Abacus Business School The Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA)

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1 Abacus Business School The Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) The ABS Executive MBA is an 18-month course and has been designed to enable tomorrows leaders develop more clarity about the issue they face on a daily basis. Decision-making is not child s play and as every good leader knows, decisions are not linear. Patience and experience always come into play, because the decisions leaders make can make or break the company. The EMBA uses a case method approach to explain the practical realities of business and through contact with practicing executives in the seminar series, they are able to work with real life situations and apply their knowledge to different scenarios. SEMESTER 1 1. Financial Reporting Environment (FRE) Financial reporting is at the heart of financial decision making in the business. It helps explain the past and forecast the future fortunes of the business. There are many stakeholders who need to make economic sense of a business in the context of the environment in which it operates. FRE provides a broad view of how stewardship operates and the implications of its attributes to the principal agent relationship. The concepts and language of accounting Financial reporting standards and frameworks The evolution of the control environment and disclosure Financial Accounting as a tool for communication, monitoring, and resource allocation. Financial statements preparation and control. Making sense of financial statements in the context of economic conditions. CASE STUDY: Executives will be required to undertake an analysis of a real life set of accounts and write an exposition on the business prospects of the company. 1

2 2. Corporate Finance I Finance is the lifeblood of the business, which supports the functional areas of operation. How do firms raise finance and is there an adequate capital mix? The course is intended to foster an understanding of how financial decisions help create value. Principles of corporate finance. The International Financial System Modern capital markets and financial institutions: how do they function? Capital structure of the firm: does it matter? Basic analytical skills for: Capital budgeting, including lease or buy decisons Discounted cash flow valuation Risk analysis. 3. Leadership and Culture The success of any business today is predicated on the capacity of its leaders to envision what it is and what it ought to be. Can leadership be learnt or is it an inherent skill? This course examines how managers become effective leaders by examining how the decisions they make countermand the effects of culture and create shareholder value. Hofstedes s cultural attributes paradigm. The Concepts, Contexts and Competencies of a Leader Manager Culture and values in the organization Developing a vision and leading by works Motivation and managing the performance of the organization and individuals: the balanced scorecard Establishing productive relationships with peers and seniors over whom the manager has no formal authority. The effective organization 2

3 Conflict and change management CASE STUDY: Successful leaders in action and what propelled them to success 4. Global Marketing Marketing today is the most powerful tool for projecting a business. The most valuable businesses are those whose brands are top of mind. Apple, Microsoft, Alibaba and the like are all where they are because of powerful marketing drives. The objectives of this course is to demonstrate the role of marketing in the company and examine the relationship between marketing and other functional areas. How does knowledge of buyer behavior help create successful organizations? Today s consumer is very sophisticated and privileged by an incredible array of choices, including information about the alternatives. How does the firm create a global effective marketing strategy? The evolution of marketing and the internet Making marketing decisions Consumer behaviour The marketing mix product policy, channels of distribution, communication, and pricing to satisfy customer needs profitably. Brand management CASE STUDY: executives will be introduced to two cases of firms, one which went from boom to almost bust and one that went from zilch to boom. When do the decisions of executives decide the fate of the firm for better or worse? 5. ICT and Operations Management This course enables students to develop the skills and concepts needed to ensure the ongoing contribution of a firm's operations to its competitive position. It helps them to understand the complex processes underlying the development and manufacture of products as well as the creation and delivery of services. 3

4 Process analysis Cross-functional and cross-firm integration Product development Information technology 6. Project I: Making Our Business Better The objective of the semester I project is to help the executive identify and solve a real life challenge/problem or improve a process in his/her workplace through. The student should be able to show how his/her innovation appreciates shareholder value. SEMESTER II 7. Economic Policy and Emerging Markets How do governments make economic policy? Why are some countries able to transform while many are not able to change the fortunes of their people? Is there a preferred path of development? Why are some countries emerging and others are receding? From managing corporations, we need to appreciate the role of moving up to managing macroeconomic systems. This course introduces the executive to the economic environment of business to help managers understand the implications of policy decisions on their companies. The international economic order and the political economy of development Development indices National income and balance of payments Fiscal and monetary policy Exchange rate theory Globalization: the impact of SAPs and IFIs on developing countries Regional integration: FDI and Private Equity International trade 4

