The Sloan core courses provide a solid foundation in business fundamentals. Faculty members invite students with functional experience to challenge each other and expand their knowledge. The courses and faculty listed below are scheduled for the Sloan Class of 2012, and are subject to change in future years.

Accounting

Charles M.C. Lee
Joseph McDonald Professor of Accounting

A characteristic of business is the extensive use of accounting data. The financial accounting course has the general objective of developing students' understanding of the nature, scope, and limitations of accounting information. To achieve this objective the course attempts to: (1) develop students' understanding of the conceptual accounting framework, including the objectives of financial reporting, and (2) develop students' ability to understand and critically evaluate the financial disclosures made by corporations. An issue of particular interest will be the managerial incentive aspects of accounting information and disclosures.

Economics

Paul Oyer
The Fred H. Merrill Professor of Economics

Business decision making within the firm is addressed, including: market behavior; consequences of alternative market structures; international trade; interactions between the public and private sectors; and basic macroeconomics, including the role of fiscal and monetary policies.

Ethics

Ken Shotts
The David S. and Ann H. Barlow Professor of Political Economy

With leadership comes responsibility. This course explores the numerous ethical duties faced by managers and organizations. It combines analytical frameworks with the latest findings on human behavior to inform a wide range of ethical decisions and strategies. Readings include case studies, insights from experimental psychology and economics, and excerpts from or about major works of moral philosophy. Through online and in-class exercises, discussions, and personal reflection, you will reveal and assess your ethical intuitions, compare them with more explicit modes of ethical thought, and learn how to use ethics in business settings. A diverse set of ethical viewpoints will be considered with an emphasis on not only their implications for ethical behavior but also on the social and cognitive pitfalls that undermine the ability of business leaders to fulfill their ethical duties.

Finance

George Parker
Dean Witter Distinguished Professor of Finance, Emeritus, and Director of the Stanford Sloan Master's Program

The foundations of corporate finance are used to analyze many of the important financial decisions made within firms and other institutions. Topics include the valuation of fixed-income securities and stocks, capital budgeting and the choice of investment projects, the optimal capital structure of the firm, leveraged buyouts, hostile takeovers, private equity financing and venture capital, and financial distress. Through cases and discussions of topical issues, the course provides an opportunity to analyze practical financial situations and problems. The course is applied, but within a rigorous theoretical framework.

Global Strategic Management

John Roberts
John H. Scully Professor of Economics, Strategic Management

Frameworks are presented for strategy identification and evaluation; assessing industry attractiveness; evaluating the firm's capabilities, resources, and position; determining the optimal horizontal and vertical scope of the firm; entering into strategic alliances and joint ventures; and formulating and implementing strategy in multi-business organizations. Case studies -- of a variety of companies of differing size, industry, and current conditions -- provide the basis for the comprehensive analysis and establishment of a strategic management approach for the multi-national, multi-business organization.

Marketing Management

Uzma Khan
Assistant Professor of Marketing

Focus is on strategic decisions necessary to match organizational resources and objectives with market opportunities. The coursework mirrors the stages involved in developing a marketing plan: understanding the market, including consumer, competitor, and company analysis; and implementing the marketing plan, including market selection, positioning, product, price, promotion, and distribution.

Negotiations

Margaret Neale
John G. McCoy-Banc One Corporation Professor of Organizations and Dispute Resolution

Designed to improve Fellows' skills in all phases of a negotiation. The course address understanding prescriptive and descriptive negotiation theory as it applies to dyadic and multiparty negotiations, to buyer-seller transactions and the resolution of disputes, to the development of negotiation strategy, and to the management of integrative and distributive aspects of the negotiation process. The course is based on a series of simulated negotiations in a variety of contexts including one-on-one, multiparty, and team negotiations. You can use this course to expand your repertoire of conflict management and negotiation skills, to hone your skills, and to become more adept in choosing when to apply each skill.

Operations

Lawrence Wein
Jeffrey S. Skoll Professor of Management Science

Robert Swinney
Assistant Professor of Operations, Information & Technology

This course focuses on basic managerial issues arising in the operations of both manufacturing and service industries. The objectives of the course are to familiarize students with the problems and issues confronting operations managers and to introduce language, conceptual models, and analytical techniques that are broadly applicable in confronting such problems. The spectrum of different process types used to provide goods and services is developed and then examined through methods of process analysis and design.

Organizational Behavior

Frank Flynn
The Paul E. Holden Professor of Organizational Behavior

Fellows are introduced to the structures and processes that affect group performance as well as some of the common pitfalls associated with working in teams. Topics include understanding team culture, fostering creativity and coordination, making group decisions, and dealing with a variety of personalities. Students will participate in a number of group exercises designed to illustrate principles of team work and to give students practice diagnosing team problems and taking action to improve team performance.

Strategy Beyond Markets

Saumitra Jha
Assistant Professor of Political Economy

Managerial issues in the social, political, legal, and ethical environment of business are addressed. Cases and reading emphasize strategies to improve the performance of companies in light of their multiple constituencies. Cases are set in both the U.S. and non-U.S. environments and illustrate how managers are called upon to interact with the public and governments in local, national, and international settings. Topics include integrated strategy, activists and the media, legislation affecting business, regulation and antitrust, intellectual property, internet privacy, international trade policy, and ethics.

Talent Management Strategy

Kathryn Shaw
Ernest C. Arbuckle Professor of Economics
Director, Summer Institute for General Management

A framework is provided for understanding and thinking strategically about employment relations and the management of human resources in organizations. The course draws on insights from the social sciences to explore how employment relations are influenced by economic, social, psychological, legal, and cultural forces. Specific topics include: recruitment and selection; performance evaluation; compensation and benefits; promotion, job design, training, layoff, retention, and turnover; and the human resource implications of various strategies.