“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Great advice, right? Just blend in. Don’t flout the local customs. Go along to get along. Who are you to judge?
Of course, every culture holds biases and indulges practices that may seem unfair at best and immoral at worst. Many times, the gap between belief and behavior is hardly an anomaly lurking below the surface. Eventually, your values are going to collide with that country’s values. Do you look away like a faux Roman? Do you work within the system to change? Do you withdraw altogether?
ARE WE DOING ENOUGH?
There are no easy answers to these questions, especially in commerce. What might be the right approach in one country could fail miserably in another. Some companies can leverage their weight to force social change. For example, Adidas has chosen transparency about their suppliers and contractors to better fight against child labor. In contrast, Google shuttered its Chinese operations in response to censorship – effectively withdrawing from the world’s largest marketplace to follow its “Don’t be evil” roots. Alas, both companies are multinationals with diverse revenue streams. Their decision-making framework is far different than players with limited resources or control over overseas partners.
Every day, international companies wrestle with ethical questions. There are always divergent views about whether to simply follow regulations – or adopt an alternative base that embraces larger ethical, environmental, and social concerns. Even with the latter, there is always the larger question hanging over organizations: Are we doing enough?
Such questions lie at the heart of Global Impact: Business Ethics, a course from the University of Illinois. Taught by Patricia Werhane, an icon in the field of business ethics, the course is designed to help businesses develop decision-making frameworks that both free students from Western assumptions about developing nations and adopt solutions that can be sustained over the long-term.
LEARNING HOW TO THINK…SO YOU KNOW HOW TO ACT
Patricia Werhane
For Werhane, ethics and commerce are intertwined, particularly when companies operate overseas. The dimensions may include how to reduce environmental degradation in a host country – even when a firm’s activities fit within the confines of their host’s laws. It may also involve how to establish control processes that prevent companies from becoming part of culturally-sanctioned abuses like slave or child labor. In such situations, companies must sort out their obligations from their responsibilities, to recognize the opportunities, limitations, and tradeoffs involved so they can leverage more equitable practices.
Understanding this, Werhane has structured her course to teach students how to think. Through cases, videos, and lectures, the course will explore the issues and pressures faced by companies like Merck, Bayer, and Volkswagen; the questions and choices that they considered during the decision-making process; and the impact that their solution ultimately produced.
Yes, companies – and the people they employ – generally have the best of intentions. However, it is a matter of imagination – identifying potential abuses – and execution – taking clear and decisive action that set expectations – where companies often struggle. These are the biggest reasons why Global Ethics is both a timely and important course. “Business is a moral enterprise because it deals with people and affects people all of the time, Werhane notes in a 2011 interview. “Everything a company does affect people. That’s why teaching business ethics, to increase the awareness of that, is critical.
Ethics may headline February’s MOOCs offerings, but strategy dominates it. That starts with the University of Virginia, which has opened a new section of Foundations of Business Strategy, an introductory course taught by master teacher Michael Lenox that focuses on how to fit the moving pieces of an operation together into a purposely-functioning whole. “The cases are interesting and the final assignment is a great way to implement the topics that you will learn throughout the course (Five Forces, Capability Analysis, Competitors’ Dynamics, Environment Analysis, etc),” writes one student who completed the course in 2017.
STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT AMONG TOP NEW OFFERINGS
Lenox’s colleague at Darden, Yael Grushka-Cockayne, also returns with Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management, which is designed to simplify the steps, strategies, and risks inherent to running largest projects. At the same time, Wharton is bringing back Creating a Team Culture of Continuous Learning, which looks at the best practices for developing training that sticks – and motivating employees to become more vested in their professional development.
That’s just the start. Wharton is also offering Fundamentals of Quantitative Modeling, a four week look at how to maximize the value of collected data in decision-making. Wharton takes a similar quantitative approach to operations with Operations Analytics, which looks at how analytics tools can be applied to forecasting and measuring operational variables like demand, stock, and transportation time. Marketing also get plenty of attention too with Kellogg’s Leadership Through Marketing, a look at how the digital revolution has re-shaped how marketing is done – and how the new rules can help students tap new markets and grow share.
To learn more about these courses — and many more — click on the links below.
