Employees of the United Technologies Corporation (UTC) have the opportunity to earn a top-ranked MBA through the Kelley School of Business—a degree offering skills to help advance your career and keep UTC competitive.

Through a collaboration between UTC and Kelley School of Business, you’ll earn the same highly-ranked degree as graduates of the Kelley full-time MBA program, taught by the same respected faculty, but with Kelley’s online flexible, innovative schedule that allows you to continue to pursue your professional and personal life..

C511 Organizational Development and Change (1.50 cr.)

Today's business environment forces executives to use every tool at their disposal to create and maintain an effective and adaptable organization. A major source of effectiveness and adaptability is the way in which the company's efforts are organized-its systems, structures, management process, rewards and strategies. The primary job of senior management today is to design, build, and operate organizations that function effectively. What this means is that the organization is in a constant state of change. Understanding the change process is vital. Knowing the roadblocks to effective change is very important. The role of the manager as a change agent becomes critical. Often the problems arise not from the change itself, but the process of making the change. Individuals resist change. It is a natural phenomenon. How and why this change manifests itself is a central issue in this course. Developing the skills to move through the change process not knowing what roadblocks one might encounter is becoming incredibly valuable.

C514 Managing Human Resources in a Global Environment (1.50 cr.)

Organizations must devise and effectively execute business strategies that are intended to attract, hire, lure, develop, retain, motivate and evaluate employees in order to achieve organizational objectives. Managing Human Resources in a Global Environment introduces students to key issues, practices, and principles that help organizations to manage their human resources effectively. C514 also emphasizes the practice of human resource management in a global marketplace.

C520 Quantitative Analysis (3.00 cr.)

In this course, we enhance the student’s statistical and mathematical modeling skills covering the following topics: (1) probabilistic decision making, (2) regression analysis, (3)forecasting (4) simulation with @RISK (5) optimization modeling with the EXCEL Solver, (6) making decisions when multiple objectives are involved, and (7) using neutral networks to improve forecasting. Applications from all major functional areas will be discussed.

* This is a required course for MBA, MSF, and GSCM

C521 Managing Accounting Information for Decision-Making (3.00 cr.)

Provides a user-oriented understanding of how accounting information should be managed to ensure its availability on a timely and relevant basis for decision making. The first part of the course reviews financial accounting and reporting while the second part of the course focuses on cost-benefit analysis for evaluating the potential value-added results from planning, organizing and controlling a firm’s accounting information. The use of cases, forum discussions and computer support is used extensively.


*This is a required course for MBA, MSF and MSGSCM

C522 Information Technology (3.00 cr.)

Study of information systems management issues including enterprise support applications, systems acquisition and implementation practices, facilitating end-user support and telework and e-business opportunities. Readings and case analysis and one team project.

*This is a required course for the MBA.

C530 Economics for Managers (3.00 cr.)

Economic decision making in the business firm, the strategic interaction of business firms in industries, the purchasing and behavior of individual consumers and consumers as a group, and the influence of public policy on market outcomes. Development of a fluency with the language of economics and a strong 'economic intuition,' understanding of selected economics-based decision-making tools and the impact and interaction of the structure of an industry on competition, analysis of intra-industry rivalry, and improved understanding of public policy issues. Emphasis on the logical foundations of economic analysis and managerial decision making. Will promote understanding and application of various quantitative measures.

This course is a required course for MBA, MSF, GSCM

C540 Financial Management (3.00 cr.)

Provides a working knowledge of the tools and analytical conventions used in the practice of corporate finance; establishes an understanding of the basic elements of financial theory to be used in application of analytical reasoning to business problems; and explores the interrelationship among corporate policies and decisions. Course work will include problem sets, study group preparation of executive summary memos and critiques, and use of PC spreadsheets to develop a planning model for a case focusing on funds requirement.


*This course is a required course for the MBA, MSF, GSCM

C543 Financial Analysis and Firm Valuation (3.00 cr.)

This course blends accounting and finance topics dealing with the analysis and forecasting of financial information and the linkage of free cash flows to firm value.  Among the topics included is ratio analysis, quality of earnings, off-balance-sheet financing, inter-corporate entities, evaluating intangibles, capital structure, and DCF valuation.

*Note a change: This course will be offered in Fall 2013 instead of Spring 2013.

C550 Law and Ethics in Business (3.00 cr.)

The objective is to provide the student of management with a basic knowledge of the American legal system, the legal process and relevant substantive law which is necessary to making informed and effective business decisions. The law develops and evolves in response to changing social, economic, political, and technological forces, and business decisions often carry long-lasting as well as delayed effects. This course emphasizes the study of the law of torts, contracts, and product liability. It is hoped that consideration of a study of these legal principles will give prospective managers insight into the dynamics of the legal process to enable them to predict as soundly as possible the future legal environment in which their present decisions will bear fruit.

*This is a core course in the MBA

C560 Strategic Management and Business Planning (3.00 cr.)

