Sustainable MBA. Preparing leaders to make a positive difference through business T HE GREENEST GREEN MBA

Transcription

1 Sustainable MBA Preparing leaders to make a positive difference through business T HE GREENEST GREEN MBA

2 Green Mountain College: Sustainable MBA The online Sustainable MBA program offered by Green Mountain College is one-of-a-kind. We strive to arm students with the knowledge they will need to thrive as business leaders by teaching them about performance and competitive edge and how they are connected with economic and environmental sustainability and social justice. The MBA program at Green Mountain College was the first accredited distance MBA program in Sustainable Business to be offered in the United States. It includes online courses that are two to six weeks in duration, as well as the option of taking part in one residency each September. Our program provides students with the fundamentals in finance, accounting, marketing, organizational leadership, business law, and ethics. Upon completion, students will have gained knowledge, skills and a strong professional network, the likes of which cannot be found in any other Sustainable MBA program.

3 Here s what makes the Green Mountain College Sustainable MBA program so unique: In-Depth Exploration & Application of Sustainable Business Concepts and Practices Low Residency Requirement Reduces Travel Time, Expense, and Carbon Emissions Leading Faculty Recognized College Leadership in Sustainability We weave sustainability throughout our entire MBA curriculum. Our program emphasizes the development of skills and knowledge to achieve and maintain sustainable competitive advantage. Our students can apply what they learn in their current organizations, enhancing the student s and the organization s reputations and value. We offer the opportunity to attend one residency per year, and unlike other Sustainable MBA programs, our residencies are not required. This means our students spend less money on obtaining their MBA degree, less time away from work and family and save on travel related carbon emissions. Students consistently state that the residency is one of their favorite parts of the program because we focus our residencies on building relationships and learning among our students, faculty, scholars in residence and sustainable business leaders. The faculty at our college has experience in the business world, at companies including Stonyfield Farm and Seventh Generation, and many came to Green Mountain College with previous online instruction experience. They have expertise in such fields as international finance, sustainable marketing, environmental law, systems thinking, and environmental technologies. Over 90% of the faculty at Green Mountain College has the highest degree in their field, and graduated from prestigious intuitions from around the country including Harvard, M.I.T. and Stanford. They are passionate about green business issues and eager to empower their students with the knowledge that will enable them to make a difference. We have been teaching sustainability for more than fifteen years. Our leadership in sustainability is evident to others; in 2010 Sierra magazine named Green Mountain College the #1 green college in America and, in the 2011 edition of Guide to 311 Green Colleges, The Princeton Review named us one of the most ecologically responsible schools in the United States. Grist, an online magazine focused on environmental issues, included us in its Top 15 Green Colleges and Universities list, which includes all colleges and universities in the world.

4 Courses We offer a challenging curriculum and stress the importance of ecological and social accountability. These concepts are consistently taught in every course in the curriculum, as opposed to other Sustainable MBA programs, which teach about sustainability only in select courses. Students are then able to apply what they learn in our program in their workplaces. First Year* BUS 5010 Communication Management (1 credit) BUS 5020 Sustainable Organization Management: A Triple Bottom Line Perspective BUS 5030 Organizational Behavior in Sustainable Organizations BUS 5045 Operations Management & Systems Thinking BUS 5050 Sustainable Marketing BUS 5060 Statistics & Quantitative Methods for Sustainable Organization Management BUS 5070 Stakeholder Economics & Sustainable Performance Management BUS 5080 Accounting for Sustainable Organization Management Second Year* BUS 6090 Capstone Project I (1 credit) BUS 5090 Ethical Issues & Legal Environment BUS 5110 Financial Measures of Value Added BUS 6010 Leadership, Values, and Decision Making BUS 6020 Competitive and Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach BUS 6091 Capstone Project II (2 credits) *3 credits unless otherwise noted

