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| ===[[Negotiations]]=== | | ===[[Negotiations]]=== |
| ===[[Ethics]]=== | | ===[[Ethics]]=== |
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| ===Microeconomics===
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| A good place to start is the Wikibooks course on [[Wikibooks:Microeconomics|Microeconomics]]. Particularly, the concept that in an industry where there is high competition between firms that those firms will theoretically make zero economic profit should be thoroughly understood; that fact of life is the foundation of much of corporate strategy, and the root to how to make excess profits (that is, profits greater than your [[Wikipedia:Cost of Capital|Cost of Capital]]).
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| ===Macroeconomics===
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| Read the Wikibook on [[Wikibooks:Macroeconomics|Macroeconomics]]. In particular, the inner workings of currencies, current account deficits, and the relationship between economic performance, monetary policy, and interest rates will be useful for finance and, ultimately, [[#Capital Markets|Capital Markets]].
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| ===Decision Models===
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| Decision models are part of the core curriculum of many business schools. The reason why is probably because "average" performance of a firm is distinct from the implied performance of the averages, if the components which combine to create that average performance have differing distributions or deviations.
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| Decision models will typically cover the following concepts and software packages:
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| *[[Wikipedia:decision tree|decision trees]]
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| *[[Wikipedia:linear programming|linear programming]]
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| *[http://www.decisioneering.com/crystal_ball/index.html Crystal Ball] or [http://www.palisade.com/risk/ @Risk] simulation software.
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| ===Corporate Finance===
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| [[Wikibooks:Finance|Finance]] is among the most stereotypically MBA things an MBA will learn.
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| If you want to understand corporate finance, learn thoroughly:
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| *what the implications of the [[Wikipedia:Modigliani-Miller_theorem|Modigliani-Miller theorem]] are
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| *the [[Wikipedia:time value of money|time value of money]]
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| *how to calculate the [[Wikipedia:Net Present Value|NPV]] of a project
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| *how to calculate the [[Wikipedia:WACC|WACC]] of a project or company
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| *how to do a decent [[Wikipedia:Discounted Cash Flow|DCF]]
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| Putting it all together, you'd get something called a model. That model will tell you how much any asset that generates cash flows (such as a stock) is worth. People in business think that this might be useful to know.
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| More specifically, these tools are useful for evaluating the potential returns of various courses of action, including but not limited to capital investments.
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| ===Marketing Strategy===
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| Key concepts to learn in [[Wikipedia:Marketing|Marketing]]:
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| * [[Wikipedia:Marketing Mix|Marketing Mix]]
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| ** the 4 C's (Company, Context, Customers, Competition)
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| ** the 4 P's (Product, Place, Price, Promotion)
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| * [[Wikipedia:Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs|Maslow's hierarchy of needs]]
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| ===Marketing Implementation===
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| Key concepts to learn:
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| * [[Wikipedia:Customer lifetime value|Customer lifetime value]]
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| * [[Wikipedia:conjoint analysis|conjoint analysis]]
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| ===Corporate Strategy===
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| Key concepts to learn:
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| * [[Wikipedia:Porter%27s_five_forces|Porters Five Forces]]
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| * [http://amadeus.management.mcgill.ca/~mark.mortensen/orgweb/summaries/mse/content/Porter.html Positioning]
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| * [[Wikipedia:Game Theory|Game Theory]]
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| * [http://globecareers.workopolis.com/servlet/Content/fasttrack/20051012/CABOOKS12?section=ManagingBooks Sustainable Competitive Advantage]
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| * [[Wikipedia:Strategy maps|Strategy Maps]] and the [[Wikipedia:Balanced_scorecard|Balanced Scorecard]].
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| Good thing to read when the summaries of the concepts won't do:
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| * [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=9&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffaculty.washington.edu%2Fcastlej%2FENTRE475%2FArticles%2520of%2520interest%2FWhat%2520is%2520Strategy-Porter.pdf&ei=ZFdmRMWYCMHqaMvUzd4J&sig2=Cd8RuCoZbnd4QDmLvILozA Porter, What is Strategy?]
