Menu
Course Descriptions
Because Lake Forest MBA courses are continually reviewed for quality content, they are therefore subject to change.
|
LMBA Courses |
iMBA Courses |
|
Keys To Your Success (4 self-paced, online modules that you complete prior to beginning your first core course; each module takes approximately four hours to complete)
Change Management Certificate (4 courses)
Management Analytics Certificate (4 courses)
Strategy and Execution Certificate (4 courses)
5240 Capstone Course: Strategic Management Elective Courses 5802 Negotiations & Conflict Management
|
Core Courses 7800 Career Development Elective Courses |
Lake Forest Leadership MBA Core Courses
5100 Executive Success Skills
Communication is at the heart of effective leadership. This introductory course establishes
performance expectations for the critical communication skills necessary for success
in business. Students will have an opportunity to fine-tune their written, oral, and
listening skills, as well as to learn the basics of teamwork. Students will learn
how to frame a message for maximum impact using a variety of communication tools,
how to incorporate delivery techniques into their presentations that will engage the
audience, and how to respond effectively to their managers and peers. Fundamental
concepts and guidelines are reinforced through practical assignments, ongoing instructor/peer/self
critique, and participation in team activities. Subsequent courses will build upon
the criteria for excellence in communications that have been defined in this class.
Prerequisites: None
5110 Accounting for Decision Making
This course provides the student with an understanding of the financial information
shared with external stakeholders and the management information critical to internal
stakeholders in achieving stated goals in the organization. Learning about the components
of profitability, liquidity, and asset management through financial statement analysis
will promote insight in the areas of governance, investment decisions, credit decisions,
and regulatory compliance. Essential to meeting internal corporate objectives is the
creation of useful analysis and communication of management financial information.
This course will provide the student with a set of tools and models to approach difficult
decisions faced each day.
Prerequisites: None
5120 Effective Leadership
Effective Leadership is a highly personal look at leadership. This course enables
students to better understand their own leadership styles and apply these styles effectively
in the workplace. The course includes a discussion of individual and universal leadership
concepts, how leaders think and act, and how various management styles impact situations
and relationships within an organization. In addition, coaching models are demonstrated
to help students become influential leaders within their companies.
The course helps students develop action plans to enhance their professional and personal
leadership skills through the completion of personal assessments and interactive activities.
The course materials also explore how effective teams are formed, how team members
interact, and how students can become more effective members and leaders of teams.
Prerequisites: None
5130 Strategic Thinking
In this course, students will learn to think strategically and apply strategic concepts
and tools to the fundamental functions and processes necessary to lead a business
in a dynamic and highly competitive environment. Students are introduced to a higher
level of thinking that is used by general managers in running successful businesses
by forming an integrated systems perspective of the organization. Students will be
required to demonstrate their ability to convert their analysis into logical and persuasive
recommendations. Complex business case studies will challenge students to improve
their ability to resolve complex business issues, identify underlying problems, be
open to new ideas that lead to innovative but feasible alternatives, and to take actions
that will meet the needs of their organization’s stakeholders. Students will learn
to think, act, and communicate like a general manager. Thinking, communicating, and
implementation skills necessary to advance to higher organizational levels will be
acquired.
Prerequisites: None
5140 Business Analytics & Research
This course focuses on the practical application of statistical tools to understand
and use relevant data leading to winning decisions by introducing students to major
statistical and decision analysis tools used in business. It prepares them for quantitative
analysis in a variety of areas, including strategy, operations, finance, human resources,
and marketing and sales. By separating facts from opinions and identifying the most
influential factors and risks in areas such as marketing, operations, finance and
strategy, students will formulate judgments that provide a competitive advantage to
themselves and their organizations. Interpreting data and making decisions are not
exclusively mechanical processes; they also involve intuition, ideas and values to
find real-world meaning from real-world numbers.