This course introduces students to strategic management and planning. In the course, you are asked to develop and execute a business strategy in a business simulation. In the Kelley Direct Online MBA Program, you are asked to develop a wide variety of skills and competencies in management. Developing and executing a business plan is only one of these skills. In addition, many of the skills and competencies addressed in this course will receive progressively greater refining in subsequent courses. As a result, this course should be viewed as in introduction to many issues that you will address again from different perspectives throughout the remainder of the MBA program.

*This course is a required course for the MBA program.

C561 The US in a Global Economy (3.00 cr.)

This course takes a macroeconomist's lens to the United States economy in a global context. After taking this course, you will be better able to understand the U.S. and other industrial countries' economic performances, including the terminology and theories that are used to document and explain their long-term trends and cyclical ups and downs. That is, you should be able to better understand and evaluate articles you read in business periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, the Economist and the Financial Times.

* This course is a required course for the MBA program.

C562 Developing Strategic Capabilities (3.00 cr.)

This course offers an introduction to tools for strategic management. It provides an introductory review of the complexities involved in determining long-term strategies. Rather than assessing the firm's environment in terms of broadly defined opportunities and threats, we will examine the dynamics of the competitive environment, how both the pace and direction of industry change are influenced by the resources, capabilities, and competitive interaction of rivals. The course uses discussion forums, team projects, and an interactive simulation.

* This course is a required course for the MBA and MSSM programs.

C563 Integrative Capstone Course (3.00 cr.)

Business development and venturing is the vehicle for our integrative capstone courses. Employing the tools learned and practiced throughout their program, students will work in small teams to develop business plans for new businesses, or entrepreneurial activities within larger organizations. There is also a business computer simulation that is designed to integrate the knowledge, skills and abilities learned in the program. Readings and other course materials will be assigned by the faculty instructor.


* This course is a required course for the MBA program.

C565 Thinking Strategically: Game Theory and Business Strategy (3.00 cr.)

Game Theory has traditionally been a tool of economists, but its use in management situations has been growing rapidly in recent years. This trend is sure to continue. Managerial decisions are not static and cannot be made in isolation. Instead, a manager must account for the reactions of both rival firms, subordinates, and superiors to this directives and proposals. Game theory is a tool to use to examine these interactions. The course extends the analysis of game theory and business strategy that you began in the Managerial Economics portion of the Core. The ultimate aim of the course is to strengthen your ability to think strategically in business situations, rather than to teach you facts or theories. To achieve this aim, we will iterate between theory and practice. We will use both formal case studies and real world examples to sharpen our strategic thinking skills.

C569 Strategic Cost Management (3.00 cr.)

This course focuses on 3 principal tools in strategic cost analysis: value chain analysis, cost-driver (activity-based cost and strategic positioning analysis. The course will teach students how to integrate cost analysis into strategic decisions, develop approaches for diagnosing the cause of low-profitability products, services, and identify how corporate strategy can be transformed to generate greater profitability.

C570 Strategic Marketing Management (3.00 cr.)

An introduction to the process of creating a market-driven organization. Specific topics include marketing strategy, market research and analysis, and the development of products and services, pricing, distribution and promotion. The course employs lecture, classroom discussion through threaded discussion forums, case analysis and field research projects.

* This is a required course for the MBA, MSSM and GSCM programs.

C580 Operations Management (3.00 cr.)

Surveys the management of operations in manufacturing and service firms. Diverse activities, such as determining the size and type of production process, purchasing the appropriate raw materials, planning and scheduling the flow of materials and the nature and content of inventories, assuring product quality, and deciding on the production hardware and how it gets used, comprise this function of the company. Managing operations well requires both strategic and tactical skills. The topics considered include process analysis, workforce issues, materials management, quality and productivity, technology, and strategic planning, together with relevant analytical techniques. The course makes considerable use of business cases. Most classes will be spent discussing the cases assigned. For each case, students will be asked to review actual company situations and apply technical and managerial skills to recommending courses of action. Most cases will be taken from manufacturing, but some will be service-oriented. Several of the cases will focus on international companies or issues.


*This is a required course for the MBA, MSSM and GSCM programs

D734 Working Capital Management (3.00 cr.)

This course is an in-depth review of working capital, treasury and cash management topics, especially with respect to how these areas are actually implemented in business organizations. The primary topic areas include: 1) analysis of the liquidity of the firm, 2) management of working capital 3) function and operation of money markets, 4) short-term investment/borrowing decisions, 5) payment systems and cash management tools, 6) identification and measurement of financial risk factors 7) dealing with financial service and electronic commerce providers and 8) global treasury management. The course includes several Excel projects, discussion forums and a short research project in the working capital area.

E700 Supply Chain Management: Project Management (1.50 cr.)

