Graduate Interdisciplinary (GR) | Bentley University Catalogues

GR 521 Managerial Statistics (3 credits)

May not be used as an elective course.

This course covers basic statistical techniques in a managerial setting, and features case studies and conceptual exercises. Statistical topics include effective use of numerical and graphical summaries, estimation and confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and regression. More advanced topics such as data mining, the Bayesian paradigm and principles of model building, may be encountered during projects.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 522 Economic Environment of the Firm (3 credits)

Restricted to PMBA, EMBA, ELMBA, MSMBA, MSA, MSBA, and MSF. May not be used as an elective

This course examines managerial decision-making from an economic standpoint. The first half (microeconomics) explores how prices, wages and profits are determined in market economies; the advantages and disadvantages of unfettered competition; and the impact of government intervention on market outcomes. The second half (macroeconomics) investigates the factors influencing gross domestic product, interest rates, unemployment, inflation and growth; the causes of the business cycle; the role of the federal government and the Federal Reserve in stabilizing the economy; the impact of technology on productivity and growth; and the influence of international trade and finance on economic activity.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 523 Marketing Management (3 credits)

Restricted to PMBA, EMBA, ELMBA, MSMBA, MSA, MSBA, MSF and MSMA. May not be used as an elective

This course covers the processes involved in the creation, distribution and sale of products and services, and explores the tasks and decisions facing marketing managers. It focuses on market and competitive analysis, customer behavior, and the design and implementation of marketing strategies in domestic and international markets, including product, price, promotion, distribution and customer service decisions.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 524 Accounting for Decision-Making (3 credits)

Restricted to PMBA, EMBA, ELMBA, MSMBA, MSA, MSBA, MSF and MSMA. May not be used as an elective

This course highlights how managers use cost, cash flow and financial reporting information in their decisions. It will introduce the student to (a) purpose of accounting and its role in making business decisions, (b) accounting principles, procedures and judgments underlying corporate financial statements, (c) use, interpretation and limitations of financial statements, (d) use and interpretation of financial information data in managerial decision-making, and (e) approaches to identify problems, analyze their financial and managerial implications, and evaluate alternative solutions.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 525 Financial Statement Analysis for Decision-Making (3 credits)

Pre-Req: GR 524, GR 524D, GR 524P, or AC 611. Restricted to PMBA, EMBA, ELMBA, MSMBA, MSA, MSBA, MSF and MSMA. May not be used as an elective

The objective of this course is to provide an applied understanding of the finance concepts and tools of analysis used in measuring firm performance and in making investment decisions that create value. This will be achieved through instructor conferences and the use of cases. The main concepts covered include financial statements, ratio analysis, financial planning, the time value of money, capital budgeting, capital structure, the cost of capital and asset valuation.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 525P Fin Statement Analysis for Dec (3 credits)

Pre-Req: GR 521 and (GR 524 or AC611). Restricted to EMBA, PMBA/ Part Time MBA, MSA & MSBA. May not be used an elective course.

GR 526 Calculus (3 credits)

This course only counts towards the foundation requirements for the MSF quantitative finance track.

The course presents differential and integral calculus in a single variable, with connections to further study in continuous probability, multivariate calculus and differential equations. Specific emphasis is placed on tools relevant to later study of computational finance. Topics include limits, continuity, differentiation of single-variable and multivariate functions, implicit differentiation, optimization, integration by substitution and by parts, numerical integration, and introductions to ordinary differential equations, continuous probability, and Taylor series.

Typically Offered: Spring

GR 601 Strategic Information Technology Alignment (3 credits)

For ELMBA and MSMBA: For PMBA: GR 521, GR 522, GR 523,GR 524, GR 525.

This course provides an enterprise-wide perspective on IT management, focusing on how IT professionals, non-technical managers, and external service providers work together to ensure that applications, data, and knowledge align with organizational strategy and business processes (i.e., Strategic IT Alignment). Cases and readings examine how companies in various industries use IT to serve customers well, manage operations efficiently, coordinate with business partners, and make better business decisions. We consider how to maximize the strategic benefits of investments in hardware and software, while minimizing risks. The course places equal weight on technical and managerial skills. Our primary objective is to help students prepare to be effective contributors to IT initiatives in partnership with IT professionals, including external service providers here and abroad.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 602 Business Process Management (3 credits)

Pre-Req: For EMBA & PMBA/ Part Time MBA : GR 521, GR 522, GR 523, GR 524, and GR 525. Course restricted to EMBA & PMBA/ Part Time MBA. Open to MSBA, MSHFID & MSIT with IPM Dept Chair permission.

