Elective Courses
Elective Courses
Advanced Electives
Each year a series of electives on different advanced topics are offered. The offerings change from year to year and have included Accounting for Financial Services, Advanced Corporate Finance, Business Ethics, Entrepreneurship, International Marketing, Investment Portfolio Management, Labor Relations and Employment Law, Contemporary Topics in Marketing, Consulting, Gender and Leadership in Complex Organizations, Identifying and Exploiting New Business Opportunities, and Business and Market Failures. Certain prerequisites may apply. 3 credits per elective.
Sample Electives
GSM 501 Internship
Organizations in a variety of industries may offer formal or informal internship programs in a variety of functional areas. Internships are a great way to develop/enhance your skill sets while providing exposure to an industry or function that you are interested in from a career standpoint. Choose your internship strategically — answer the question: is it going to make you more marketable to target employers upon graduation?- Interns will meet with a faculty advisor regularly over the semester.
- Interns will be expected to work 225 hours over 16 weeks for 3 credits.
- Internships should be paid but may be unpaid. Hourly rates can span from $12 - $20/hour on average, and some organizations pay students in a lump sum.
- Internships are graded on a pass/fail system. Internship credit is determined based on hours worked over the course of the semester.
Prerequisites: Faculty Advisor approval. International students on an F or J visas should inquire about additional requirements.
GSM 570 Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Where do great new ideas come from? And how can we evaluate and transform our creative ideas into workable plans, projects and organizations? In this course we will investigate, interactively and experientially, three dynamic concepts of great value in the world of work today — creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. We begin by exploring creativity including the tools and practices that open the mind and heart to experimentation. We then consider creativity in the context of innovation — the route whereby ideas become opportunities as they are defined as new products and processes of value to people and society. Finally, with entrepreneurship, we consider the personal values and mindset of the pioneers (yes, you!) who create organizations and organizational change to bring these new products and processes to life --from small routines to world changing schemas. The course is ideal for those who embrace or are intrigued by the label "change maker" including those thinking that they will launch a new business, a social venture, or bring change to existing organizations now or sometime in their careers. Anyone who understands that practical creativity is a necessary art for the successful professional in today's world is welcome. The course is open to all students as an MBA elective without pre-requisite, and it is also the first course in the concentration in entrepreneurship. Students in graduate programs other than the MBA at Simmons, are welcomed by the professor. Please contact the MBA office for registration information (mba@simmons.edu). Prerequisites: None
GSM 571 Business Plans
This course is the nuts and bolts of thinking through, testing, and presenting a creative plan for launching your own venture, whether that be a new business or social enterprise, or a venture with line authority in an existing organization (for-profit, non-profit, government). Students will use and add to their knowledge of finance, marketing, operations, and strategy to craft a plan thereby integrating their MBA training into a finished, professional product proposing a scalable, sustainable venture with impact (the SOM entrepreneurship program mission). (Note: Many graduates have said this is the best exercise they were given to truly capture the full MBA learning path.) Students will work on an idea of their choosing, or if they do not have a scalable idea at the ready, can develop an idea with the professor or work with a local entrepreneur. For the latter, students must be in touch with the professor at least a month before the first day of class.
Three other critical elements of the class beyond development of the plan are presentation skill development, cohort building, and interaction with guest speakers and advisors. Students will refine their skill in presenting a business idea in short (30 second), mid (2-3 minute) and long (10 minute) form. Each student will also be linked with a professional advisor to review the plan and comment before our final, public presentation day, entitled the Raw Business Plan Competition. While Business Plans and Proposals is the second course of the concentration in entrepreneurship for the MBA, it is also an MBA elective and all MBA students and alumna are welcome to participate, given satisfaction of pre-requisites. Prerequisites: GSM 425, GSM 570, GSM 421 or GSM 435 (co-req ok), or permission of professor
GSM 502 Independent Study
Independent studies are research projects done under the direction of a faculty member. Successful independent studies typically are mutually beneficial to both the student and the faculty member. The student should submit a plan outlining the hypothesis and areas of research to be explored and which faculty member will be her advisor. No registrations for an independent study will be processed until this is submitted. Students must identify a faculty advisor prior to registration for any independent study. A comprehensive 30-page research paper or another major piece of student output is required as the deliverable. Prerequisites: Faculty Advisor approvalGSM 511 Cross Cultural Management
In today's global economy, the ability to interact effectively across cultures is a fundamental job requirement and critical leadership competence. This course is designed to develop knowledge and skills in the areas of optimizing human performance, cultural intelligence, diversity and inclusion, and leading and managing intercultural organizations. This course will explore the implications of culture on managerial and leadership approaches, business practices, communication and interpersonal relations, organizational and individual performances as well as on human resource management dimensions, in both international and domestic settings. Global cultures, subcultures, and domestic cultures will be considered. The ethical and sustainable implications of managing cultures and diversity will be examined. By learning about the dilemmas and opportunities that are presented in international and multi-cultural work environments, students will be better able to function in an increasingly global business world. Students will be positioned to lead in a way that is more culturally competent, effectively addressing critical human resource issues, challenges, and opportunities that will arise and leveraging cultural differences as a competitive talent management advantage.The overall goal of this course is to convey a way of thinking that increases students' abilities to understand the influence of national and cultural boundaries on individuals, organizations, and on organizational practices. Special emphasis will be placed on the management of people, with a particular focus on women, and groups in international organizations. Students will also learn how to apply cultural intelligence (CQ) at all levels of an organization and will take a Global Mindset Inventory to asses personal levels of cross cultural literacy and preparation for overseas assignments. Prerequisites: GSM 455
