Management and Organization (MOR) Course Descriptions
The number in parentheses ( ) following each course title refers to the number of units the course is or may be worth.
| 534 | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Business (3) Deconstructs the complexities of issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in organizations; explains the forces that shape the issues; analyzes real-life cases. | |
| 542 | Strategic Issues for Global Business (3) Globalization strategies from entry to maturity; alternative approaches from going alone to alliances; strategy implementation issues in different cultures and political systems. Cases, videos and speakers. | |
| 543 | Leading with Mindfulness and Compassion (1.5) Explores mindfulness (non-judgmental awareness), compassion and their relationship to leadership. Focus is on clarity in productivity using evidence-based cases and direct practice. Graded CR/NC. | |
| 544 | Fundamentals of Crisis Management (1.5) Types of crises, their developmental stages and nature and the faulty rationalizations that adversely affect businesses. How to recognize, diagnose and prevent crises. | |
| 545 | Corporate Governance and Board Leadership (1.5 or 3) Corporate Governance is the system by which corporations are directed and controlled. Includes rights and responsibilities of stakeholders; rules and procedures for decision-making. | |
| 547 | Mergers and Acquisitions: Integration and Organization (1.5) Organize successful mergers and acquisitions with focus on managing and synthesizing the integration process and impact on people and organizations across functions. | |
| 548 | Competitive Advantage Through People (3) How firms develop employee talent as source of competitive advantage. Strategic implications of contemporary practices in recruitment, work systems, training, compensation, and employee relations. Speakers and cases. | |
| 551 | Human Capital Performance and Motivation (3) Frameworks for enhancing human capital performance motivation at work, including pay/incentive systems, job design, employee involvement, leadership behavior, and self-managed teams. Cases, project and speakers. | |
| 554 | Leading Innovation and Change (3) Practical knowledge on helping organizations develop innovations and lead change to leverage them. Exploration of innovation and change in different organizations and competitive environments. | |
| 555 | Designing High Performance Organizations (3) Theory and practice of organization design. How to maximize organization performance by aligning structure, rewards, staffing, processes, and culture with strategy and environment. | |
| 557 | Strategy and Organization Consulting (3) How consultants assist clients to formulate strategic plans and realign organizations; approaches used by major consulting firms; information about consulting industry, fee-setting and proposals. Consultant speakers and project. | |
| 558 | Technology Strategy in the Age of AI (3) Analyze technical change to craft technology strategies as integral parts of business strategy with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI). | |
| 559 | Strategic Renewal and Transformation (3) Dynamic strategic planning; how businesses reinvent themselves; why change is difficult; politics of change process; and leadership steps for implementing successful strategic changes. Cases and readings. | |
| 560 | Managerial Judgment and Decision-Making (3) Development of skills and insight into making effective strategic, financial, and management decisions including awareness of hazards of decisions, issues of rationality, and risk taking. | |
| 561 | Strategies in High-Tech Businesses (3) How high-tech companies achieve competitive advantage through leveraging technical, management and financial resources. Technology trends and industry evolution. Focus on electronics and bio-technology. Cases and speakers. | |
| 562 | Strategic Choice and Valuation Analysis (3) Advanced strategic planning using tools of scenario development and activity valuation for assessing market entry, expansion and business portfolio configuration. Exercises, cases and project. | |
| 563 | Advanced Strategy: Competing in Dynamic Environments (3) Theories and frameworks for understanding and managing disruptive change. Dynamics of competition and dealing with industry transformations. | |
| 564 | Strategic Innovation: Creating New Markets (3) How firms in rapidly changing global environments innovate to develop new markets, products and services, delivery systems and organizational processes and competencies. | |
| 565 | Alliances and Cooperative Strategy (3) Essential issues and problems of cooperative strategy. Recognize and evaluate collaborative opportunities to develop and assess an overall cooperative strategy. Readings, cases and group project. (Duplicates credit in MOR-563) | |