A project is a task with a beginning, a defined scope, and an end: installing a computer network, introducing a new product, reengineering accounts payable are some examples. It is projected that "the project manager is the linchpin in the current horizontal/vertical organizations". This course focuses on effective project planning and management. Extensive use is made in the course of case analysis. Students will also be exposed to state-of-the-art project management software (Microsoft Project).

E701 Supply Chain Management: Process Chain Design (1.50 cr.)

Viewing a business operation as a process has become an important concept. Applying this concept has resulted in significant improvements in cost, productivity and quality. This course will cover both manufacturing and administrative/service processes. Initially, the traditional or classical methods of process analysis will be described. Then current methods such as work-group analysis and cross-functional analysis will be covered. Next phase will be assessment and evaluation of processes. Techniques such as the rating method, performance evaluation, benchmarking, and the quality profile are described. Students will use state-of-the-art software designed specifically to support process engineering applications.

E731 Supply Chain Management - Sourcing (3.00 cr.)

This course concentrates on the important functions of working and managing the vendor base that supports the supply base. Students will learn about the design of cooperative arrangements between trading partners, as well as the new technologies like internet reverse auctions and e-hubs that are being employed for e-procurement.

E732 Supply Chain Management - Distribution and Inventory Management (3.00 cr.)

Supply-Chain management is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufactures, warehouses, and stores, so that merchandise is produced and distributed in the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to minimize system wide costs while satisfying service level requirements. This course will focus in two major areas related to supply-chain management: (1) the design of the distribution system, and (2) the planning and control system used to manage the supply chain material flow.

E733 Supply Chain Management - Enterprise Operations & Planning (3.00 cr.)

This course gives the student an in-depth understanding of the technologies that businesses use to better manage their supply chain operations. Key technologies covered are Enterprise Resource Planning systems, Customer Relationship Management, Advanced Planning Systems, and Data Mining.

F722 Managerial Accounting (3.00 cr.)

Concepts and issues associated with the accounting of and management of business; particular emphasis is given to understanding the role of accounting in product costing, costing for quality, cost-justifying investment decisions, and performance evaluation and control of human behavior. Enables the student to prepare, use, and critically evaluate management accounting information for purposes of planning and control, product costing, and performance measurement and evaluation. Analyzes the role of accounting information in making effective managerial decisions, both at the level of a particular department and of the enterprise as a whole.


Prerequisite: C521

* This is a required course for the MSF program

F741 Asset Pricing and Security Valuation (3.00 cr.)

A key focus of managers in public corporations is the creation of enterprise value and the way that value is shared between various suppliers of capital. This course provides an understanding of how financial markets function and how investors value financial securities. This knowledge will assist the manager to understand how various decisions may impact firm and shareholder value. Topics covered include the demand for and pricing of debt and equity securities, portfolio theory, and the pricing and expanding role of derivative securities.


Prerequisite: C540 Financial Management

F742 International Financial Management (3.00 cr.)

This course provides an extension of the major finance topics a manger faces into a global setting. Investing across national boundaries presents unique opportunities and unique risks, thus domestic financial theory must be extended to incorporate these additional factors. Topics include measurement and management of exchange rate, international parity relationships, translation and transaction exposure, international investment diversification, international capital budgeting and multinational cash management.


Prerequisite: C540

F743 Financial Risk Management (3.00 cr.)

This course provides a detailed analysis of derivative contracts and their use in risk management strategies. As technology improves and corporations become more innovative, they will be able to isolate and break out more and different kinds of risk that then can be controlled and managed. At this time, risk management is a new area in financial management but is developing very rapidly. This course will consist of two main parts. The first part of the course focuses on the building blocks of derivatives (namely futures, forwards, swaps, and options) and the factors that determine the value of these securities. The second part focuses on the importance and implementation of risk management strategies. We will spend considerable time understanding the dimensions of risk management issues. We will also use cutting-edge software for analyzing risk management problems, such as Riskmetrics and Creditmetrics, and examine actual company cases.

Prerequisite: F741

F744 Financial Strategy and Corporate Restructuring (3.00 cr.)

This course provides an examination of how corporate and financial strategies can lead to the creation, maintenance, transfer, and destruction of shareholder value. Topics covered include valuing alternative strategies, effectively communicating strategies to the financial markets and aligning the incentives of managers with those of shareholders. A framework for valuing mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures and other joint financing arrangements is developed and applied.

Prerequisite: F745 Valuation and Capital Investments

F745 Valuation and Capital Investments (3.00 cr.)

A key focus of most publicly owned companies is enhancement of shareholder value. The value of a firm is determined through investors’ assessment of the efficacy of managerial actions. Three key finance decisions that affect investors’ assessments are the form in which capital is raised, how the capital is employed, and how returns are distributed to providers of capital. Managers and investor have differential access to information on the actions and impact of decisions. Investors try to compensate for this differential information by establishing governance structures to monitor and control management actions and by trying to read intent from management decisions. In turn management attempts to create a structure for analyzing decisions that is consistent with investors valuation if management action could be freely observed. This course investigates how agency relationships and financial contracting affect financial decisions such as capital structure, dividends, share repurchases, and managerial incentives. A capital investment process will be developed that includes the application of analytical tools to assess the economic value created by capital investments, adjustments for project risk using external market information and simulations techniques, and the use of real options analysis to value management flexibility and strategic investments.

