This book was designed and written by Shay-Jahen D. Merritté during the Winter of 2011 in Columbus, Ohio to show the faculty and future students at the Fisher College of Business what a balanced multi-disciplinary curriculum could look like.
3. D
uring Prof. Dial’s strategy class during Spring of my an interview where I could speak more as to what Design
first year, I learned that there are three strategies from Strategy is, and more specifically, what I can provide to Pick An
AdvAntAge
Why are you
which companies can gain a competitive advantage: Cost their company and the position being recruited for.
Advantage, Quality Advantage or Differentiation. In addition, my business interests don’t really lie
I was reminded of this when I went to a few within a specific discipline, I am very interested in all of the
career fairs this year and talked to recruiters and noticed different areas that business has to offer, and rather than Cost
proposing this make
their stacks and stacks of resumes. I realized that most of focus too much on one subject, I have been trying to gain AdvAntAge
these resumes were saying the same things at the top: a deep understanding of a few areas that interest me the
their school and then a business function plus the word most, especially areas that I have little background in, like
“Strategy”. Even when talking with students at Fisher, it Finance and topics like Mergers & Acquisitions.
your own major?
seems like many people are studying Marketing Strategy Finally, I wanted to create my own major to
or Corporate Finance and Strategy or Operations Strategy maintain a “whole-brained”, multidisciplinary learning
QuAlity
and I realized that these majors didn’t really fit me nor did I experience. I have always found that I work best when
AdvAntAge
want to be just another MBA with training just like all of the I am learning or doing numerous different things at the
other MBAs. I decided that I should adopt a differentiation same time. I thought that taking classes like Finance and
competitive advantage in my education to better fit my Marketing and then augmenting them with classes in the
personality, expertise and career ambitions. Design School which make people think in a completely
differentiAtion
When a recruiter or someone else looks at my different fashion would give my brain a workout and
AdvAntAge
resume, I want them to find it interesting enough to continue improve my creative problem solving skills. I don’t want to
reading from the top to the bottom. So by putting “Design be type-cast as just a business person or a design person,
Strategy” at the top of my resume I am hoping recruiters and I feel that by making my own major, I will be able to
read further down, to learn more about my work history, be well rounded as a business person, designer and all
activities that I have been involved and hopefully further into around human being.
Fisher College of Business Question 1
4. I
don’t have a specific career goal, which is one of the Shay’s Career Generator: Since my career interests are so diverse, I created ths helpful career generator. Just
pick an industry, function, company size and location to create a company where I would be a good fit.
reasons I decided to pursue an MBA; I didn’t want to just
What are your
be a designer, I wanted to be well rounded and prepared industry Function comPAny size LocAtion
for whatever happens in my career. What I have learned is
that the career I want does not fall within traditional MBA advertising creative director 5 san francisco
job categories or companies.
25
career goals?
When I first came to Fisher, I thought that I would
design consultant seattle
go into a traditional MBA role as a brand manager at a fashion 50 boston
strategist
large consumer packaged goods company. However the
more research that I have done and the more people that private equity entrepreneur 75 new york city
I have talked to, I have realized that there are many very
exciting career opportunities that I had yet to think of when I
transportation futurist 100 austin
first came to Fisher. film/tv researcher 150 minneapolis
There of course are logical career journeys as
design consultant at well known innovation consulting firms consumer electronics innovator 250 chicago
like IDEO or Frog Design, but there are also interesting
opportunities that I have learned about only recently, such
gaming producer 500 washington dc
as working with a private equity firm that participates in web development m&a 750 philadelphia
mergers and acquisitions to purchase and resurrect dead
or defunct brands. But in the end I would like to launch my food developer 1,000 denver
own creative company after I have worked for a while to
consult with companies to research and develop interesting
technology inventor 1,500 portland
solutions to problems through design thinking. consumer products analyst 2,500 international
Fisher College of Business Question 2 Example: a fashion futurist at a 500 person company in Seattle
5. T
raditional major options seem to specialize students and
prepare them for specific, traditional MBA career paths
Why do the other
like working up the brand manager ladder at a Consumer
packaged goods company. The more classes that I have
taken at Fisher, the more I have realized that I don’t want
that kind of a traditional career path, I don’t want to be
major options not allow
perceived as being just a business person.
