I'll outline the classes I'm taking, a blurb from the syllabus, and most importantly, a quote or two from each professor so that you get a sense of what the class is/will be like.
15.010 Economic Analysis for Business Decisions
From the syllabus:
"15.010 is the Sloan School's core subject in microeconomics. Our objective is to give you a working knowledge of the analytical tools that bear most directly on the economic decisions firms must regularly make. We will emphasize market structure and industry performance, including the strategic interaction of firms. We will examine the behavior of individual markets -- and the producers and consumers that sell and buy in those markets --in some detail, focusing on cost analysis, the determinants of market demand, pricing strategy, market power, and the implications of government regulatory policies."Professor's quotes on the first day of class, some paraphrased from memory:
"It's like AA rents babies to sit in coach" -- so as to get the delta premium for 1st class seats
When talking about price-matching businesses and how they are often mistaken as having a sincere interest in customers -- "He appears as a whiz jolly good fellow...but he's a bastard, that's what he is!"
15.515 Financial Accounting
From the syllabus:
"An intensive introduction to the preparation and interpretation of financial information. Adopts a decision-maker perspective of accounting by emphasizing the relation between accounting data and the underlying economic events generating them. Class sessions are a mixture of lecture and case discussion. Assignments include textbook problems, analysis of financial statements, and cases. Restricted to first-year Sloan master's students."
So, on the first day of class, as students were streaming in and finding their seats, the professor asked everyone to find their seats and put their namecard out in front of them. A few MINUTES later, students were done pouring in, and it was 10:25am, start time. The professor asked us to bring down our name cards, and he proceeded to recite the first AND last name of each and every student in the class -- i'd estimate there were at least 50 people in the room, from all over the world! It was an extraordinary demonstration of photographic memory and it was a totally awesome way to start the class.
To add to that, here are some quotes, also somewhat paraphrased from memory,
"You'll do a lot of things once you get your MBAs, but don't forget all you've done to get here."
"My wife is a high school teacher. She treats me like a high school student -- this has 2 consequences -- I never feel old, but I never feel very smart."
15.810 Marketing Management
From the syllabus:
"In this course we seek to:
Introduce you to key marketing ideas and phenomena, especially the core theme of delivering benefits to customers
Develop your skills in marketing analysis and planning
Familiarize you with the tactics of the marketing (product strategy, IMC [promotion], and distribution [place], and price -- 4 P's) and enhance your problem-solving and decision making abilities in these areas
Develop a clear understanding of key related topics in marketing like branding, CRM and retailing
Provide you with an essential appreciation for marketing and arm you with the key tools and concepts for your career ahead
Deliver a world class learning experience, superior in quality and insight"
The first lecture for this class was held today and it was phenomenal. I dig this professor.
For your own taste of the material, you can visit the professor's website at www.marketingritson.com
Some quotes I remember:
"Shut up"
"That's just bullshit"
"The marketing word for that is shit"
15.665 Power of Negotiations
From the syllabus:
"The course will cover three major areas of negotiation to address the above diagnoses:
1. Basic negotiation methods: The 7 Elements of Negotiation. (Weeks 1 – 4). This segment of the course provides a background about integrative and distributive aspects of negotiation and exposes participants to the basic processes of adversarial and interest-based negotiation.
2. Dealing with emotions: The Core Concerns Framework. (Weeks 5 – 7).
This segment of the course focuses on how to foster emotions that build trust and help parties reach mutual gains.
3. Multi-party negotiations: Putting it All Together. (Weeks 8-12). This segment takes the 7 Elements Framework and Core Concerns Framework and considers their application to negotiations involving multiple people and teams."
What is notable about this course is the professor, who directs the Negotiation Program at Harvard. Check out some more info on him here.
15.972 Leadership, or Special Seminars in Management
This is probably my favorite class this fall. I found myself giddy in class, and couldn't stop staring at the professor -- couldn't stop looking at his style of dress, his expressions as he spoke, and the sincerity with which he spoke to us. The professor is Don Davis, an 88 year old ex-CEO of Stanleyworks, where he spent 40+ years of his life. Don's lessons have to do with life itself as much as they do with business, and I can't help but see him as the loving and all-knowing grandfather archetype.
Some of the things he shared on the first day include:
"Visualize power as being in a bucket. Each time you use it, picture yourself removing some of it with a ladle; power is finite."
"I drink Dr. Pepper to pep me up."
"Trust your gut."
Don also shared his leadership mantras (qty 24). Some I particularly like:
"The number of effective styles of leadership is limitless. Be yourself."
"Selfship is the enemy of leadership."
"Most everyone can set through manipulators and game playing. Don't do it."
15.280 Communication for Managers
From the syllabus:
"Writing and speaking skills necessary for a career in management. Students polish communication strategies and methods through discussion, examples, and practice. Several written and oral assignments, most based on material from other subjects and from career development activities. Schedule and curriculum coordinated with Organizational Processes class. Mandatory weekly one hour recitation in small groups. Restricted to first-year Sloan graduate students."
15.311 Organizational Processes, or OP
From the syllabus:
"The ability to act with skill and creativity in organizations begins with the development of multiple perspectives on organizations. As you are no doubt aware, humans habitually settle into fixed perspectives, unchallenged mental models of how the world works, unconscious filters determining what we pay attention to and what we ignore....We will probe some of the psychological and social processes that make it likely that managers will fall into unchallenged patterns of action and thought. We will then turn to a more in-depth treatment of the strategic design, political, and cultural perspectives on organization...."
ESD.61 Integrating the Lean Enterprise
From the syllabus:
"This course addresses some of the important issues involved with the planning, development and implementation of Lean Enterprises. People, technology, process and information dimensions of an effective lean organization will be addressed in a unified framework. Particular emphasis will be placed on the integration of these dimensions across the entire enterprise, including product development, production, and the extended supply chain. Information requirements and technology and process enablers for achieving enterprise integration will be addressed. Analysis and implementation tools as well as future trends and directions will be explored. Outside speakers and industry practitioners will be utilized."
No comments:
Post a Comment