Leadership & Management Minor

In today’s world there is a need for strategic thinking and business vision based on a different paradigm. Competition is not only between products and services, but also between business models. Students will learn about innovation-driven business strategies and methodologies to develop business designs to successfully compete in the new economy.

This course teaches the principles of project management that are commonly used to plan and measure projects in industry. It presents the project management mind-set, tools, and skills for successfully defining, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and reporting a project. Topics covered include: the project life cycle; fundamental PM processes; development of the project plan; interpersonal management skills; and managing changes during project execution. Case studies are from technology and media applications.

This course focuses on introducing the idea of “entrepreneurial marketing” and is aimed at students who plan to start a new venture or take a job as a marketing professional pursuing an innovative marketing approach. Students will study a full spectrum of marketing strategy and tactics that are especially suitable for entrepreneurial firms aiming for high growth and innovation yet faced by limited resources and uncertain industry dynamics. Students will work in teams on marketing plans for their own venture or for other high-profile entrepreneurs or executives. The focus of this course is on handson experiences and practical relevance of innovative marketing concepts.

In this class students get a “big picture” look at the ingredients of a start-up firm and the process of creating one. The class details those ingredients, discusses the stories (good & bad) of people who have done it, and learn the process by going through it with a self-select team. Students learn: the business planning process, which maps how to move from an idea to an actual enterprise offering an actual product/service/apostolate; How to craft a compelling and clear business story that captures the true essence of your business; and finally acquire inquisitiveness as to how the world of business really works. The class deliverable is a complete Business Plan created by student teams along with a presentation of the plan.

This course teaches students to meet and resolve objections and conflicts that result from written and oral proposals and pitches. Emphasis is on resolving customer obstacles before addressing your own. Topics covered include: Wants vs. Needs, Win-Win Strategies, Best Alternatives to Agreement, Schedule vs. Quality vs. Cost, Progress vs. Perfection. The class progresses through carefully structured, progressively more complex negotiation exercises. Students learn how external and internal negotiation has become a way of life for effective managers in a constantly changing business environment.

This course is an introductory-level course for students. Its intent is to give an in-depth understanding of the differences between—and similarities of—leadership and management. The course focuses on the major traits of leaders and managers, and augments these with examples of great historic leaders, including George Custer and Jesus Christ. The course also studies the many leadership traits of Abraham Lincoln and looks at how these can be applied in modern business to improve management techniques. As part of the learning process, students give summaries of Lincoln’s leadership lessons, using short, Power Point presentations.

This course will teach students how to write and speak effectively in business and other communication.

TBA

Students will learn how to successfully execute a small project, gaining understanding of the key steps in project planning and execution. They will play a key role in a real project by planning, executing and debriefing. By experiencing being a part of a team and having to learn from team members, they will apply their lessons learned in class and eventually in their own businesses.

This course is designed for junior and senior entrepreneurial business students, and builds upon earlier courses in leadership, project management, and Project Execution I. The course’s intent is to show how to successfully visualize, plan, brief, execute, and debrief a more complex project involving the entire class. The center piece of the course is the actual execution of a three-day wilderness campout involving JPCatholic students as part of their overall academic experience. The course shows how management (represented by half students) can successfully plan and brief a project that is executed by other staff (represented by the other half), which in-turn demonstrates the importance of visualization, discussion, and tapping into the experience of others, as well as how to successfully debrief the team to learn valuable lessons. Consequently, the course gives valuable insight, since the division of duties mimics real-life project execution in the business world, where management and staff have different roles and responsibilities.

This course is an introduction to the step-by-step methodology companies use to realign work flow, procedures, structures, and systems to fit the business. The course will look at how this process leads to effective organizations through: improved profitability; better customer service; efficient internal operations; and integration of employees with core business processes, technology, and systems.

TBA