Prerequisites: None
5160 Global Business & Cultural Diversity
Companies and managers are impacted as the global economy trends towards greater integration
and interdependency. This course examines the effect of cultural diversity on personal
and organizational effectiveness, the impact of globalization on business operations
and the strategic considerations and factors necessary to compete ethically and effectively
in this dynamic marketplace. Students will view the global environment from many viewpoints
(an individual contributor, functional manager, and CEO), through case studies, discussions,
simulations and assignments. Effective communication, ethical decision making and
strategic thinking under the umbrella of the global challenge are addressed.
Prerequisite: None
5170 Economics for Managers
This course examines key economic concepts that are critical to managerial decision-making
within today’s business environment, including microeconomic and macroeconomic principles.
Microeconomic topics addressed include supply and demand, consumer and competitor
behaviors, cost analysis, and pricing and output decisions within various market structures.
Issues related to public policy and regulation as they apply to market dynamics and
business decision making are also included. In the macroeconomics section, the course
considers the national and worldwide economic environment within which businesses
operate. Specifically, it provides an understanding of gross domestic product, unemployment,
investment, interest rates, the supply of money, inflation, exchange rates, international
trade, business cycles and fiscal and monetary policy. All topics are discussed with
an emphasis on real-world applications.
Prerequisite: None
5190 Financial Management
This course combines understanding, application, and discussion of important financial
management concepts, resulting in the student’s improved appreciation of the dynamics
of financial relationships. Drawing upon previous instruction in accounting and statistics
courses, the student builds upon prior skills and knowledge, identifying the real-world
trade-offs in business planning and corporate operations. The student applies financial
principles, tools, and identifiable risk to create and measure economic value. This
course places particular emphasis on the practice and theory associated with asset
valuation and the maintenance of appropriate capital structure. The student presents
oral and written analyses of a real company’s financial issues and develops confidence
in being able to recommend courses of action for that company.
Prerequisites: 5110, 5140
5200 Innovation & Risk
This course focuses on the acquisition of discovery techniques, risk assessment tools,
and innovation leadership skills to initiate strategically aligned innovation in an
organizational environment. The significance of innovation, the strategic and organizational
environment, and best implementation practices for both individuals and teams are
examined and experienced. There are individual and team graded assignments. The culmination
of the course is a team presentation of a new product or service idea with risk assessment
for approval and funding.
Prerequisite: 5130, 5210, 5230
5210 Marketing
This course provides the student with a working knowledge of contemporary marketing
principles, the ability to solve diverse and complex marketing problems, and a comprehensive
set of marketing strategies that can be used effectively within a global environment.
Emphasis is placed on application of course learnings to real-world challenges. Students
are taught to think strategically and ethically in achieving a desired market presence
and to develop and maintain strong customer relationships. Areas of study include
market assessment and development, understanding consumer behavior, segmentation and
target selection, strategic brand positioning, product management, integrated communications,
channel management, strategic pricing, and market planning. Student teams develop
a marketing plan for a product or service, which is presented to an impartial panel
of marketing professionals during the final class session.
Prerequisites: 5140
5220 Leading Organizational Change
Leading Organizational Change helps students understand and participate effectively
in dynamic organizational change. Students will learn why enhancing the pace of learning
and change is important to personal and organizational performance and growth. They
will be able to diagnose the functional or dysfunctional impact of strategic intent,
culture and leadership behaviors on effecting constructive organizational change.
The course will also enable students to recognize and address both personal and organizational
obstacles to change. Finally, students will understand the need for continually reassessing
and updating their capabilities for leading change and how to apply these capabilities
to facilitate change within their organizations.
Prerequisites: 5120
5230 Operations Management
This course provides an overview of the key operations management functions in the
context of a globally competitive environment, both in a service and a manufacturing
setting. Various elements critically necessary to achieve optimal performance are
examined. Such elements include labor evaluation, process design and management, capacity
planning, site selection, software systems such as ERP, inventory management, scheduling
and demand flow, quality systems, managing customer relationships, supply chain management,
employee involvement, lean enterprise management, operational strategies, and the
impact of global operations. Insight and a deeper understanding of the role that operations
play in the overall organizational strategy will be attained.