5 CASE STUDY: how capital affects global, environmental issues and investment decisions. 8. Data Analysis and Management Decision Use of Analytics in business is becoming a critical requirement in highly competitive environment. It facilitates measure & improves performance through optimized decision making. The participants will learn a complete framework of Analytics based decision making starting from understanding of problem, defining goal, designing an approach, data organization, choosing right mix of analytical techniques, analyzing data using Excel or specialized tools, making inferences and finally making decisions. The course includes the following areas of analysis Use of decision making framework Nature of data and learning to organize it for analysis Use of Analytical techniques and Excel tools Graphical analysis OLAP What-if-analysis Statistical analysis Decision Analysis Predictive Analytics Optimization Simulation The course is highly practice based with a focus on learning to solve business problems using Analytics. Thus, a large number of business cases are provided for the participants to solve using the concepts, methods and technology. Thus, participants build following Critical Managerial Abilities 5

6 9. Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship All successful businesses are about strategy. How do firms develop strategy and what makes for a successful strategy? Good strategy is about understanding the immediate environment and the opportunities it offers. Strategies that work are about resilience and tenacity, tweaked for environmental nuances. Entrepreneurs who succeed are those who understand what their customers want and how to deliver it at the least cost. This module challenges the executive to stop being risk averse and ask the right questions about how the organization can create value through sheer enterprise. Looking in from out: the firm's and its environment The entrepreneurial firm and opportunity identification Strategy as game changer Enterprise risk management and business sustainability Tools of the trade: conducting strategic analysis Competitive advantage: positioning and encircling the market Internal processes and strategy: managing costs and quality Winds of change: technology and product relevance. Stakeholder value and management: the power of networks Ethics and Governance Ethics and governance are becoming more and more critical to the survival of the business. Corporate leaders never know when reputational issues will sound the death knell of their business. It may be outright corruption or cutting corners. The graveyard of commerce is full of businesses that were to big to fail or to big to eixst is a better word?! What happened? In many cases, the choices and path their leaders chose, led to a a titanic eventuality. What would the prudent man have done? Ethical decision making and ethical leadership individual factors - moral philosophies and values. Ethical decision-making. Environmental factors: the role of culture and relationships. 6

7 Developing and implementing ethics programs Business ethics in a global economy. Emerging issues in business ethics and its institutionalization Principles of good corporate governance and disclosure requirements. Corporate governance in Africa: background and regulations in selected jurisdictions. Corporate governance and considerations in corporate decision-making. Stakeholders and corporate social responsibility. Emotional Intelligence CASE STUDY: The case study chosen will examine difficult managerial and personal decisions, and economic responsibilities of corporate leaders in relation to corruption. How can corporate leaders promote responsible conduct by companies and their employees, and what is the role of personal values in effective leadership? 10. Corporate Finance II Corporate finance II is a follow up course to corporate finance I and is intended to improve the executive s appreciation of the macro finance dynamics at play within and outside the industry. How does the manager synthesize and integrate signals from the market into the decision making process of the firm? Business valuation Do dividends matter? Dividend policy and the firms financing decision Market Efficiency Mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, hostile takeovers, Going Public: the IPO Decision 11. The Future of Everything While we try to understand today s business and make sense of events, the business environment is dynamic and is actually changing at the speed of light! What will the firm of tomorrow look like? More important, what will our customers want to buy tomorrow and what will be their economic and social profile. 7

8 In developed markets, the consumer will probably be older and more concerned with health and self-actualization. In emerging and underdeveloped markets, the consumer will have less purchasing power and more inclined to consume FMCGs. How do we position the firm to remain relevant? The following seminars will be covered in this course unit. Public Private Partnerships? The Environment and Green Issues Afro Asia Dynamics: India and China s Development Models This course include case studies on the following: A Historical Perspective: innovations that changed the world: what did the inventors see? Grameen Bank: banking the poor From Garage to world s most valuable brand: the Apple that never fell Rwenzori water: what do you mean? There is lots of water everywhere! 12. Project II: Shared Value Project II is about being relevant to the community and team building. Executives will be required to form teams and identify a community to work with. They will through their dream team work with community leaders to develop a solution to a practical problem in a community. Executive MBA classes will meet every other weekend throughout the ABS school year, from April 2015 to June A typical class weekend is as follows: Saturday Schedule 8:30-12:30 pm Class 12:30-1:30 pm Health Break 1:30-5:00 pm Class 5:00-5:30 pm Break 5:30-6:30 pm Seminar Series Series 8

9 Sunday Schedule 8:30-12:00pm Class 12:00 am - 1:30 pm Health Break 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm Class 9