Management
Global Impact: Business Ethics / February 5 / University of Illinois
Creating a Team Culture of Continuous Learning / February 5 / Wharton School
Foundations of Business Strategy / February 5 / University of Virginia (Darden)
Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management / February 5 / University of Virginia (Darden)
Business Growth Strategy / February 5 / University of Virginia (Darden)
Analyzing Global Trends for Business and Society / February 5 / Wharton School
Organizational Behavior: Managing People / February 5 / IESE Business School
Managing Employee Compensation / February 5 / University of Minnesota (Carlson)
Finance
Fundamentals of Quantitative Modeling / February 5 / Wharton School
Private Equity and Venture Capital / February 5 / SDA Bocconi
Operations
Introduction to Operations Management / February 19 / Wharton School
Operations Analytics / February 5 / Wharton School
Marketing
Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content / February 12 / Wharton School
Marketing in a Digital World / February 7 / University of Illinois
Leadership Through Marketing / February 4 / Northwestern University (Kellogg)
Managing Uncertainty in Marketing Analytics / February 5 / Emory (Goizueta)
Entrepreneurship
Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace / February 5 / University of Maryland
Other Courses
Global Impact: Business Ethics
School: University of Illinois
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (4 Weeks Long)
Workload: 4-6 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Patricia Werhane
Credentials: Werhane is a force of nature in the academic world. Currently a professor emeritus at the Darden School and Wicklander Chair of Business at DePaul University, she is a recognized leader in the areas of business ethics, employee rights, and female leadership. A prolific author who has written or edited 30 books, her most famous works include Moral Imagination and Management Decision-Making and Organization Ethics for Health Care. In addition, she is the founder of the Business Ethics Quarterly Journal.
Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $49 fee.
Description: There is a saying that ‘you don’t toss your garbage where you eat.’ Translation: Don’t engage in unsavory conduct in an area that’s essential to your well-being. Increasingly, that wisdom is applicable to organizations. In a world with different regulations and expectations, businesses are realizing that they can’t act in two different ways in two different settings. From wages to safety to environmental impact, companies are beginning to better align their behavior towards a more consistent framework, with the understanding that they operate in a global village – and have obligations greater than just to shareholders and the balance sheet.
In this course, students will look at the interconnectedness between ethics and global business through the proverbial “Do the right thing” prism. According to Werhane, the class will focus on helping students look at issues from alternative viewpoints and better conduct stakeholder analysis in order to better make value-based decisions that respect local needs and cultural differences in emerging markets.
Review: No reviews.
Additional Note: This is the sixth course in the University of Illinois’ “Global Challenges in Business” specialization. To learn more about this specialization and register for it, click here.
Creating a Team Culture of Continuous Learning
School: University of Pennsylvania
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (4 Weeks Long)
Workload: 2-4 Hours Per Week
Instructors: Alan Barstow and Dana Kaminstein
Credentials: Barstow is the director and senior scholar of the organizational dynamics program, a master’s degree program designed for mid-career professionals. A Fulbright Scholar who holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University, Barstow’s research focuses on organizational design and change. Kaminstein has been an affiliated faculty member with Penn for over 20 years. He also maintains a private practice that specializes in leadership development, team effectiveness and conflict resolution.
Graded: To earn a passing mark, students must complete all graded assignments.
Description: Why do companies fail? The list is endless: complacency, ego, assumptions, strategy, oversight, culture, risk-taking, and the biggest sin of all — a failure of imagination. According to Barstow and Kaminstein, there is another factor that dooms organization: “lack of understanding and emphasis on training.” No surprise there as training is often viewed as time consuming, expensive and difficult to gauge a return. As a result, employee development falls by the wayside — and companies aren’t exposed to best practices that can give them an edge in the marketplace. Rather than tout the benefits of learning, Barstow and Kaminstein have developed a course on how to modify the culture to better accommodate it. Using cases, scenarios and role plays, the course will cover four core areas: “1) understanding teams in their larger organizational context, 2) diagnosing the learning strengths and barriers to learning on teams, 3) the deeper seeds of team and group ineffectiveness with an eye to improving team and group effectiveness, and 4) ways to develop a team and group that continually learns and impacts the larger organization positively.”
