Business Practice
Most courses meet 2 evenings per week, 6:10 to 9:30 p.m., for 6 weeks
Introduction to Negotiation meets 6:10 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesdays, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for 2 Saturdays
Details by Course
Marketing Strategy
Students will develop analytical skills used to formulate and implement marketing driven strategies for an organization. Students will develop a deeper understanding of marketing strategies and how to implement tactics to achieve desired goals. Students will work on case study projects in both individual and a team based projects. By the end of this course you will be able to develop a marketing strategy based market assessments and company needs.
Prerequisite | None |
Who Should Apply |
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Instructor Biography |
Sandy Becker enjoys teaching using a very hands-on practical approach. This includes learning from each other; analyzing current-day strategic marketing situations, and engaging students with real-world applications and decision making. Classes include role play, case study teams, marketing simulations, and interactive lecture – where students examine strategic concepts and apply them to current day, relevant scenarios. Students learn from historical situations as well as identifying entrepreneurial current-day scenarios from both an academic and more importantly a practical consultative approach. Students learn by challenging each other, while understanding the complexity of strategic decision making. Becker has been teaching a variety of marketing courses for several years at Columbia University and Rutgers Business School on topics including marketing strategy, marketing management, marketing for nonprofits, marketing arts, culture and education (ACE), business-to-business marketing, and consumer behavior. In addition, Becker teaches in the Executive M.B.A. program for Rutgers Business School and the Columbia – China Young Development program. He has consulted in the telecom, finance, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries in product management, sales, project management, and instructional design roles. When not teaching marketing, Becker consults with a variety of organizations, in instructional design; developing a mix of web-based and instructor-led courses in sales, marketing, leadership, product training and compliance – as well as providing consultation in brand strategy. Becker received an M.B.A. in marketing management from St. John’s Tobin College of Business and his undergraduate degree in mathematics from the City University of New York. |
Managing Information and Knowledge
In this course students learn the principles of management as they relate to enterprise-wide information and knowledge services. Attention is given to the philosophy and history of information and knowledge services, specifically as this background affects students’ future performance as business managers and leaders in the workplace. The course focus is on management and leadership skills, knowledge sharing, and the role of knowledge strategy in strengthening the corporate knowledge culture.
Prerequisite | None |
Who Should Apply |
Students for this course represent a range of majors. For example:
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Instructor Biography |
Guy St. Clair’s academic speciality is knowledge services, the management methodology that converges information management, knowledge management (KM), and strategic learning for cross-functional business and organizational success. He is President and Consulting Specialist for Knowledge Services for SMR International, a management consulting practice in New York City. Recognized as a knowledge services “evangelist,” St. Clair brings more than 30 years of global business and academic experience to the Business Certificate Program. He has been affiliated with Columbia University since 2010. He guest lectures for New York University’s Consulting Strategies program and frequently conducts webinars and in-house seminars about knowledge services for client organizations. St. Clair has written or coauthored sixteen books relating to information management, knowledge management, and strategic learning, as well as numerous articles about knowledge services and knowledge strategy. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned his A.B. in Liberal Arts. St. Clair’s graduate degree is from the University of Illinois (M.S. in Library and Information Science). |
Corporate Finance
You will learn critical corporate finance concepts including: financial statement analysis; performance metrics; valuation of stocks and bonds; project and firm valuation; cost of capital; capital investment strategies and sources of capital, and firm growth strategies. At the end of this course, you will understand how to apply these concepts to current business problems.
Prerequisite | Introduction to Finance |
Who Should Apply |
This upper-level finance course is appropriate for business majors or minors, as well as for some students of economics, statistics, and math. |
Instructor Biography |
Brendan Mallee has over 10 years experience in capital planning and finance. He joined Columbia University in 2002 and is currently the Director of Enterprise Resource Planning, responsible for the design, configuration, and conversion of Columbia’s Chart of Accounts into PeopleSoft Financials. At Columbia, he has been responsible for the management of the University’s debt portfolio and has issued over a billion dollars in bonds and notes payable to finance hundreds of construction projects across Columbia’s three main campuses, including its 25-year $6.5 billion dollar campus expansion plan. In addition to his experience at Columbia, Mallee has consulted for Echoing Green, a nonprofit venture fund, to evaluate efficient start-up capital structures employed by social entrepreneurs. His expertise in capital planning and finance has led him to teaching Corporate Finance for the School of Professional Studies. Mallee brings to his teaching real-life application of key financial concepts through the use of case studies and simulations. Application of valuation tools and techniques to the current business environment is central to his teaching philosophy. Mallee received dual undergraduate degrees with honors from Washington University in St. Louis and earned a MBA from Columbia. |
Security Analysis
You will learn about the valuation of publicly traded equity securities and you will be prepared to perform fundamental analysis (“bottoms-up,” firm-level, business, and financial analysis), prepare pro forma financial statements, estimate free cash flows, and apply valuation models.
Prerequisite |
Introduction to Finance (required) and Corporate Finance (preferred) |
Who Should Apply |
This upper-level finance course is appropriate for business majors or minors, as well as for some students of economics, statistics, and math. |
Instructor Biography |
As Legal Counsel for Jane Street Group, LLC, a global trading firm, Guy Miller is a practicing attorney focused on corporate finance, securities regulation, and broker-dealer regulation. From 2000 until 2010, he was Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Goldman, Sachs & Co. Miller obtained his B.A. from Stony Brook University, his J.D. from New York University School of Law, and his MBA from Columbia University. |
Introduction to Negotiation
On a daily basis we are involved in numerous negotiations. Some of these are simple and easy to resolve, while others are complex and may take place over several sessions. Some of our negotiations take place with one other person and others take place with several parties.
In this course you will focus on developing the practical skills needed in building common ground, establishing dialogue, ensuring representation and recognition, and forging business relationships. You will look at characteristics that impact the quality of your negotiations and the outcomes, such as the role of emotions, cultural considerations, and effectiveness of communication.
Leading Alignment and Agility
Learn how developing a clear purpose for an organization helps leaders build competitive advantage. Explore agile practices that leverage, challenge, and evolve organizational and individual purpose. This course examines how leaders use neuroscience based techniques to further improve performance and adaptability within their organizations. You will build/assess your own organizational purpose, as well as the different components that leaders consider when shaping organizational culture. Using various tools and models (Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, Personal Aphorism Activity, StrengthsFinder 2.0, and the Culturetek Model) you will diagnose your own leadership styles, as well as working out how to align strategy, culture, and leadership practices on an enterprise and functional level. By the end of the course, you will be able to utilize these tools and models to guide your own leadership practices and career.
Prerequisite |
None |
Who Should Apply |
Students for this course represent a range of majors. For example:
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Instructor Biography |
Ric Oslin is an experienced Organizational Development professional who specializes in helping leaders build alignment and agility in their organizations. Through his work and research, Oslin understands that there is no one right way to lead, that leaders are successful because they know why their customers choose their products/services; then intentionally build their organizations’ cultures to support the kind of relationship their customers expect. Oslin has served both as an organizational development leader and as an internal and external consultant in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. His clients/employers have ranged in size and mission from Starbucks, Time-Warner, American Express, and JPMorgan Chase to the Alaska Humanities Forum, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and the United Way. Oslin holds Bachelors’ degrees in Business and English from the University of Puget Sound, a Master’s degree in Literature from the University of Chicago, and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development from Pepperdine University. He has also received his certification in Organizational Design from USC’s Marshall School of Business/Center for Effective Organizations. |