Curriculum

The course will integrate leadership concepts and basic personal and interpersonal skills to ensure that candidates can deliver on leadership requirements in their organizations. Executive MBA candidates typically enter the program with several years of work experience and a rich history of development courses. Leadership and Management is therefore geared towards personal assessment, personal development and creating a common understanding of the personal and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in the program and to move to the next level of responsibility in their organizations or to shift careers if this is their objective.

The course explores general management and the process of strategy-making in three different settings. For start-ups and scale-ups, the course examines the entrepreneurial process from launch to exit. Strategic thinking for not-for-profits will also be discussed along with some of the management challenges involved in these organizations. For corporations, the course will examine the role of “general managers in the middle” and of executives. In addition, key macro trends that influence strategy making will be explored.

This course focuses on the role of the accounting function external to the organization. It takes a broad view of financial accounting, encompassing a wide range of external financial and economic information, both national and international. The orientation will help students to understand what accounting can do for decision makers and how accounting and ethical choices affect decisions. Current issues in financial accounting and reporting are discussed

Information systems (IS) and their underlying information and communication technologies (ICTs) have grown to assume a strategic role in improving business performance. This course presents a business value perspective of information systems in the context of problem-solving, decision-making, business process optimization, and transformation of businesses into knowledge-based enterprises. The objective of this course is to understand the dynamic effect of ICTs on organizational development, deliberate best practices for the strategic integration of technology in business operations, and explore socio-technical critical success factors underlying effective IS strategy formulation and successful digital transformation initiatives.

This course provides an introduction to statistical data analysis for problem solving and decision-making using data. Participants apply univariate and bivariate methods to various datasets, utilize software to analyze data and interpret statistical output. Models and tools are introduced to assist participants in collecting, organizing, understanding, analyzing, presenting and communicating data.

This course provides an introduction to management consulting: the five-phase consulting process and business models associated with managing a consulting practice. The course takes a broad view of consulting both internal and external to the organization to solve management problems. The course focuses on the skills and processes involved within a consulting engagement, including project planning and management; data gathering and analysis; generating findings; and reporting, presentation and feedback, to prepare candidates for the project engagements of the curriculum.

This course focuses on the role of the accounting function internal to the organization. It takes a broad view of managerial accounting, introducing candidates to costing systems, cost behaviour patterns, cost structures and the evaluation of product, managerial and divisional performance with accounting. The course emphasizes the strategic importance of aligning accounting systems with firm technologies and goals highlighting what accounting can do for decision-makers and how accounting choices affect decisions. Current issues in management accounting and internal reporting are discussed.

This course provides an overview of the marketing process, including key concepts, tools and procedures, in the context of a technology-intensive global economy. Course delivery includes lectures, case study, project application and the insight of special guest speakers to explore the definition of marketing, the marketing concept and marketing management, and the significance of operating in a technology-intensive global economy. Candidates will analyze market opportunities, set performance goals and formulate marketing and implementation plans to meet those goals. Consideration will be given to trends and techniques like experience-based marketing, relationship marketing, online marketing management and some of the online marketing tools available

Understanding the strategic importance of human resources and their impact on organizational performance; acquisition of skills related to employee selection, performance evaluation and managing individual and team performance. Differentiate recognition strategies which foster equity and workplace performance. Differentiate features of human resource management in an international context. This course will be delivered as a core course. Those in the CPL concentration will participate the first six weeks of ADX 5332 and receive credit for ADX 5132.

The fundamental concepts of corporate financial management are examined to emphasize that a realistic general management perspective requires supportive data and numerical calculations. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their ability to analyze and think critically. Course content covers both sides of the balance sheet with the analysis of both investment and financing decisions. Candidates consider the cost of capital, capital budgeting, cash flow analysis, capital structure decisions including common shares and long-term debt, financial planning and control, short-term financing, working capital management, treasury management, options, derivatives and hybrid financing.

Managers of complex programs deal with “wicked problems” whose resolution requires holistic approaches, sophisticated thinking and pluralist methodologies. This unit provides foundational knowledge related to systems methodologies and their underpinning epistemologies that enable project managers to solve complex program problems in context. Models and tools are introduced for students to differentiate between reductionist and holistic approaches to problem solving; achieve creative organizational learning and navigate non-linearity from chaos through to equilibrium across orders of complexity.

Acquisition strategies examines how various procurement methodologies, financing strategies, and ownership mechanisms best deliver value for money, deal with the risks and opportunities across the complete lifecycle and how this links to the acquisition business case. The unit also captures the need to deal with industry development objectives, the importance of robust cost estimation, and risk sharing strategies within a suitable governance framework.

Innovation is a key to economic development, competitive advantage and organizational performance. Through their field trip to organizations within North America and respective projects, candidates will gain familiarity with concepts and tools to foster innovation in complex project environments. Successful implementation requires interaction between many different areas of expertise within organisations, and increasingly across organizational boundaries. Students will be able to determine the characteristics of innovative environments and the corresponding methods, techniques and concepts.

The Business Consulting Project (BCP) is an integral part of the curriculum of the Telfer Executive MBA. Often, this major independent consulting project that addresses a management issue on behalf of a client organization has proven to be the source of career leaps and thriving new businesses. A faculty supervisor is assigned to coach, mentor and assist the candidates in the engagement. The scope and nature of the consulting assignment is agreed upon with the client through a proposal process. The findings are delivered to the client in terms of a presentation and a formal report.