Review: “A lot of great insights on the way a team functions and generates ideas and projects. The format of this MOOC is quite original (discussion between a few speakers) and stimulating. For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Notes: This is the fourth course in a five part “Culture-Driven Team Building” Specialization from Penn. To learn more about this specialization and register for it, click here.
Foundations of Business Strategy
School: University of Virginia (Darden)
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (7 Weeks Long)
Workload: 5-6 Hours a Week
Instructor: Michael J. Lenox
Credentials: Professor Lenox is responsible for teaching the core MBA strategy course at Darden, where he also serves as Associate Dean and Director of the Batten Institute For Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He also serves as President of the Alliance For Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) and made the list of Poets and Quants’ “Top 40 Under 40” professors.
Graded: Students who meet grading course requirements will receive a Statement of Accomplishment from Coursera.
Description: In this course, students will learn how to successfully conceive, position, and launch products, with special emphasis on strategic analysis, understanding market and competitive dynamics, and determining the best scope of company operations. Based off six weekly modules, students will view lectures, read The Strategist’s Toolkit and case studies, and take weekly quizzes. For an exam, students will submit a strategic analysis of an organization.
Review: “I did this course in parallel with my live ‘International Management’ and ‘Management and Strategy’ courses at KU Leuven. You won’t believe, but Coursera format seems to be much more effective in learning theoretical concepts, whereas case discussions are more productive live. For me personally course contents were quite easy, nevertheless engaging. Highly recommend for anyone planning a career in business.” For additional reviews of this course, click here.
Additional Note: This is the fourth of a five course specialization from the University of Virginia called “Business Strategy.” To learn more about this specialization and register for it, click here.
Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management
School: University of Virginia (Darden)
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (Four Weeks Long)
Workload: 2-4 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Yael Grushka-Cockayne
Credentials: A Ph.D. from the London Business School, Grushka-Cockayne is an assistant professor of business administration at the Darden School, where she teaches decision analysis and project management. An award-winning teacher at Darden, her research focuses on “forecasting, project management, strategic and behavioral decision making.”
Graded: Students will earn a verified certificate for completing this course.
Description: An introductory course, Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management will help students evaluate, plan, and execute projects. As part of the course, students will learn “basic concepts from project planning, critical path method, network analysis, and simulation for project risk analysis,” along with the “language and the frameworks for scoping projects, sequencing activities, utilizing resources, and minimizing risk.” When the course is completed, students will understand what makes projects successful and which pitfalls to avoid. They will also master agile project management principles, understand the requirements in various project stages, and be able to choose the right methodology based on a project’s scale and scope. For a detailed course syllabus, click here.
Review: “I really enjoyed this course. I felt that the instructor explained project management, the management skill set, as well as the mindset of managing a large project in a clear, concise way. Definitely good for beginners in business, as well as people who are interested in a refresher of PM principles or better planning and control techniques in their work.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: Grushka-Cockayne’s course includes several suggested readings, which are available under the registration link.
Business Growth Strategy
School: University of Virginia
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018
Workload: 2-5 Hours Per Week
Instructors: Michael Lenox and Jared Harris
Credentials: Professor Lenox is responsible for teaching the core MBA strategy course at Darden, where he also serves as Associate Dean and Director of the Batten Institute For Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He also serves as President of the Alliance For Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) and made the list of Poets and Quants’ “Top 40 Under 40” professors.
A faculty member at Darden since 2006, Harris teaches first year ethics and strategy courses in the MBA program. His research, which focuses on ethics, corporate governance, and entrepreneurship, has been published in academic journals ranging from the Strategic Management Journal to Corporate Reputation Review (as well as cited in national outlets like the New York Times and the Washington Post). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
Description: The third course in Darden’s Business Strategy specialization, Business Growth Strategy uses a case model to show how companies like JetBlue, Zappos, and Tata Motors built their businesses, including the strategies they employed, the hurdles they faced, and the tradeoffs they made. In particular, the course examines how organizations “build value by scaling existing markets, entering established markets and creating new markets through innovation and acquisitions.” In doing so, students will develop tools that will enable them to develop, analyze, and execute strategic plans to help them grow and scale their operations.
