Curriculum

Corporate financial accounting is concerned with the form and content of the information firms disclose to external parties (e.g., shareholders). In the United States, financial reporting is based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). GAAP define the accounting methods and disclosure practices that firms select from when providing financial statements to external parties. This course covers these principles and other important financial reporting practices. The primary focus of the course is developing the skills required to interpret and analyze financial information, rather than the skills required to prepare financial statements. Upon completion of the course, students will appreciate how financial accounting information is used in contracts between parties (e.g., lenders and the firm) and to evaluate a firm’s past performance and potential future performance.

This course focuses on the theoretical foundations underlying management information systems and their vital role in the modern business environment. Topics include: information economics; innovative models of e-business and the impact of the Web on organizational transformation; the nature and operation of large-scale-enterprise in-formation systems; database and knowledge management systems; data communications; electronic commerce; business process re-engineering; and information-systems analysis, design and control. The strategic and economic impacts of competitive information systems are emphasized.

Assignments and cases introduce students to modern quantitative business modeling concepts and analysis, and to sophisticated business applications of the Web and databases.

This course provides an introduction to financial analysis and capital budgeting with an emphasis on the valuation of real investment projects. Topics discussed include: analysis of the firm’s choice among alternative investment projects, the term structure of interest rates, modern portfolio theory and the valuation of risky assets, the estimation of free cash flows, capital structure choices, and the cost of capital.

Problem solving is one of the most important competencies at all levels of management and an essential skill for just about all post-MBA careers. This course introduces a high-level problem solving methodology used by top management consulting firms that can be adapted to a wide range of challenges encountered in business. The methodology provides a thoughtful process for bringing structure to ambiguous situations as well as for bringing your creativity and growing business knowledge to bear on real world problems. The key learning objectives are to develop your ability to (a) frame and scope a wide range of business related problems, (b) structure efficient data gathering and analysis, (c) ensure effective teamwork during the process, and (d) logically communicate actionable recommendations.

This course has two major objectives: to develop your ability to frame business decision problems in a way that makes them amenable to quantitative analysis, and to train you in some fundamental techniques useful for analyzing and solving these problems. The course draws on three toolkits:

1. Spreadsheets to model business problems.
2. Optimization techniques to solve complex decision problems involving many variables and constraints.
3. Monte Carlo simulation for understanding and analyzing uncertainty.

Examples from different functional areas will demonstrate how the techniques taught can be applied in a practical way to a variety of settings.

Recommended: GBA 412 or GBA 462

This course provides an introduction to utilizing data and data analytics to inform decision making. Extracting information from data has become an integral part of modern business management, from sports teams, to Wall Street, to Silicon Valley. GBA 412 will de-mystify statistics, enabling students to thrive in a competitive market for data-based decision-making. After introducing core concepts from probability and statistics, this course will introduce you to different types of data and provide you with a set of analytical methods that apply to each. We introduce basic notions of probability and randomness, transition to data visualization techniques, and then present the core frameworks for modern data science: prediction and multiple regression. Cutting edge extensions to these techniques (Lasso, Trees and Forests) are introduced from this perspective. Connections to other Simon classes will be emphasized, as will a hands-on approach to data analysis (laptop computers are required for every class).

This course is our introduction to marketing management. The key objectives of the course are (1) to provide the student with a series of frameworks for identifying, analyzing, and solving marketing problems and (2) to enhance the student’s ability to effectively communicate analyses and solutions. We first focus on understanding the three C’s – customers, the company, and competitors. Based on this analysis, we develop a strategy for our product(s) and discuss how a marketing strategy can be implemented through the elements of the marketing mix: product design, pricing, advertising & promotion as well as channels of distribution. The class sessions consist of classroom lectures and case study discussions. Rather than focusing on internalizing facts and institutional detail, the emphasis is on critical thinking and application of the fundamental marketing strategy principles to business situations at hand.

Prerequisites: STR 401

Operations Management introduces the concepts and skills needed to design, manage, and improve service and manufacturing operations. The course develops a managerial perspective of the operations function and an appreciation of the role that operations plays in creating and maintaining a firm’s competitive edge. The course introduces process analysis, performance measurement systems for operations, and production control systems. Quantitative models and case studies apply these skills to service process management, manufacturing, inventory control, supply chain management and project management. The course highlights the role of effective operations management in the strategic direction of the firm as well as the connections between operations and other functional areas.

Prerequisites: CIS 401 and GBA 412 or GBA 462

The primary objective of the course is to train students to think in economic terms, to identify the relevant economic issue in a given situation, to separate the relevant from the irrelevant, and to analyze the implications of alternative actions. Another objective is to provide an increased understanding of markets. The course presents the basic analytical tools of microeconomics, particularly as those skills are relevant to managers. Important economic concepts used in subsequent courses, such as opportunity costs and a Nash Equilibrium, are covered. Applications of marginal analysis are stressed.

Competitive strategy deals with the most significant decisions that companies make in the marketplace, including entry into a market, product positioning, pricing, investments, technology choice and acquisitions. This course provides tools and concepts for analyzing these decisions and for designing business strategies that help firms make above-normal profits in the long run. Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on how firms interact with existing or potential competitors and other parties in the market. The tools and concepts used to understand this interaction are partly those of the traditional field of Strategic Management, but more importantly those of modern microeconomics, especially the field of Industrial Organization.

The first half of the course looks at the “big picture” and covers industry analysis, value creation and competitive advantage, and integration and diversification decisions. The second half of the course focuses on strategic interaction among firms, and covers specific topics such as the dynamics of price competition in oligopolies, commitment strategies of firms, entry and exit, networks and standards, and technological competition. The course is largely case-based. About one third of all classes are lectures; the other two thirds are case discussions.

Prerequisite: STR 401

MGC 401 establishes the conceptual foundation and skill building method for the MGC sequence. It draws on classical principles of argument and persuasion and on current communication research that illuminates the ways influence is accomplished in business today. These theories are applied through business case analysis, self-assessment and experiential learning. Students develop performance skills through successive rounds of professional presentations, receiving individualized feedback on their work. The course objective is development of the communication skills key to success in any field, those required to adapt effectively to any given audience, and to express ideas with a fitting blend of logic and feeling.

MGC 402 applies the core concepts of persuasion to five professional environments where communication takes place on teams and one-to-one: negotiations, change initiatives, conflict resolution, cultural diversity, and leadership with direct reports. It focuses on the dynamics between two or more people who are trying to influence one another, and teaches the communication skills required to succeed. The communication theories underlying the course are applied through case analysis, self-assessment, and business simulations that enable students to practice their ability to communicate persuasively in each of the five environments. The course culminates with development planning for improving communication competency as key to career success.