Management Practices (BIZP1-CE)

Think Like an Entrepreneur provides a rich introduction into the unique psychological, social, and cultural underpinnings of entrepreneurship. Ideal for everyone from coaches to investors to founders, this course offers a dynamic roadmap to the entrepreneurial personality, with the aim of understanding its gifts and mitigating its liabilities. Learnings from this course can be applied to cultivate one’s own entrepreneurial spirit, more effectively work with entrepreneurs, create an entrepreneurial culture, or foster an entrepreneurial mindset within an organization. Topics include the mental health of entrepreneurs; the role of neurodiversity in entrepreneurship; the genetic underpinnings of entrepreneurship; the personality traits that support and hinder entrepreneurial success; the biopsychology that influences entrepreneurial behavior; the cognition behind the entrepreneurial mindset; the cultural and gender norms that influence entrepreneurial attitudes; and more. 

This intensive, project-driven course is ideally suited to startup teams and entrepreneurs who are working on developing and launching new ventures. Disrupt your industry by using state-of-the-art tools and methods for discovering customers’ unmet needs in your market value chain. Learn how to satisfy those needs in your own unique way to gain the competitive edge. Practice and apply of Outcome-Driven Innovation, advanced brainstorming, and Mind Genomics to turn your ideas into killer products and services.

New managers and supervisors can benefit from a thorough understanding of the management concepts, processes, and techniques practiced today in private business and in government. This course examines the basic structure of an organization and its essential managerial functions—planning, organizing, directing, motivating, controlling, and leading—as well as their relations to one another. Learn how effective managers orchestrate human resources to contribute to the achievement of an organization’s mission and bottom-line goals.

Organizations are the means by which people get things done. People can accomplish more working together than they can achieve alone, but to combine and coordinate the efforts of the members of an organization, the process of management is required. In this course, learn what the different levels of management are and why management is needed in all organizations. Explore what managers do, and become familiar with the definitions of essential management functions (planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling), the basic skills required for effective management, and the role that ethics and social responsibility play in managing. Also, gain an understanding of how the form of an organization supports the purpose that the organization is meant to achieve.

To be effective, supervisors must perform planning functions, both routine and detailed, as an ongoing part of their jobs. In this course, learn why planning is important; what key steps are involved; how to create effective objectives; how planning differs at the top, middle, and supervisory levels of an organization; and how to differentiate the various kinds of standing and single-use plans. Also, gain an understanding of the essential components of strategic planning used in organizations, including mission and vision statements and SWOT analyses. And, while planning “sets the ship’s course,” the controlling function “keeps it on course.” This course will focus on the definition of “managerial control” and its direct relation to planning, the three types and the characteristics of effective control systems, the four steps of the control process, different types of standards, and the use of management by exception.

Delegating effectively is a critical skill (that falls under the managerial function of organizing) that a manager or team lead should master for success on the job. It reduces a manager’s workload and develops employees’ skills, knowledge, job satisfaction, and commitment to the organization, if handled correctly. Mastering delegation also is a key skill for those who want to advance to higher levels of management within an organization. In this course, identify why managers fail to delegate; explore the concepts of responsibility, authority, and accountability; learn and apply the four major steps in the delegation process; and examine the common mistakes made during the delegation process. Gain the skills to delegate appropriate tasks and to do it successfully, to match delegated tasks with abilities and avoid reverse delegation, to recognize the types of responsibilities that can’t be delegated, and to monitor progress without over-managing.

Managers who excel not only are skilled at managing others, but they also are exceptional leaders. In this interactive seminar, differentiate between management skills and leadership skills, and learn to recognize which to use in different situations. Compare and contrast management and leadership, examine five fundamental practices of exemplary leadership, and arrive at a natural approach that works for you. Develop a personal action plan, and explore techniques to cultivate leadership skills in others. Benefit from a combination of lectures, learning assessment exercises, small-group activities, and case studies.

Coaching is one of the most valued management skills in organizations today. By utilizing coaching techniques, managers of all levels gain the ability to deal with a wide variety of performance issues. The results of effective coaching include improved employee productivity, loyalty, and cooperation. By taking this course, you and your employees will be able to set more effective goals and to produce better results faster. Learn how to implement coaching techniques that encourage innovation and creative solutions, foster a sense of ownership and personal satisfaction in a job well done, generate motivation and enthusiasm by helping your employees to connect their tasks to their values, and facilitate a more effective performance improvement discussion when dealing with challenging personnel issues.

This course was developed specifically for University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) constituents. This course utilizes case studies, structured conversations, and media to explore the possibilities of applying design thinking frameworks to some of the most challenging business development objectives. This course will also explore how design thinking methodologies may be used to further clarify individualized and organizational goals and to foster innovation.

This professional English language and cultural training program gives college students and business professionals the skills necessary to succeed in today’s global business environment. The focus is on business communication, with particular attention paid to word choice, presentation and interviewing skills, and cultural considerations in a global economy. As a student enrolled in this program, benefit from the insight of distinguished guest lecturers from the NYU School of Professional Studies programs in the following areas: marketing and public relations; finance, leadership, and human capital management; and entrepreneurship. The program is challenging, interactive, fun, and practical. Gain confidence and leadership skills while improving your communication skills in professional English.

