AD 71001  Solving Information Problems: Wide Bandwidth Thinking
AD71001 Syllabus
As the creation, communication, management, and preservation of information drive social and economic change, decision makers who understand the far reaching effects of digital information technology will be highly valued. How to design and display such technologies is becoming critical. Topical and current readings and policy guidelines for  these ideas lead to the examination of causes and effects of information overload and the need for better information fluency. Course also explores the positive and negative consequences of technological innovation. In this hybrid distance-learning format, students attend six classroom meetings. Distance learning using the BBvista site, email and immersive techniques will be applied.
Spring, Wed, 6:45–8:30, Jan 16–May 8,
Tuition $2058, Professor William O’Keefe

AD 71801  Effective Listening: Techniques & Applications
AD71801 Syllabus
We spend at least 80 percent of our time in communication situations listening, and only 20 percent of the time speaking. Effective listening is a learned technique, a critical component in the communication process, and a career and personally enhancing dynamic. Course views major listening theories and research including significant components of the learning process: hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluating and responding. It also examines the impact of listening filters such as voices, personal biases, gender and culture. Specific listening contexts: non verbal, interpersonal, organizational, health communication and media are explained to better understand how to maximize opportunities. Explores the myth of the “Good Listener”, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses in
professional and personal listening skills.
Spring, Tues, 6:45–8:30, Jan 15–May 7,
Tuition $2058, Professors Mattina and Weintraub

AD 72001  Social Media: Society’s Changing Landscape
AD72001 Syllabus
The advent of social media: online social networks, virtual communities, smart mobs, represents a fundamental and global shift in the way we develop and maintain personal and professional relationships. To better understand our transformative partnership with technology, this course views the meaning of human social behavior, of community, of trust, anonymity, ethics and privacy. It examines social media’s impact on society as a whole: on communication, on business, organizational patterns, family and careers. Integrating theory and practice, students learn to leverage social media tools in business and social organizations, and develop practices to succeed personally and professionally.
Spring, Thurs, 6:45-8:30, Jan 17–May 9,
Tuition $2058, Professor Rob Mancuso

AD 72201  High Performers: New Market Leaders
AD72201 Syllabus
Today’s high profile performers grab attention, headlines and market-place rewards. What makes a “winner”? Changing models of leadership and authority in American culture have crafted new paradigms of high profile performers. Course looks at individuals living and working in contemporary America, the paradox of success and failure, previous models, and personal pathways of leadership that influence new designs. Students can choose to read from among all of or excerpts from Moneyball, Michael Lewis; Winning: The Answers, Jack Welch with Suzy Welch; i-Con Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in American Business, Jeffrey Young and William Simons; A Testament of Hope, Franklin; Personal History, Graham; Ragged Dick, Alger; The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama; and selected articles on Oprah Winfrey and others.
Spring, Tues, 6:45–8:30, Jan 15–May 7,
Tuition $2058, Professor Kevin Van Anglen

AD 73101  Overcoming Gender and Generational Barriers in the Workplace
AD73101 Syllabus
To succeed in these times of economic uncertainty, organizations must maximize their human capital. The challenge in today’s workplace, where four generations of men and women work side-by-side, is to build from this diversity a stable core of productive employees. Achieving this requires overcoming gender and generational barriers which impede individual and group performance. Course generational topics include improving intergenerational communications; building cohesive teams; and employing targeted strategies for motivation, rewards, recruitment, and retention. Gender topics include strategies for overcoming male and female conversational style differences; leadership development; the glass ceiling challenge; sexual harassment avoidance;  and the work-life balancing act.
Spring, Thurs, 6:45–8:30, Jan 17–May 9,
Tuition $2058, Professor Terry Byrne

AD 73501  Developing Dynamic and Productive Organizations
AD73501 Syllabus
Dynamic organizational cultures spark innovation and productivity. In an age of increasing globalization, an awareness of personal, systemic and national cultures prompts a broader grasp  of the ways individuals and groups view work, leadership and  productivity. Course explores the paradigms and mental models, personal, interpersonal, group and systemic behaviors which weave together to form an organizational culture and how a particular culture impacts productivity. Examining the larger social context with its myriad contemporary issues (immigration, ecology and sustainability, health, mental health and substance use etc), allows us to examine how modern life impacts productive outcomes.
Spring, Wed, 6:45–8:30, Jan 16–May 8,
Tuition $2058, Professor Loretta Butehorn

AD 73601  Accounting Information & Statement Analysis
AD73601 Syllabus
Prerequisite: Familiarity with Financial Accounting, Finance, Excel and accessing data on the Web
Introduces how financial information impacts organizational decision making. Examines accounting theory and practice, information presentation, market valuations of companies, investment decisions relative to debt, budgeting and forecasting. Topics include financial statements, financial condition analysis, present value, time value of money, budgeting, long-term asset and liability decision making as well as the influence of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Case studies expand discussions.
Spring, Thurs, 6:30–9, Jan 17–May 9,
Tuition $2058, Professor Thomas Branca

