OIM - Operations and Information Management

MBA7507 Leading Enterprise Change: Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation
3 Credits

This course will go deep into the principles of innovation - disruptive, product (Agile), process (Lean), customer experience (Design Thinking), and business model innovations. Participants will learn how key tools like Agile, Lean and Design Thinking become the corner stone of innovation projects and processes that help teams to become more effective and help executives to build an innovation culture. Today, even the most conservative of industries are being pushed to transform themselves towards digital excellence. We will see several examples of firms that have gone through this transformation. Strategy, Innovation, and Culture are inseparable and they are the three key weapons of every entrepreneurial leader confronting ever increasing VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments. This course provides the participants a set of strong principles and common language for leading their teams and their enterprises through uncharted terrains. When this course is offered exclusively for firms in the healthcare industry, the case studies and the assignments will be chosen appropriately. 

MBA7604 Special Topics: Entrepreneurship in a Digital World

3 Credits

Digital technologies, processes and business models are impacting all aspects of businesses today, from startups to large organizations that need to practice corporate intrapreneurship. This course will focus on how digital strategies, tactics, and tools can be leveraged by today's entrepreneurial leaders to innovate, grow, and renew initiatives in their organizations. We will study how digital platforms can be used to scale operations, improve decision-making, and enable new business models to grow customers and revenue. Topics will include cloud computing platforms that focus on operations, employee collaboration, customer relationships, and machine-to-machine connections such as the Internet of Things (IoT) to capture, analyze, and share data and insights. New digital business models will be explored that will inform corporate strategy and business opportunities. Students will gain hands-on experience using popular data analytics and visualization tools, such as Tableau, to explore opportunities, gather insights, and make more informed decisions. The course will expose students to emerging technology enablers, such as machine learning and augmented/virtual reality tools, and effectively identify the role they can play in the organization's growth and renewal. Finally, we will discuss digital development and implementation strategies, including agile methods, to deliver digital technologies and gain adoption throughout the organization.

MBA9525 Leading Innovation at Gorillas, Chimps & Monkeys
(Formerly MOB9525)
1.5 Intensive Elective Credits

There are only two ways to grow: M&A and Organic. Organic Growth is much much much more difficult than M&A. Growth is the only common thing that all types of firms -- start-ups, small, medium, large, family-businesses, non-profits -- have in common. However, how they go about achieving growth could be very very different. This course focuses on how innovation is a mechanism for growth in a variety of firms and situations.

If you are going to work for a Gorilla / Chimp (Large / Medium Business):
M&A, incremental innovation, risk management and bureaucracy building are all skills and capabilities that are in abundance inside large enterprises. However, organic growth, radical innovation, uncertainty navigation, and entrepreneurial leadership skills and capabilities are all scarcities within large enterprises. Hence, many medium- and large-sized enterprises are creating internal innovation leaders who are able to drive organic growth by building innovation sandboxes and creating and nurturing a culture of innovation.

If you are going to start or work at a Monkey (Startup / Small Business):
Large firms routinely don't want to cater to certain markets and certain customers. They are very picky in terms of what margins they want and will protect. So, large enterprises do not pursue many opportunities. These spurned opportunities are precisely the ones that start-ups and small businesses should go after. Having a clear understanding of how large firms make their decisions in terms of markets and margins will improve the opportunities for start-ups and small businesses. Also, start-ups and small firms are notoriously lacking in resources. Creativity and Innovation is the primary weapon of the entrepreneur to compete against the Gorillas & Chimps. This course will provide several strategies for start-ups and small businesses to compete against the larger enterprises.

If you are from / going-to-join a family business:
All family business leaders have to comprehend that Strategy, Innovation and Leadership cannot be discussed independently and in isolation. They are all highly intertwined. At the heart of this triangle sits an even more difficult concept called “Culture.” Depending on the generational, technological and socio-economic changes that are underway in their countries / industries / businesses, family business leaders have to navigate VUCAH (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity & hyperconnectedness) through a careful combination of multi-dexterous skills in terms of Strategy, Innovation, Leadership & Culture. This course will help you gain those multi-dexterous skills.

MIS7200 Global Connections Through Technology  

2 Credits  

Global Connections through Technology (GCTT) - This course is an information technology course that educates knowledge workers to use information and technology to think and act entrepreneurially to create and sustain social and economic value in a global environment

MIS7505 Digital Transformation   

3 Elective Credits  

The digitalization of products, processes, and business models is accelerating the rate of change in every industry and how organizations deliver value. While the majority of organizations report having initiated digital transformation efforts, studies highlight that fewer than 30% of these digital initiatives deliver positive results. However, no single digital transformation strategy applies to every company’s situation, as digital transformation depends as much on the business context and organizational design, culture, and talent as it does on digital technologies.  In this course, we will use the case method to explore digital transformation efforts for a number of organizations across a variety of industries, and learn about the emerging technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain, extended reality, robotics) driving their transformation. Students will gain critical-thinking skills, work in groups, learn to apply different perspectives and frameworks to analyze complex business scenarios, and practice communication skills. Case analyses and in-class discussions will be complemented with a digital transformation consulting project.  

