Honors Seminars

Students are required to take three courses from a menu of two-credit Honors Program seminars whose topics reflect the important issues facing business leaders. Some examples of recent seminar topics include: "Corporate Responsibility," "Intellectual Property," and "Globalization."

The goal of this requirement is to provide an extra set of opportunities to help students think more broadly and deeply about the process of leading others and the special functions leaders perform in helping teams to be more effective. A minimum grade of "B" is required in each seminar. (This is a requirement only for students enrolled in the management Honors Program curriculum and cannot be taken until the sophomore year.)

Upcoming Honors Program Seminars
Spring 2010

Public Speaking
Mr. Joel Gluck

This course is designed to transform one of our greatest fears – public speaking – into a powerful skill.   Most people dread talking in formal situations, but important, desirable jobs often require it.   We will draw upon elements of personal lives, public issues, business and theater to write and deliver forceful speeches.  Effective delivery takes practice, and we will work on vocal control, body language, humor.   No power points!  In this class, it is people talking to people. 

Pre-req: Although there are no prerequisites for this course, it is important to note that due to the intensive nature of the seminar, attendance at all class meetings is mandatory.  Please note closely the course schedule here.

Careers in the 21st Century
Prof. Kathy Kram Shipley Professor in Management

In this seminar we will examine the nature of careers in the 21st century, and how they differ from traditional careers of prior generations.  Theories of Careers, Adult Development, Work-Life Balance, and Relational Learning will inform our conceptual understanding of contemporary careers.  In parallel, students will complete a number of assessment tools in order to develop a deeper understanding of the values, goals, and skills they will bring to their work after graduation.  Each student will complete brief thought papers, and  a seminar paper in which they present their working theory of Career Management, and a personal plan for implementation going forward.
Pre-requisite: OB221

Global Sustainability
Ms. Kristen McCormack, Executive-in-Residence/Lecturer/Faculty Director, Public & Nonprofit Management Program, Organizational Behavior Department

The overarching goal of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the complex, interrelated, and seemingly irreconcilable issues of our natural resource ecosystems as well as the extraordinary opportunity the private sector has in creating a sustainable future.  The seminar will explore the role of business in society as it relates to the concept of Global Sustainability.  Broad in scope and comprehensive in the range of topics covered, global sustainability encompasses such varied issues as climate change, limits to growth, entrepreneurial opportunities, business innovation and corporate social responsibility.   Students are asked to take the perspective of the global citizen and are challenged to look beyond growth (quantitative expansion) to find sustainable solutions (qualitative improvements) that meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of the future.

Students enrolled in this seminar will:

• Develop a basic understanding of current global sustainability challenges
• Compare and contrast different approaches to sustainable business practices
• Explore and develop a personal framework related to the role of business in society
  
  

Current Honors Program Seminars
Fall 2009

Conscious Capitalism: Leaders, Values, Ethics
James Post, Professor, Business Policy and Law Department
Throughout history, there have been companies that stand out because of their values - the way they treat employees, customers, communities, and the environment. In recent years, such companies have helped to create a form of "conscious capitalism" that is becoming a model for 21st century enterprises. These are some of the most interesting and exciting businesses to be found. This seminar will focus on such companies and the role of leadership values in meeting the business challenges of the future. Great executives know how to "lead with values." In many industries, a company's values distinguish it from competitors, and separate success from failure by building a network of loyal customers, employees, and investors. We will examine companies and leaders who are creating new models of conscious capitalism. These may be the kind of companies you want to work for in the future, or even create as an entrepreneur. We will analyze organizations that successfully develop managers who are effective in meeting new challenges. Through readings, case studies, seminar discussions, and site visits, we will analyze how values-oriented leaders are building their organizations and making a difference.

Public Roles in Private Markets
David Weil, Professor/Everett V. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Finance Department
What is public value and how can it be measured? How do the actions of private, public, and not-for-profit organizations affect public value? What guidance can an understanding of public value provide for those in charge of government policy or for businesses that operate in a world where government policy is important?

This seminar will examine these questions by drawing on some of the core ideas of public policy analysis. We will apply them to a range of issues including:

• How – and how much – should government ask firms to reduce pollution?
• What kind of information should government require businesses to provide consumers about the goods they buy or investors about the stocks in which they invest?
• What sector (or sectors) should provide critical social goods and services like education, open spaces, environmental quality or health care?
• How can emerging social issues be addressed by innovative combinations of public/private/and non-profit organizations?
• How do information technologies change the roles of public, private, and non-profit sectors in their roles and responsibilities?

Throughout the semester, we will have spirited debates on a variety of pressing public policy problems, informed by the tools of economics and public policy analysis. In the course of those debates, I hope your views on a variety of issues will be challenged, sharpened, and reexamined.

Previous Honors Program Seminars
Spring 2009

Public Speaking
Joel Gluck, Lecturer, Business Policy and Law Department
This course is designed to transform one of our greatest fears—public speaking—into a powerful skill.  Most people dread talking in formal situations, but important, desirable jobs often require it.  We will draw upon elements of personal lives, public issues, law, business and theater to write and deliver forceful speeches.  We will analyze famous speeches and brilliant speakers.  Preparation is key, including knowing the audience, outlining the goals and structuring the presentation.  Effective delivery takes practice, and we will work on vocal control, body language, vocabulary, images and humor.  No power points! In this class, it is people talking to people.

Privacy and the Law
David Randall, Lecturer, Business Policy and Law Department
"You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it." Thus said Scott McNealy, Chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems, in 1999. Is privacy an outmoded concept not deserving of legal protection? Western political theory has considered privacy to be a natural right since the American and French revolutions but the US affords privacy only patchwork legal protection. Unlike the European Union, the US has no comprehensive law protecting personal information. The Supreme Court defines privacy as a fundamental right, yet "privacy" does not appear in the United States Constitution. Surveys about Internet usage routinely cite privacy as a major concern, but most Internet users fail to adopt rudimentary protections of personal information. Privacy and the Law will explore the nature of privacy and the scope of its legal protection. What does privacy mean? In a world where information is the raw material of economic activity, who owns personal data, the individual or the business that incurs the expense of its collection? What personal activities should be outside the scope of governmental regulation? Which poses the greatest threat to privacy: government or business? By examining these and other questions students will improve their understanding of the nature of privacy and of its legal protection in personal, civic, and business matters.

Lifestyle Discrimination in the Law
Kabrina Chang, Assistant Professor of Business Law, Business Policy and Law Department
Can your boss fire you because you had a raucous party at your house over the weekend?   Can they fire you because you support a political candidate the CEO does not?  What about if you smoke cigarettes—at home?  There are very few laws that protect employees under these circumstances.  We will explore examples of discrimination based on off-duty employee conduct, and what, if any, laws protect employees, through in-depth discussion of cases and state statutes.  We will also look at the management considerations behind such actions, and whether from a manager’s perspective, there are better ways to address the relevant concerns while reducing the likelihood of a lawsuit.