Prerequisite: C540 Financial Management

U701 Strategic Competitive Analysis (3.00 cr.)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an in-depth exposure to the theory of industry structural analysis and to begin gain practice in its application. Students will learn how to use the competitive forces model for interpreting the strategic implications of evolutionary and revolutionary shifts in industry structures.

U702 Organization Designs for Strategic Advantage (3.00 cr.)

The purpose of this course is twofold. Initially, students will be introduced to the basic elements of organizational design, including but not limited to organization structure, administrative processes and systems, size, and product-market complexity. Then they will learn how these other elements can be configured into a range of designs alternative suited for the demand of different strategic, environmental and technological conditions. These two areas of learning will prepare students for designing organizations that can adapt to the shifting competitive forces of virtually any organizational context.

U710 Strategic Management and Leadership (3.00 cr.)

The primary focus of this course is the top-level executives who provide strategic leadership to business organizations. Students will learn about the roles, functions, and responsibilities of leadership, in order to learn the administrative requirements of leadership. In addition, students will be introduced to the analytical skills and social and personal characteristics of highly effective leaders. Case studies, videotapes and other media will be used to explore these and related issues.

U714 International Competitive Strategy (3.00 cr.)

This course will cover the key concepts and frameworks related to International Competitive Strategy.  As such, the focus will be on the Multinational Corporation (MNC) and on the international managers responsible for its success.  MNC managers must understand the broad content of global and cross-border management to achieve success.

U723 Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation (3.00 cr.)

This course provides a forum for the in-depth examination of select issues involving the strategic management of technology and innovation. The course is designed around six learning "modules" – (1) general management and technological innovation, (2) technological pioneering, (3) disruptive technologies, (4) strategic decision making under uncertainty, (5) corporate entrepreneurship, and (6) venture planning. Please note that this is NOT a course about information technology, the Internet, or any technology in particular. Rather, this is a course about management. The focus is on enabling students to better understand some of the unique implications of rapid product-market and technological change for the effective practice of management.

U730 The Global Business Environment (3.00 cr.)

Those who operate in the global business environment need more than an understanding of international trade and economics – some of their biggest challenges come from explicating and defending their choices to key constituents – their own internal boards and unions as well as external groups that represent the environment, local governments, and foreign business and government organizations. Having great ideas is one thing. Getting them approved and put into play is another. No business today will implement a new significant global program without wide buy-in. Inasmuch, this course requires its students to directly confront and interact with these myriad groups as they develop and modify their best international business strategies. This course requires students to appreciate the full range of benefits afforded to society by globalization while understanding and dealing directly with the negative side-effects. While it is important for students to see the beneficial sides of globalization, the true value of the course will come when students are able to integrate into their decision making a more complete understanding of the positive and negative impacts. Students should expect a very challenging experience requiring them to do self-directed research into the current experiences of real companies as they outsource, export, import, and build business assets abroad. Students will engage in a significant amount of research, strategic analysis, writing, as well as evaluating the proposals of other teams.

C559 Global Managerial Ethics (1.50 cr.)

This course will focus on ethics in the workplace. We will identify and consider practical solutions to ethical dilemmas faced by individuals and explore pragmatic managerial approaches that focus on how managers and organizations can influence ethical behavior. The course will also present an overview of the external legal and regulatory framework that affects the conduct and reporting of business activity. This will include an introduction to Sarbanes-Oxley, the most recent regulatory effort to influence the ethical behavior of both organizations and individuals associated with the organization with the goal of protecting the interests of one set of stakeholders - shareholders. We will also consider the extent to which compliance with such laws and regulations requires such extraordinary measures that ethical behavior in and of itself becomes a sustainable competitive advantage.

C539 Corporate Non-market Strategy:Engaging External Threats and Opportunities (3.00 cr.)

Most MBA students would strongly agree with the statement that the protection of intellectual property rights is good. Numerous studies, however, have shown that illegal internet file-sharing sites have fueled the growth of Apple’s i-pod, which now contributes more to Apple’s top line than its Mac computers. Clearly, understanding how to spot and respond to market failures, such as the lack of IP protection, can create enormous market value.

The Kelley Direct MBA is designed to produce managers that can exhibit leadership in all aspects of corporate decision making. Our motivation to develop CNS was our observation that companies with stellar performance in the market environment often stumble when it comes to dealing with social and regulatory change. Even Wal-Mart, a regular among Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Companies, has struggled in dealing with local governments and social activists. A recent McKinsey and Company report attributed an estimated 8% decline in Wal-Mart’s customer base largely to these struggles, costing Wal-Mart billions in sales. While it is not difficult to understand why successful companies, like Wal-Mart, make promising targets for government regulators and social activists it appears more surprising that these companies often find it challenging to handle societal pressures. These challenges arise because success in the non-market environment requires managers to take a perspective that differs, at times in a subtle way, from the logic that governs interaction in the marketplace.

