Rensselaers Lally School MBA: New Curriculum Proposal

1
Rensselaers Lally School MBA New Curriculum
Proposal

• October 2003

2
Parameters

• The Traditional Framework used as the Framework
  upon which the (proposed) New MBA Curriculum is
  built
• 60 credits total
• 15 credits per semester
• Four, 14 week semesters
• So, New and Breakthrough approach to
  Business/Management Educationbut within the
  already established parameters.
• And, still pushes Management Education to a new,
  higher level. . .

3
Why Revise the MBA Curriculum?

• Integration
• Coordination (and avoiding duplication)
• A Program vs. a collection of courses
• Practice orientation how business operates
• Differentiation and Competitive Advantage

4
What was Done

• Recognizing both the success of the integrated
  Design, Manufacturing, and Marketing course model
  and the potential of this model to deliver in
  terms of integration, coordination, a program,
  and differentiation, potential streams of
  knowledge and practice were identified
• Education oriented toward Objectives (what people
  do) rather than disciplines
• Identified relevant critical knowledge from
  various fields to integrate into the course
  streamsconcrete content not yet finalized
• Identified additional knowledge/courses
  appropriate for the Lally MBA
  tools/skills/placement
• Developed a structure appropriate for sequencing
  and delivering the course streams and courses
• Sensitivity to loading and teaching hours

5
Critical Skills for Lally School MBAs

• Understand the financial and economic elements
  and drivers of business
• Gain mastery over the indicators of business
  performance through skills in accounting and
  statistics
• Build business, maintain, grow, and/or kill it.
• Understand business implications of emerging
  technologies (and how innovation occurs in
  different industries)
• Use information technology to create and capture
  valuenew ways to create value through IT...but
  not only ITnew business platforms and models
• Learn to think strategically about competing in
  new or existing industries new sources of
  advantage
• Manage risk and uncertainty
• Drive the design of new products and services for
  commercial success

6
Major Course Streams

• Creating and Managing the Enterprise
• Value Chains, Networks, Innovation
• Technology, Innovation, and Industrial Dynamics
  Biz Implications of Emerging Technologies
• Developing Innovative New Products and Services
• Competitive Strategy

7
Foundation Tools Courses

• Economic Financial Environment and Evaluation
  Analysis (Accounting and Statistics as well)
• Decision Models
• P.S.we have not forgotten other critical pieces
  such as OB, etc.!!!
• Career Professional Development Courses
• Craig 68 Career Seminar (required, no credit)
• Succeeding in the High-Tech Environment

8
Focus Courses

• Leaders, Heroes, and Innovators (required, no
  creditOrientation course)
• Global Business
• Social Responsibility Business Ethics and
  Environment
• Managing on the Edge Corporate Innovation under
  Stress and Strain
• Electives (4 electives) Revised in accordance
  with final core curriculum

9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)
14
Creating and Managing an Enterprise

• This course is designed to help MBAs understand
  the many functions and activities they must
  master to develop, manage grow a business.
• The course focuses on educating students about
  the management of five key aspectsproduct,
  people, markets, finances, and competitionfor
  business success. The four primary components of
  the business life cycle(1) formation, (2)
  building and managing, (3) sustaining and
  growing, and (4) transformation provide the
  backdrop
• This course is likely to encompass knowledge from
  multiple fields such as strategy,
  entrepreneurship, marketing, OB/HR, and finance.

15
Value Chains, Networks, Innovation

• This course is designed to help MBAs understand
  how and where Value is being (or can be) created
  in todays evolving industry network, and how
  firms can participate at different points in the
  value creation process.
• The course will educate students about how the
  different competencies work together as a process
  to create value for customers, employees, and
  shareholders. It will consider alternative
  models of value creation in different industries
  as well as examine numerous managerial issues
  including the product/process tech strategy,
  innovation processes, IT infrastructure,
  operations, financial, organization and
  leadership issues.
• Students will come away with an understanding of
  the value chain and different approaches for
  creating sustainable revenue streams

16
Technology, Innovation, and Industrial Dynamics

• The objective of this course is to expose
  students to the business opportunities and
  challenges presented by emerging, complex, and
  sophisticated technologies. Technologies such as
  biotechnology, nanotechnology, superconductivity,
  MEMS, fuel cells, hydrogen, terahertz, IT, etc.
  will be examined in terms of what they are, what
  they can do, and what the likely impact will be
  for each on markets and industries.
• Students will gain understanding and skills for
  assessing technology driven industry changes, the
  role of various key players, socially responsible
  business models, as well as the management tools
  and analyses for addressing the opportunities and
  complexities involved.

17
Competitive Strategy

• This course will provide students with the tools
  and perspectives to create and implement
  effective corporate strategy.
• Along with examining the various dimensions of
  business strategy, the course also will help
  students understand the changing sources of
  sustainable competitive advantage in todays
  global markets
• Students will utilize a series of real corporate
  projects to attack actual business problems, with
  an eye towards enhancing their ability to think
  strategically about protecting and enhancing a
  firms competitive assets.

18
Developing Innovative New Products and Services

• This course builds significantly on the knowledge
  students gain in the first year of the program by
  immersing them in the practices and activities
  that lead to the creation and distribution of new
  products. Students undertake the actual steps
  involved in conceiving and implementing a new
  product or service offering.
• Students will gain understanding and experience
  with skills such as understanding customer
  needs, conceptualizing new products/services,
  design, manufacturing, costing, marketing and
  distribution, as they relate to developing
  innovative products.

19
Leaders, Heroes and Innovators

• This will be the MBA students initial exposure
  to the Lally School curriculum. Accordingly, the
  goal of this course is to excite them about
  innovation and entrepreneurshipso they can
  understand the potential for being a real change
  agent.
• Materials will be drawn from inside and outside
  the management literature to demonstrate
  alternative leadership modes for bringing about
  dramatic as well as evolutionary change.

20
Managing on the Edge

• This course is designed to put students on edge
  and make them uneasy as they come towards the
  end of their MBA program. The goal is to place
  them in non-linear, unstable, uncertain
  situations and to encourage them to develop
  innovative solutions for dealing with risk and
  uncertainty.
• Materials will be drawn from inside and outside
  of management to assist the students discover how
  best to manage uncertainty and deal with
  surprises and the un-anticipated.

21
Portfolio Deliverables (for each MBA student)
Assessment Tools

• Business Plan
• Competitive Assessment
• Technical Assessment
• Wall Street Journal Analysis (project/exercise)
• Concentration Specific Project (e.g., Market
  Research project, IT database design/management
  project)

22
End of Slides for Proposed New MBA Curriculum