Prerequisite: 5140
5240 Strategic Management
This capstone course is designed to provide students an opportunity to apply and integrate
knowledge and skills acquired in the MBA program. The emphasis is on the holistic
perspective of the CEO/General Manager in crafting a business strategy and using acquired
team and leadership skills to successfully execute this strategy. Strategic management
issues are explored and applied within the contexts of stakeholder value, ethical
decision making, innovation, and strategic thinking.
The centerpiece of this course is an interactive, online business strategy game computer
simulation. Student teams form companies to develop and execute a strategy to compete
with other student teams throughout the course. At the end of the simulation, each
team makes a comprehensive oral presentation summarizing their performance and learning
experiences. Students are also required to act as CEO/Team Leader for part of the
course and write a paper describing the effectiveness of their team. The simulation
is supplemented by team and class discussions of complex business cases, student experiences,
contemporary readings, and other relevant materials.
Prerequisites: All core courses
Lake Forest Leadership MBA Elective Courses
5802 Negotiations & Conflict Management
The purpose of this course is to help students become more effective in handling the
frequent conflicts and resulting negotiations that confront business executives. The
course treats negotiation as a complex process that requires the successful practitioner
to develop and utilize a unique blend of perceptual, analytical, and interpersonal
skills. The course methodology is highly experiential, combining class discussion
of assigned readings with practice negotiations in one-on-one and team situations.
Course assignments focus on the application of learned negotiation skills in actual
work situations.
Prerequisites: 5100
5804 Business Law
This course examines the legal and regulatory environment in which corporations and
managers function. Day-to-day decision making is considered within the context of
pertinent laws, regulations, and court decisions. Focus is on analysis of the legal
system, and specific topics within the system such as contracts, governmental regulations,
agency relationships, torts, corporate and other types of business entities, and related
issues.
Prerequisite: 5130
5806 Team and Employee Effectiveness
This course covers both the communications challenges specific to teams as well as the feedback process that occurs in coaching or managing relationships. The most productive teams are facilitated by skilled process managers who understand how to build teams and keep them productive for a defined time period. Students learn in real time how to build a team by working in teams. Employee effectiveness is dependent upon the feedback processes that occur in the workplace.
Managers typically engage in a number of key one-on-one interactions with employees
to ensure improved performance. These key interactions revolve around the life cycle
of employment, including interviewing, on-boarding, setting goals, performance reviews,
coaching and termination. This course addresses strategies that help managers develop
direct reports and improve their ability to successfully engage in critical coaching
conversations.
Prerequisite: 5120
5807 Ethical Leadership & Decision Making
This course provides an understanding of how values shape individual ethical behaviors,
and how these behaviors influence leadership and decision-making. The course will
provide practical knowledge and tools needed to effectively manage the everyday ethical
conduct of employees. The course will also discuss how legal, philosophical, and corporate
practices influence ethical behavior for individuals and companies. Students examine
how social, environmental and stakeholder responsibilities, and different values impact
ethical behavior in companies. (Premium pricing applies.)
Prerequisite: 5130
5810 Strategic Talent Management
Strategic Talent Management builds a conceptual framework for business leaders to
understand that the strategic management of people can improve business performance.
This course will help participants maximize the performance of their employees and
learn techniques that promote the success of their employees. As leaders move up in
their organizations, their success ultimately depends on their ability to achieve
results by managing the efforts of their direct reports and colleagues.
Three major themes are developed through this course:
- An organization is most effective when “people strategies” are properly aligned with “business strategies.”
- The strategic management of people is a critical responsibility of all business leaders within an organization.
- As leaders move up in an organization, the challenge of working through others to achieve success increases.
Highlights of this elective include the following:
- How to select and retain the most qualified employees
- How to create and maintain a high level of motivation among employees
- How to develop employees so they are prepared for complex and/or unexpected business challenges
- How to reward employees in unique ways while, at the same time, maintaining a standard of fairness
Prerequisites: 5120, 5130
5820 Project Management
This course covers the process and techniques required to manage almost all types
of projects. The course integrates key management skills acquired throughout the MBA
program with specific project management skills and knowledge. This integration helps
students more effectively meet project objectives on time and within budget, as well
as meet expectations and quality requirements. Considerable emphasis is placed on
the knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques needed to manage projects successfully.