GSM 512 Corporate Social Responsibility
This is a partially on-line course introducing the broad scope of issues addressed by corporate social responsibility and the economic rationale for business to consider its social role. Students gain familiarity with two specific tools of the trade, voluntary standards adherence and stakeholder engagement/prioritization. Applying this general overview of issues and tools, individual students conduct an organizational social responsibility audit and develop a strategic recommendation. The course concludes by exploring the intra-organizational dynamics of gaining support for social responsibility initiatives.GSM 516 Sustainable Analysis & Rep
This course introduces students to best practices in sustainability analysis, evaluation and reporting in corporate and non-profit settings. As discussed in this course, sustainability includes environmental, social and governmental (ESG) considerations. This is a competency-based curriculum with an emphasis on mastering specific management tools. The course comprises three modules: 1. Introduction to ESG measurement and reporting based on understanding non-traditional approaches to measuring economic value; 2. Methods for calculating external benefits of responsibility efforts that demonstrate the financial value of voluntary investments in social welfare; 3. Methods for calculating internal financial returns on responsibility investments. These methods are valuable for corporations seeking to build their sustainability performance and for non-profits aiming to build/improve social impact measurement capabilities. Prerequisites: GSM 411, GSM 435 (co-req ok)GSM 520 Strategic Performance Measures
This case-based course focuses on the measures an organization develops to achieve its stated strategic, financial and operational goals in a business climate that emphasizes achieving ever increasing levels of corporate performance. A significant portion of the course will be devoted to both the elements and the applications of the Balanced Scorecard as an integrative tool to evaluate organizational performance in a variety of settings. Besides the Balanced Scorecard, we will briefly examine other ways to measure organizational success through risk assessment and other performance measures. Because the antecedents of many of these concepts lie with some fundamental management accounting concepts and their link to strategy, marketing, operations, organization behavior and finance, this course will focus on the whole organization. Prerequisites: GSM 420, GSM 421GSM 524 Financial Statement Analysis
This case-based course emphasizes the skills required to analyze and value a firm for investment, lending, or strategic purposes. The case approach provides hands-on experience in the analysis of financial and non-financial information, including developing understanding of its creation and use within the firm's economic and strategic environments. Major topics include business strategy and accounting analysis, and performance analysis and valuation. Specific topics include evaluating the link between business strategy and financial reporting choices; evaluating earnings quality and determining the sustainability of current performance; making accounting adjustments to improve earnings quality for analysis; developing forecasts suitable for projecting value and for internal growth planning and financing purposes; and assessing equity value. Prerequisite: GSM 420GSM 526 Research Design and Analysis
Effective strategic planning and decision making relies on management's ability to acquire and interpret relevant market-related information and have the skills to carry out sound research. This course will provide MBA students with an in-depth understanding of the research methods used by management researchers to obtain information to guide decision making. The goal is to provide students with sufficient knowledge about research methods to allow them to become sophisticated users and clients of marketing research services. Emphasis will be on how to: (1) specify information needs and design a research study to meet those needs; (2) collect, analyze, and use research data to make effective strategic and managerial decisions; (3) communicate the research findings and their implications to various stakeholders. Prerequisites: GSM 425 (Co-Req in Fall OK)GSM 528 Brand Management
For many firms, the brand associated with their products and/or services are their most valuable assets, and, hence, much management attention is given to designing, communicating, stewarding, and protecting them. This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of brand management and how brands and the stories that define them are crafted and communicated to consumers via integrated marketing communications programs. Historically, brand stories were designed for and communicated to consumers through mass media vehicles like television advertising; however, changes in both the business environment and consumer culture have made this strategy less effective. The fragmentation of mass media, the proliferation of alternative ways to reach consumers, the increasing skepticism of consumers to marketers, messages, and the increasing desire of consumers to co-create the meaning of the brands that shape their lives have forced marketers to reconsider the ways in which they build and communicate their brands. This course takes a contemporary view of branding as a collaborative process of meaning making between firms, consumers, and other cultural producers, and includes emerging theory and best practices on open source branding, branding in Web 2.0, brand communications in brand communities, and consumer generated advertising. Prerequisites: GSM 425GSM 533 Strategy Consulting for Social Ventures
This highly hands-on, self-directed, faculty-supervised project-based class is designed to help MBA students practice in applying skills, especially analysis and recommendation formulation skills, in the context of a major research project related to a strategic growth initiative. This course will most heavily draw on your courses in Strategy I, Marketing Management and Quantitative Analysis. Projects might include helping your client organization in their expansion through a new program, service, or product area, expansion into a new geographic market, or a new customer segment. All projects will culminate in a detailed summary of the findings and managerial recommendations related to strategic growth for the organization.This is a unique opportunity for "service learning" through MBA coursework as all projects will be conducted for social ventures; organizations can incorporated as non-profits, for-profits, or hybrids, but all have a prominent social and/or environmental mission. As such, your course work will directly contribute to the community, and is strongly aligned with SOM's mission of principled leadership. Projects will be pre-selected by the faculty member, and teams will be assigned. However, students will have the ability to indicate their preferences for specific projects. Each project will be assigned a team of up to 6 MBA students, with each student dedicating approximately 120 woman-hours (or 90 hours for the 2 credit option) to their project. The course will be heavily focused on independent self-directed work in groups, with faculty-directed "just-in-time" coaching and advising related to the specific needs of your assigned project.