This class focuses on non-market strategy from the point of view of high-level managers and consultants. Our goal is to teach students the skills they need in order to (a) recognize market failures and resulting business opportunities; (b) predict how government and social groups will respond to failing markets; and (c) understand how companies can pursue opportunities created by these responses.

C524 Strategic Entrepreneurship (3.00 cr.)

In developing the foundations of the entrepreneurial mindset, this course describes tasks such as: making sense of opportunities in the context of changing goals, constantly questioning one's 'dominant logic' in the context of a changing environment, and revisiting 'deceptively simple questions' about what we think to be true about markets and the firm.

C518 Maximum Impact: Increasing Your Effectiveness in the Workplace-Clinic (1.50 cr.)

Maximum Impact: Increasing Your Effectiveness in the Workplace is a practical course focused on successful workplace communication skills. The course materials are a unique blend of theory and practice covering your everyday needs: email that gets results, presentations that generate attention, and listening that helps develop strong interpersonal working relationships. The specific objectives of this course will be to help you: Analyze the communication model and understand importance of empathy and perception; Assess your listening skills to develop and practice valuable listening behaviors; Practice effective writing to produce clear, concise, audience-adapted messages; Sharpen your presentation skills so you can grab and keep an audience’s attention; Apply your newly improved communication skills to a realistic business case.

C529 Global Enterprise Risk Management (3.00 cr.)

The purpose of this course is to prepare the student to understand enterprise risk management in a globalized world. From the perspective of a multinational enterprise we focus on foreign Investment Risk, Country Risk, Foreign Exchange Rate Risk ad global Non-Market Risk. We will study different monetary arrangements in the past and present, analyze the very nature of the foreign exchange market, and try to understand the causes and consequences of international currency crises. We will analyze and measure different forms of foreign exchange related risk, and we will study strategies and instruments to manage these risks. We also study the emerging field of non-market risk management. As social and environmental concerns rise, and global communication costs shrink, businesses will increasingly find all of their operations coming under increasing scrutiny, raising regulatory and social risk. We will examine the non-market business environment, defining the major players and the social and economic institutions in which operate. We then explore the successful development of non-market risk reduction strategies.

X521 Marketing Strategies for Emerging Markets (3.00 cr.)

Emerging markets produce more than half of world output based on purchasing-power parity and account for more than half of annual increase in global GDP. The biggest emerging economies show steady growth. Corporate giants enter markets from the high end and tend to be involved in marketing only to the world’s richest economies. This will change. Companies must be prepared for the opportunities that exist in emerging markets. This requires an understanding of the key factors and differences between entering emerging markets versus established markets. This course will aid students in understanding how to best develop strategies for emerging markets. Students will discover key facts about emerging markets as a whole as well as how to develop a strategy for marketing in a particular developing nation.

X522 Managing Intellectual Property in a Global Environment (3.00 cr.)

When businesses unwisely share their core technology, they risk losing it. Despite this fact, there currently is no single regulatory scheme that provides international protection for proprietary information. Further, while most countries offer some degree of legal protection for creative products, processes and services, the rigor of this protection varies throughout the world. This course is designed to acquaint global business managers with the legal and practical issues involved in the protection of intellectual property. It introduces students to the basic types of intellectual property (patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets) and the key differences in how they are protected around the world. Ultimately, upon completion of this course, students will better understand how to protect their company’s intellectual property when doing business in the global environment.

E726 IT Risk Management Clinic (1.50 cr.)

As organizations grow more global and complex, there has been an increased demand for professionals who understand the variety of risks that a company is exposed to and how to manage them to achieve the companies’ overall objectives. This clinic on Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is designed to provide students with a holistic perspective of ERM. A common misconception about ERM is that it is primarily about understanding the financial and quantitative aspects of management. However, we take a controls and IT based perspective on Risk Management since other courses cover the former two aspects. We will use a problem-based learning approach in this class. We will use applied material that is drawn from leading proponents of controls and IT risk management to provide both conceptual and tangible knowledge about the various components of risk, how to evaluate them and how to mitigate them. We will have one or more leading proponents from industry share their perspective using interactive sessions as well.

X501 Advanced Learning Clinic - Marketing in the Era of Digital Technology (1.50 cr.)

This course is based on the premise that marketing is undergoing profound and rapid change in the digital era. The course will deal with the way that marketing has leveraged technology to facilitate exchange between buyers and sellers and among customers themselves new ways. Topics that will be covered in this course include online retailing (or e-tailing), behavioral targeting based on buyer profiles, integrated advertising strategy that capitalizes on digital capabilities, the pricing function in a digital era, the role of social networking, and the rapid emergence of smart phones and their role in mobile marketing. The course will involve readings, online discussion forums, and a required project. Examples of possible projects include the creation of an integrated advertising and promotion campaign, defining the basis for a social network and related interactions, devising an online retailing site, or designing a customized sales program aimed at key clients. The course is designed to create an in-depth understanding of a wide range of digital concepts and to develop related capabilities in the digital world of marketing.