This course is also offered via Blackboard in an instructor-facilitated, totally
online format.
Prerequisite: 5130
5822 Social Media
Social media has increased the complexity of business and interpersonal communication
by creating interactive environments where customers become collaborators and employees
become facilitators. The way organizations communicate and interact internally as
well as with consumers has been significantly altered. Learning to use social media
tools that assist in identifying and targeting particular markets or addressing organizational
initiatives that create interactions and build relationships are critical to organizations.
This course is grounded in practice, and students will participate in social networks,
forums, blogs, wikis, micro-blogs, and more.
Prerequisite: 5130
5827 Investments
This course introduces basic portfolio strategies focusing on common investment types,
including mutual funds, fixed-dollar annuities and variable-dollar annuities from
the perspective of the individual and institutional investor. Market operations, performance
evaluation, fundamental security analysis methods (in relation to stock bonds), mutual
funds, options, and futures are included and students have the opportunity to analyze
how each type works, recognizing the advantages and disadvantages as well as yield
expectations.
Prerequisite: 5130
5828 Entrepreneurial Finance
This course focuses on the financing decisions of entrepreneurs. The course emphasizes
identifying and valuing entrepreneurial business opportunities as well as how and
from whom entrepreneurs raise funds. An exploration of how financial contracts are
structured to manage risk and align incentives and how and when entrepreneurs “harvest”
success and value is included.
Prerequisite: 5130
5831 The Healthcare Landscape
U.S. healthcare faces increasing costs, decreasing reimbursement, expanding technology
and a diverse and aging population. To make more effective decisions, it is essential
that managers possess a greater understanding of the forces driving the changes in
this dynamic industry. This course will prepare future leaders to understand the issues
and responsibilities facing the healthcare industry today and assist them to identify
the influences that will continue to impact the industry. We will explore the diversity
of stakeholders and provide various options to respond to the important issues facing
the industry. While the focus will be on the U.S. healthcare system, comparisons will
be made to non-U.S. systems as appropriate. Finally, the course will focus on applied
learning, seeking data, and approaches that help participants make more effective
decisions.
Prerequisite: 5130
5832 Advanced Topics in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is at a crossroads. It is faced with evolving models of healthcare
delivery, changing reimbursement methodologies, and increased government regulations.
Today more than ever, healthcare leaders need a greater understanding of the financial
issues facing healthcare organizations and the tools required to make sound business
decisions. This course provides an overview of financial management concepts and techniques
essential for healthcare managers. Students will learn the theory, concepts, and technical
tools necessary to make financial decisions. Topics include an overview of the financial
environment of healthcare organizations, third-party payment and government-financed
healthcare, managed care, short- and long-term financing options, financial statement
analysis and performance evaluation tools, and the increasingly important role of
compliance in maintaining a healthcare organization’s financial health.
Prerequisites: 5190, 5831
5833 Healthcare Business Practice
Public policy plays a significant role in healthcare delivery and financing;ethical
decision making is fundamental to both healthcare policy and individual behavior.
This course will address the public health policy process, and policy formulation,
implementation, and effect. With a foundation in policy, the course will focus on
ethical principles with an emphasis on the practical application of these principles
to business and clinical decision making. Policy, law, and ethics will be studied
in light of current issues in healthcare including financing, rationing, access to
care, medical liability, patient safety, privacy, workforce issues, genetics, and
technology. Case studies will be used to exemplify concepts and principles.
Prerequisites: 5130, 5831
5840 Global Practicum: Europe
This course offers students an opportunity to focus on the European business environment
within an innovative and flexible framework that combines traditional classroom-based
learning with structured, rigorous in-country experiential learning. The pragmatic
aspects of doing business abroad, such as cultural differences, resource availability,
legal and economic framework, technology, and marketing issues, are explored through
classroom discussion, in-country company and government site visits, lectures from
European educators and business leaders, and consulting project client interaction.
Effective communication and ethical decision making under the umbrella of the global
challenge are addressed.
