Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• QST SI 898: Directed Study: Strategy and Innovation
  Graduate Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and the department chair - Graduate-level directed study in Strategy & Innovation. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST SI 899: Directed Study: Strategy and Innovation
  Graduate Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and the department chair - Graduate-level directed study in Strategy & Innovation. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST SI 917: Research Seminar in Technology Strategy and Innovation
  This doctoral seminar serves as a survey course to the broad area of technology and innovation management. We will review and critique a large and diverse body of literature that can be considered "core" to the field. We will place emphasis on both classic theories and seminal contributions as well as on recent research that builds upon or extends the established theories. One key differentiator of this research seminar is that five professors actively doing research in the field will teach it. While having multiple instructors brings some coordination challenges (these are less critical in doctoral seminars than they are in masters level classes), it has one major advantage: it allows each faculty to lead those sessions that deal with topics of her or his direct research expertise. Students can expect to cover each topic with researchers that have been important contributors to the intellectual debate in the topic they teach. The seminar will cover key issues in the management of technology and innovation including innovation definitions and patterns (e.g. industry life cycle), entry timing strategies, platforms and standards, networks, dynamic capabilities, organizing for innovation, open and community-based innovation, licensing & patenting, technology diffusion, geography of innovation, and science and innovation policy. SI917 provides a solid base to critically explore many key topics of research in technology and innovation management. It is therefore aimed at doctoral students who plan to do research in technology and innovation management, or those who need a solid exposure to these topics to inform their research in related areas.
• QST SI 920: Organizations in Strategy and Economics
  This doctoral seminar will compare and contrast ideas about organizational design and the performance consequences of organizational decisions from the closely related fields of Strategy and Economics. The first half of the semester will focus on the role of organizations (typically firms) in several schools of thought within Strategic Management. The second half of the semester will cover similar topics from an economic perspective, which places more emphasis on incentives, formal contracts and specific kinds of information problems (i.e. moral hazard and adverse selection). At the end of this course, students should be able to explain how the role of organizations differs across several key theoretical lenses used in Strategic Management (e.g. the Knowledge Based View vs. Strategic Human Capital Theory). Identify the core incentive and informational problems that underpin most economic models of organization. Articulate areas where Strategy and Economics have reached a consensus on the key drivers of organization, as well as questions where the two fields make different assumptions and/or reach different conclusions and describe key empirical regularities and associations that have informed organizational theory-building efforts in both strategy and economics.
• QST SI 990: Current Topics Seminar
  For PhD students in the Strategy and Innovation department. Registered by permission only.
• QST SI 998: Directed Study: Strategy and Innovation
  Graduate Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and the department chair - PhD-level directed study in Strategy & Innovation. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST SI 999: Directed Study: Strategy and Innovation
  Graduate Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and the department chair - PhD-level directed study in Strategy & Innovation. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST SM 101: Introduction to Management
  Online offering. A broad introduction to the nature and activities of business enterprises within the United States' economic and political framework. Course content introduces economic systems, essential elements of business organization, production, human resource management, marketing, finance, and risk management. Key objectives of the course are development of business vocabulary and a fundamental understanding of how businesses make money. This course is intended for non-business majors. It may not be taken by Questrom students for credit nor can it be used by Boston University students toward the Business Administration minor. Non-Questrom students may register for this course directly via the Student Link.
• QST SM 131: Business, Markets, and Society
  Undergraduate pre-requisite: Required of all Questrom first year students in their first term. Open to non-Questrom students who have completed one full-time term at Boston University. - SM131 provides students with a philosophical, economic, and applied foundation for understanding the functions of business and the role of business, markets, governments, and other stakeholders in society. It is the first course in the Questrom BSBA curriculum and is a required course for the Minor. It introduces the functions of business, explains the roles of businesses in markets, and explores the roles of business in society and the interactions between business and other economic actors. Along the way, the course introduces students¿ to Questrom¿s critical and analytic thinking, communication curriculum (including both written and verbal communication), teaming curriculum, and fosters civil discourse on issues related to the strategic conduct of business and the roles of business and markets in society. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• QST SM 132: Measuring Financial Value
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SM131 previous or concurrent. Open to non-Questrom students who have c ompleted a semester of FT work at BU. - This course offers an overview of fundamental financial analyses, such as time value of money, interest rates, basic valuation of cash flow streams, and basic stock and bond valuation. The content is relevant to understand a broad class of problems and decisions for businesses or individuals. It offers applications across decision domains. The teaching materials include online problem solving and case writing. Students may not take SM132 and FE101 for credit.