5 Course descriptions 1 st Year BUS 5010 Communication Management (1 credit) This course provides new graduate students with an introduction to graduate-level communication strategies for academic success in a distance learning environment. In addition, this course examines issues and organizations that affect business and nonprofit organizations in the external environment of the organization. Topics include communication skills; academic rigor; scholarly practices; individual and group presentation techniques; graduate-level research tools; critical thinking strategies and skills; stress and time management; team work dynamics; an introduction to economics, regulatory, political, social and legal elements in the external environment. BUS 5020 Sustainable Organization Management: A Triple Bottom Line Perspective (3 credits) This course introduces the concepts of triple bottom line management and corporate social responsibility including the history and how they are changing the role and expectations of business in society. In addition, this course introduces the core management functions of planning, organization, leadership and control and how these functions are applied in sustainable organizations. Management or by permission BUS 5030 Organizational Behavior in Sustainable Organizations (3 credits) This course will study human behavior at the individual, team and organizational level and examine organizational design from multiple perspectives, paying particular attention to how companies can create systems that support social and environmental responsibility. Topics include human resource management, organizational behavior, managing change, the role of leadership in encouraging organizational innovation and adaptability, and optimizing individual performance and motivation. Management or by permission BUS 5045 Operations Management & Systems Thinking (3 credits) This course explores operations management in sustainable organizations and the application of systems thinking in the design and implementation of successful management strategies. Topics include process analysis, supply chain management, quality management, service systems management, and how systems respond to attempts to bring about beneficial changes. Students will also learn about leverage: how small changes in just the right part of a system can produce big results. Management or by permission BUS 5050 Sustainable Marketing (3 credits) The principles and practices of marketing in a sustainable organization and the role that marketing plays in the production and management of relationships with customers and other stakeholders are studied in this course. Students are taught how to develop effective marketing strategies and plans that are in line with the sustainable organization s mission and goals. Included in this course are such topics as: identifying target audiences and needs, developing authentic positioning, and designing products/services, pricing, distribution, promotion and communications for sustainable brands and organizations. Management or by permission BUS 5060 Statistics & Quantitative Methods for Sustainable Organization Management (3 credits) This course prepares the manager to use the principles of data analysis and their applications for management problems. Topics include business research, techniques of classification, summarization, and display of data; application of probability models for inference and decision making; and tools that support analysis and incorporation of a multiple stakeholder view of the firm. Management or by permission BUS 5070 Stakeholder Economics & Sustainable Performance Management (3 credits) This course examines principles and tools in economics for managers to use in making decisions in sustainable organizations. The focus is on the application of economics in operating and planning problems using information generally available to the manager. Topics include pricing; market structures; expansions and recessions; monetary policy; and the new economy. New measures of value added that address sustainability and other stakeholder group impacts are examined. Management or by permission BUS 5080 Accounting for Sustainable Organization Management (3 credits) This course examines the principles of financial and managerial accounting for effective managerial decisionmaking and assessment of the financial strength of sustainable organizations. Discussions will include the essentials of cost accounting; minimizing the costs and risks posed by operations, developing effective operational planning and capital budgeting processes and managing more effectively a firm s investments. Management; Statistics & Quantitative Measures; and Stakeholder Economics; or by permission

6 Course descriptions 2 nd Year BUS 6090 Capstone Project I (1 credit) The field application project is a capstone course in which the graduate student evidences the ability to apply GMC MBA learning to an applied project that integrates finance, marketing and other functional disciplines to result in a strategy design and implementation plan that supports sustainable organizational effectiveness. The student will work with a faculty advisor to achieve project approval. Prerequisite: Completion of first year courses or by permission of instructor. BUS 5090 Ethical Issues & Legal Environment (3 credits) This course examines how the legal environment shapes managerial decision-making and the ethical issues that emerge. Topics include the regulatory environment, contracts, business torts, partnership and corporations, anti-trust, environmental law, employment law, and ethical considerations in business from a stakeholder theory perspective. Management or by permission of instructor. BUS 5110 Financial Measures of Value Added (3 credits) This course examines the principles of finance and financial techniques for effective management decision-making in the organizations that follow a triple-bottom-line approach. The focus is on understanding and analyzing financial information such as carbon credits and stakeholder issues and integrating them into effective financial decisions. Topics include forecasting; green investing; cash and capital budgeting; working capital management; non-profit metrics, carbon credit and similar markets and risk management. Prerequisite: Accounting for Managers or by permission of instructor. BUS 6010 Leadership, Values, and Decision Making (3 credits) This course explores issues surrounding how and why senior leaders set and deploy organizational values, short and long-term directions, and performance expectations that achieve sustainable organization practices. The focus is on leadership approaches, organizational learning and social and environmental stewardship. Prerequisite: Completion of core course sequence or by permission BUS 6020 Competitive and Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach (3 credits) This course examines classic competitive strategy frameworks and the application of these frameworks as well as emerging strategy for sustainability frameworks in the development and implementation of competitive strategy. Prerequisite: Completion of Leadership, Values, and Decision Making. BUS 6091 Capstone Project II (2 credits) The field application project is a capstone course in which the graduate student evidences the ability to apply GMC MBA learning to an applied project that integrates finance, marketing and other functional disciplines to result in a strategy design and implementation plan that supports sustainable organizational effectiveness. Working with the instructor advisor, the student will conclude the BUS6090 approved project, prepare a written report and present the findings to the MBA Capstone Committee. Prerequisite: Completion of core and concentration courses, Capstone Project I; or by permission

