Business Strategy Concentration

This course develops students’ skills in applied financial model building and understanding of valuation and financial analysis. Students will use Excel as a training ground to explore the best and most interesting principles of business, economics, finance and accounting. Using integrated three statement financial models, big data, macro recording and editing, and artificial intelligence, students will produce their own models and improve upon existing models to answer questions, evaluate assertions and provide analytical insight.

This is a first course in corporate finance. The course is designed to introduce students to the concepts and techniques necessary to analyze and implement optimal investment decisions. The course covers the effect of time and uncertainty on decision making. Topics include discounting techniques and applications, stock and bond valuation, diversification and portfolio choice, and capital budgeting.

Students will learn about creativity from a multi-disciplinary perspective, develop confidence in their own flexible thinking abilities, learn how to practice creativity within a business framework, and appreciate how workplace environments affect creativity. Readings, case studies, class exercises, and projects will emphasize the role of applied creativity in areas such as business opportunity recognition, product design, customer service, and innovative management practices.

This course will familiarize the student with the intricacies and special aspects of international marketing both for consumers and those within a business to business setting. Case studies will be used to allow for analysis of business problems and issues.

In this course you will take an active and experiential, lean start-up approach to entrepreneurism. You will learn how entrepreneurism is a basis for developing your professional practice, small business or non-profit. Building on a foundation of earlier courses, you will work both individually and in teams to develop value propositions into innovative and viable business models through the application of business disciplines especially in the areas of marketing, entrepreneurial financial management and operations. You will develop the ability to manage the complete entrepreneurial process from conceptualization, through business modeling, to pre-launch. Learning activities will include case studies, team-based design thinking sessions and both team and individual projects.