Review: “I learned a lot about the different approaches to grow a business. I specially paid attention to the challenges to Merges and Acquisitions, which is very common between firms, and also the failure of them. Today I have a different perspective on companies growth, and confirmed someone accountable for growth strategy cant be in “paralysis by analysis”, meaning it needs to formulate it very quick, implement with lots of uncertainty but also adjust quickly as the results generate some information or data, a great challenge!” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $79 fee.
Analyzing Global Trends for Business and Society
School: Wharton School
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (7 Weeks)
Workload: 3-4 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Mauro Guillén
Credentials: An internationally-renowned scholar and researcher, Mauro Guillén teaches courses on global business at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After earning a Ph.D. in sociology at Yale University and a doctorate in political from the University of Oviedo (Spain), Guillén taught at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He has authored or co-authored ten books, with the most recent being Global Turning Points (2012). His work has also been published in academic journals ranging from The Harvard Business Review to The Journal of Latin American Studies. And he has made frequent media appearances for outlets like Bloomberg TV, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and the BBC. Along with winning numerous teaching awards at Wharton, he serves as the director of the school’s Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies.
Graded: Students will earn a certificate for completing the course. There is a $49 fee for a certificate.
Description: Socially and economically, globalization has produced uneven progress and changing demographics. In emerging economies, the middle class has exploded, but has shrunk in mature markets like the United States and Western Europe. However, such changes are rippling back and forth across the globe. In this course, Dr. Guillén examines how these trends are driving other changes in government, business and economics, and even culture. Each week, students will view videos, study data, and read case studies that illustrate how these changes are interconnected and how they will ultimately shape the future.
Review: “Extremely pleasant and informative course. Charming teaching style. Material is easy to digest and aimed literally at general audience. Basic stuff about where the World is going is covered pretty well. Nearly all topics that come to mind about global trends are mentioned and explained. The only objection is that we could have gone more into details. Reading material was well thought out and a nice supplement to the course. The funniest activity, at least for me, was Global Literacy Test where you could check and recheck how familiar you are with things going on around the Globe. I was under impression that Prof. Mauro did all the preparatory work for this MOOC on his own and kudos to that. Quizzes are more than easy, so if you are after a certificate, this is the course for you.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: There are suggested readings for six of the seven weeks of this course. These readings are available to students at no charge on a website.
Organizational Behavior: Managing People
School: IESE Business School
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (4 Weeks Long)
Workload: 1-3 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Anneloes Raes
Credentials: Raes is an assistant professor at the IESE Business School, where her teaching and research focuses on teamwork dynamics and the interrelationships between top leadership and middle management. A Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Maastricht University, Raes is the author of Top Management Teams: How To Be Effective Inside and Outside The Boardroom. Her research, which has appeared in the Academy of Management Review and Human Relations, earned her a Pioneering Research Award from the Academy of Management and Healthways.
Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $79 fee.
Description: In this course, Professor Raes will provide an in-depth look at the four areas of organizational behavior: motivation, leadership, teamwork and culture. In particular, students will learn how to turn to themselves into an effective leader; motivate those above, below, and alongside them in the organizational chart; leverage the diverse skills and experiences of team members to foster cohesiveness; and identify the cultural values that shape an organization — and the impact they have on how decisions are made.
Review: “Very useful course with valuable resource. Worth to study for both, beginners and experienced leaders. The course has very well balanced individual and team perspective considerations. Thanks a lot to organizers.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Background: This course is the fourth part of a “Foundations of Management” specialization, a four course series that includes areas like finance, marketing, and organizational behavior. To learn more about these courses and register for them, click here.
Managing Employee Compensation
School: University of Minnesota
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (4 Weeks Long)
Workload: 2-4 Hours Per Week
Instructors: Alan Benson and Mike Davis
Credentials: Benson teaches courses in negotiation strategy, economics, and personnel compensation at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. A Ph.D. from MIT, Benson teaches students ranging from undergraduates to MBAs to Ph.D. candidates. His research focuses on applying big data to personnel management and using microeconomics principles to make employment practices more relevant and effective within the labor market. His recent research has uncovered best incentive and operational practices in nursing, sales, and manufacturing, with the results covered by outlets ranging from the Wall Street Journal to NBC News.