Prerequisites: OIM7800 or OPS7200

MIS7557 Platforms Clouds and Networks  

3 Elective Credits  

The first generation of Internet applications were focused on creating new business models and applications for reaching customers. These applications and models have evolved into the next generation that is making it easier for enterprises, especially small and medium sized, to compete by building applications on top of the existing infrastructure and applications (Facebook, Google, Amazon, YouTube, etc.) that are now available to them for reuse. In order for managers to design their enterprises for competitive advantage, they need to understand and leverage the new infrastructure. Managers need to understand concepts like architecture, shared services, global work, opensource development, business platforms, network effects and services to create even more powerful business models. As a result of applying these concepts, managers can bring to market new products and services at a faster pace. The core concepts and technologies discussed in this class are important to both consumers and providers of services. We will examine business designs by discussing the underlying technology and how it helps shape strategy using case studies, conceptual papers and interactions with industry experts. In addition, this course highlights the emerging role of a business architect who is responsible for key decisions that positions the firm to compete in network-based businesses. 

Prerequisites: Evening: (MOB7010 AND MIS7500) OR MBA8500 or MIS7200 Fast Track: MBA7335 or (ECN7201 and MIS7200) One Year: MBA7210 or MIS7200 Two Year: MBA7320 or MIS7304 or MIS7200

MIS7560 Bringing the Blockchain to Life: Launching an Initial Coin Offering (ICO)  

3 Elective Credits  

In 2017, more money was raised for blockchain start-ups from Initial Coin Offerings (ICO’s) than from traditional venture capital sources. Investment activity at this level has not been seen since the internet boom in the 90’s. Blockchain, the underlying technology driving the Bitcoin phenomenon, has the potential to disrupt industries across the board and has the big financial services companies scrambling to figure out how to adopt and adapt before they lose out to the upstarts and new starts. The overall goal of this course is to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit of Babson students willing to learn about this technology, develop a use case, and work in teams to develop a prototype product or service and simulate the raising of start-up capital via a fictitious ICO.  

Prerequisites: Students are encouraged to have an interest in application and software development

OIM6110 Information Technology

This course prepares students to become digital innovators—global entrepreneurs and business leaders who can make strategic business decisions involving data, digital products, and digital services; experiment with information technologies and platforms; build and work in diverse teams; and create social, environmental and economic value from data in a business context.

OIM6111 Operations Management
(Formerly OPS6110)

If you took and passed OPS6110, you cannot register for OIM6111, as these two courses are equivalent

In enterprises of any kind, managing operations effectively is essential to success. The course explores the role of operations in enabling a firm’s strategy, affecting its business model, and in creating extensible systems to capture value for multiple stakeholder classes. Students will identify critical systems, design solutions, and apply problem solving practices in ways that could potentially reset competitive conventions or enable a new initiative or venture to overcome constraints posed by a nascent & uncertain operating environment.

OIM 6112: Artificial Intelligence Experimentation

MSEL Course

1.5 credits

Description:

Artificial Intelligence Experimentation is an experiential course where student teams leverage AI to design digital business concepts and apply Agile Product Management. Students will learn key skills, including how to:

1.                Develop AI value propositions and business concepts

2.                Practice agile product management

3.                Prototype AI-related digital interfaces and solutions

4.                Conduct experiments and iterate on solutions

The course does not require previous AI, programming, Agile, or software/hardware prototyping experience.

Prerequisites: None

OIM6301 Programming for Business Analytics 
3 Credits

This course will introduce fundamental programming concepts including data structures and networked application program interfaces, using three different programming languages: SQL and Python.  In addition, you will learn to manage structured data (SQL) and unstructured data (Python)  At the end of this course, you will gain the basic understanding of programming and managing data in a data science driven world. 

You will also learn:

·         Understand multiple definitions of business intelligence and its relationship to analytics

·         Understand how companies employ BI to shape strategy, monitor performance, and achieve competitive advantage

·         Be able to identify opportunities for using different business analytical skills in a variety of business cases

·         Understand database management and data warehousing and become competent in implementing them

·         Learn to gather, analyze, summarize and visualize data to solve basic business problems

·         Be able to program with SQL and Python

·         Understand the challenges of big data and the technologies used to build models on and draw inferences from large data sets

Prerequisites: Admission into the MSBA program. CAM students should contact Graduate Academic Services to pursue enrollment in this course. MBA students will be required to review approximately 2 hours of pre-work videos.