Prerequisite: 5160 or Dean’s approval
5841 Global Practicum: Asia
This course offers students an opportunity to focus on the Asian business environment
within an innovative and flexible framework that combines traditional classroom-based
learning with structured, rigorous in-country experiential learning. Focusing on emerging
markets in terms of development, economy, growth, and philosophies in a multi-cultural
setting, the challenges and opportunities of these dynamic markets are addressed.
The pragmatic aspects of doing business abroad, such as cultural differences, resource
availability, legal and economic framework, technology, and marketing issues are explored
through classroom discussion, in-country company and government site visits, lectures
from Asian educators and business leaders, and consulting project client interaction.
Effective communication and ethical decision making under the umbrella of the global
challenge are addressed.
Prerequisite: 5160 or Dean’s approval
5842 Global Practicum: Latin America
This course offers students an opportunity to focus on the Latin American and U.S.
Hispanic business environment within an innovative and flexible framework that combines
traditional classroom-based learning with structured, rigorous in-country experiential
learning. The pragmatic aspects of doing business abroad, such as cultural differences,
resource availability, legal and economic framework, technology, and marketing issues,
are explored through classroom discussion, in-country company and government site
visits, lectures from Latin American educators and business leaders, and consulting
project client interaction. Effective communication and ethical decision making under
the umbrella of the global challenge are addressed.
Prerequisite: 5160 or Dean’s approval
5848 Global Finance
Companies and managers are impacted as the global economy trends toward greater integration
and interdependency. This course provides students with an advanced and in-depth understanding
of financial management principles as they relate to the global capital markets. Focusing
on the global financial and macroeconomic environment, topics such as foreign exchange
markets, management of foreign exchange exposure, international financial instruments,
and cross-border investment are analyzed. Through lecture, case study, group discussion
and presentation, students will increase their ability to manage exchange risk and
market imperfections using various techniques while maximizing organizational financial
performance. Effective communication and ethical decision making under the umbrella
of the global challenge are addressed.
Prerequisites: 5160, 5190
5849 Global Marketing
Companies and managers are impacted as the global economy trends toward greater integration
and interdependency. This course provides students with an advanced and in-depth understanding
of marketing principles as they relate to the global marketplace. Environmental factors
that influence marketing in the global arena (political, economic, legal, sociocultural,
technological and competitive) are examined as to the impact on entry strategy, product,
pricing, distribution, packaging, promotion planning and branding. Through lecture,
case study, group discussion, presentation and in-store research, the complex and
dynamic global environment in which marketing strategies are formulated and implemented
are analyzed to advance student decision making skills in marketing globally successfully.
Effective communication and ethical decision making under the umbrella of the global
challenge are addressed.
Prerequisites: 5160, 5210
5850 Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing examines how new digital technologies have changed the marketing
industry. The course will cover its impact on the e-enabled marketing mix and communication
strategies, as well as changes in product and channel strategy driven by digital technology.
The course provides the student with a working knowledge of contemporary digital marketing
principles and provides a tool set to assess, build, and sustain a successful, comprehensive
integrated digital marketing program. In a field which literally changes on a daily
basis, emphasis is placed on staying on top of contemporary topical issues, while
applying course content to real-world challenges.
Prerequisites: 5160, 5210
5870 New Venture Creation
This course examines personal and business issues in entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial
new venture creation. It examines the analytical framework and skills for evaluating
and implementing new opportunities in business.
Prerequisite: 5210
5871 Leading the Sales Function
The management of revenue generation is key to an organization’s success and a principal
concern of sales managers. This course covers the management processes of planning,
developing, and implementing the company’s strategic sales plan, relating it to the
marketing strategy, and reviewing and evaluating the performance of the sales force.
Students learn the basics of the sales process and territory management, as well as
how to prepare forecasts and to structure and deploy the sales force to achieve them.
They are introduced to the challenges associated with recruiting, selecting, training,
motivating, compensating, evaluating, and retaining qualified salespeople. They study
a variety of approaches that have been used to address those challenges. The course
also addresses leadership, teamwork, and legal and ethical issues commonly faced by
sales managers.