Davis, an adjunct professor at Carlson, serves as the Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources at General Mills. Aside from his leadership and teaching roles, he serves on several boards, including the Employee Benefits Research Institute and the Human Resources Policy Association.
Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $119 fee.
Description: How do you attract the best and brightest to your firm? While flexibility, impact, and mission are popular enticements these days, your advantage still comes down to compensation. Traditionally, compensation has been based on metrics like role and responsibility, not to mention performance, education, tenure, experience, and even geography. However, pay also reflects company values, fairness, and strategy. In order to attract people who are cultural fits and difference makers, the compensation model and benefits package must balance market expectations with business objectives, always rewarding the right priorities and behaviors.
In this course, students will examine the following areas: “compliance with pay regulations, understanding stock options, shopping for health insurance and pension providers, designing incentive plans…[and] non-monetary methods of motivating employees.”
Review: “This course was incredibly useful in a practical sense. I was able to apply what I learned directly to my new position as Business Manager of a small company. The course also helped me understand my spouse’s compensation package and to optimize its benefits. I highly recommend this course to other managers interested in the topic.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Background: This is the second course in a “Human Resource Management: HR For People Managers” specialization. To learn more about these courses and register for them, click here.
Fundamentals of Quantitative Modeling
School: Wharton School
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018
Workload: 1-3 Hours Per Week
Instructors: Wharton professors teaching in the school’s “Business and Financial Modeling” specialization include: Bob Holthausen, Rick Lambert, Sergei Savin, Senthil Veeraraghavan, and Richard Waterman
Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $135 fee.
Description: Behavior isn’t just observed, it’s measured. And one way to do that is through developing mathematical and statistical models to make forecasts. In this course, using “short lectures, demonstrations, and assignments, you’ll learn the key ideas and process of quantitative modeling so that you can begin to create your own models for your own business or enterprise. By the end of this course, you will have seen a variety of practical commonly used quantitative models as well as the building blocks that will allow you to start structuring your own models.”
Review: “This is a good course that gives you an idea of how to use basic modeling ideas in a business setting. It does not get very deep into the mathematical concepts, but is still very useful and should help you perform the skills it teaches at work.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: This is the first course in Wharton’s brand new “Business and Financial Modeling” specialization. Other courses in the series will cover spreadsheets, modeling risk and realities, and decision-making. To learn more about this specialization and register for it, click here.
Private Equity and Venture Capital
School: SDA Bocconi
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (5 Weeks Long)
Workload: 1-2 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Stefano Caselli
Credentials: Caselli teaches courses in international finance, investment banking, and venture capital finance at Bocconi University, where he also serves as vice rector of international affairs. A highly respected teacher and researcher, Caselli has won the ‘Bocconi Teaching Award” eight times since 2005, along with the school’s research award three times (most recently in 2011). He also serves on several company boards, including Generali Immobiliare Italia SGR and Santander Consumer Bank, as well as serving as a source for Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.
Graded: Course certificates are available from Coursera for $49.
Description: In this four week introduction, students will absorb the financing fundamentals for organizations ranging from startups to established players looking for funds to help them grow or establish new markets. The covers how to court and close investors, establish a company valuation and manage funds.
Review: “A pretty good introduction course for VC industry. 4 weeks covering different topics including VC structures, industry comparison between US and Europe, valuation 101, etc.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: This course is not taught in English, though subtitles are available in English. Caselli also expects students who take the course to come with a basic understanding of corporate finance and accounting.
Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control
School: University of Illinois
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (4 Weeks Long)
Workload: 2-4 hours per week
Instructor: Gary Hecht
Credentials: A respected researcher and teacher, Hecht is an associate professor of accountancy at the University of Illinois, where he teaches at the undergraduate, MBA, and PH.D. levels. A practitioner and an academic, Hecht worked in auditing and taxation, financial analysis, and consulting for ten years before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. From there, he taught at Emory University and the University of Wisconsin before returning to Champaign in 2013. His recent research, which focuses on compensation and performance measurements, has been published by The Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, and Contemporary Accounting Research. Most recently, Hecht was listed among the school’s professors ranked as “Excellent” by their students.
Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $79 fee per course.
