Course Descriptions
Strategy for Competitive Advantage
This introductory course focuses on concepts of strategy and competitive advantage and how to achieve them. Through readings and discussion students focus on the difference between strategy and organizational effectiveness and the importance of fit among a company’s activities to realizing advantage over rivals. Students then apply these concepts in an interactive case discussion of an entrepreneurial venture trying to grow to the next level. With tools in hand and a facility in applying them to our case study, participants will prepare and present their strategy and activity maps to the group in the second class. As a group, participants will work through the implications of these statements and refine and polish these strategies to propel their organization forward. The framework of strategy and competitive advantage paves the way for the courses to come. Participants should be able to see how each component fits back into the organization’s strategy.
Competing through Services
Most companies today realize that, at their core, they are service businesses. For companies to successfully distinguish themselves in the marketplace, retain loyal customers, and grow profits, they must excel at the design and execution of service. The goal of the course is to provide you with the frameworks and tools needed to achieve service excellence that will enable your organization to successfully compete. Through readings and application exercises, participants will gain an in-depth understanding of service quality, customer expectations, service design, and service branding, with a strong focus on understanding service from the customer’s point of view. An emphasis will be placed on learning and applying the tool, service blueprinting, which helps companies to develop new service processes and redesign existing ones, by graphically depicting a service from the customer’s point of view. After using the technique to map a generic service, participants will utilize it to examine their own service processes and report back insights and action items gained going through the exercise. Key take-a-ways will focus on best practices for service excellence.
Understanding Corporate Procurement Practices
Firms of all kinds are attempting to improve their competitive positions by strategically managing the flow of services, materials, inventories and finished goods. Today, the creation of value requires careful coordination of activities across the boundaries between functions, business units and firms. If your firm is buying, it is dealing with a supply network. If your firm is selling, it is part of the buying firm’s supplier network. The purpose of the course is to understand the principles, philosophies and value of an effective purchasing management process. Another goal of the course is to understand the value of an efficient and effective procurement organization, for someone who is not a purchasing professional. We will also talk about buying firm expectations for suppliers operating within their network. The course will be a mixture of group activities, some lecture and relevant case studies.
Reaching Agreement: Negotiating to Build Long-term Relationships
This is a seminar on negotiating in a way that builds long-term relationships – externally with customers, suppliers and regulatory agencies and internally with co-workers and teams. In today’s environment, the goal of negotiations is to add value to the business relationship – not to split the existing pie.
Topics covered in the two classes include:
- Preparing to negotiate – understanding a “good deal” and developing creative options
- Developing a collaborative climate – building trust and respect
- Managing the negotiation process to overcome obstacles and achieve a workable agreement – what to say and how to say it; and, using the art of questioning.
Building High-Performance Teams
This capstone course in the program focuses on techniques for building a high-performing team of people in your organization. We will share with participants several key factors that motivate people to be committed to their work and their organizations. We will review several short case studies of organizations that have successfully engaged people and grown beyond their all expectations. Finally, we will work on methods for utilizing those techniques in your organizations.
