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.
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.
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 Performance Management and Motivation (3) New approaches to performance motivation at executive and worker levels, 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.
556 Leading Professional Service Firms (3) Teaches students with interest in consulting, investment banking, and companies in high-velocity environments how to manage careers, design, lead, and market adaptable and innovative organizations.
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.
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.
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.
566 Sustainability and Competitive Advantage (3) Key environmental sustainability challenges and opportunities for business. The interaction of environmental, political, economic and social forces shaping the strategy and conduct of business.
567 Interpersonal Influence and Power (3) Emphasizes 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.
568 Power and Politics in Organizations (3) Explores current theories of power, politics and leadership within the organizational dynamic. Individual bases of power will be related to assessments of motives and skills. Recommended preparation: MBA-level Organizational Behavior course.
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. Course provides concepts and methods for developing essential self-management skills.
573 Corporate Environmental and Social Issues (3) Exploration of competing perspectives on business's role vis-a-vis investors, government, environment, customers, suppliers, employees, unions, NGOs, etc.
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 (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 M.B.A., M.Acc., or M.B.T. course work. Graded CR/NC.
593 Independent Research in Management and Organization (.5-4 repeatablesubject to program director approval) Individual research beyond normal course offerings. Proposal, research and written report/paper required. Recommended preparation: completion of required M.B.A., M.Acc., or M.B.T. course work. 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 M.B.A., M.Acc., or M.B.T. course work. Graded CR/NC.
596 Research Practicum in Management and Organization (.5-2 repeatablesubject 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. Recommended preparation: completion of required M.B.A., M.Acc., or M.B.T. course work. Graded CR/NC.
597 Consulting Project in Management and Organization (.5-5 repeatablesubject 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. Recommended preparation: completion of required M.B.A., M.Acc., or M.B.T. course work. Graded CR/NC.
599 Special Topics (1. 1.5, 2, or 3, max 9) Selected topics reflecting current trends and recent developments in management and policy sciences.
Not all courses are offered every semester. To view class schedules, please visit the USC Schedule of Classes at www.usc.edu/soc.