Description: Information is a currency whose value rises or falls based on its source, relevance, and use. And there are few metrics more valuable than those from accounting. From sales to operations, this intelligence guides decision-making and planning by revealing cost and returns – where money and effort are best spent. According to Hecht, decision-makers use accounting in three ways: measurement, control, and communication. This course focuses on the control function, notably measuring results and setting budgets. As part of this course, students will learn how to do the following: “Create and communicate accounting information that facilitates strategic decisions; use accounting information to develop, implement, and improve organizational strategy; implement controls that align managers’ and employees’ decisions with organizational goals; and measure and evaluate manager and employee performance to control and motivate operational and strategic decision-making.”
Review: No reviews.
Additional Background: This course is part of the University of Illinois’ “Fundamentals of Accounting” specialization, the school’s, a five course series that also covers financial statements for company performance and positioning and how accounting impacts strategy assessment and control. To learn more about this specialization and register for it, click here.
Introduction to Operations Management
School: Wharton School of Business
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 19, 2018 (4 Weeks)
Workload: 5-7 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Christian Terwiesch
Credentials: The Andrew M. Heller Professor at Wharton, Professor Terwiesch is also the co-author of the popular textbook Matching Supply with Demand, which is now in its third edition. Outside of the classroom, Professor Terwiesch has designed patient care processes at the VA hospital system, along with conducting research to enhance the capacity and efficiency of various healthcare organizations.
Graded: Students can earn a signed Statement of Accomplishment from the instructor. There is a $49 fee for a certificate.
Description: This course teaches students how to use business processes to enhance productivity and quality, while offering customers greater choice and service. The course consists of case study videos, which introduce a problem at businesses ranging from restaurants to banks. Based on the concepts learned, students will share measures they would implement to make the operation more efficient. Along with video quizzes, students will complete weekly homework, produce a class project, and complete a final exam.
Review: “The course was introductory but gave a great insight into operations management. Operations management is massive and has many subjects into it. Hence one such introductory course was not exactly the easiest to teach for the prof but he did an amazing job using basic examples with simplistic explanation. Using the mouse for scribbing is also something you won’t find anyone else doing but it helps so much for one to understand. Felt like an actual student. In terms of the course content it does not teach all the basic aspects of operations but to do so will take months more than proposed time frame. Hence using primary modules of productivity, quality, variety, process analysis was sufficient for beginners. Hope that prof thinks of using an intermediate course so that working professionals can use advanced tactics in tackling issues of real life.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: This course is the in a six course specialization from Wharton on Business Foundations. To learn more about this specialization and register for it, click here.
Operations Analytics
School: Wharton School
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (4 Weeks Long)
Workload: 2-3 Hours Per Week
Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $95 fee.
Instructors: Senthil Veeraraghaven, Sergei Savin and Noah Gans
Credentials: Veeraraghaven and Savin are associate professors of operations, information, and decisions at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Veeraraghaven, who earned the Wharton Excellence in Teaching Awards in 2013 and 2014, teaches operations strategy course to MBAs and holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon. Savin teaches the core Business Analytics to MBAs who also took home a Wharton Excellence in Teaching Award in 2010. His research has been published by academic journals like Management Science and Operations Management. Gans is the Anheuser Busch Professor of Management Science at Wharton, where he teaches courses on business analytics and service operations to MBAs.
Description: Data drives decisions, no doubt. It guides strategy and ultimately reflects success or failure. In this course from the Wharton School, students will learn to learn how to “model future demand and supply uncertainties, how to predict the outcomes of competing policy choices and how to choose the best course of action in the face of risk. The course will introduce frameworks and ideas that provide powerful insights into a spectrum of real-world business challenges, will teach you methods and software available for tackling these challenges quantitatively as well as the issues involved in gathering the relevant data.”
Review: “Best course out of the specialization in terms of clear presentation, hands-on learning (in Excel), and exposure to some basic concepts. Very professional preparation and delivery of course content – I wish all MOOCs were done this well.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: This is the second part of Wharton’s “Business Analytics” specialization, which includes courses on customer, accounting, and people analytics. To learn more about these courses and register for them, click here.
Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content
School: Wharton School
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 12, 2018
Workload: 4 Weeks Long
Grades: To complete the course, students must earn passing grades on all assignments submitted.
Instructor: Jonah Berger
Credentials: Berger is an associate professor of marketing at the Wharton School. Here, he teaches Marketing Management and conducts research in social influence, word of mouth, viral marketing, product adoption and consumer behavior. A Stanford Ph.D., Gerger is the author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, a best-seller that has been translated into 30 languages. In his spare time, Berger is a consultant whose client list includes Google, Coca-Cola and General Electric.
Description: Ever heard the term, “gone viral?” It means that a video or article has spread globally, generally through social media. Whether the message is funny, touching, or thought-provoking, it stirs the imagination and inspires people to share it with their social circle. The same dynamic occurs in pitching ideas and launching products. Many times, they will quickly “catch fire,” gaining a legion of advocates and users whose endorsements are far more persuasive and cost-effective than any traditional marketing pitch or campaign.
In this course, students will learn “how to make ideas stick, how to increase [their] influence, how to generate more word of mouth, and how to use the power of social networks to spread information and influence. By the end of this course, [students will] have a better understanding of how to craft contagious content, build stickier messages, and get any product, idea, or behavior to catch on.” Drawing from research in disciplines ranging from sociology to economics to marketing, the course will identify the characteristics that differentiate the best products, ideas, and behaviors; examine how psychology shapes whether something is engaging and memorable; evaluate the cultural and group dynamics that influence decision-making; and explain how triggers, emotions, and narratives foster a resonance that drives action.
Review: I found this to be extremely helpful. Excellent content. The audio though was weak. Not sure why it is 4 weeks. This can be completed in one sitting. Nonetheless, great use of stories on other famous brands to highlight the topic being discussed. For additional reviews, click here.
Marketing in a Digital World
School: University of Illinois
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 7, 2018
Workload: 8-10 Hours Per Week
Grades: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $79 fee for each course.
Instructors: Aric Rindfleisch
Credentials: Rindfleisch is the John M. Jones Professor of Marketing at the University of Illinois. Armed with an MBA from Cornell and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Rindfleisch was listed among the Best 300 Professors by the Princeton Review in 2012
Description: The customer has always been right. Thanks to digital marketing channels, they are also driving the conversation. Most times, they are even starting it. The first in a six course series, Marketing in a Digital World covers how digital tools like social media, smartphones and 3D printing are re-writing the rules of reaching customers, building brand, and designing experience.
Review : “I’m about to complete this course and have to say that it’s one of the best MOOCs offered on Coursera.
This MOOC is well-organized, and staff is there to answer your questions and concerns. There have been so many discussions that if you need to find an answer to something, just search for your topic in discussion forums, and I am sure it will come up.
Videos are of good quality and the professor has a good style of delivery. I like that this course combines lectures with interviews with students and experts in different fields. I learned new concepts in regards to digital marketing that I didn’t know before so it was time well-spent!” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Notes: This course is part of a seven course specialization called Digital Marketing, which includes courses on everything from digital analytics to digital channels. To learn more about these courses and register for them, click here.
Leadership Through Marketing
School: Northwestern University
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 4, 2018
Workload: Not Specified
Grades: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $79 fee.
Instructors: Greg Carpenter, Florian Zettelmeyer and Sanjay Khosla
Credentials:
A marketer’s marketer, Greg Carpenter is a professor of marketing strategy at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Here, he is also the director of the Center for Market Leadership, faculty director for the Kellogg Markets and Customers Initiative (KMCI), and co-chair of Kellogg’s Marketing Leadership Summit, the largest student-run conference of its kind. His research has been cited everywhere from the Financial Times to the U.S. Supreme Court. A consultant in his spare time, Carpenter’s clients have ranged from Coca-Cola to Harley Davidson. He earned his MBA and Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Zettelmeyer is a marketing professor at Kellogg, where he is best-known for teaching one of the MBA program’s most popular courses” “Customer Analytics.” A former consultant at McKinsey, Zettelmeyer’s research focuses on how information influences customer behavior. He is the founder and director of Kellogg data analytics program. Like Carpenter, Zettelmeyer is a recipient of Kellogg’s “Outstanding Professor of the Year Award” based on votes from the MBA students.
