How do individuals design, organize, execute, and evaluate activities undertaken to serve customers, clients, and/or constituents? This course introduces students to principles of leadership and management practice. It will consider how one manages oneself, others, and resources in the pursuit of a well-defined purpose. It will acquaint students with the methods managers use to: assess the environment in which the organization operates; design, build, and implement the organization’s capacity to serve; make decisions; and evaluate the efficacy of those decisions.
What are organizations and how do people design, manage, and adapt them to meet their objectives? This course answers that question by introducing students to principles of organizational design and discussing evidence concerning the relationship between organizational structures, work processes, and enterprise outcomes. The course also familiarizes students with the processes through which organizations change and how the change resulting from these processes affects organizations’ stakeholders, missions, and outcomes. Students taking the course will become fluent in the concepts guiding organizational design, management, and change.
Accounting is widely considered the "language of business." This course introduces students to the principles that guide modern accounting practice. In the process, students will learn to reason about important trade-offs and measurement issues faced by accounting professionals, recognize the diversity of accounting careers, and appreciate the institutions that govern the accounting world.
With the rise of Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, and the gig economy, decision-making processes contingent upon business analytics plays an increasingly larger role throughout organizations globally. More specifically, this course will teach the fundamentals of management science, which is the broad interdisciplinary study of problem-solving and decision-making in human organizations. Integrated business examples will be provided and complex issues solved for using spreadsheet modeling and decision analysis in Excel. Windows-based Excel is required.
How can managers use accounting information to help create and assess value in organizations? The course emphasizes three main areas: (1) understanding how an organization consumes resources and generates value, (2) using accounting information for decision making, and (3) using financial and nonfinancial information to assess organizational performance. Students will learn how to use the tools that facilitate better pricing, operating and investing decisions, including cost allocation, cost behavior and estimation, Cost-Volume-Profit analysis, incremental analysis, managing constraints, analyzing cash flows, and ratio analysis.
How do managers raise and invest the financial resources needed to support their organizations’ activities? This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts and techniques of financial management in the modern business enterprise. Students completing the course will understand foundational finance concepts and will be able to use those concepts to make basic assessments about the value of an enterprise and its activities.
To some, marketing is the business function that identifies consumer needs and wants, determines which target markets the organization can best serve, and designs appropriate products, services, and programs to serve these markets. However, marketing is much more than an isolated business function—it is a philosophy that can guide the entire organization. The goal of marketing is to create satisfaction efficiently by building value-laden, enduring relationships with consumers. The purpose of this course is to introduce and apply a systematic framework for understanding, developing, and evaluating marketing activities, particularly the creation of value and operationalizing strategy via marketing tactics.
Successful professionals are able to work well on teams, communicate effectively, and have well-crafted plans to guide their careers. In this course, students build expertise working with teams on multiple oral and written assignments that increase in challenge and complexity. Students will explore professional career options, establish a career plan, and develop key tools for finding an internship. Key topics include understanding the business disciplines and associated career paths, resume and cover letter development, social networking, and professional communication development including oral and written communication on case analysis.
Introduction to the nature of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial mindset. Emphasis on identifying opportunities, generating creative ideas, and the process of scaling up sustainable organizations. Topics include: alternative concepts of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship; steps in new venture creation; introduction to entrepreneurial finance and marketing; new venture planning for both emerging and existing enterprises. Uses case studies, hands-on experiential teams, and exposure through guest speakers to successful entrepreneurs and to Willamette University and community resources for entrepreneurs.
The new world of work is driven by project work completed by teams. In this course, students will gain practical experience in initiating and managing projects efficiently and effectively. Student teams will work with real client organizations to complete a complex project. This course uses a structured curriculum with frequent feedback to teach key components of project management. Proper planning will be emphasized, especially in the early phases of a new initiative.
The value realized from operations and the innovation stemming from manufacturing/service capabilities has increased substantially in recent years. As a consequence, overseeing the supply base and quality management practices have become critically important for firms in many manufacturing and service industries. This course will familiarize students with modern operations management theory and practice, more specifically, how to design and implement operations strategies, processes, structures and systems, and how to structure and manage plant operations to meet firms’ supply needs. Additionally, management of physical resources, information systems in operations, and applications in various organizations will also be discussed.
Enterprises maintain a dynamic, interactive relationship with the communities in which they operate. Communities create rules, uphold social norms, and express ideological values that shape how enterprises function; enterprises, in turn, engage with the community to sculpt those sources of influence. Developing a coherent, planned approach to this community engagement constitutes an enterprise’s nonmarket strategy. This course informs students about the theoretical constructs central to the development of nonmarket strategy, as well as the empirical patterns and trends relevant to designing nonmarket strategy. The course structures its line of inquiry by tracing how public issues emerge, attract community members’ attention, and transform into tenets—ranging from public policies to social conventions—that govern the activity of enterprises. The course will pay particular attention to how changes in technology, social media, activism, and politics have shaped contemporary nonmarket strategy.
How can students translate the theoretical knowledge from business courses to the practical reality of professional level employment? This course provides the opportunity to navigate the hiring process, make valuable connections, in and outside Willamette, and gain confidence from real successes. Students will work with both Career Management and a faculty member to make progress towards their career objectives while earning credits towards the BS degree.
To register for BUS 3904, students must have already obtained an internship and submitted an Internships for Academic Credit Agreement Form. This form -- as well as additional policies, procedures and information about registration for internship courses -- can be found at the following link: https://willamette.edu/
This class is graded on a Pass/No-Pass (P/N) basis only.
Decisions driven by data are a goal, and a core tool, of modern management science. This course provides tools to function as an intelligent interpreter and user of data and statistical information for decision support. This includes different types of data and how they are obtained, the range of statistical processes and models for transforming data into useful and actionable information, a working familiarity and self-sufficiency with basic computational tools of data summary, analysis, and modeling, and the ability to effectively communicate the results of quantitative analyses with numerical and graphical tools including dashboards, quantitative decision rubrics, and other visual tools to improve business performance, deepen enterprise understanding, and generally support data-driven decisions.
Effective leadership is more crucial than ever in the current knowledge economy. Leaders must develop emotional and social intelligence, resonant relationships, and multiple leadership styles to successfully manage, lead and influence group and individual behavior and performance. In this course, students build essential competencies for leading within diverse organizational settings while honing their career plans and preparation for a full-time position after graduation. Students will learn leadership theories and applications, how to apply influencing strategies, and improve their career readiness and materials, including resume and cover letter, professional Linkedin profile, and interview skills.
The capstone business class, integrating concepts and practices from core business classes, utilizing an organization-wide, strategic perspective, and examining the relationship among firm strategy, structure, and environment. The course emphasizes strategic analysis, strategy formulation, and strategy implementation to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, and business ethics are incorporated into the strategic perspective. Through readings, cases, presentations, in-depth group discussions and exercises, students will broaden their understanding and practice the art of strategic decision making.
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