E727 Advanced Learning Clinic - Global Supply Chain (1.50 cr.)

The course is intended to provide an in-depth study of important emerging topics in supply chain management. These topics are ones that have are receiving significant attention but are not covered in our regular Supply Chain curriculum. The materials we will cover will be applicable to both manufacturing and service businesses. There will be examples from both of these areas but our primary focus will be on supply chains which have some component of manufacturing. The course will be delivered in three modules, each covering two weeks. For the Spring Quarter clinic, we will cover the following topics: (1) Lean Supply Chains; (2) Risk Management in Supply Chains; (3) Environmentally Conscious Supply Chains. The course will be delivered using a series of cases, examples of these topics in the business world, white papers, and corporate input. A key deliverable will be an individual paper for each module. The intent of this paper is to apply some of the ideas, principles, and tools to your company’s supply chain issues. Other deliverables will be case discussions.

C575 Cross Cultural Management (3.00 cr.)

Leading individuals and groups effectively is the key to managerial excellence. Yet, in an increasingly diverse and international work environment this is a formidable challenge. This course is designed to help participants increase their effectiveness in meeting the challenges of managing in the twenty-first century. This course is designed to provide participants an opportunity to: 1) increase their self-awareness, 2) develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexity of managing relationships in a culturally diverse work environment, 3) learn from others' personal experiences and world views, and 4) practice behavior skills that will help them develop more effective work relationships.

Specifically, this course focuses on the business differences across countries and the development of skills with which to deal with those differences. Upon successful completion, students will have acquired knowledge of the theoretical concepts and issues in the areas of: a) the concepts and definitions of culture, b) the meaning and manifestations of different national and regional cultures, c) understanding and application of the key cultural dimensions, d) cross-cultural communication (verbal and nonverbal communication), e) cross-cultural issues in motivation, f) negotiation styles and barriers in the international environment, g) cross-cultural managerial leadership in different countries and, h) approaches and strategies for managing cultural differences.

E734 Sustainable Operations (3.00 cr.)

There is increasing pressure on businesses to pay more attention to the environmental and resource consequences of the products and services they offer and the processes they deploy. Many firms are now choosing to focus on the triple bottom line of sustainability: profit, people and planet. This course examines sustainability from an operations perspective, and has 3 modules. In the first module, we examine improvements on the environmental impact of current operations (eco-efficiency): environmental and take-back legislation, pollution prevention and waste reduction (including lean), 3R (reduce, reuse and recyle), environmental management systems (ISO 14000), and life cycle assessment. In the second module, we examine sustainable operations strategies, particularly sustainability in the supply chain, and environmental product differentiation. Finally, the third module addresses closed-loop systems (product stewardship), which is the ultimate goal of a sustainable operation: design for environment (DFE), leasing and servitization, reuse and remanufacturing.

X520 The Global Talent Challenge-Clinic (1.50 cr.)

Building and managing a global talent pipeline is the single most critical leadership challenge in today's global business environment. In this clinic, we will introduce students to current issues and practices in talent management. Our course will examine in-depth practices launched at the C-Suite level and by Boards of Directors to meet these challenges. This clinic will allow students to directly discuss these issues with senior corporate leaders and Board members who have been intimately involved in the global talent management process. An Action-Learning philosophy guides the operations of the course and students will be given several tools to assess development practices in their company and to better understand opportunities for developing their global leadership skills.

X522 Enterprise Architecture (1.50 cr.)

This course provides the foundational knowledge and perspectives that apply to all organizations, regardless of the particular EA frameworks or methods followed within the organization.

Part One studies the history that lead to the development of EA, and incorporates the building blocks of IT strategy, planning, information modeling and governance. Future directions in EA will be covered as well.

Part Two studies the major EA frameworks and methods, with a focus on creating the artifacts for the key stakeholders, including business managers, technology managers and technology implementers.   

Part Three studies the implementation of EA, with emphasis on standards, governance, change management, and artifact reuse.  This section also covers the integration of EA with business process re-engineering (BPR), transition planning, requirements management, systems integration, and SDLC methodologies. 

The course will include a class project to create an EA for a defined business scope. 

X520 Kelley Direct In-Country: Lucknow, India (3.00 cr.)