OIM6600 Scaling a New Business Within the Enterprise Through Digital
3 Credits (MSAEL Core)

Digitized processes and platforms are an essential approach for leaders to scale major projects and initiatives in an organization. Cloud computing enable digital platforms that focus on operations, employee collaboration, customer relationships, and machine-to-machine connections such as the Internet of Things (IoT) to capture, analyze, and share data and insights. Instead of experimenting in an incubation state, the entire organization has to get involved with the innovation process. In this course, we explore how and when to use these digital platforms. This includes not only the rollout of the digital change from an operations and resourcing perspective but understanding who the active and passive champions and resistors are and working with them to drive diffusion. We will also discuss operations challenges and solutions associated with moving from a pilot to full scale production. Finally, the course will expose students to emerging technology enablers (e.g. data visualization, 3D printing, robotics, machine learning, augmented/virtual reality tools) and effectively identify the role they can play in the organization’s growth and renewal.

Prerequisites: MOB6600 and EPS6600

OIM6601 Project Management Under Uncertainty
3 Credits (MSAEL Core)

This course offers methods and frameworks for commercializing nascent technologies that offer potentially breakthrough value to the market and therefore, enormous reward for the firm, but whose value propositions and applications are highly uncertain at the outset. Aside from readings and cases, students' job will be to undertake a project either from their own organization or one provided by the faculty and, applying the tools and methods of the course, understand the technology, learn how to articulate it in terms of market opportunity, scope out the potential applications, and begin doing the hard work of evaluating the potential of the opportunity, incubating it and determining next steps.

Prerequisites: MOB6600 and EPS6600; OIM 6600

OIM7501 Introduction to Database Management
1.5 Elective Credits

SQL forms the cornerstone of all relational database operations. The ability to write the SQL language is essential for those who develop database applications. This course provides a solid foundation of the SQL programming language that enables students to build, query and manipulate databases.  Working in SQL Server Management, the students will be actively engaged in a hands-on classroom experience.

The list of topics include: Understand entity-relationship modeling (ER Model) at the conceptual level; Data design terminology, SQL Basics, Joins and Views, Conditional Logic, Procedures, Functions.

Prerequisites: None

OIM7502 Advanced Programming for Business Analytics
3 Elective Credits

Python is a general-purpose programming language that has rapidly become one of the most popular languages for data science. Python allows users to quickly and efficiently collect, clean, analyze, visualize and narrate using any kind of data (structured, semi-structured or un-structured); irrespective of how messy the data might be. In this course, students will advance their python skills for data science. Students use a variety of data to learn powerful ways to conduct data analytics and learn helpful data science tools along the way. This will equip students to conduct their own analyses towards the end of the course.

Prerequisites: OIM 6301

OIM7503 Experiment to Scale
3 Elective Credits

Innovators in all industries are searching for ways to bring products and services to market at an even faster pace and to scale. However, companies face a myriad of challenges that make such growth difficult, namely: environmental uncertainty, unquestioned industry standards, and seemingly stagnant organizational cultures. And while ideating and prototyping new ideas becomes more manageable for firms, bringing those ideas to scale is still elusive Experimentation has recently been revered as the way forward to address these challenges. In this course, students will study historical and more recent experimentation techniques from technology and operations management. Students will compare and contrast these techniques and apply them to a project.

OIM7504 Social Innovation Design Studio: Impacting the Future of Business

3 Credits

This new experiential studio course offers students a unique opportunity to integrate entrepreneurial leadership with social design and learn by doing as they create and implement solutions to some of the world’s pressing challenges — in partnership with innovative organizational sponsors. Students work collaboratively in teams supported by faculty, mentors, lecturers and their own self-initiated research. Three sections guide learners through the process of self-discovery, understanding the landscape and potential of social design in business, and hands-on application of the process to a real-world challenge. The mindsets, skillsets and processes mastered will serve students in creating the future they want throughout their lives. This is a signature learning experience for the updated Intensity Track in Business and Social Innovation.

Prerequisites: None

OIM7505 Digital Transformation
3 Elective Credits

The digitalization of products, processes, and business models is accelerating the rate of change in every industry and how organizations deliver value. While the majority of organizations report having initiated digital transformation efforts, studies highlight that fewer than 30% of these digital initiatives deliver positive results. However, no single digital transformation strategy applies to every company’s situation, as digital transformation depends as much on the business context and organizational design, culture, and talent as it does on digital technologies.

In this course, we will use the case method to explore digital transformation efforts for a number of organizations across a variety of industries, and learn about the emerging technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain, extended reality, robotics) driving their transformation. Students will gain critical-thinking skills, work in groups, learn to apply different perspectives and frameworks to analyze complex business scenarios, and practice communication skills. Case analyses and in-class discussions will be complemented with a digital transformation consulting project.