Kholsa is an adjunct professor in Kellogg’s executive education program and a former president of developing markets at Kraft Foods, where he oversaw the company’s efforts in 60 countries for brands like Oreo and Trident, tripling revenue in just five years. He is the co-author of Fewer Bigger Bolder, which provides a framework “for achieving sustained profitable growth.”
Description: Every MBA student is taught models and read case studies on how to build a business. But do they really understand how the digital revolution – particularly analytics – is re-defining how strategies are developed, markets are targeted, and customers are valued? In this course, students will learn how to gather, model, and interpret massive amounts of data. In the process, they will “identify new opportunities to create value for empowered consumers, develop strategies that yield an advantage over rivals, and develop the data science skills to lead more effectively, allocate resources.”
Review: No reviews.
Additional Note: This is the fourth of a six course specialization from Northwestern University called “Organizational Leadership.” It includes courses on communicating through storytelling, building collaborative teams, and leading through marketing and design innovation. To learn more about these courses and register for them, click here.
Managing Uncertainty in Marketing Analytics
School: Emory University
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018
Workload: Not Specified
Instructor: David Schweidel
Credentials: Schweidel is an associate professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, where he is also co-director of the Emory Marketing Analytics Center. His research focuses on both using social media to gather market intelligence and applying customer behavior models to better measure customer value.
Graded: Students must success complete all graded assignments to complete the course.
Description: Data may be input, output is based on calculations that can be colored by assumptions or incomplete and ‘fuzzy’ information. Such variables can create an uncertainty that undermines the precision expected from marketing analytics. To hedge against this, marketers often build uncertainty into their models and decision-making. In this course, students will identify potential sources of uncertainty and practice reducing it through various marketing models. As part of the course, student swill also master statistical concepts like Monte Carlo simulations and probability distributions.
Review: “In one word: USEFUL. And that is a lot these days. I use the concepts (and excel tools) everyday!” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Notes: This is the second of six courses in the school’s “Foundations of Marketing Analytics” specialization. To learn more about this specialization and register for it, click here.
Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace
School: University of Maryland
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: February 5, 2018 (4 Weeks)
Workload: 3-5 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Dr. Thomas J. Mierzwa
Credentials: Dr. Mierzwa has taught at the University of Maryland for over a dozen years. As an adjunct, he has held courses in strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship, with his research interests including design thinking and opportunity recognition. Outside the university, Mierzwa founded a mediation firm (Creative Agreements) and an innovation auditing group (The Fountainhead Group). He holds a doctorate in strategic management from the University of Southern California.
Graded: Students can choose to explore course videos, discussions, and ungraded assignments for free, but they won’t be able to submit graded assignments, earn a certificate, or complete a specialization without paying a $49 fee.
Description: In this month-long course, students will study the innovation process, including strategies for using innovation thinking to commercialize solutions in both established companies and new ventures. Initially, the course will define innovation and how it creates value and re-shapes markets and business models. Students will then learn how to foster an innovation culture and spot opportunities in areas like product life cycles and value chains. From there, the course covers the phases involved in taking ideas into development. Finally, student will dig into the impact of technology, R&D, and benchmarking, along with how to leverage strategic alliances to move solutions to market sooner. As part of the course, students will also develop a value proposition and portfolio for a potential solution. The course will be taught through video lectures and supplemented with assignments.
Review: “This course has really enhanced the knowledge I have, put a huge spot lights on the main important points at Market, Customers, and Canvas model and described them in accurate manner, thanks to the lecturer.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: This course is the first part of an “Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business” specialization, a four course series that includes a capstone project. To learn more about these courses and register for them, click here.
Here are some additional courses starting in February that may interest you (To learn more about the courses or register for them, click on the links below):
Ethical Social Media / February 5 / University of Sydney
Learn to Program: The Fundamentals / February 12 / University of Toronto
Introduction to Communication Science / February 19 / University of Amsterdam
Quantitative Foundations for International Business / February 5 / University of London
Leadership and Emotional Intelligence / February 5 / Indian School of Business
Foundations of Marketing Analytics / February 5 / ESSEC Business School
Foundations of Development Policy / February 5 / MIT
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