7 Core faculty Our faculty at Green Mountain College boasts outstanding academic credentials with degrees from top universities such as Harvard, M.I.T., and Stanford. Coupled with their experience at companies like Seventh Generation, Stonyfield Farms, and Starwood Hotels, our faculty is unmatched in their combination of education and real-world, green business experience. They are some of the most passionate sustainable business professionals in the nation, and are committed to developing graduates who understand green business issues and are capable of implementing what they learn in order to make a real difference for generations to come. Karen Martinsen Fleming MBA Program Director, Associate Professor of Business; MBA, Harvard University; AB, Dartmouth College Karen Martinsen Fleming is an Associate Professor and Director of the Sustainable MBA Program at Green Mountain College. Prior to joining GMC, Karen held executive positions at her own sustainable business, Seventh Generation and Stonyfield Farm as well as management positions at traditional consumer packaged goods companies including Procter & Gamble and Ocean Spray Cranberries. As Senior Vice President of Marketing at Seventh Generation, she crafted the growth strategy and led the relaunch of the brand, new product development, and the company s first national advertising campaign. As Vice President of Marketing at Stonyfield Farm, Inc., she developed and launched yobaby!, one of the most successful new products in Stonyfield Farm history, and developed the company s first ever major advertising campaign. Karen also consults as a green branding expert to companies across a range of industries. She is adjunct marketing and branding instructor and member of board of advisors for the Center for Leadership and Innovation at the University of Vermont School of Business, was a charter member of the Organic Trade Association Marketing Committee, and has spoken at the Harvard University School of Business, University of Chicago School of Business, Vermont Women s Business Owner Network, Natural Products Expo West, and other venues. Steven Letendre Associate Professor of Management & Environmental Studies; Ph.D., University of Delaware Prof. Steve Letendre s research involves the economic analysis of emerging environmental technologies and the development of policies and regulations to promote a sustainable energy future. He has been researching and writing in the areas of sustainable energy and alternative transportation for over ten years. Steve has been involved with a small group of researchers investigating the technical requirements and benefits of integrating battery and hybrid electric vehicles with the utility grid, referred to as vehicle to grid (V2G). A large study of the V2G potential in California was funded by the California Air Resources Board the California government agency responsible for air quality issues. In addition, Steve has collaborated with colleagues from the State University of New York s Atmospheric Research Center and the U.S. Department of Energy s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to investigate the value of solar energy in various niche markets. He is also interested in the role of the non-profit sector in promoting sustainable energy. He sits on the board of SolarFest ( com), a small, local nonprofit providing energy education through the performing arts. He also is an active member of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, the American Solar Energy Society, and Renewable Energy Vermont.

8 Faculty Matthew Mayberry Associate Professor of Business; M.Ed. University of Vermont; M.B.A. Stanford University; Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; B.A. University of California, San Diego Since 1991, when he transitioned from experimental physics to business, Dr. Matt Mayberry has consulted, taught and facilitated groups around the world. He has over 25 years of computer modeling experience and has developed business simulations for applications in strategy, operational improvement and leadership development. His industry experience includes hospitality, health care, high tech, transportation, telecommunications, chemicals, pulp and paper, energy, pharmaceuticals, restaurants, consumer goods, retail, education and the public sector. Dr. Mayberry s most recent work with organizations has focused on leadership and organizational transformation. Applying concepts from systems theory, he works with leaders to help them see their business from new perspectives, understand the causes of persistent patterns of results, design high-leverage change interventions and learn from experimentation. In his spare time, Dr. Mayberry enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and occasionally he ll arrange a piece of popular music (e.g. Pink Floyd, Coldplay, etc.) for his wife, a professional harpist. Jacob Park Associate Professor of Business & Public Policy; M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology Prof. Jacob Park, who has taught at Green Mountain College since 2002, specializes in the teaching and research of global environment and business strategy, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, and community-based entrepreneurship and innovation. A former financial journalist with Fortune Magazine, global environmental policy advisor to Japan s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and a United Nations research specialist on Asian environmental and urban development issues, he worked as a senior research consultant and Japanese and Asian equity specialist in the Governance and Socially Responsibility Investment Group of ISIS Asset Management, a Londonbased investment company. An editorial/review board member of the Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Business Strategy and the Environment and the Greener Management International, his most recent book is the Ecology of the New Economy: Sustainable Transformation of Global Information Technology, Communication, and Electronics Industries (Greenleaf Publishing, 2002). He is currently working on two edited books, Sustainable Global Governance and Ecological Modernization & Asia-Pacific.