Prerequisites: OIM7800

OIM7506 Global Health Innovation Lab

3 Credits

Improved health is central to a country’s economic and social development, with 10-30% percent of gross national product (GDP) per capita attributed to differences in countries’ investments in health and education over the long term. Global Health Innovation Lab is a learning-by-doing course where student teams are paired with students from universities around the world to identify and solve problems related to the development and implementation of health innovations in low- and middle-income settings. For our second offering of the course, students will be paired with medical students from Unifacisa Educaçâo in Campina Grande, Brazil.Students will be assigned to a high priority project challenge from a healthcare-related organization in Brazil. Based on the challenge presented by the organization, students will follow the design thinking process, paired with approaches from healthcare management and entrepreneurship, medical anthropology and sociology, and information technology to prototype and test solutions that address organizational challenges. Organizational challenges may relate to care delivery services or technologies needed within clinic settings or in the community.The students will be expected to interact with the partner organizations regularly to make progress. Students will be connected with alumni or other experts as they need additional project support. Student teams are assessed based on their teamwork, project progress, and completion of course readings and activities. Students will have the opportunity to share their projects with the broader global health community through the Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Babson.

OIM 7507: Supply Chain Analytics

3 credits

Traditionally, supply chains were seen as sources of cost that were necessary to achieve the goals of buying, selling, manufacturing, assembling, warehousing, transporting, and delivering goods. More recently, managers have come to understand the potential of the supply chain as a source of competitive advantage and expand efforts beyond cost minimization and into the realm of profit maximization and expanding market share. At the same time, supply chains have become increasingly large and complex with the potential for thousands of suppliers, manufacturers, distributms, and retailers to be included in the supply chain for a single product. This increase in supply chain size has coincided with exponential increases in the amount of data collected and maintained by firms and the computing power we have available to analyze it. Problems which were entirely intractable decades ago can now be solved at scale in a matter of minutes. As technology has increased the number of problems that can be solved at industrial scale, firms have shifted from primarily focusing on descriptive analytics to utilizing the power of predictive and prescriptive analytics to solve supply chain problems.

This course is designed to provide you with a broad introduction to the uses of prescriptive analytics to optimize common supply chain decisions associated with purchasing, manufacturing, distributing, and retailing goods and services. The focus will be on identifying areas of Supply Chain Management where optimization and simulation are helpful tools, selecting and implementing appropriate models given the context, and interpreting those models and their limitations. We will discuss a variety of decisions across the different functions of the supply chain and the role of optimization and data in making those decisions. Students will gain a foundational understanding of how analytics can be applied to Supply Chains, the currently available tools and software, and how to recognize common pitfalls or issues.

Prerequisites: None

OIM7511 Future Lab: Complex Problem Solving for Social Impact 
3 Elective Credits

Sinan Erzurumlu, Faculty Director at FutureLab & Prof. of Innovation and Ops Mngment
Cheryl Kiser, Executive Director, The Lewis Institute & Babson Social Innovation Lab

FutureLab combines the entrepreneurial mindset and social design principles to engage students, organizations and community to explore pioneering entrepreneurial challenges and create economic and social/environmental progress for selected partner organizations. The FutureLab is a discovery and action-learning lab. It involves experiential learning in service to address challenges in real time and in real contexts.  As a FutureLab student partner, you will collaborate with an ensemble of faculty members and partner organizations to explore their challenges and develop solutions for social impact at scale. You should be prepared to engage in an active learning environment and apply principles of complex problem solving for social impact.

Given the increasing preference shown by employers for demonstrated problem solving experience, this lab will provide you with the opportunity to add a very realistic problem-solving experience to the portfolio of qualifications on your resumes. We envision regular, ongoing interaction with our partners, with details to be determined in collaboration with these partners. You will gain skills in creativity, critical thinking, innovation, complex problem solving, social change, entrepreneurial leadership and influence. Depending on the demands of the project, you will apply these skills towards framing the problem and co-creating solutions with community and partner organization. 

The 14-week lab experience is designed for active learning, experimenting, generating and launching an implementation plan. Student partners of prior semesters addressed various problems, such as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of key patient care processes for a major academic medical center and analyzing the mobility challenges of older adults for governmental organizations. It is important to know that this is a team-based engagement and anticipate the flexible investment of time and effort that high-performance teams and deep work often demands. This Lab requires a high willingness to work in a flexible timeframe and framework. Student partners may be interviewed prior to class by the Lab faculty team. 

OIM7512 Future Lab: Design-led Innovation
3 Elective Credits 

The FutureLab is a discovery and action-learning lab. It involves experiential learning in service to address challenges in real time and in real contexts. As a FutureLab student partner, you will collaborate with an ensemble of faculty members and partner organizations to explore their challenges and develop solutions for social impact at scale. You should be prepared to engage in self-paced team projects in an active learning environment. You will combine the entrepreneurial mindset and apply principles of complex problem solving for social impact. 