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| ===Organizational Behavior and Structure===
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| Organizational behavior classes cover concepts such as:
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| *[[Wikipedia:Taylorism|Taylorism]]
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| *[[Wikipedia:Hawthorne Effect|The Hawthorne Effect]]
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| *[[Wikipedia:Social network|Social Networks]]
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| *[[Wikipedia:Organizational Behavior|Organizational Behavior]]
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| ===Leadership===
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| Leadership classes might cover:
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| *the ideas of [[Wikipedia:Robert Cialdini|Robert Cialdini]]
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| *the results of your [[Wikipedia:MBTI|Myers-Briggs test]]
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| Generally, understanding yourself and influencing other people is the focus of a leadership class. A fair bit of [[#Negotiations|Negotiations]] content might be thrown in as well.
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| ===Operations Management===
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| Operations classes typically cover:
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| * [[Wikipedia:Supply Chain management|Supply chain management]], in particular the [[Wikipedia:Newsvendor|Newsvendor]] model
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| * [[Wikipedia:Six Sigma|Six Sigma]] and other quality management concepts
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| * Risk pooling-that is, the managerial signifance of the fact that when you combine two processes the deviation increases by the square of the summation (because variances are additive, standard deviations are not). Risk pooling is often the root cause of [[Wikipedia:economies of scale|economies of scale]].
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| * [[Wikipedia:Queueing theory|Queueing theory]] which is helpful if you want to optimize business processes.
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| * [[Wikipedia:Management information system|Management Information Systems]]
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| ===Negotiations===
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| [[Wikipedia:Negotiations|Negotiating]] is important for business at many levels. [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140157352/sr=8-1/qid=1147551981/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9077880-7298216?%5Fencoding=UTF8 Getting to Yes] seems to be the core text to understand how to sucessfully achieve good outcomes from negotiations. A good summary of Getting to Yes can be found many places online (such as: [http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/example/fish7513.htm Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In]). Read that and you're all set.
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| ===Ethics===
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| Probably read up on [[Wikipedia:Sarbanes Oxley|Sarbanes Oxley]]. Also, reading [http://www.peace.ca/kindergarten.htm these important tips] would probably be useful.
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| ==Additional Learning Projects== | | ==Additional Learning Projects== |
Welcome to the Wikiversity Master of Business Administration Program, part of the School of Business.
Introduction
This document will link and organize the information found here on WikiMedia and elsewhere on the internet to provide a comprehensive business education such as one provided by the top business schools in the world.
A Master in Business Administration (MBA) is unlike many other academic programs. While most Master programs provide a further specialization within a particular school or discipline (such as law), an MBA is typically interdisciplinary, drawing from the fields of psychology, sociology, economics, accounting and finance.
Most of the material found within an MBA program is not unique to business. Rather, an MBA provides exposure to the diverse ideas which are most useful to a person who is interested in succeeding in business within an-easy-to learn two-year bundle. Despite all the drinking and socializing, an MBA can be a lot of work. If you work through all the concepts referenced, it should take you awhile (probably 2,000+ hours). You're also going to have to get good at Excel.
Let's get started.
Core Learning Projects Overview
Some MBA programs have core course requirements in the fields listed below. For examples, please refer to the core requirements of INSEAD, Sciences-Po,
Harvard Business School, Wharton Business School, and Columbia Business School.
Many MBA programs also have coursework on advanced topics based on these core subjects. Other diverse subjects (such as psychology) also may be included in an MBA curriculum.
MBA Learning Projects List
Additional Learning Projects
External Links
Good Reading List:
http://www.amazon.com/Personal-MBA/lm/R2QO2OKO7RZ2NT/ref=cm_lm_dtpa_fvlm_cfa_2/104-5567874-4297555
Further Reading
Competition Demystified by Bruce Greenwald
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
Getting Things Done by David Allen
The Little Book that Beats the Street by Joel Greenblatt
About the Contributors
One of the first contributors to this curriculum overview was John O'Brien. John received his MBA from Columbia Business School in 2006. He can be contacted online at pulplit.net.