9 Bill Prado Associate Professor of Management; Director, Business Program; D.B.A. Dr. Prado has over 15 years of practitioner experience, generally in global business and specifically in cross-border risk management and financing (including asset-based, credit-secured, sales, and export financing). The experience he brings is based on conducting business throughout the world, including in Spanish or French when needed. His background in structured finance, risk management, trade/export financing, tax-based leasing and commercial banking began with five years as an international banker, financing the exports of Fortune 1000 companies. Dr. Prado also worked for manufacturers for more than ten years, first financing the international sales of large communication systems, and later financing aircraft and rail product sales. Soon after being invited to join Green Mountain College s full-time faculty in 2004, Dr. Prado became a key team member in the development and implementation of Green Mountain College s Sustainable MBA. That experience sparked Dr. Prado s current interest in the development of sustainable business practices that result in competitive advantage for businesses and in the role of business education in promoting sustainable business success. Spence Putnam Adjunct Professor of Business; MEd, University of Vermont; MAT, University of Massachusetts; BA, Swarthmore College From 2002 to April 2007, Prof. Spence Putnam was the Executive Director to Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the country, helping the association grow to over 650 member businesses accounting for $4 billion in annual sales. Prior to that, he served on the board of VBSR for five years while working as General Manager of Danforth Pewterers in Middlebury for two years. Before Danforth Pewterers he was Vice President of Operations at the Vermont Teddy Bear Company for twelve years, where he helped lead the company through its transition from a manufacture company to a specialized gift company. He led the Cooperative Education Program at the University of Vermont for seven years, and has been active in local and civic affairs, including service as a member of the boards of the United Way, CommunityAction, Agency on Aging, The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, and the UVM College of Agriculture Advisory Board. Matthew Mayberry Jacob Park Bill Prado Spence Putnam

10 Distance Learning All of the professors I have had at GMC are excellent! They have extensive industry experience and credentials in sustainable business practices, which result in the online classroom discussions being very insightful and valuable. Unlike other colleges which are just beginning to infuse the triple-bottom-line approach into their curricula, GMC has held this philosophy for over a decade, and it is quite evident in the courses, as each class incorporates a multiplestakeholder perspective to the material. Overall, because of the faculty and courses at GMC, I have developed the skill sets and learned the strategies necessary to run a successful, sustainable business that positively impacts all of my firm s stakeholders. Students join our program from all over the country and the world, which allows for diverse viewpoints and thoughtprovoking discussions and debates. There are no more than 20 students in each class, allowing students to actively participate, communicate easily with peers, and get plenty of attention from their instructor. Benefits of Online Learning at Green Mountain College Engage in thought-provoking discussions with peers from all over the country and world No traveling to school means lessening your carbon footprint, making the degree sustainable in itself Log-in at any time and work around your busy or inconsistent schedule Spend less time away from family and work by not having to commute Christal Rosenka Industry Focus: Solar Energy Independent Solar)

11 Admissions At Green Mountain College, we offer students the best possible online learning experience with the combination of our knowledgeable faculty and the way our courses are designed. We are fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). It is the perfect program for someone interested in earning his or her Sustainable MBA without having to sacrifice time with family and on the job. Applying to Green Mountain College 1. Check to see if you meet the requirements for admission At least 3 years of work experience Bachelor s degree. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is strongly preferred 2. Contact an admissions advisor to begin the application process Call an Admissions Advisor at (802) They will assist you and will help you with any questions or concerns you may have. 3. Complete the application process with the following materials Application with all blanks completed Official transcripts from each college or professional school previously attended (indicating degrees earned) Letters of recommendation from three people (not relatives) who can provide a wellrounded perspective of your background and character - These letters can be from professional, academic, and/or personal relationships, but should focus on your qualifications for graduate education, leadership and management A personal essay explaining (1) Why you would like to pursue a GMC MBA; (2) How your advanced degree fits into achieving your career goals; and (3) How you will manage competing personal, professional, and academic priorities during your advanced course of study Either the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) taken within the last 5 years or an Assessment of Quantitative Skills - If you have not taken the GMAT, you can submit an Assessment of Quantitative Skills. This should include (1) a list of college-level math, statistics, economics, finance, and accounting courses (include workplace and other professional development in quantitative subjects); (2) a list of quantitative skills presently used at the workplace; and (3) a description of experience with spreadsheet and/or other math-related software Tuition The tuition for our online Sustainable MBA program is $795 per credit hour. The program is comprised of 37 credit hours, and the total tuition is $29,415. This does not include the cost of textbooks, which average around $150 per course. Students are also responsible for travel and lodging for the annual residency.

12 Sustainable MBA I had been looking for a Sustainable MBA for a couple of years, because I felt it would enhance my role at Eileen Fisher. I was particularly interested in acquiring financial and analytical skills and learning how to apply them in a socially conscious enterprise. To my delight, the program offered that and so much more. I never imagined I would find a community of progressive, inspiring, like-minded people, who supported each other throughout the course work and beyond. T HE GREENEST GREEN MBA Amy Hall, 2010 graduate Director of Social Consciousness, Eileen Fisher, Inc. greenmba.greenmtn.edu One Brennan Circle Poultney, Vermont 05764