Course Catalog
Please note that not all courses are offered every quarter.
To see current and upcoming courses, please check the schedule:
Courses Primarily for Undergraduate Students
BUS_INST 301 – Accounting
Introduction to both financial and managerial accounting. Use of organizations' financial statements for making decisions.
Prerequisites: ECON 201-0 and ECON 202-0.
BUS_INST 302 – Marketing Management
Basic principles and applications of marketing management. Marketing segmentation, target marketing, brand positioning, consumer behavior, channels strategy, pricing, advertising and promotion.
Prerequisites: ECON 201-0 and ECON 202-0.
BUS_INST 303 – Leadership in Organizations
Social science tools for solving organizational problems and influencing individuals, groups, and organizations. Competitive decision making, reward system design, team building, strategic negotiation, political dynamics, corporate culture, and strategic organizational design.
Prerequisites: ECON 201-0 and ECON 202-0.
Social Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
SAMPLE SYLLABUS (Gamez-Djokic)
BUS_INST 304 – Corporate Finance
Effects of time and uncertainty on valuation and decision making. Discounting techniques, stock and bond valuation, capital budgeting, firm valuation, capital asset pricing model, financial options.
May not receive credit for both this course and ECON 360-1. Not for students who have previously taken KELLG_FE 310-0 or IEMS 326. Students may substitute any of ECON 360-1, IEMS 326 and KELLG FE for BUS INST 304.
Prerequisites: ECON 201-0 and ECON 202-0; STAT 210-0 or equivalent; MATH 218-1 or MATH 220-1; and BUS_INST 301-0.
BUS_INST 321 – Business and Economic Institutions in Historical Perspective
Factors affecting economic growth and challenges to achieving economic success. Organization of firms and financial markets; corporate governance; innovation; financial crises; income inequality; race and gender.
Prerequisites: ECON 201-0 and ECON 202-0; STAT 210-0 or equivalent; and MATH 218-1 or MATH 220-1.
Historical Studies Distro Area
BUS_INST 331 – Real Estate Finance & Investment
An introduction to the fundamental concepts, principles, analytical methods and tools used for making investing and financing decisions regarding income producing properties. Topics covered include leases, cash flow-based real estate evaluation, property financing (debt), real estate private equity, and property taxation.
Prerequisites: ECON 201-0, ECON 202-0, STAT 210-0 or equivalent, BUS_INST 304-0 or equivalent.
BUS_INST 394 – Professional Linkage Seminars
Content varies. Possible topics include: business ethics, entrepreneurship, financial markets, history of investing, investment banking, investment management, global marketing, sports marketing and non-profit management.
Prerequisites may vary.
Up to 1 professional linkage seminar may count toward the minor as a humanities or social science elective.
The following is a list of currently offered and/or recently offered professional linkage seminars. Students should check the annual course schedule to determine the precise quarter(s) in which particular seminars are offered.
BUS_INST 394 – Business History of the late 20th Century to Today
This class will explore the history of American business during the past 40 years. Throughout this period, American business has seen a transformation in the way risk is evaluated, capital is raised, and organizations are led. The "rules of the game" during this period have changed radically in terms of corporate control, business management and wealth creation. We will explore the transformations in business and commerce during the past four decades that have led to current trends and problems.
BUS_INST 394 – The Business of College Sport
This course is an in-depth overview of the major issues related to intercollegiate athletic administration. The course will focus on the history of college athletics, operations, finances, strategic planning, and critical issues and future trends that impact college sport. This course will provide a weekly forum for examining and analyzing the significant issues related to college sport. We will discuss "hot button" issues such as the debate regarding whether student-athletes are university employees; name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes; the NCAA Gender Equity Review related to the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments; coach and student-athlete behavioral issues; social justice consciousness related to racial equality and opportunity and its significant impact on the entire sports landscape; the NCAA governance structure; the Alston Supreme Court Case; the student-athlete transfer portal; conference re-alignment; transgender student-athletes and other pertinent issues. We will also interact with experienced, accomplished figures in college athletics today.
BUS_INST 394 – Ethics & Leadership
The goal of this course is to challenge you to think deeply about the responsibility you have as both a business leader and a subordinate to maintain ethics at the core of your decision-making and actions. During the quarter, we will examine ethical decision-making from a number of perspectives.
BUS_INST 394 – The History of Investing
The goal of the course is to provide an overview of the history of investment thought, looking at ancient times and studying modern investment thinking more closely. We will also survey a number of the major investment categories with a focus on how investing takes place in the "real world."
BUS_INST 394 – Inefficient Markets
The goal of this course is to expose driven, inquisitive students to real-life examples of inefficiency in the public financial markets and build up a framework for thinking about the drivers of these inefficiencies. Students will explore how hedge funds evaluate these opportunities and capitalize on them to drive returns for their investors. The course will help students understand the concept of arbitrage and the limits of arbitrage opportunities.