Prerequisite: 5210 or Dean’s approval
5880 Sustainable Business
Sustainability, defined broadly to include social equity, economic development, and
environmental restoration, offers new opportunities (but also challenges) for business.
How can we translate these outside opportunities and challenges into future business
opportunities? How can individuals, organizations, and society learn and undergo change
at the pace needed to stave off worsening problems? Today, organizations of all kinds—including
those that we work for—are tackling these very questions. Given the enormous challenges
we face as a society, this course is focused around the question "what can you and
your companies do?" The management aspects are multi-faceted, and this course provides
students with an overview of these issues and the tools to help effectively solve
them.
This accelerated format course will be taught through a mixture of case studies, readings,
class discussion and guest lecturers. Of particular importance are two projects, one
team and one individual, in which students will think through issues related to sustainability
and apply the knowledge and skills to deliver greater value for their organizations
and stakeholders.
Prerequisite: 5130
5885 iRelaunch Career Exploration & Job Search Tactics
Based on the career reentry strategy book Back on the Career Track's "7 Steps to Relaunch Success", this course takes a deep dive into the crucial steps a relaunching or transitioning professional must take to prepare for a successful return to work or transition to a new career.
This course uses a customized version of the iRelaunch Coaching Circles curriculum,
which has a multi-year track record of helping professionals to return to work after
a hiatus, including those who are transitioning to new careers.
Prerequisite: None
Lake Forest Immersion MBA Core Courses
7800 Career Development (3 Credits)
Our career management philosophy is: We coach. You Run! And, in this day and age, anyone who is committed to proactively managing their career within their current role, or planning and executing a job or career change, needs to have the coaching and support, along with the background and resources necessary to evaluate themselves, the market, the jobs, and the opportunities when they present themselves. This course is the foundation upon which you will successfully manage your career. The course is divided into three parts that expound on our proven four-step career management process: Discover, Network, Interview and Perform.
Part 1: Discover will cover topics such as self-assessment, personal branding, company research and personal marketing materials such as a resume.
Part 2: Network & Interviewing will focus on networking, uncovering the hidden job market, interviewing, and accessing job opportunities.
Part 3: Perform orients the student to delivering excellence in their job via topics such as offer evaluation, negotiation, emotional intelligence, and creating 90, 180 and 365 day plans. This is a pass/fail component. Are you ready to be coached for the run ahead?
7810 History of Management Thought (1 Credit)
This three-week orientation program is a requirement for any student entering the program. It starts with an initial orientation session where students meet their faculty mentor and classmates online through real time collaboration software and discuss the overall program requirements and expectations. It then provides an overview of major schools or perspectives of management theory. The focus is on the disciplinary foundations of management theory, as well as the impact of historical context upon the development of management theory. The course also focuses on the rise of the concept of management as a distinct profession. This pass/fail course must be completed prior to taking any other courses.
STORYLINE: Students will be introduced to their Company (Central Products) and the tools and processes necessary to successfully navigate the program. Central’s CEO is looking for wisdom. In this course, the CEO will ask the student and his/her training partner to go on a quest to uncover Central’s past. Students will be assigned a series of interviews with former employees to unearth secrets about the family business.
7815 Management for Results (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the knowledge and skills needed to grow and sustain performance in an organization, whether a full company, a department, division, or other strategic business unit within an existing organization by getting the right things done through teams of people. It addresses the common management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The student learns from classic and contemporary reading, case studies, peers, and practicing managers.
STORYLINE: The annual awards ceremony is just around the corner, and the student and his/her training partner will decide which employees will receive a coveted Central award. Will the student be ready for his/her tasks? When the awards ceremony comes around, will the student know what it means to manage others?
7820 Marketing for Results (4 Credits)
This course gives attention to the knowledge and skills needed to manage the marketing function in a 21st century organization. It addresses the common marketing functions of industry and market research, customer research, product and service design, pricing, creating awareness, distribution, and presentation.