Given the increasing preference shown by employers for demonstrated problem solving experience, this lab will provide you with the opportunity to add a very realistic problem solving experience to the portfolio of qualifications on your resumes. We envision regular, ongoing interaction with our partners, with details to be determined in collaboration with these partners. You will gain skills in creativity, critical thinking, innovation, complex problem solving, social change, and entrepreneurial leadership and influence. Depending on the demands of the project, you will apply these skills towards framing the problem and co-creating solutions with community and partner organization.

The 14-week lab experience is designed for active learning, experimenting, generating and launching an implementation plan. Student partners of prior semesters addressed various problems, such as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of key patient care processes for a major academic medical center and analyzing the mobility challenges of older adults for governmental organizations. The focus of the Lab is going to be on mobility and connectivity challenges. It is important to know that this is a team-based engagement and anticipate the flexible investment of time and effort that high-performance teams and deep work often demands. This Lab requires a high willingness to work in a flexible time frame and framework. Student partners may be interviewed prior to class by the Lab faculty team. 

OIM7515 Enterprise 2.0 Building Social Networks to Improve Business Performance
3 Credits

Enterprise 2.0 is the term to describe organizations that use social platforms and technologies that enable emergent collaboration. Organizations must now capture, distribute and apply the knowledge of their employees for business benefit. Also, companies need to keep track of knowledge outside of their corporate walls, for example, understanding market trends and being aware of what customers are saying about their products. Ultimately, the goal of Enterprise 2.0 is to break down traditional information silos and allow employees and managers to tap into the right people and expertise when they need it.

In this course we will discuss the current state of the Enterprise 2.0 movement including how it pertains the current reality of hybrid work. The goal is to go “beyond the hype” and provide a science and methodology to measure the value of these social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, the Metaverse, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. We will explore how social collaboration tools are being used by organizations to identify subject-matter experts, find unstructured knowledge when they need it and to leverage the "wisdom of the crowds" for experimentation and learning.

Student projects will emphasize a “hands-on” approach to understanding the latest social platforms. We will use organizational network analysis (ONA) software, a methodology to analyze the structure of social networks, or the people-to-people connections in organizations. ONA is an increasingly popular application used by both management consultants and internal organizational practices to understand information flows and “influencers” inside and outside a company. We will also explore personal network analysis (PNA) using EgoNet software and social listening platforms, such as NUVI, to understand customer influencers.

Prerequisites: None

OIM7522 Leading Sustainable Innovation
3 Elective Credits

The era of corporations integrating sustainable practices is being surpassed by a new age of corporations actively transforming the market to make it more sustainable. Enterprise integration is geared toward present-day measures of success; market transformation will help companies create tomorrow’s measures. This course prepares entrepreneurial leaders to create systemic transformation and apply practical decision-making with the purpose of socio-ecological and economic value. In this course you will learn different approaches including systems thinking to design, develop and implement sustainability-oriented innovations. After completing this course, you will be able to 

(1)    Critically examine the relationship between business practices and socio-ecological system, 
(2)    Understand and apply the concepts of sustainability thinking and practice (externalities, process thinking, and systems and design thinking) to design, develop and implement sustainability-oriented innovations with socio-ecological systemic impacts,
(3)    Understand how to operationalize the four elements of sustainability thinking and practice (purpose and strategic intent, stakeholder involvement, metrics, design and implementation of innovations)
(4)    Develop knowledge and skillset to take lead in formulating an effective sustainability strategy for the transformation of a conventional organization

OIM7525 Agile Experimentation
1.5 Elective Credits

Agile Experimentation (AgileEx) is an experiential course in which teams of students use agile methodologies to design and prototype viable Internet of Things (IoT) innovations combining hardware and software components. The course involves:

•    Practicing Agile/SCRUM project management methodologies and software, and learning how to scale Agile environments from small startups to large organizations
•    Designing and building IoT (or wearable) devices with sensors and actuators, and programming hardware (i.e., Arduino boards)
•    Designing digital interfaces and processes (e.g., app mockups, process diagrams) with software tools
•    Running experiments and surveying customers to test hypotheses and iterate in the development of a prototype
•    Building an innovation with a clear value proposition
•    Learning about emerging technologies
•    Presenting your work in a final pitch that showcases your prototype and its market viability

The course aims to train business graduates who are confident life-long learners of technology, can work in Agile environments, and can participate in the development of innovative technological solutions that integrate hardware and software components.

The course does not require programming, Agile, or software/hardware prototyping experience. 

Prerequisites: None

OIM7529 Sustainability Innovation
1.5 Elective Credits

Our economic systems are running on an enormous ecological deficit. However, there’s some good news for entrepreneurial leaders everywhere; everything needs to be redesigned. What you get when you have new technologies, new user needs, new markets, and new business plans is new opportunities for sustainable development. With this mindset, the industrial and economic systems are in sustainability transformation from the industrial age to the climate change and social impact age. 