Many of the career opportunities that I am
pursuing are with companies and organizations where the DESIGN DESIGN BUSINESS
term “MBA” carries negative connotations, as someone THINKING STRATEGY THINKING
you to accomplish your
who adheres strictly to established frameworks and aren’t
flexible in their thinking. This differences came to light
recently during a design research class I was taking and
comparing the future thinking that happens in business and
career goals?
design. In business, future thinking seems to rely heavily on
the past to plan for the next quarter or year. Design on the
other hand consists of looking at the present to plan for a
future that is 5 years or more away. Both of these types of
thinking are valid and can help augment one another, and
this multidisciplinary thinking can’t be learned by being
confined to one specific major. In my career I will be able NEW CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
to be successful by offering the best of design and business
thinking at non-traditional and creative companies.
Fisher College of Business Question 3
6. Percentile Core Percentile Major
F
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING Introduces and explains the mechanics
Study Completed Study Completed of income statements, balance sheets, and cash flows; accounting policy
choices; financial statement analysis using fund flows; ratios, quality of
Percentile Quarter earnings, sustainable growth rates, and inflation adjustments.
Discipline Distribution C 4
F
MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS This course approaches microeconomics
from a managerial and organizational perspective. The objective is to develop
45% 0% a framework grounded in the fundamentals of economic theory that provides a
powerful way of analyzing business problems and developing solutions.
C 4
G
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR An overview of factors that influence
G
individual work performance and techniques to improve it; analytical
frameworks for determining the effectiveness of given techniques in specific
F
circumstances within complex organizations.
C 4
General
G
Percentile Total Cumulative ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL INTERCHANGE This course focuses
Study Completed Class Hours on using understandings and insights gleaned from observation, research,
Finance and reflection to communicate effectively in a variety of formats with diverse
audiences. Speaking and writing in multiple contexts will be emphasized.
C 2
F
DATA ANALYSIS Introduction to statistical inference and its use in decision
making; major emphasis on achieving an application-oriented understanding of
regression analysis.
17 % C 4
Fisher College of Business First Quarter
7. Percentile Core Percentile Major
F
COST ACCOUNTING Explorers the basic understanding of cost data for
Study Completed Study Completed inventory valuation; cost data for decision making (pricing, product-mix, make
or buy); cost data for performance evaluation and control.
Percentile Quarter
Discipline Distribution C 2
F
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT The development of an understanding of
financial terminology, instruments, and foundations for analyzing and dealing
80% 6% with the financial management problems of business enterprises.
D
C 4
F D
INNOVATION PRACTICE The purpose of this course is to provide students
with the opportunity to develop skills, and understanding of the theory and
Design application of innovation processes and a framework for its commercial uses
across various types and formats of businesses.
Finance e 4
M M
Percentile Total Cumulative MARKETING MANAGEMENT Focuses on the interrelated elements of the
Study Completed Class Hours marketing mix, its relationship with the other functional areas of management,
and marketing responses to the external environment.
G Marketing C 4
G
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Introduction to basic operations principles;
exploration of major operating problems; strategic and tactical decision making;
General
33 %
emphasis on determination of policy for managing productive resources; role of
operations manager.
C 4
Fisher College of Business Second Quarter
8. Percentile Core Percentile Major
G
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS The purpose of this course is to provide
Study Completed Study Completed students with a comprehensive understanding of the political, economic, social,
and technological forces shaping today’s global business environment.
Percentile Quarter
Discipline Distribution C 4
S
CORPORATE STRATEGY Introduction to the nature of corporate strategy,
development of a conceptual framework for understanding competition in
100% 18% industries, and the factors that shape competitive success or failure.
4
G
C
S
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Mergers and acquisitions can provide huge
opportunities for value creation, destruction and appropriation. This course
General
S
presents the opportunity to analyze the mechanisms underlying the creation and
destruction of value in mergers and acquisitions from a strategic perspective.
e 4
D
Percentile Total Cumulative TRANSDISCIPLINARY DESIGN A seminar on design thinking,
Strategy Study Completed Class Hours co-creation and design futures. Its goal is to provide graduate students with
D
a transdisciplinary learning experience. A hands-on experience, for a mix of
people from various disciplines.
e 4
Design
48 %
Fisher College of Business Third Quarter
9. Percentile Core Percentile Major
M
MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING Addresses development of effective value
Study Completed Study Completed propositions and results driven messaging through the creation of integrated
multi-channel consumer experiences, including the impact of emerging
Percentile Quarter technologies, personalization and changing consumer expectations.
