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Managers and executives carry fiduciary responsibility for their organizations; it is therefore imperative that they know how to read financial statements, analyze financial health, assess financial risks, and communicate this knowledge effectively to others. The course emphasizes the role of the manager relating to finance and accounting through the analysis of quantitative information largely at the conceptual level. Topics include financial governance, understanding and reading financial statements, financial statement analysis, cost behavior, breakeven analysis, budgeting, balanced scorecard, working capital management, and the use of short-term cash planning. The overall aim is to improve organizational decision-making based on financial, social, and ecological metrics.
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OLS 560: Leadership Seminar (3 SH)
This course provides students with exposure to writings (both contemporary and classical) that address a wide variety of issues in leadership. The primary aim of the course is to offer students opportunities to engage in thought provoking and critical discussion of leadership issues.
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Using a case study approach, this course engages students in role playing and teams to explore the challenges of leading organizational change through a variety of scenarios in for-profit, not-for-profit, and NGO settings. Students will focus on their own case studies as well as those provided by the instructor. (Prerequisite: Organizational Behavior)
OLS 665/670 Project Management and Grant Writing/Intrapreneurship (3 SH)
This course will cover the basics of grant writing and standard project management practice. From finding applicable granting organizations, proposal writing, and accurate estimating through the launch of a project, team building, implementation, QA, and delivery this course will focus on non-profit funding and project delivery. This course will focus primarily on traditional project management but will also offer an introduction to Agile methodology project management. Core goals and objectives: At the end of the class students should have a clear understanding of the common steps that go into a good grant process, be able to analyze and adapt their project to the grant criteria, know what a good grant proposal consists of, and have a better understanding of the organizations offering grants in their fields of work or study. Students should also be familiar with the standard PMI project breakdown structure, be able to understand and implement a project plan, be familiar with non-PMI project management processes and their associated benefits and pitfalls. Students should also be able to craft a project plan including everything from the initial charter to steps for proper closing of a project at the end of this course. Core requirements: At the conclusion of the grant writing portion of the course students will submit (to the instructor) a fully prepared grant application based on a real-life project and meeting the criteria of the organization of their choosing. As part of this requirement students will also provide the appropriate information from the granting organization as to the requirements of the grant. Presentation: Students will give a short presentation on the granting organization they chose, why they chose that organization, and a brief summary of their project. Analysis / Critique: Post presentation students will prepare an analysis and critique of their proposal and granting organization choice based on their work and the work of their classmates. Literature review: During the course of the class students will review a recent popular or literary work on Project Management of their choosing. This review will consist of a short summary of the book, a detailed analysis of the salient points, processes, and/or recommendations of the book. Not to exceed 5 pages.
OLS 670 Project Management and Intrapreneurship (3 SH)
This course will cover the basics of standard project management practice with a focus on developing internal projects and programs. From the conceptualization of the idea, pitch, proposal through the launch of a project, team building, implementation, QA, and delivery, this course will cover the whole lifecycle of Intrapeneurship practices. This course will focus on traditional project management but will also offer an introduction to Agile methodology project management.
Core goals and objectives: At the end of this course students should have an excellent grasp of the process of developing a new project or division within a company, the risks associated with doing so, and the challenges associated with financing these endeavors. Students will also be familiar with the standard PMI project breakdown structure,be able to understand and implement a project plan, be familiar with non-PMI project management processes and their associated benefits and pitfalls. Students should also be able to craft a project plan including everything from the initial charter to steps for proper closing of a project at the end of this course. Core requirements: During the course students will submit a complete proposal pitching their idea, explaining the organizational fit and function, providing a cost estimate, proposing funding options, and listing a detailed risk analysis of the proposal. Presentation: During the intrapeneurship portion of the course students will pitch their ideas to the class / instructor as well as take questions on their proposals. Clarity, brevity, and quality of the pitch will be evaluated. Analysis / Critique: Following the presentation students will submit a short analysis and critique of their pitch based on what questions were posed, what techniques their peers presented, and their overall presentation style. Literature review: During the course of the class students will review a recent popular or literary work on Project Management of their choosing. This review will consist of a short summary of the book, a detailed analysis of the salient points, processes, and/or recommendations of the book. Not to exceed 5 pages. Project Plan: At the conclusion of the class students will submit a fully formed project plan covering every aspect of their approved project from project charter to project closing documents. Generally speaking these documents are no shorter than 20 pages, and can be considerably longer than that. Presentation: Most organizations manage their work and accomplish their missions through a multitude of projects. Organizational success takes effective management skills to not only manage individual projects but also direct the web of complex programs of multiple, interrelated projects, skillfully working with diverse stakeholders, demanding deadlines, and available resources. Focusing on the promotion of leadership for the common good as a project manager adds another level of complexity.
Course participants will improve their capacity to balance the art and science of managing projects by building technical competencies, adopting practices of leadership and self-management, and focusing on leadership for the common good competencies.
: During the last full class period each student will be expected to present their project plan to the class Presentations will likely be time-limited and as such will focus on knowledge of the material and delivery of the “elevator pitch” more than on the depth of plan presented.
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This course explores the newest dimensions and challenges of leadership that strengthen and extend leadership skills through practice in rapidly changing and complex, diverse, multi- generational, multi-cultural and multi-dimensional systems, such as health care, government, education, non-governmental organizations and multi-national for-profit organizations.
MOL 690: Appalachian Cross-Cultural Experience (3 SH)
This course integrates the three pillars of the MAOL program; management, leadership and stewardship for organizational effectiveness and serving the common good. It includes an eight-day residency designed to engage students as reflective practitioners and invite them to develop an openness to new ways of experiencing and thinking about the world through interactions and learning in a different setting and culture. A core value of the program is global citizenship, recognizing that organizations are interdependent and mutually accountable to local, national, and global communities; this suggests that a global perspective is important for today’s business and organizational leaders.