In this new age, entrepreneurial leaders must understand the socio-ecological impacts of their businesses, and integrate sustainability risks and opportunities into discussions and decisions on risk, revenue, and business strategy. They must explore and develop innovations with sustainability priorities for their markets and industries. They must be able to evaluate value and impact at scale in the context of short- and long-term strategic decision making. Otherwise, their businesses will be inevitably extinct in the climate change and social impact age. 

This course aims to prepare entrepreneurial leaders for critical sustainability transformation. Students will gain knowledge about the sustainability challenges (e.g., energy, transportation, waste, carbon management, agriculture, production and consumption) and practical skills for exploring sustainability innovations and accelerating the growth of sustainable businesses (e.g, net zero, zero-carbon tech, decarbonization, ESG, UN SDG). Students will 1) learn and employ integrated systems thinking to address social responsibility, ecological integrity, and value creation; 2) apply an innovation process framework to generate sustainability ideas and develop business strategies; and 3) assess the suitability, scalability, and sustainability of innovations for consumers/users, investors, and other stakeholders of interest. 

Students who are interested in any of the following roles may find this course useful:

• An entrepreneur wanting to understand sustainability as a business opportunity
• An individual or corporate strategy group developing a sustainability strategy 
• An individual or corporate strategy group seeking growth through sustainability innovations
• A leader wanting to develop a culture of sustainability and organizational change 
• An R&D group aiming to integrate sustainability into its innovation process
• A financier deciding whether to invest in a sustainability-oriented entrepreneur

Prerequisite: NONE

OIM7545 Artificial Intelligence for Business
3 Blended Credits

F2F Meeting Dates TBD

This course introduces students to cognitive technologies (another phrase for “artificial intelligence") and addresses their value and implementation in business. A variety of cognitive tools will be covered, from machine learning to natural language processing to “deep learning.” Both the functions performed by these technologies and the business issues they generate—including the roles to be performed by humans in knowledge work processes of the future—will be addressed in the course. 
 
Some instruction is provided by online videos on cognitive technologies. There will be several guest lectures from external experts on various cognitive technologies and management issues. No programming background is required, although students will need to study materials about how cognitive technologies work.

OIM7546 Analytical Managers and Organization
3 Blended Credits

This course is designed to teach MBA students what it means to be an analytical manager, and how to build the capabilities required to be a highly analytical organization. It addresses the non-statistical topics in analytical decision-making at the individual level (including framing the problem and communicating the results), which should complement statistically oriented courses at Babson. It also addresses the key factors (in the DELTTA model—data, enterprise, leadership, targets, technology, and analysts) necessary to succeed with analytics at the organizational level. It incorporates new course content specifically relevant to big data and analytics based on it. The course specifically delves into how both large and entrepreneurial organizations are addressing big data and analytics, and focuses in particular on how digital and online firms use and manage analytics. We’ll discuss various industries’ and functions’ use of analytics, but the only one addressed in any depth is web analytics for digitally-oriented businesses.

OIM7555 Product Design and Development
3 Elective Credits

Product Design and Development (PDD) is an integrated management course that provides students with a field-based understanding of the fundamentals of conceiving, evaluating, and developing successful new physical products. One works in a team-based environment learning how to translate a new product idea into a product concept and final design. The course extends the design toolkit introduced in core MBA courses, preparing students to create final working prototypes to be used to pursue funding for venture launch.

Weissman Foundry resources are used extensively to develop product prototypes. Student teams propose projects or are matched with projects in collaboration with participating client companies. The course culminates in the MBA Product Design Fair where teams present final product prototypes. 

The course covers emerging topics and tools in sustainable product design as well as the use of generative artificial intelligence in the design process.  While there is some case-based learning, the primary focus is on experiential learning through creating new products.  The course is particularly relevant for students interested in launching ventures based on physical products, those seeking employment in companies with a product focus, those wishing to learn more about the design and innovation process through engaging in a semester-long development project, and those interested in product management roles. (3.0 Credit Hours)

Prerequisites: None

OIM7556 Cybersecurity
1.5 Elective Credits 

The course is designed for the next generation managers who need to appreciate both the technical aspects and business impacts of cybersecurity in the enterprise. Different types of security break from a manager’s perspective are explored. Students will also learn to design or support cybersecurity initiatives such as a risk management, policy creation, incident response and continuous improvement. The course uses a combination of readings and current events, class discussion and quest speakers for learning. 

Prerequisites: None

OIM7565 Blockchain Ventures
1.5 Elective Credits

This course is for students wishing to explore blockchain technology (and specifically NFTs). Kicking off with a review of the technology’s initial application, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, students will gain an understanding of the commercial, technical and public policy fundamentals of blockchain technology, distributed ledgers and smart contracts in both open sourced and private applications. We then will deep dive into the Ethereum ecosystem, where we cover how it works, review ‘the merge’, and provide case studies of NFTs in gaming, music among other industries. Along the way, we will explore the markets and regulatory landscape for cryptocurrencies, DAOs, coin offerings, other tokens, as well as new forms of financing through crypto. An important distinction will be made between leveraging the technology of Blockchain into a business, and NFTs, which are a specific use of blockchain technology.