Leading individuals and groups effectively is the key to managerial excellence. Yet, in an increasingly diverse and international work environment this is a formidable challenge. Managers today must understand the key trends shaping organizations. They must learn to thrive in a diverse, global, technologically driven, socially complex, 24/7 organizational environment. They must have a clear vision of the type of manager they would like to be and must acquire the skills to manage 2 effectively. Successful global leaders must: 1) understand the major trends affecting work today, 2) have an acute sense of cultural diversity and of the interconnectedness of the world, 3) have a strong sense of self-awareness and must learn quickly from a variety of experiences, 4) build trust quickly and foster effective communication in a variety of organizational situations, 5) build teams quickly under many circumstances and across multiple cultural environments, and 6) take a proactive approach in managing their career progress.

This course is designed to help participants increase their effectiveness in meeting the challenges of managing in the twenty-first century. Specifically, this course is designed to provide participants an opportunity to: 1) increase their self-awareness, 2) develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexity of managing relationships in a culturally diverse work environment, 3) learn from others' personal experiences and world views, and 4) practice behavior skills that will help them develop more effective work relationships. This course should be of interest to nearly all students of business administration. No matter how small (or large) the business enterprise, the successful manager must take account of international and national environmental dimensions when making decisions.

A unique and valuable aspect of this course is the opportunity for the participants to travel to India – a country which currently plays a very important role in the global economy - for Module 7. This module will allow the participants to apply the course concepts and materials covered in Modules 1-6. The in-country portion of the course will involve course content from the perspective of Indian faculty, as well as several company, cultural, and tourist site visits.

X574 Professional Development and Career Management - clinic (1.50 cr.)

This course will provide students with the background and resources necessary to evaluate their skills, interests, and background, to proactively manage their careers within their current role, and/or to plan and execute a job search or career change.  Topics covered will include self-assessment, personal branding, networking, company research, resume and job search correspondence, interviewing, accessing job opportunities, offer evaluation and negotiation.  The course will also include discussion on leadership, emotional intelligence, executive presence and feedback.  This course is designed for all students who are looking to enhance their career, and it will emphasize the skills and processes needed to be successful in managing your career.

 The specific objectives of this course are to help the student to:

• Realistically identify and assess his/her background and unique strengths, values, life goals, and skill set and identify gaps between these and those required for the student’s target job/career path, and develop a plan to fill in those gaps
• Understand what personal branding is, and how to create your individual brand and tell your story
• Learn the importance of company research, internally or externally, in career planning, and learn how to plan, prepare, and execute an informational interviews
• Understand the importance of Networking and how to build relationships with people you know, and make new contacts in your chosen industry, your company, and your school
• Prepare an outstanding set of job search tools, including resume(s) and cover letter(s)
• Become familiar with the different types of interviews (behavioral, technical, case) and improve his/her interviewing skills
• Utilize a variety of resources, including his/her own network, to conduct an external job search or improve your promotion opportunities within your current company
• Understand the emotional elements of what it takes to be a successful leader in today’s business world
• Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be better able to manage his/her career and to plan and conduct a successful MBA-level job search if desired

LAW1 Business Law (3.00 cr.)

Must take one 3.0 credit course of the courses below to satisfy the Business Law requirement. The other Law courses can be used as electives also.

1. C550 Law and Ethics in Business - Winter, Spring,
2. X522 Managing Intellectual Property in a Global Business - Winter & Spring 3.0

*A 3.0 Business Law course is a required course for MBA

X503 Topics in Directed Business Interaction - Kelley Connect (1.50 cr.)

Students will be introduced to a variety of practical business analysis tools. The material will be team-taught by Kelley School faculty members from key functional areas so students will be better prepared to integrate their learning. Topics covered include: Problem/issue framing; basic strategic analysis (understanding trends in the marketplace and situation analysis); how to retrieve and use data effectively, basic financial analysis for evaluating business decisions, marketing analysis (positioning and pricing a product); supply chain and inventory management; negotiation/persuasion; contracting; intellectual property; and critical thinking/decision making. Student teams will prepare and present product launch plans to a team of faculty judges. After leaving the campus, they will individually prepare and submit reflection papers.

*This course is the new course for the Kelley Connect Week (formally known as in-residence)

X513 Topics in Business Analysis - Kelley Connect (1.50 cr.)

Students will work on a “live” (real-life) case that requires development of an integrated business recommendation. This authentic case permits students to apply the fundamentals they have studied during their first year in Kelley Direct in a capstone experience. As such students will be required to analyze and solve a highly complex, multi-faceted business problem.

Throughout the week, instructors will cover a variety of topics relevant to the “live” case. These sessions are designed to both review key concepts introduced during the first year of the KD program and introduce new concepts that extend students’ understanding of strategic analysis in a global environment. Sessions topics include: strategic analysis with special emphasis on country analysis and market entry strategies, financial analysis, risk analysis and risk mitigation, business ethics, and critical thinking. In addition, instructors will also review where and how to gather data needed to conduct complex strategic analyses, how to make effective presentations, and how to create a effective slide deck using storyboarding. 

*This course is the new course for the Kelley Connect Week (formally called in-residence)

X575 Performance Driven Pricing (3.00 cr.)