STORYLINE: The head of Central’s marketing department is in trouble. Understaffed and under pressure to meet Central’s goals of doubling in size, she is at her wits’ end. Reluctantly, she must rely on students and their partner to help her team meet deadlines.
7825 Human Resources & Organizational Behavior (4 Credits)
This course examines the knowledge and skills needed to grow and sustain talent in an organization, and includes the relevant issues commonly associated with the study of human behavior in organizations. It addresses the common functions of recruitment, training and talent development, motivation, teamwork, compensation, performance, labor relations, safety, laws and cultural concerns, specifically targeted within the context of human resources management (HRM).
STORYLINE: At the heart of Central Products’ fast-paced expansion is the weary and ragged Human Resources department, charged with the daunting task of hiring hundreds of new employees in less than two years. The HR director needs the student to contribute as one of her staff. The student will be challenged to deal with issues of sexual harassment, on-the-job injury, and unionization.
7830 Financial Accountability (4 Credits)
This course is intended to present students with basic skills and terminology in financial accountability and then allow them to apply these skills in practical critical thinking exercises, decision situations, and other higher levels of learning. Topics include both financial and managerial accounting concepts. The course begins with an understanding of the various financial statements and the basic accounting process. A more in-depth coverage of assets, liabilities, equities, revenues, and expenses leads to financial statement analysis. The course transitions into foundational managerial accounting concepts, including: cost behavior, budgets, performance evaluation, differential analysis, and capital budgeting.
STORYLINE: Students are assigned to add up the Company’s vending machine money. The machine’s income goes toward a beneficiary fund for needy Central employees, but the lack of a system led to tremendous conflict last year.
7835 MIS and E-Business (4 Credits)
This course is an overview of the interchange and processing of information using electronic techniques for conducting business within a framework of generally accepted standards and practices. Areas covered include: E-Business terminology, the foundations of E-Business, why E-Business, how managers use Internet technology, retailing, customer service, advertising, and managing with the Internet, using Intranets and Extranets; and infrastructure for E-Business.
STORYLINE: Central Products Company has outgrown its MIS system. Now the student and the MIS team must plan and execute an information system strategy, architecture, and infrastructure. The pressure is on to redesign the Department as well as to determine the right combinations of hardware, software, and data that will make the Company more responsive to all parts of the value chain.
7840 Decision Analysis in Organizations (4 Credits)
This course analyzes provides the student with the concepts, methods and tools for the application of logical and quantitative analysis to business decision making and problem solving. The course highlights the benefits as well as the limits of quantitative analysis in a real-world context.
STORYLINE: On the same day the student walks into the Production and Engineering offices as an executive trainee, s/he is faced with a multitude of critical decisions. Students will learn to handle lower- , middle- , and upper-level decisions with insight and wisdom, or will experience what happens when they disappoint a mentor.
7845 International Business (4 Credits)
This course gives attention to the knowledge and skills needed to grow and sustain performance in an international business organization, whether a full company, a department, division or other strategic business unit within an existing organization. It addresses the common international business functions of market analysis, exporting, sourcing, direct foreign investment, and cross-cultural management.
STORYLINE: The Director of International Business at Central Products has hired three
regional directors for Central’s expanding international efforts. They have just arrived
at headquarters for fast-track training and the student will be shadowing them. Students
travel with the regional directors and witness them experience their own cross-cultural
challenges first hand.
Lake Forest Immersion MBA Elective Courses
7890 International Finance (4 credits)
This course provides the knowledge and skills needed to manage the complexities of financing exports, imports, and direct foreign investment. Primary topics include the nature or behavior of foreign exchange rates and managing the impacts of exchange rates on short-term and long-term international business activities and performance objectives.
7895 Business and Culture (4 credits)
This course describes the knowledge and skills needed to manage a multinational, multicultural business. The focus is on understanding how cultural differences can affect the marketing and delivery of products and services, and the interaction of company employees with one another, customers, suppliers and government representatives.
7897 Import-Export Management (4 credits)
This course covers the knowledge, skills and insights needed to manage imports and
exports either in a comprehensive trading company or in a department of a company
that depends on sourcing or exporting to achieve its strategic objectives.