Prerequisites: None

OIM7572 Supply Chain Management
3 Elective Credits

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is primarily the management of flows.  These flows involve multiple, interactive parties. Thus, asymmetric interests & information pooling often govern the Chain itself as it interprets the uncertainty inherent in both supply and demand.  The goal of all supply chains is to satisfy or exceed customer’s expectations and to do so at sustainable and reliable levels of profitability. The achievement of these goals is both enabled and challenged by the nature of complex systems in an increasingly globalized economy.   In many industries supply chains are the primary determinant of product cost, capital efficiency and customer satisfaction. Indeed, in certain firms, Supply Chain Management is a compelling source of competitive advantage and shareholder interest.

This course is a foundational elective designed to provide students with an integrated perspective of SCM; with enough specificity to critically assess the strategic fit of an existing supply chain design and to offer discrete recommendations for improvement. Students will also learn to recognize best practices in supply chain management, identify possible supply chain barriers to effectively scaling a venture, and assess the effectiveness of advanced technologies such as robotics, blockchain and AI to further improve supply chain execution & product/service life-cycle management.   As such the course will be an essential component to the portfolio of studies of those pursuing advanced management skills & research.  The course is intended for CEO’s, COO’s, CSO’s, Product Managers and Operations leaders in ventures where the supply chain is an instrument of strategic intent & actualization.

This course is structured on the fundamental assertion that a system is more than the sum of its parts.  As systems, supply chains may exhibit adaptive, dynamic, self-resilient and even goal seeking behaviors. Our scope of study is through a lens involving networks, platforms and ecosystems – often well beyond the hard boundaries of a firm.  For purposes of our course, Supply Chain Management is defined as the transdisciplinary & integrated approach to managing the flow of goods/services, information, and capital, from raw materials through to the end user – and increasingly the conversion of end-of-life products back into sourcing streams.

Prerequisites:    1)  NONE for those involved in Specialty Masters Programs (MSBA, MSF, MSEL)

                              2)  Completion of OIM 7800 for all other students

OIM7580 Independent Research
1.5-3 Credits

Independent research is available for all academic divisions. Registration is manual for students through Graduate Programs and Office of Graduate Academic Services.

Independent Research provides an opportunity to conduct in-depth research in areas of a student's own specific interest. Students may undertake Independent Research for academic credit with the approval of a student-selected faculty advisor, the appropriate division chair, and Graduate Academic Services. Please note that a student is responsible for recruiting a faculty advisor through the student's own initiative and obtain the advisor's prior consent/commitment before applying for an independent research project. The research project normally carries 1.5 or 3 credits.

For more information and a proposal outline please visit: http://www.babson.edu/Academics/graduate/mba/Pages/independent-research.aspx

OIM7604 Special Topics: Entrepreneurship in a Digital World

Digital technologies, processes and business models are impacting all aspects of businesses today, from startups to large organizations that need to practice corporate intrapreneurship. This course will focus on how digital strategies, tactics, and tools can be leveraged by today's entrepreneurial leaders to innovate, grow, and renew initiatives in their organizations. We will study how digital platforms can be used to scale operations, improve decision-making, and enable new business models to grow customers and revenue. Topics will include cloud computing platforms that focus on operations, employee collaboration, customer relationships, and machine-to-machine connections such as the Internet of Things (IoT) to capture, analyze, and share data and insights. New digital business models will be explored that will inform corporate strategy and business opportunities. Students will gain hands-on experience using popular data analytics and visualization tools, such as Tableau, to explore opportunities, gather insights, and make more informed decisions. The course will expose students to emerging technology enablers, such as machine learning and augmented/virtual reality tools, and effectively identify the role they can play in the organization's growth and renewal. Finally, we will discuss digital development and implementation strategies, including agile methods, to deliver digital technologies and gain adoption throughout the organization.

OIM7800 Operations and Information Management
2 Credits (Core MBA)

If you have taken and passed OPS7200, you cannot register for OIM7800, as these two courses are equivalent

This course focuses on the role of operations and information in executing a firm’s strategy and delivering the organization’s products and/or services. Within this focus, students learn to apply operations design and strategy in three ways. First, they learn to configure resources and design processes to achieve performance, identify improvement opportunities, and leverage strategic capabilities for sustainable growth. Second, they learn the strategic role of technology and data, and use data for improving the operational model. Third, they study the operational model of innovation to create sustainable value for an organization. With an emphasis on building long-term sustainable models, this course helps managers consider environmental and social impact in their operating models.

