The second-year curriculum offers advanced courses in core subjects, with a special focus on strategy, global business, corporate entrepreneurship, and innovation. This year is built around the Business Capstone Project, which provides students the opportunity to pursue a project of special interest to their organizations or themselves. Additionally, a series of electives provides the opportunity for more in-depth study on selected topics. You can review current course listings below.
Second-Year Curriculum: 37 Credits
Hallmarks of the Oregon Executive MBA second-year curriculum include:
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Course Descriptions
Global Study Trip
The Global Business Trip provides students with the opportunity to learn about global business through a combination of readings, discussions, and international travel. Students study business, political, and cultural environment of other countries, then take an 8–10 day trip to those destinations. During their time abroad, students meet with academic and business leaders, visit a variety of businesses, and learn about the local business cultures.
(BA 708, 1 credit) Brandon Julio
Formulating Corporate Strategy
Examines how organizations formulate successful strategies in a variety of competitive environments. This course considers the different frameworks and analytical techniques for effective strategic decision-making as students apply their learning through case discussions, exercises, simulations, and an in-depth analysis of their own organization or a start-up venture. Live case studies and guest speakers form a major part of this course. Typical project: prepare a strategic plan for your business unit or organization.(BA 723, 3 credits) Chris Liu
Marketing Strategy
Focuses on how to develop and execute marketing strategies that create sustainable competitive advantage. Key topics include finding strategic market segments, differentiation through value networks, value propositions, channel innovation, global branding, and marketing organization. This course also explores difference between marketing strategy and tactics and discusses how a leader can motivate an organization to rally behind its marketing strategy. Typical project: student will apply marketing strategy models to their own firm and a variety of other firms.
(BA 719, 3 credits) Doug Wilson
Implementing Corporate Strategy
Examines how managers implement business strategy, including employing a portfolio management approach to select initiatives that will drive an organization toward strategy fulfillment. This class explores techniques to visualize and measure relationships between strategy and operational level actions. There is significant focus on the art and practice of plan execution. Typical project: prepare a critical linkage strategy map that shows implementation projects through the operational level.(BA 725, 3 credits) Ed Warnock
Corporate Financial Strategy
Presents advanced topics in firm valuation (e.g., acquisitions, restructuring) and financial risk management (e.g., hedging, derivatives, foreign projects) as related to global and domestic corporate strategies. Typical project: prepare a strategic analysis of an important financial issue facing the student's organization.(BA 720, 3 credits) Brandon Julio
Alliances & Acquisitions
This course is designed to help a manager understand and use alliances as a tool to fulfill a given business strategy. It will cover best practices (what works), as well as unsuccessful practices (what doesn't work). The course will pay particular attention to value creation and will include topics on deal valuation, deal making, due diligence, and integration.
(BA 736, 3 credits) Anne Parmigiani
Negotiation
Explores the major theories and concepts of negotiation, giving students the chance to practice deal-making and conflict resolution while gaining insights into their own and others" styles. It encourages improvement in communication and persuasion. Typical project: students participate in negotiation simulations.(BA 729, 3 credits) Josh Gordon
Technology and Innovation Management
The post-industrial economy we live in is marked by waves of disruptive technologies. Leaders and companies can either gracefully surf these waves or be smashed into the ocean floor by them. For instance, Kodak missed the digital photography disruption and filed for bankruptcy but Fuji Film transformed itself into a specialty chemicals firm that is bigger than ever. This class will teach students how to predict the next disruptive technologies and understand how to implement strategies to manage them successfully.(BA 710, 3 credits) Ralph Heidl
New Venture Planning
Students learn how to prepare a comprehensive strategy for launching a new business inside a corporation or as a startup, using their entire business education and experience. Working in small teams, students research the market for a product or service, prepare a detailed plan, and present it to the class or a panel of experts. Typical project: preparation and presentation of a new venture business plan.
(BA 731, 3 credits) Peter Younkin
Legal Environment of Business
Explores the effects of law, government policy, and social forces upon business strategy formulation and decision-making. This course encourages the practice of strategic prevention. Typical project: an anchoring paper on a legal issue affecting a student's work environment.
(BA 711, 3 credits) Scott Schnuck
The Oregon Executive MBA Business Capstone Project
The Capstone Project completes the Oregon Executive MBA. Students individually develop, research, and analyze a new business opportunity for their firm in an integrative, hands-on learning experience that can take the form of a business plan or a feasibility study. The Capstone Project covers both strategy formulation and strategic implementation issues and serves as an important return on investment opportunity for student sponsors. Students develop the business project throughout the second year of the program and are supported by an individual faculty advisor.
(BA 740, 7 credits spread over 3 terms) Scott Chambers, Jim Coonan, Scott Grout, Scott Jenkins, Pam Knowles, Kathy Long Holland, Steve Sterba, Jen Welander, Linda Weston, Doug Wilson, Stew Yaguda
View Examples of Capstone Projects
Electives
Each student will choose two credits of electives which will give them more focused coursework in a specific area. Examples of specific electives which might be offered are:
- Managing Conflict in Work Groups
- Executive Persuasion
- Strategic Business Transformation
- Sustainable Business Practices
- Change Management
- Human-Centered Design
- International Finance
- Risk Management
- Data Analytics
- New Venture Finance
- Corporate Governance
- Database Management Systems
- Game Theory
- Emerging Market Fund Management
- International Accounting
- Managing a Cross-cultural Organization
- Managing Innovation
- Project Management