• QST SM 275: Critical and Analytic Thinking for Business
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASWR 120; and QSTSM 131, or sophomore standing and QSTSM 131 previously or concurrently - Critical and analytic thinking skills are essential success in every business discipline. In this course, students will learn how to apply a structured problem-solving methodology that: defines the problem; identifies and prioritizes issues to assess; plans and conducts analyses; synthesizes findings; and communicates recommendations. Students will learn (a) how to evaluate evidence for business decision-making, not just passively accept information, and determine whether it is sufficient to prove their point. As well, they will learn how to assess the quality, credibility, and reliability of sources in researching relevant facts and data for business decisions. In addition to mastering frameworks for deductive and inductive arguments, students will master presentation delivery by connecting authentically to the audience, harnessing the power of storytelling, and using body language to positively reinforce the message. Finally, students will enhance professional skills that are integral to business success. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy, Writing, Research & Inquiry.
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  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Writing, Research, and Inquiry
• QST SM 303: Cross-Functional Core
  Cross-Functional Core is made up of FE323, MK323, OM323 and QM323 as well as a semester-long business plan project. The semester-long business plan project where students collect primary and secondary research explores the interactions and the cross functional integrations between marketing, operations, and finance, while leveraging business analytics. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration, Creativity/Innovation.
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  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• QST SM 395: Management Internship
  Management Internship
• QST SR 801: Social Impact: Business, Society, and the Natural Environment
  This course explores the relationship between corporations, society, and the natural environment. Specifically, it examines the ways in which governments, corporations and civil society (fail to) have positive impact and manage issues where the pursuit of private goals is deemed inconsistent with the public interest. There are two modules to the course: (1) The first module examines these issues and the tensions that arise between the different stakeholders. In particular, we will discuss different types of market failures (due to negative externalities, imperfect information, public goods, and market control) and their impact on the natural and social environment. (2) The second module explores how (non-profit and for-profit) organizations can take private actions to mitigate the previously identified market failures and respond to the increasing pressure to address environmental and social issues through the adoption of sustainable business practices. This course is ideal for any student interested in social impact such as corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, nonprofit & public management, sustainable finance & responsible investment, social entrepreneurship, global health, and clean technology & sustainable energy. It is open to all full-time MBA and PEMBA students, and it is the foundational course for students in the Social Impact MBA program.
• QST SR 831: Sustainability Reporting
  (formerly AC831) The course addresses sustainability reporting. We will examine the evolving protocols for such disclosure: Integrated Reporting, Sustainability Accounting Standards, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Carbon Disclosure Project, and the Global Reporting Initiative. Students will learn about the range of sustainability disclosures, develop an ability to think critically about them and gain knowledge about the challenges of implementing them.
• QST SR 841: Fundamentals of Nonprofit Management
  Graduate Prerequisites: (QSTAC710 OR QSTAC711) - The purpose of this course is to teach students about the distinctive challenges of managing high-performing organizations in the nonprofit sector. The course will cover a broad range of topics and it is intended to be a gateway course to the sector and to potential electives and pathways of future learning. The two major projects in the semester (one is individual, one in a team) offer students the chance to choose an area of interest to explore in depth. Other assignments challenge students to identify and analyze key indicators of nonprofit performance and to communicate effectively about those issues to selected stakeholders. A strong grounding in nonprofit accounting and financial management is extremely valuable and so we devote considerable attention to those topics. The course also addresses nonprofit marketing, evaluation, fundraising and revenue generation, growth strategy, impact investing, and the confluence of charity and commerce. The course is oriented to practice and will engage experts in the field.
• QST SR 895: Action Learning Directed Study in Social Responsibility
  ALDS: SOCL RESP
• QST SR 898: DS: Social Responsibility
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and the department chair - DS: SOCIAL RESP
• QST SR 899: DS: Social Responsibility
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and the department chair - DS:SOCIAL RESP
• QST SR 998: DS: Social Responsibility
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and the department chair - DS:SOCIAL RESP