OIM9521 Innovation Processes
1.5 Intensive Elective Credits

Over the past two decades, a combination of changes in political, technological, and cultural arenas have dramatically affected the way in which companies, organizations, and individuals innovate.  In this course, we will explore the critical parameters of various innovation processes, learn about their advantages and disadvantages, and compare the contexts in which these processes operate.  The goal of this course is to develop an understanding of what it takes to design and operate various innovation processes.

In the first offering of the course, the emphasis will be placed on open innovation processes, design thinking and lean start-up, and coordination issues of complex innovation processes. This course is positioned between our existing offerings Product Design and Development (MOB-7555), which provides an in-depth experience on the project level, and Leading Innovation: Creating Organic Growth (MOB-9525), which discusses managerial and strategic challenges on the firm level in the context of industry and competition.  In contrast, the new course Innovation Processes will focus on the mechanisms of how design and manage effective innovation processes.

OIM9526 #CX #XD Innovation
(Formerly MOB9526 #CX #UX #XD) 
1.5 Intensive Elective Credits

This course will complement an existing graduate 1.5-credit elective called Strategies for Innovation and Growth. It is also a good complement to the Managing Technological Innovation course.  As their titles suggest, the latter course is overwhelmingly focused on technology based products and hi-tech industries while the former is focused on how can large firms can create and sustain innovation and growth activities. This course will complement two existing graduate 1.5-credit electives (1) Leading Innovation @ Gorillas, Chimps & Monkeys and (2) Innovation Processes.

All countries go through life cycles-agriculture, manufacturing, services and knowledge. The majority of the developed world can be considered today to be primarily in the post-service knowledge based industries. Providing services in addition to goods, which were at one time a differentiator for most businesses are more or less commoditized today. Several trends have emerged over the last 15 years: (1) Move from Services to Experiences; (2) Emergence of new Digital and Networked Economies; (3) Information and Knowledge Intense Economies; (4) the rise of the new post-PC industry, also known as the TIME industry, i.e., the convergence of the Telecom, Information, Media and Entertainment industries and (5) new forms of Designing & Delivering Great Customer Experiences. This course explores the innovations that are driving all these trends as primarily applied to a broad section of service industries-Airlines, Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare, Financial, B2B, TIME and even Not-for-Profits. 

This course will cover: understanding the customer psychology and perceptions in service interactions; explore concepts, methods and tools to dream, define, design and deliver great customer experiences; innovative strategies to use customer experience as a differentiator; and how the convergence of digital technologies – data, voice & video – is helping firms to engage customers in new and innovative ways. 

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall/Spring/Summer

OIM9530 Competing on Analytics 
1.5 Intensive Elective Credits

Meeting Dates TBD
Drop Deadline TBD 

McKinsey Global Institute is predicting a shortage of over a million managers and analysts with the analytics know-how to make effective decisions. In this course, you will learn about some of the most important analytics-related trends, how enterprises and entire industries are being transformed by analytics, and how to build a competitive data strategy and team. We will also discuss various approaches and tools for analyzing structured and unstructured data.  
To complement our strategy discussion, we will explore some popular business intelligence tools. You will have the opportunity to get “hands-on” with a few of these tools. 
The highlight of this course will be an industry-specific team project employing concepts and best practices discussed in class.  
Note (1): If you have professional analytics experience, please contact the professor in advance of registering to assure alignment with your interests and needs. 
Note (2): You will need a reasonably current PC or Mac. Mac users will need to download an app from the Apple AppStore. Details will be provided in advance of class.

OIM9550 Innovating with Wearable Technology
1.5 Intensive Elective Credits

Meeting Dates TBD

Drop Deadline TBD

Digital entrepreneurs should be agile experimenters, capable of innovating by combining available technologies and services into digital products and platforms. In this course students will learn about the lean digital startup and follow agile principles to conceive and create a wearable technology device with a clear value proposition. The course will include an introduction to wearable hardware programming and involve hands-on work with an open source wearable technology prototyping platform. 

OPS6110 Operations Management

MSEL Course

1.5 Credits

In enterprises of any kind, managing operations effectively is essential to success. The course explores the role of operations in enabling a firm’s strategy, affecting its business model, and in creating extensible systems to capture value for multiple stakeholder classes. Students will identify critical systems, design solutions, and apply problem solving practices in ways that could potentially reset competitive conventions or enable a new initiative or venture to overcome constraints posed by a nascent & uncertain operating environment.

OPS7200 Technology & Operations Management

2 Credits

Technology & Operations Management (TOM) - This course introduces students to the fundamental components of a firm’s operating systems, be it a mature enterprise or an early stage company. The course introduces the new methods and models to analyze, diagnose and improve operations activities for both manufacturing and service firms. We examine key issues for competitiveness including operations strategy, innovation, product and process design and development, global supply chain management, quality management, and sustainable operations. Developing a strong appreciation for the contribution of technology and operations to a company's market success is an essential element of effective decision-making for entrepreneurs and leaders of all types of organizations.