This course provides an introduction to corporate Governance, Accountability and Ethics: Shareholder Interests – Accountability and Governance Alignment; Technology & Ethics – Security and Privacy in an Online World; Managing When Agendas Collide – Making Ethical Business Decisions; Governance & Growth – Balancing Uncertainty, Scrutiny & Transparency. Course delivery includes lectures, class discussion debate, case studies, group presentations, written assignments and presentations by distinguished guest speakers

Strategic issues and long-term planning in manufacturing and service operations. Concepts, problem solving and quantitative techniques commonly used in decision making and in monitoring production systems. Operational strategy, forecasting, aggregate planning, enterprise resource planning and material requirements planning, supply chain and inventory management, lean operations and quality management. Sustainability issues as they relate to operations management as well as the challenges associated with integrating new technologies.

Develop the skills and competencies to drive an analysis for strategy development. Describe the value chain of the organization in order to identify potential sources of competitive advantage as well as product and market selection, which characterize the group strategy. Integration within the global perspective of strategic management, diverse functional knowledge bases.

Those in the CPL concentration will participate the first six weeks of ADX 5360 and receive credit for ADX 5161.

The disruptive forces transforming the ways in which organizations manage operations will be addressed. Business Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Robotic Process Automation will be covered.

Project teams are key to project, program and portfolio success. This course will examine intra and inter-team interdependencies, processes, emergent states, and how these relate to team and systems of teams’ effectiveness. Design plans will be introduced to monitor the adaptive capacity of teams and systems over time. Interpersonal and practitioner skills will be honed to manage collaboration at individual, team and multi-team levels.

Exploration of differences between project, program and portfolio management. Implementation science and practice applied to complex projects, programs and portfolios.

Project or program leadership in chaotic and complex environments raises a whole set of new and different challenges. This course examines complex projects and programs from the point of view of creative problem solving processes, opportunity identification and implementation, and entrepreneurial thinking at the individual, team, and larger system levels. The course focuses ultimately on the shift in leader mindset from challenges representing problems to problems representing opportunities. Students will learn to map the system of complex project/program environments and strategize to meet the interests of the associated stakeholders; and use Socio-Technical System (STS) tools and techniques to identify technical and social opportunities for system improvements and increased program success.

The goal of this course is to provide candidates with an interpretation and understanding of a broad range of economic concepts such as the Market Model, elasticity and pricing decisions, market structures and optimal managerial decisions, strategy and tactics in Game Theory, role of intellectual capital and Modern Growth Theory, Theory of Outsourcing, Aggregate Demand and Supply Models, IS-LM-BP model, international regulations/constraints as well as theories of productivity.

The purpose of this course is to develop skills in the effective conceptualization, planning, implementation and evaluation of change interventions in human systems. Behavioural science frameworks are introduced to explain and guide the practice of change in the organization. The systemic nature of change and intervention practice, including the generation and management of resistance to change, will be analyzed. Organizational change processes at the individual, team and organizational level and human system intervention efforts are considered. The importance of context is emphasized with cases of cross-cultural change, knowledge-based organizations, socio-technical change processes and system vs. cultural change analyses

This course aims to develop the aptitudes, intuitions and understandings of the strategies essential to successful negotiations. A thorough analysis of the nature of negotiation, distributive and integrative bargaining, ethical issues, planning and preparation, intercultural differences, bargaining style and personality are considered. The role of power, strategy and tactics is considered, including coalition behaviour, communication, persuasion, conflict resolution and multi-party negotiation.

This seminar is a series of lectures by eminent Canadians, from the public, private and civic/ not-for-profit sectors, who have had an opportunity to play a key role in the governance of Canadian organizations. Expert lecturers discuss their success, failures and leadership style in regard to the issue, all the while examining the organization’s interest and the interest of the Canadian public. Cumulatively, lectures provide a 360-degree perspective of a topical management issue.

Complex program leaders learn to balance and act upon the risks that threaten success while exploiting opportunities emerging from uncertainty. An infamous but perennial feature of many complex programs is unwarranted optimism that underestimates cost and schedule challenges while overestimating benefits. This course goes beyond classic reductionist risk mitigation by applying systemic thinking and advanced risk analytics with a focus on realizing value and by considering the incentives, penalties and opportunities associated with risk transfer and insurance. Exposure to generally accepted risk management practices including international risk management standards and frameworks will be provided.

This course focuses on planning for new projects or for substantial changes to existing projects using a business case approach. The material will address gap analysis, definition of expected outcomes benefits realization, and creation of cost-benefit models to support the proposed project. In addition, the use of management control systems as well as formative and summative evaluation models will be introduced. The participant is enabled to clearly articulate a business case in support of enhanced decision making and approval processes.

Financial planning and decision-making competencies are examined to include analysis of the financial position of contractors or alliance partners, advanced cost estimation techniques, life-cycle costing, investment appraisal, and application of value for money criteria. Tools for project financing to raise and maintain the flow of project capital, budget and cash flow management over the project life and selection of mechanisms to protect against foreign exchange rate or inflation fluctuations, are presented. Participants analyse reallocations and contingency related to program financial performance, foreign exchange and inflation; as well as differentiate between the value of money and value for money.

In recognition of the international nature of most complex projects, attention is given to managing across borders and cultures with multiple stakeholders. This course offers a rich learning opportunity to analyse a broad range of international projects and programs at various stages of their life cycles, through on-site visits, as well as to leverage the experience and glean best practices from world-class project leaders and managers.