This program is firmly built on the principle of mutual benefit. Community partners receive MBA-level analysis and consulting services to further develop and expand their organizations. In return, students have the opportunity to apply their skills to a real-world project related to strategic growth and learn from the founders and leaders of social ventures. Prerequisites: GSM 427, GSM 425
GSM 536 Investments
Investments is an applied practitioner's course that will give you the skills to determine future goals for the risk and expected return of financial assets, choose appropriate investments to achieve these goals, and then monitor the actual performance of the investments relative to expectations/benchmark and the overall market's returns. By the end of the class you will be able to select investments, create portfolios and then evaluate the portfolio's performance to achieve either your professional or personal financial goals. Topics covered include the risk-return tradeoff, portfolio theory, U.S. stock market alternatives, stock valuation, stock price behavior, stock options, mutual funds, bonds, and futures contracts. Simulation trading will be used for the benefit of a chosen client. Client communication, education, support are a class expectation. The class will be a mixture of lecture, class discussions, and in-class problem review with semester end student presentations on portfolio performance. One research project and presentation will focus on the empirical results of the testing of a market anomaly, and how it might be used to achieve abnormal investment returns. The class will be heavily influenced by current business, investments and world events. Each member of the class, including the professor, will be actively seeking new investments and monitoring current investment positions. All students will be expected to have done the assigned work before class so that they can add to the class learning/discussion, or ask questions on assigned material. Prerequisite: GSM 435GSM 537 International Business and Finance
This course discusses, analyzes and debates current issues in global business, with a focus on the role of emerging markets in today's integrated global economy. We will discuss foreign direct investments, global sourcing, and marketing efforts of western businesses in the BRIC countries. We will discuss the increasing importance of large BRIC businesses in the global market place. In a parallel fashion, we will pay special attention to international finance issues faced by international investors and corporations. We introduce the currency markets and follow with currency-derivative markets. Currency trading and arbitrage practices are illustrated and analyzed. Exchange rate risk management using these instruments is illustrated and analyzed. Important international financial parity conditions are discussed. We then extend basic financial management concepts and principles into an international framework. International capital markets and international portfolio investments are also covered. Prerequisite: GSM 435GSM 545 Examining Business Models for People, Profits and Planets,- Travel Course: London
This MBA level study abroad course is designed to develop your understanding of the growing phenomenon of "socially conscious capitalism" and the emerging field of "social business," that is organizations which have a primary social and/or environmental mission, but which address these missions through a market-based approach, in other words by harnessing fundamental market dynamics (i.e. through the sales of products or services.)These hybrid organizations represent examples of business models which are explicitly designed to deliver social and environmental returns, as well as financial returns. They represent business models designed for people, planet and profits. They are a distinct organizational phenomenon because they deliberately and explicitly combine, often from inception, the social purpose traditionally associated with non-profit organizations, with the economic purpose and market-based methods traditionally associated with for-profit firms.
The course will take place in the UK, which has been especially fertile in terms of social business formation. They are active national associations focused on social enterprise, and a new social enterprise "mark". The cooperative form of ownership has its roots in the UK, Fair Trade has its origins here, and it was also one of the first countries in the world to approve — at a national level — a new hybrid legal form of incorporation, the CIC (Community Interest Company.) Prerequisites: None
GSM 547 Sustainable Business in Emerging Markets- Travel Course: China
The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of business and economy in China. We will consider how the economy, culture, politics and economics of China since the 1970s have shaped the China we see today. The goal is for everyone in the class to leave this experience with a working knowledge of this major world economic power house. We will look at important development such as foreign direct investments in China, China as production or sourcing base for western MNCs, and China as an increasingly more important market for western businesses.We will explore how national policy and corporate strategies in the market shape the economic development, including opportunities for growth and sustainability. We will also examine the role of women business leaders and entrepreneurs. To the greatest degree possible, we will customize the course to look at industries and markets of interest to participating students. We will also touch on current "hot button" issues including environmental impact, human rights, women's role in society, and corporate social responsibility. Prerequisites: None