Step up to the next level of success by learning the key components of business
No matter who you are in the world of business, getting a big-picture view of how business really works can be a pivotal strategy for advancing your career and growing your organization.
Spread over a concise five weeks, this robust program provides a comprehensive look at the fundamentals of business and current organizational practices. It covers all the key components of a formal business school curriculum, enabling you to increase your business acumen and bring fresh insights to your work without having to commit full time to study.
Led by award-winning Sauder faculty, the program will expand your knowledge and applied skills in strategy, financial management, operations, strategic HR and marketing. You’ll also sample emerging areas in innovation, data analytics and project management. Finally, you’ll explore how decisions in one area may impact the others, and how strategic integration between functions can drive organizational success.
Mini-MBA
It’s here! Mini-MBA
The learning journey
Designed to fit your busy schedule, the fast-paced program format features a unique integration of self-paced learning and online class interaction.
The self-paced components include faculty-directed material (readings, videos, case studies and assignments) that provide the information you need to know before joining your peers in the virtual classroom.
The live sessions bring learning to life through online contact with the faculty and your colleagues. Sessions include class discussion, Q&As, peer-group collaboration, networking, etc.—all intended to vitalize the content with that most valuable learning tool of all: human interaction.
Who is this for?
This program is ideal for those at any stage of their career, including:
- Early or mid-career managers aspiring to expand their executive potential
- Small-business owners/managers who want to grow an enterprise
- Senior business leaders looking to refresh their perspectives with new ideas
- Anyone who has wanted to pursue a formal program of business study but never found the opportunity
Benefits for you
- Get a solid grounding in the key components of business
- Recognize the connections between different functional areas
- Look at the business from multiple angles, to reach more informed decisions
- Deepen your experience through peer networking and collaboration
- Keep pace in today’s increasingly complex business environment
- Drive your career forward while delivering value to your organization on many levels
Benefits for your organization
- Ensure your company has the critical knowledge and skills it needs to succeed
- Build organizational power to spot opportunities and manage challenges
- Become more adept at cascading strategy through every business function
- Promote cooperation and action between various areas of the business
- Develop your company’s talent and succession pipeline
Program content
Strategy
- Environmental scanning and market assessment
- Sources of competitive advantage and barriers to entry
- Building effective value propositions
- Contemporary models of strategic planning
Finance and Accounting
- Key financial/accounting principles and tools
- The effect of transactions on the company’s financial position
- The budgetary cycle and financial controls
- Time value of money: creating support for business decisions
Operations
- Core principles of high-performing processes
- The role of operational building blocks (capacity, inventory etc.)
- Integrating operations with other functional areas
- Creating an effective operational strategy
Strategic HR
- Fundamental principles
- Utilizing HR to integrate business strategy
- Driving results by managing performance and building high-level partnership skills
- Leading people through change
Marketing
- Understanding customers (businesses and end consumers)
- Market segmentation, targeting and positioning
- Making product, place, price and promotion decisions
- Digital and social marketing strategy
Innovation
- The critical importance of creativity in business today
- Examples of successful innovation systems
- The value of experimentation and failure
Data Analytics
- How firms can leverage data to deliver on their strategy
- Intro to Machine Learning, AI and Business Analytics
- Developing a data strategy for your organization
Project Management
- PM basics and commonly used tools
- How projects are managed in different industries
- Why projects succeed and fail, increasing the likelihood of success
Special features
This program blends interactive, instructor-led live sessions with engaging self-paced learning opportunities—enabling you to bring fresh insights to your work, while you work.
Program leaders
Dr. Darren Dahl
Dr. Mahesh Nagarajan
Scott Sinclair
Amy Stanley
Dr. Yanwen Wang
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Contact a learning advisor for more details.
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Get in touch
604.822.8400 or 1.800.618.3932
exec.ed@sauder.ubc.caVisit our contact page for more information.
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