This course provides a conceptual framework for understanding the fundamentals and characteristics of business processes. To set a solid foundation for accomplishing this aim, it reviews the basics of process analysis and introduces process modeling. Included here are various methods of analyzing, measuring and evaluating processes. With these fundamentals in place, the course explores the concept of the value chain to offer a backdrop for understanding both intra- and interorganizational relationships and the associated dependencies that exist. The last part of the course focuses on how information technology can be used effectively in redesigning processes to improve their overall performance. Students are introduced to the enterprise resource planning system SAP. The course includes assignments, exercises and projects focused on different aspects of business processes.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 603 Leading Responsibly (3 credits)

Course restricted to AOPMBA & PMBA/ Part Time MBA and MSHFID students. MSBA students may enroll with instructor permission.

This course examines the multiple roles of ethical and responsible leadership and the challenges associated with leading organizations and teams in a rapidly changing environment. Through discussion, case analysis, and team-based experiential exercises; students explore the complex issues of responsibly leading and guiding organizations and teams in contemporary society. Focus is placed on the development of the student as evolving leader. Students assess individual strengths and weaknesses as a leader, identify and develop a range of leadership competencies, and then apply these leadership skills to a variety of situations.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 604 Global Strategy (3 credits)

Pre-Req: GR 521, GR 522, GR 523, GR 524, and GR 525. Course restricted to ELMBA, EMBA & PMBA

This course focuses on how multinational companies and other firms create and sustain competitive advantage in a highly competitive, networked economy. Students learn about models of competition such as Porter's Five Forces model and D'Aveni's Hyper-Competition. Strategic innovation, the resource-based view of the firm, and new business models are other important topics. Emphasis is placed on formulating strategy at the corporate and business levels and on implementing strategy at all levels of the firm. The macro-global environment, ethics, risk management and government regulation are covered. This course serves as a capstone course, with discussion of comprehensive, international case studies that require financial analysis. Students use the university's Trading Room for research projects.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 606 Designing for the Value Chain (3 credits)

This course introduces concepts relating to value chain management, including supply chain management and designing new goods and services. Students apply these concepts in simulations of real-world business situations, deepen their knowledge by learning from industry guest speakers, and work within a team to experience the complexities of making collaborative decisions and engage with individuals across teams to generate insights for solving business problems. The course will prepare students for understanding complex product design, supply chain, and global business environments.

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 622 NexGen Leadership Course: 3 credit Graduate Management Elective with Travel (3 credits)

The NexGen Leadership Program is an intensive 6-week travel course that strengthens the leadership capacity of graduate students. This is achieved by offering an in-person, international social impact consulting experience and strengths-based leadership training . It aims to develop the next generation of responsible and inclusive leaders by challenging students to complete a social impact consulting project with a nonprofit or social enterprise. Current travel country options are Peru and Spain. The NexGen Leadership Program is neither a traditional summer volunteering experience nor a traditional summer internship experience. The program is designed to offer students a very unique experience that allows them to do meaningful work with an incredible organization while also partaking in a team-based group learning environment. Students from various geographic locations will work together in teams and develop skills related to managing high level, strategic projects.

Typically Offered: Once a year

GR 645 Law, Ethics and Social Responsibility (3 credits)

Not open to students who completed LA 720.

This course provides an overview of the legal environment of business, with an emphasis on the roles of law, ethics and corporate social responsibility in managerial decision-making. The course provides an overview of traditional sources of ethics and ethical conflict. These will ground students in the legal and ethical framework for the specific areas of law studied throughout the rest of the course. The course also covers the resolution of legal disputes, Constitutional law, torts including product liability, contracts and sales, employment law, intellectual property and environmental concerns. International perspectives on legal issues will also be included in almost every week of the course. The course will also examine the ways in which the Internet, including e-commerce and online publications, affects the legal environment of business. The course prepares students to spot legal and ethical issues in business, and to seek expert legal advice where appropriate.

GR 699 GR Experimental Course (3 credits)

Typically Offered: Fall and Spring

GR 735 Corporate Immersion (3 credits)

Pre-Req:GR 523, GR 524 & GR 525. Restricted to ELMBA & MSMBA students. Not open to students who have taken MK 735.

Corporate Immersion courses focus on solving current business problems with company management. Emphasizes the use of multidisciplinary skills to identify, define and solve complex issues within the firm. The course covers multiple topics, including finance, accounting, management, marketing, technology and the law. Helpful to understand technology and cultural idioms. Involves significant group work and the ability to meet tight deadlines. Deliverables may be sequential, but often unrelated and with frequent changes throughout the semester. Students need immense curiosity, ability to research, search capability, and experience investigating multiple industries. The course emphasizes the ability to use both written and oral skills in formal business presentations to top management. It requires the ability to defend analyses and recommendations under pressure and strict time constraints. The course mirrors working conditions and expectations of corporate partners' employees.

Typically Offered: Once a year