| 566 | Environmental Sustainability and Competitive Advantage (1.5 or 3) How business is changing in order to respond to environmental sustainability challenges adapting strategy, product design, operations, marketing, and accounting. Cases and speakers. | |
| 567 | Interpersonal Influence and Power (3) Legitimate and effective use of power to resolve conflicts and mobilize action through understanding the talent and self-interest of people involved in decision-making. Readings and cases. | |
| 569 | Negotiation and Deal-Making (3) Strategies and dynamics of deal-making; practical skills necessary to win in range of business transactions conducted in domestic and international settings. Cases, role-playing, films and simulations. | |
| 570 | Leading Effective Teams (3) Analytical and behavioral tools that will enable students to effectively diagnose complex work group dynamics and take action to improve group performance. | |
| 571 | Leadership and Executive Development (3) Contemporary approaches to leadership, including corporate practices to develop leaders; examples of successful and derailed executives. Students self-assess personal leadership and draft development plans. Readings, speakers, cases. | |
| 572 | Leadership and Self-Management (3) Successful leaders are effective at self-managing their thoughts, emotions and actions. Concepts and methods for developing essential self-management skills. | |
| 574ab | Leading and Coaching: Foundations and Practicum (1.5, 1.5) Marshall MBA Leadership Fellows Program (MLFP). Learn, practice and teach leadership. Engage in critical thinking and problem solving. (a) Foundations. (b) Practicum. Application required. | |
| 579 | The Business of Sports Entertainment (3) Business practices and issues in different sports markets; including growth opportunities; and innovative marketing strategies for attracting and retaining fans and corporate sponsors. Industry speakers. | |
| 588 | Corporate Strategy and Competitive Dynamics (1.5 or 3) Central challenges facing executives in multi-business firms; toolkit for analyzing and executing strategic and operational aspects of corporate advantage, M&As and competitive dynamics. | |
| 592 | Field Research in Management and Organization (.5-4, repeatable subject to program director approval) Individual or team projects studying the business practices of an industry, company, government agency, country, geographic region, etc. Proposal, data collection, analyses, and written report. Recommended preparation: completion of required course work in a Marshall graduate program. Visit the Independent Study page of this web site for instructions and the application. Graded CR/NC. | |
| 593 | Independent Research in Management and Organization (.5-4 repeatable subject to program director approval) Individual research beyond normal course offerings. Proposal, research and written report/paper required. Visit the Independent Study page of this web site for instructions and the application. Graded CR/NC. | |
| 595 | Internship in Management and Organization (.5-2 repeatable; units credited toward degree usually limited to 1) Supervised on-the-job business experience in the student's area of interest. (Curricular Practical Training) Recommended preparation: completion of required course work in a Marshall graduate program. Visit the Independent Study page of this web site for instructions and the application. Graded CR/NC. | |
| 596 | Research Practicum in Management and Organization (.5-2 repeatable subject to program director approval) Hands-on practical experience working with a Marshall faculty member from the Management and Organization department on an ongoing research project. Visit the Independent Study page of this web site for instructions and the application. Graded CR/NC. | |
| 597 | Consulting Project in Management and Organization (.5-5 repeatable subject to program director approval) Individual or team projects solving real business problems for an existing business entity, domestic and/or international. Proposal, field research, analyses and oral and written presentations. Visit the Independent Study page of this web site for instructions and the application. Graded CR/NC. | |
| 598 | Special Topics (1. 1.5, 2, or 3, max 9 repeatable if different subject) Selected topics reflecting current trends and recent developments in management and policy sciences. Graded CR/NC. | |
| 599 | Special Topics (1. 1.5, 2, or 3, max 9 repeatable if different subject) Selected topics reflecting current trends and recent developments in management and policy sciences. Letter graded. |
Not all courses are offered every semester. To view class schedules, please visit the USC Schedule of Classes at www.usc.edu/soc.