Discipline Distribution e 2
M
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR This course examines various social science
theories and research methods (from Psychology, Sociology, Communications,
100% 48% Anthropology, Economics, etc.) as they relate to understanding, influencing, and
S
predicting the attitudes and behaviors of consumers.
e 4
M
BRAND MANAGEMENT This course provides students with insights into
Strategy
M
how profitable brand strategies can be created and the implications for brand
management professionals. It blends marketing theory and practice to provide
perspective on corporate marketing and the brand management function.
e 2
Marketing
S
Percentile Total Cumulative ADVANCED STRATEGIC ANALYSIS This course describes conditions under
Study Completed Class Hours which firms gain and sustain competitive advantages. This is primarily a case-
G
oriented class where we will take class time and thoroughly explore strategic
challenges facing firms around the world.
e 4
G
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN ASSETS The effective
General deployment of human assets in organizations is widely recognized as critical
67 %
to successful firms. It is the management of those individuals in a way that is
consistent with the goals of the firm that will be the focus of this class.
e 4
G
MANAGERIAL NEGOTIATION Explores the major concepts and theories
of the psychology of bargaining and negotiation, and the dynamics of
interpersonal and intergroup conflicts and their resolution
e 4
Fisher College of Business Fourth Quarter
10. Percentile Core Percentile Major
F
SECURITIES MARKETS This course will equip students with the tools
Study Completed Study Completed necessary to make good investment decisions. The course is organized around
two broad themes. The first theme is the return pattern of different securities. The
Percentile Quarter second theme is the money management industry.
Discipline Distribution e 4
F
FINANCIAL MODELING This course will utilize Excel, a spreadsheet
program offered by Microsoft, and challenge the student to improve their
100% 74% finance and modeling skills by personally constructing 55 spreadsheet models.
M
e 4
M
ADVERTISING & PROMOTION This course has been developed with a
theme of ‘understanding how IMC can build and sustain powerful brands.’ The
Marketing
F
aim of this course is to help acquire brand building skills using IMC.
e 4
D
Percentile Total Cumulative DESIGN RESEARCH Design as a mode of inquiry, including examination of
Finance Study Completed Class Hours communication process and models and emphasizing general problem-solving
D
as a goal-directed, value-laden activity.
e 4
D
Design INTERDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT The multidisciplinary capstone
design program option forms a multi-term course sequence that features industry-
83 %
sponsored projects where designers and engineers work together under the
direction of graduate business students to complete the project.
e 2
Fisher College of Business Fifth Quarter
11. Percentile Core Percentile Major
S
INTERDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT The multidisciplinary capstone
Study Completed Study Completed design program option forms a multi-term course sequence that features industry-
sponsored projects where designers and engineers work together under the
Percentile Quarter direction of graduate business students to complete the project.
Discipline Distribution e 2
F
PRIVATE EQUITY The objective of this course is to provide students with
an understanding of the nature of the private equity market, the principal
S 100% 100% participants in this market, and the financial strategies that they employ.
e 4
F
FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Students learn the fundamentals
of valuing derivative securities, the issues involved in corporate financing
F
decisions and advanced topics in corporate investment decisions. Mergers and
acquisitions are studied and the basics of international finance are developed.
e 4
D D
Percentile Total Cumulative INNOVATION FIELD PROJECTS This field projects course partners students
Finance Study Completed Class Hours with companies to work on real-world industry projects centered around creating
top line value, using the theories and frameworks developed in class.
Design e 4
D
DESIGN ISSUES Analysis of issues and inquiry into topics of relevance to
design: group discussions and investigations of events, processes, manifestations
100 %
and procedures related to design.
e 4
Fisher College of Business Sixth Quarter
12. Percentile Total Curriculum
Discipline Distribution
So in summary, Design S
Strategy is a custom
Strategy
F
M
108 Marketing
major that balances
Finance
CREDIT
the Qualitative with the HOURS
G
D
Quantitative. Design
General
13. T
his book was designed and written by Shay-Jahen D. Merritté during the Winter of 2011 in
Columbus, Ohio to show the faculty and future students at the Fisher College of Business what a
balanced multi-disciplinary curriculum could look like.
It was typeset in Futura and uses three colors: Cloud in a Blue Sky White; Locomotive Coal Black;
and Jurassic Foliage Green. Although primarily designed to be distributed digitally, this book was
also produced as a limited edition print piece.
a: 830 Nettle Drive, Columbus, OH 43221 Shay@Merritte.com
209.877.SHAY www.Merritte.com @Merritte