Storytelling is nearly as old as humankind, and it has recently come to the fore as one of the next hot business skills. Stories help us to learn about and understand the world, our identities, and our relationships with others. From a business perspective, compelling stories help professionals and brands to stand out from the crowd and to connect with colleagues, customers, and communities. Compelling and effective storytelling helps purpose-driven ventures to outperform competitors and sustain themselves for the long term. Storytelling is both an art and a craft. The structures and principles behind good storytelling are simple to learn, but difficult to perfect. In this hands-on interactive class, you will learn by doing, while giving and getting plenty of feedback along the way. Become familiar with the basic structures of compelling stories, with an emphasis on social and cultural entrepreneurship, and work individually and in teams to craft verbal, visual, and written stories. Then, learn how to apply these storytelling skills to professional bios, “about us” statements, and other professional content.

Organizations that have built world-class cultures are better able to navigate constant market change and uncharted conditions and have greater access to top talent. Having a world-class organizational culture can help a firm to gain an invaluable, lasting competitive advantage in practically any industry. In this course, acquire an understanding of why a world-class culture matters in today’s organizations. The course will review organizational best practices, with a focus on the benefits to and impacts on both employees and clients, including how to apply culture to employee recruitment.

This course is designed for beginning and experienced marketing, PR, and communications professionals who are seeking a greater understanding of how to effectively brand and market social organizations to gain lasting competitive advantage. Consumers, employees, vendors, suppliers, and all stakeholders want to be involved with social organizations whose brand can forge powerful relationships. Team-based project work, in-class instruction, and discussion sessions will serve to provide an overview of social entrepreneurship, industry trends, and best practices in branding and marketing related to cause marketing and corporate social responsibility.

Research provides evidence that organizations exhibiting the highest levels of ethical behavior perform better financially than their direct competitors. Through team-based project work and in-class discussion, gain insight into applying ethical business practices in your own organization, including in the areas of recruitment and brand management. Learn about the challenges that firms face in maintaining a high standard of ethical behavior while leading in their sector. This course also provides an overview of best practices in business ethics, as well as guidelines, regulations, and policies aimed at achieving ethical behavior and maintaining legal compliance with local, state, and federal guidelines.

A combination of practice and theory illustrate how to apply powerful strategies to influence others, communicate effectively, negotiate, and understand the power of ethics in leadership. Develop your leadership skills by defining the different types of leaders within your organization, visualizing best practices in leadership, and studying common attributes of the world’s most influential leaders. Additionally, discuss how to build relationships through networking and how to maximize a relationship with a mentor. This course is designed for professionals in new management roles, as well as experienced managers.

Resource mapping is based upon the idea that your next investor, your newest client, or your most important partnership is within your reach, even if you don’t realize it. We all exist in networks full of unseen opportunities, and resource mapping is designed to help us identify those opportunities and accomplish them by visualizing our networks as ecosystems. In today’s world, the most successful companies and people are continuously seeking opportunities and know their unique strengths; they are open to new ideas and know how to discover, evaluate, and launch the right opportunities for growth in any economy. In this course, examine your past successes and failures to define a unique SuccessDNA. Additionally, learn to draft a powerful personal mission statement and a vision that express the real impact of the work you do.

More and more, organizations are required to innovate and create change both internally and in their industries. Organizational leaders are required to step up to the plate to implement plans of action while nurturing an environment of innovation within their teams. This course is designed to provide leaders, and those that are looking to gain more diverse leadership skills, with the tools for creating internal change as a method for having greater impact in the world. This intensive eight-hour program is designed for mid- to senior-level professionals who want to learn about and apply the design thinking process to their organization or teams. Come away with a wider understanding of the design thinking process, a plan of action to take back to your organization around a specific challenge, and a network of colleagues to collaborate with in the future.

The class provides an overview of ecosystem mapping, systems thinking, and innovation theory, as well as specific methods and tools curated or initiated by The Rockefeller Foundation and similar thought leaders. Gain an understanding of the forces and interrelationships that shape behaviors within systems in order to find gaps or opportunities for change, using social innovations as a primary mechanism to break from previous practices and to accelerate change. During the course, you will use real-life case studies to show how the different principles, key concepts, and visions of ecosystem mapping and systems thinking are crucial to sustaining and producing social innovations.

New ideas have the power to change industries and the world. But having an idea is not enough to start a company or a project; a clear business strategy is fundamental to launching a product or service, or even to fine-tuning the viability of your idea. This interactive two-day workshop outlines the framework and core elements of a successful strategic business plan. Designed for changemakers—both entrepreneurs and company employees with an idea—this course recognizes that industries across the economic spectrum can be fundamentally disrupted both by startups and from within. The course faculty members will use case studies from the automotive, food and beverage, and consumer goods industries to explore good—and bad—strategies. As a participant in this course, you are expected to bring an idea or a draft of a business plan and to present an elevator pitch to the class at the end of this hands-on seminar. You will receive individual guidance and feedback concerning the development and presentation of your project.

This class provides instruction on how to structure companies and their operations in order to maximize sale value for mergers and acquisitions (M&A). By taking this course, acquire the tools to get the most money possible for your company. Learn how to develop the right strategy to prepare to maximize an M&A opportunity and how to choose between investment decisions and financing options when approaching a sale. Apart from maximizing the return of a single transaction, this course also takes you through a framework for maximizing long-term returns by aligning intellectual property and business practices to create an efficient post-sale operating state.

Learn everything you need to know about starting a business. This course covers how to start a venture from beginning to end, whether offering products, services, or both. Learn from the example of industry leaders and become acclimated to the tools that a modern entrepreneur needs, including financial and intellectual property basics. In class, participants will focus on developing their own ideas for potential businesses.

Learn everything you need to know about starting a business. This accelerated two-day course covers how to launch a venture, from A to Z, and how to decide what to offer, whether products, services, or both. Learn from the example of industry leaders and become acclimated to the tools that a modern entrepreneur needs, including financial and intellectual property basics. As a participant in this course, you will focus on developing your own ideas for a potential business.