AD 74101  Imaging: Brands, Personality and Persuasive Communication
AD74101 Syllabus
In our culture, image is about conveying success. It is what makes us want to buy a brand or vote for a candidate. Course explores the powerful role of imaging, the use of trademarks as a vehicle to convey a corporate image, and how a “marketable personality” (for a product, service, organization or individual) is defined, developed and communicated. Examines strategies for balancing the emotional and rational factors of a message, finding a position with “soul,” and using research to full advantage in relation to image failure and crisis management. A look at how imaging is affected by the exploding world of media and how it influences the corporate bottom line. Video and audio presentations and case studies provide stimulating examples. Students will better understand the imaging process and develop the know-how to evaluate and use it.
Spring, Tues, 6:45–8:30, Jan 15–May 7,
Tuition $2058, Professor Donald Fishman

AD 74601  Continuous Organizational Improvement: A Dynamic Psychosocial Perspective
AD74601 Syllabus
Designed to identify and explore current strategies and measures that enhance organization productivity within a healthy workplace environment. The course examines the current literature that focuses on workplace productivity in the public, private and non-profit sectors. A look at the changing roles of the game, the melding of the physical and virtual worlds; the evolution from a more vertical hierarchical design into more collaborative, interactive, and horizontal structures, joining with global endeavors. Course is sensitive to cultural dynamics, new patterns of participation and behavior, examines personal, interpersonal, and group behavior and suggests practical approaches to better respond. A hybrid course utilizing required classroom attendance on January 23, Feruary 6, 20, March 13, 20 and April 10, 24. The other weeks will require monitoring and posting to the virtual classroom on Blackboard Vista 2-3 days each of those on-line weeks to submit work and engage in on-line discussion.
Spring, Wed, 6:45–8:30, Jan 16–May 8,
Tuition $2058, Professor Elisabeth Hiles

AD 74801  Elements of Competitive Performance
AD74801 Syllabus
Unexpected levels of accomplishment motivate and inspire us to best our own performance. Course explores workplace competition utilizing Steve Jobs’ biography and examining the theoretical and practical reasons for the increase in adult athletic participation. Looks at the stages of adult development, the physiology of aging, gender and competition as well as theories of excellence, goal achievement, happiness and motivation. Considering running as an example relevant to other sports, students will experience the concrete process of setting and achieving a physical goal, and understand the impact that setting a goal, tailored to one’s particular interests and abilities, can have on the rest of one’s life.
Spring, Thurs, 6:45–8:30, Jan 17–May 9,
Tuition $2058, Professor Cathy Utzschneider

AD 75101  Public Affairs: New Challenges for the Non-Profit Sector
AD75101 Syllabus
One of every seven jobs in Massachusetts is found in the not-for- profit sector. In many ways, our non-profit higher education and health care institutions define our state's economy and help to create entire industries such as biotechnology, green technology, financial services and consulting services to name but a few. Course explores the emerging public relations, government relations, branding and strategic communication challenges faced by not-for-profit entities such as hospitals, universities, and other non-profit organizations, as they work to promote and protect their brand and reputation. Case studies draw on recent crises and management challenges to explore responses in communications, strategic planning, and innovative initiatives designed to advance the non-profit mission and market position.
Spring, Mon, 6:45–8:30, Jan 14–May 6,
Tuition $2058, Professor Richard Doherty

AD 75201  Entrepreneurs Without Borders
AD75201 Syllabus
New concepts designed to address the world’s pervasive social ills invite individual response. Social entrepreneurs blur the lines between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. They have emerged in response to government and philanthropy’s inability to alleviate the world’s social ills such as hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and global warming. Course examines three current models: nonprofits starting for-profit ventures, for-profit companies with a social purpose, and nonprofits that approach social needs in a new and innovative way. Students address such questions as: What does it take to be a social entrepreneur? Who are the leaders? What determines success and failure? Which is the appropriate business model for my idea? What about funding? How are corporations helping? And how does one assess the positive impact of the social venture?
Spring, Mon, 6:45–8:30, Jan 14–May 6,
Tuition $2058, Professor Francis Fallon

AD 75301  Laws of the Workplace
AD75301 Syllabus
This introduction to the rapidly evolving law of the workplace focuses on how the law works in practice today providing important information for employees and managers. Looks at traditional common law such as “Employment At Will” and areas of employment law topics including hiring, promotion and termination, workplace security, privacy and safety, compensation and benefits, immigration, and labor-management relations. Course also covers the various laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, with a focus on federal statutes and regulations as well as the emerging legal issues around Social Media in the workplace.
Spring, Mon, 6:45-8:30, Jan 14-May 6,
Tuition $2058, Professors Lev and Horgan