New Course Offerings for MBAs at the George Washington University School of Business
The George Washington University School of Business (GWSB) has announced several new course offerings for the fall 2016 and summer II 2016 sessions. These courses, offered through the Department of Management and Government Contracts program, will be available to MBA candidates who meet the necessary prerequisites for each course.
The first three new course offerings come by way of GWSB’s Department of Management.
This first is a new accelerated business course available in fall 2016 and taught by Dr. James Bailey. Titled “Contemporary Leadership Perspectives and Practices: Parts I and II,” the course examines the concept and practice of leadership from a gradated perspective running from micro to macro, treating philosophy, development, creativity, motivation, teams, structure, strategy, change and the greater good of humanity along the way.
According to the course description:
The purpose of this course is threefold. The first is to challenge assumptions about what leadership is and how it operates by placing it in a modern context that defies the ready and dominate perspective of old. The second is to meaningfully compare and contrast and connect the micro and macro perspectives of leadership; the former referring to leading people and the latter to leading organizations. The third and perhaps most important is to leverage the first two purposes to furnish a platform for individual leadership development.
The course will be taught like an executive seminar rather than a traditional course and will focus more on practice than theory, employing extensive discussion and case studies. The course will be divided between lectures, class discussion, case analysis, exercises and self-assessments.
Two additional courses, “Small Business Management” and “New Venture Initiation,” will be taught by Dr. George Solomon.
According to its course description, “MGT 6281: Small Business Management” focuses on the startup process and the management of small firms. The course includes field projects in which student teams consult with local businesses and complete case studies. The course places extra emphasis on total customer service, international opportunities and minority and women’s issues.
Meanwhile, “MGT 6282: New Venture Initiation” teaches the essentials of planning a new business venture. Course material includes finding sources of financing, evaluation of alternative new business ventures and the analysis of business functions. Students will work on creating and analyzing the business plan while taking this course.
Lastly, the Government Contracts program announced a new online summer course called “GCON 6290: Interagency Acquisition Strategies.” This course will cover why and how federal government agencies utilize inter-agency acquisition methods.
According to that course’s description:
Inter-agency acquisitions, including the use of Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), Multiple Award Contracts (MACs), GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contracts (MAS) and assisted acquisition services, account for billions of dollars in business each year. In fact, some analysts state that approximately 50 percent of information technology acquisitions are conducted via inter-agency acquisitions. We will discuss why the government creates and uses GWACs, MACs and Schedules, collectively known as Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts. The advantages, disadvantages and other considerations of using this contract type will be covered from both the government and industry points of view. In addition, we will explore the use of assisted acquisition services, services that some government agencies provide to others on a fee-for-service basis.
Students in this class can expect to discuss major IDIQ contracts, including the GSA Multiple Award Schedule program, GSA Alliant and OASIS, and NASA SEWP, as well as the DOD LOGCOM contract and similar contract vehicles. They will also be expected to work in teams to develop business cases for sample new IDIQ contracts. Business case approval is required by the Office of Management and Budget for major IDIQs. Students will be evaluated on the efficacy and completeness of their business cases. This is the real deal—business cases will be evaluated by a panel of experienced IDIQ contract professionals.
Registration for all 2016 coursework opened on Tuesday, March 31st, but it’s not too late to check in for class openings.
About the Author
Max Pulcini
Max Pulcini is a Philadelphia-based writer and reporter. He has an affinity for Philly sports teams, Super Smash Bros. and cured meats and cheeses. Max has written for Philadelphia-based publications such as Spirit News, Philadelphia City Paper, and Billy Penn, as well as national news outlets like The Daily Beast.