The first part of the pricing course examines conceptual and analytical issues in buyer price sensitivity.  Knowledge of buyer price sensitive must underlie every pricing decision. We will learn a variety of techniques for measuring buyer price sensitivity and use this knowledge to drive pricing decisions.  The second portion of the pricing course examines approaches how firms can improve performance through realizing higher prices.  Gaining pricing power is of paramount importance to most marketers as rising raw material costs and enhanced competitive pressures are placing tremendous pressure on gross margins.  We will establish when conditions are favorable for greater price realization and learn techniques for raising prices that do not alienate the customer (too much). 

The third component of the pricing course examines approaches that enable firms to build their performance through lower prices.  In many situations lower prices are effective tools for increasing sales, revenue, and share.  Plus, lower prices can create barriers to entry in markets and build customer loyalty.  However, price reductions are the most abused practice in pricing and can devastate a firm’s Value Proposition, segmentation effort, and profitability if not handled correctly.  Analytical tools are offered to help you assess and manage the price reduction process.

The fourth component of the pricing class pertains to setting prices for new products.  Because historical data does not exist for new products, different approaches must be employed.  We will discuss several practical approaches for setting prices for new products, including Value-based pricing.  Value-based pricing argues that customers who value our products more should pay more than customers who value our products less.  The issues in value-based pricing are twofold: 1) how to assess customer value and 2) how to link value to price.  An analytical value-based tool will be employed in class to help us pursue a value-based pricing approach.   

The pricing knowledge and tools you will gain from the class are applicable to both B2C and B2B contexts.  Channel issues complicate the pricing picture but we will gain some insights on how to price throughout the channel. 

X573 Marketing Strategy Simulation (3.00 cr.)

The primary focus of this course is on issues surrounding segmentation, product development and brand portfolio management in highly competitive markets. The course uses an advanced computer simulation to provide MBA students with an opportunity to gain in-depth experience with the marketing concepts introduced in C570. The simulation creates an evolving market, where future decisions must be made in the context of earlier ones. Results depend on competitors' actions as well as your own decisions. The simulation provides an opportunity to increase skills in matching products and market segments, driving productivity and striving for optimum investment of marketing funds. This course incorporates a team based learning environment, as such all students are required to participate on a course team. Team members work together to conduct complex analyses and employ integrated decision-making. Teams will be asked to defend their current strategic decisions and future plans, honing their ability to create convincing, data-based recommendations. Students may elect to organize their teams of four or request the faculty help with team formation. Team organization begins approximately two weeks prior to the course start date.

X571 Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation (3.00 cr.)

Corporations, caught up in the web of the economic downturn, have turned to the innovative mindset for help.  They have realized that entrepreneurial thinking can exist within the structure of a corporation.  Thus, the term Corporate Entrepreneurship is the newest strategy for innovative development in organizations.  Corporate training designed to develop entrepreneurship and innovation within organizations has produced successful results at numerous Fortune 500 companies.  It is the research and innovation developed at these firms as well as other theoretical models which provide the foundation for this emerging field of study. The purpose of this MBA course is to research and study the theories, principles, concepts, and practices of entrepreneurial development within organizations (Corporate Entrepreneurship & Innovation).  A thorough examination of the latest research regarding corporate entrepreneurship & innovation as well as reviewing successful case studies will be the focus of this course.  In so doing the students will become more acquainted with the contemporary trends and expectations they face in corporate America.

X574 Advertising and Promotion Management (3.00 cr.)

This course is concerned with strategic approaches to managing advertising and sales promotion programs. Topics include selecting target audiences; setting program objectives; developing and implementing creative strategies, and judging creative media; use of sales promotion tools; testing, evaluating, and revising advertising and promotion programs.

1. The marketing management context of advertising and sales promotion: roles and objectives of promotion programs; agency/client relationships; the strategic focus of promotion programs; appropriating, budgeting, and allocating resources; the advertising/sales promotion planning process
2. Analyzing target audiences and setting communication and action objectives
3. Developing creative strategies: strategic considerations in creative development; strategy research for assessing efficiency
4.  Media strategy, scheduling, and vehicle selection: reach &  frequency relationships; selection of primary and secondary media; the concept of minimum effective frequency; evaluating media vehicles; scheduling media; adapting media plans to specific geographic settings
5. The strategic use of sales promotion: setting action and communication goals; the interaction of sales promotion with advertising, distribution, and price; target audiences and objectives for sales promotion; interactions among trade, retail, and consumer sales promotion; techniques and tools of trial and loyalty in consumer sales promotion

Learning Outcomes for the Course

 Upon successful completion of the course:

1. Students are able to develop competitive marketing strategies and persuasive messages, as well as how to select the appropriate media vehicles for delivering them.
2. Students are able to comfortably discuss the activities of professionals in advertising and promotion management and
3. Students are able to demonstrate your knowledge of relevant terms, concepts, principles and popular theories through a variety of activities and “real world” projects.