of an SBE. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3549. Legal Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs
This course introduces students to some of the fundamental legal issues typically encountered by entrepreneurs and startup companies. These include restrictions arising when leaving a current employer, selecting the best company structure and ownership, raising money and securities regulation, human resources concerns, contracts and leases, liability relating to the sale of goods and services, operational liability, intellectual property, creditor’s rights and bankruptcy, and others. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3550. IP Strategies for Tech Start-Ups
Identification and management of intellectual property (IP) assets is a significant strategic tool for every level of management. This course is designed to demystify intellectual property rights that are present in technology companies, and to give them a working understanding of IP rights relevant to technology, and in particular start-up technology companies. (2 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3551. Coaching for Leadership Development
The focus of this course is on improving the students’ own leadership competencies as well as developing the skills required to coach others in developing their leadership abilities. Through lectures, field work, experiential exercises, readings, and reflective essays students will develop their facility and acumen in using a leadership operating system. The course provides a systematic opportunity to practice and receive feedback on their leadership behaviors through instrumented 360-degree feedback as well as peer coaching. The course is particularly relevant for those students who wish to broaden and build upon the knowledge and applications they were exposed to in MGMT 3000. (2 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3552. Corporate Governance For Executives and Entrepreneurs
The course is designed to assist students in developing and practicing the skills necessary to establish and
support proper and effective corporate governance, including distinctions between public and private
organizations. The course explores several important topics related to current businesses (for example,
mergers and acquisitions, global operations, and corporate culture). Particular emphasis will be placed on
guiding senior executives, whether in start-up or established firms, on the various roles and
responsibilities of critical resources at the different stages of company development. (2 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations, MKTG 3000 , ACTG 3000 Financial Accounting, FNCE 3000 Financial Management, and OMIS 3252 Operations Management (Starting Winter 2025 known as ISBA 3300) .
MGMT 3553. Data + Digital Transformations For Business Managers
This course equips MBA students with the skills to leverage data technologies strategically across various business functions, enhancing decision-making and competitive positioning in any sector. It focuses not only on the foundational understanding of data technologies but also on the interpersonal dynamics of data leadership preparing students to effectively influence and drive transformation within their organizations. Through case studies, students will learn how to navigate and resolve the leadership and interpersonal challenges, such as securing buy-in for innovative new data-driven approaches such as AI, thereby integrating effective data strategy with comprehensive business leadership. (4 units).
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3554. Developing Your Creative Mindset
Creativity is key for innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking. While some see
it as a gift limited to a few, research shows it’s a skill that can be developed by anyone. In this
course, we’ll dive into the essentials of creativity, explore different models, and uncover what fuels
and hampers it. Through theory, practical exercises, and real-world examples, we’ll cultivate a
creative mindset. You’ll compare creative styles, apply tools and techniques, and gain confidence to
generate innovative solutions individually and within teams. Together, we’ll make creativity
accessible to all, equipping you with the skills to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3565. Cultivating Inclusive Leadership
This class will be covering sensitive topics. Students who enroll should be ready to embrace opportunities to engage in challenging and possibly difficult conversations. In today's interconnected world, leveraging diversity's power is a fundamental skill for aspiring leaders. Students will learn actionable strategies to increase diversity, improve equity, and create inclusive workplaces. Research has shown that diverse perspectives can drive innovation, foster financial growth, and align organizations with the needs of their customers if the environment is inclusive. One of the most significant barriers to inclusion is unconscious bias. Through candid discussions and reflective exercises, students are encouraged to confront their biases and assumptions, fostering a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by underrepresented groups in the workplace. Students should be ready to embrace opportunities to engage in thought-provoking conversations. (2 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.
MGMT 3704. Women in Leadership
Presents the best practices of successful women technology leaders. Features a series of in-depth discussions and case studies where experts share the principles upon which they have created their businesses. Includes topics on vision, value creation, branding, product development and testing, recruitment and team building, management, financing, communication skills, networking, exit strategy and social impact. (2 units)
Open to MBA students only. Prerequisite: None.
MGMT 3802. Entrepreneurial Opportunities and Innovation
This course looks at the practice of business innovation and entrepreneurship with an emphasis on how entrepreneurs recognize opportunities, communicate ideas, innovate, develop products, and build organizations. This course provides students with the skills, tools, and mindsets to enable them to discover other people's problems upon which entrepreneurial ventures may be built and to use their own creativity to generate solutions to these problems. The techniques and skills apply to both start-ups and established ventures. This course is an introductory course intended to provide a foundation regarding the role of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs in society and economy. As such, this class will explore what entrepreneurship means from several angles including how a person can be entrepreneurial in their own life - right now. This is an energized course about discovering entrepreneurship in and out of the firm. (4 units)
Prerequisites: MGMT 3000 Leading People in Organizations.