The Evening News

BETH706 - Great Books

The Great Books Seminar: Great Thinkers who Shaped Business Civilization
http://www.stthomas.edu/business/about/ethics/greatbooks.html

This one-week, three-credit course is based on the world-renowned Aspen Institute Executive Seminar. It uses selected writings of great classic and contemporary thinkers as a beginning point for an intensive, focused discussion with peers on the enduring ideas and ideals of world civilization, the problems and opportunities of today and the issues to be faced in the years ahead. In a sense, the readings function as case studies in leadership and leadership values.

The readings revolve around such universal human concerns as justice, rights, liberty, equality, power, leadership, democracy, and community. Discussion and debate are spirited as students get to know one another in a retreat-like environment.

The Great Books Seminar is coordinated by Dr. Kenneth Goodpaster.

Course Format
A one-hour orientation is held about six weeks prior to each seminar and a one-hour closure session is held about six weeks subsequent to each seminar. Past instructors have included Dr. Kenneth Goodpaster, Dr. Nona Mason, Dr. Patricia Hedberg, Professor Charles Reid, Doug Baker, Dean Maines and Merritt Marquardt.

The nature of the discussion and study topics requires that participants be at or near the completion of their MBA degree. Designed to serve as the culmination of the degree program, the Great Books Seminar will provide participants with unique insight and perspective that will last long after they receive their diplomas.

This seminar qualifies as a three-credit management concentration course for MBA students. It may qualify as an elective for other St. Thomas graduate business programs; students should first seek approval from their advisors. The seminar is limited to 20 participants, with priority given on a first-come, first-served basis to current students. If space is available, the seminar will be open to alumni. We are able to offer alumni reduced tuition.

Seminar Dates and Cost
The week-long Great Books Seminar will be held at the Gainey Conference Center. Participants stay at the site during the week to make the most of the learning experience (no exceptions).

August 2009 Sessions
August 9-14, 2009: Law and MBA
Moderators: TBA
Mandatory Orientation for August Session: May 14th, 2009*,
4 - 5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Campus- Terrence Murphy Hall, room TBA
*Orientation scheduled by appointment for those who register after May 14. Registration closed after June 14. Orientation is considered the first day of class, refund schedules on tuition start on May 14.
Closure meeting for August session: September 10, 2009, 4-5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Campus

August 16-21, 2009: MBA
Moderators: T. Dean Maines and Dr. Nona Mason
Mandatory Orientation for August Session: May 14, 2009*,
4 - 5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Campus- Terrence Murphy Hall, room TBA
*Orientation scheduled by appointment for those who register after May 14. Registration closed after June 14. Orientation is considered the first day of class, refund schedules on tuition start on May 14.
Closure meeting for August session: September 10, 2009, 4-5:30 pm Minneapolis Campus

January 2010Sessions
January 3-8, 2010: Law and MBA (10 spaces available for MBA students.)
Moderators: TBA
Mandatory Orientation for January Session: November 19, 2009*,
4 - 5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Campus- Terrence Murphy Hall, room TBA
*Orientation scheduled by appointment for those who register late.
Closure meeting for January session: February 11, 2010, 4-5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Campus

January 10-15, 2010: MBA
Moderators: TBA
Mandatory Orientation for JanuarySession: November 19, 2009*
4 - 5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Campus- Terrence Murphy Hall, room TBA
*Orientation scheduled by appointment for those who register late.
Closure meeting for January session: February 11, 2010, 4-5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Campus

Seminar Cost 2009
Tuition (Current cost of 3 credits)
Lodging & meals: $ 975
Deposit (nonrefundable- covers Aspen books/materials, etc*): $ 400
*The $400 nonrefundable deposit will be incurred one week following the orientation session. You may deposit at the orientation session. Cancellation rates will be imposed on a rolling basis. Room and board contracts and royalty fees require this policy.

For more information, please call (651) 962-4211 or jmerolin@stthomas.edu.

MGMT714/MGMT707 - Careers in the 21st Century Has a New Course Number

After two successful runs as a "topics course" (MGMT 714), Careers in the 21st Century has become a regular course with its own number which is MGMT 707. This course is about how the changes in employment dynamics (more downsizing and midcareer mobility of all kinds, more contract work at all levels and pay scales, more specific hiring criteria on the part of employers, etc.) are changing the way people manage their careers and the options that they have to shape them for more personal success. This is a great course for people who are finishing their MBAs and want to think about how their careers may change going forward. It can also be helpful for people in career transition or who want to manage their direct reports by helping those people have more personally successful careers. It is offered in the fall semester.

Instructor: Dr. Sally Power

Overview:
Continuing globalization, the faster pace of change, flatter organizations, and routine corporate downsizing has made the management of individual careers increasingly challenging. For example, a recent study of post-MBA careers over a 13 year period reported that only 1/3 of those surveyed had a traditional organizational career path. (Reitman, F. & Schneer, J. A., 2003, “The promised path: A longitudinal study of managerial careers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18(1), 60-76).

This course will consider the changes in careers that have occurred over the last twenty years and the effects they have on individual career management in early, mid, and later career stages. We will study career building options both inside and outside organizations, challenges individuals face as they learn to manage their careers more independently, and how these changes are affecting or could affect the functioning of large organizations. Examples of course topics include: how the career histories of CEO’s are changing, how careers are being internationalized, the differences in career progression between men and women, and how successful “free agents” feel about their careers.

The overall goal of the course is to help individuals manage their own careers more successfully as well as help them manage organizations and employees to take advantage of the changes in career patterns.

At the end of this class students will:
- Be able to identify major career development options for themselves and others
- Understand the challenges of having a successful career at early, mid, and later career stages
- Have an individualized career management strategy
- Explore the changes in organizations that are coming about as a result of these changes in career patterns, and
- Identify new business opportunities in light of the changing challenges in career management.

FINC714 - Fixed Income Securities

The parameters of this course will include:

Extensive coverage of money market instruments, U.S. Treasury obligations, government agencies, mortgage securities, corporate bonds, tax exempt obligations, private placements, and preferred stocks.

Examination of various features of fixed income securities including term structure, bond yield measures, call and refunding provisions, financial covenants, senior/subordinate positions, price volatility, and weighted average maturities.

Determination of the creditworthiness of corporate bonds through qualitative and quantitative/financial ratio analysis.

Tools and techniques used in active management of fixed income securities such as duration, convexity, negative convexity, bond swaps, static and option adjusted spreads, bond portfolio immunization, dedicated bond portfolios, hedging interest rate risk and others.

In addition, occasional guest speakers will be invited to discuss their particular areas of expertise in fixed income securities.

MGMT714 - Health Care Quality & Safety

The importance of quality and safety has never been higher in healthcare. Quality and safety are strategic imperatives for all healthcare organizations. To minimize harm to patients and reduce costs are essential initiatives for all delivering healthcare to patients. The course will explore the relationship of costs and quality, as well as the business case for safety and quality. It will incorporate the work of Deming, Crosby, and Juran and the application of their concepts of quality to healthcare. Attention will also be paid to managing the risks of human error and the current thinking and understanding of safety and quality in healthcare. The course will include guest lecturers from leaders in health systems. The later part of the course will focus on environments, facilities with equipment and technology, safety and quality processes, and the development of a culture of quality. Assignments for the course will involve reading 4 or 5 books and a project.