There will be a particular focus on asking why outsized returns exist in specific cases of market inefficiency. Students will be exposed to a myriad of potential root causes including counterparty risk, liquidity risk and investor segmentation. Through the course, students will learn how to price and evaluate a wide variety of financial instruments including depository receipts, credit default swaps, convertible bonds and distressed debt.
The aim of the course is to give students several examples of bona fide market inefficiency and give them the tools to assess (and potentially capitalize on) future market opportunities in real-time.
Prerequisites: BUS_INST 304-0 or equivalent.
BUS_INST 394 – Investment Banking & Private Equity
This course focuses on investment banking organizational structure, products, risks, earnings, regulations, innovations and competition. The functions of the "banking" business (M&A and financing, including equity, bonds and convertibles), the "sales and trading" business (institutional investor investing activity) and other investment banking businesses will be analyzed. In addition, the course focuses on private equity organizational structure, investment activity, relationships with limited partners, exit strategies, financial models, portfolio company cash flow and margin enhancing activity and the inextricable relationship between investment banks and private equity firms. This course will prepare students for internship and full-time interviewing for both investment banks and private equity firms, as well as provide a broad educational background for students generally interested in finance and investing.
BUS_INST 394 – Leadership as Behavior: An Experiential Workshop to Practice Core
The purpose of the class is to deepen your insight into effective team leadership and to strengthen the practical listening and connecting skills essential to creating a collaborative and inclusive team environment. The course will give you actual practice in core skills that will serve you in life.
For this class, we sit in chairs in a circle. No phones. No computers. The core skills we practice are: controlling where you focus attention; empathetic listening; asking powerful questions; expressing gratitude; creating psychological safety in teams; giving and receiving feedback; and engaging with those with whom you disagree to understand their views, how they feel about those views, and why they feel that way. In addition, you will practice daily gratitude journaling, which has the potential to increase your overall positivity and resilience. You will practice stand-up presentation skills that should make you more effective as a presenter. Finally, I ask that you follow certain objective guidance in your written submissions, so your ability to write clearly should improve.
The course’s goal is to enhance your interpersonal effectiveness as a team member and team leader.
BUS_INST 394 – Non-Profit Management (campusCatalyst)
This course is jointly sponsored by Business Institutions and a student organization called campusCatalyst. The course is taught by a leader in the Chicagoland non-profit community and combines both a consulting experience with area non-profits facing organizational strategy issues with classroom lectures and discussions on the nonprofit sector. The class is composed of 25 students who are split into teams of five, and matched with local non-profit organizations and Kellogg MBA mentors, to work on quarter-long consulting engagements. Students directly engage with their client organizations in the field and then collectively meet once per week to discuss issues and problems they are facing with one another and their instructor, as well as to attend a series of classroom lectures on the nonprofit sector. To inform and guide students’ interactions with non-profits, the classroom sessions will provide an overview of the non-profit sector and the growing trends towards greater accountability, transparency and performance management. Students will explore the changing roles and responsibilities of non-profits, as shaped by both the public and private sector, and they will examine the implications of these trends. The course curriculum has two parts: 1) introducing students to the so-called Third Sector and the present political and economic systems that influence how it serves the public good and 2) examining business strategy and management and their applicability to non-profits. The over-arching goal of the course is to create a foundation of knowledge from which students can draw upon as they work together with community non-profits. This course is an opportunity to innovate, collaborate, learn and apply a new set of skills and knowledge while impacting the community.
Students must apply to take this course. Information about application deadlines for future quarters and how to apply as well as more information about campusCatalyst can be found at: campuscatalyst.northwestern.edu
BUS_INST 394 – Organizational Risk Management
Risk Management is one of the most important business skills every student needs to learn and understand for a successful career. Organizations are increasingly understanding the lessons learned from the major risk management disasters of this century (e.g., 2008 financial crisis, MF Global, Wells Fargo, Enron, Theranos) and see that lapses in risk management have resulted in significant losses for organizations in diverse industries. Therefore, organizations have increasingly implemented risk management programs and processes to get ahead of problems before they arise.
In recent years, risk management has evolved from a control function (e.g., minimizing risk) to a function that enables performance optimization. Effective risk management programs can and should both minimize risk while supporting business growth and profitability. Risk Management is about balancing risk and reward - the best business leaders take intelligent risks by pursuing the right business opportunities given the organization's capabilities.
Risk Management effects all areas of an organization and therefore this course will explore risk management in several facets of an organization. We will study many fascinating areas of risk in this course including operational risk, compliance and regulatory risk, financial risk, insurance, and IT/cybersecurity risk.
This class will add significant value to your future careers. Risk management is ultimately about people because a company's risk profile is driven by the decisions and actions of individual employees. Risk management will be a part of your future career as an employee no matter what your role - each employee responsible for helping to manage risk.
When you understand and implement what we learn in this course, you will be seen as a valuable organizational asset by your employer and be a more effective leader and employee.
BUS_INST 394 – Positive Entrepreneurship
Positive Entrepreneurship: Profits and Meaning is a class of nine topics that will take students on a journey from where they are today to where they want to end up as successful, positive entrepreneurs. The goal of this course is to help prepare students who want to start a company and live to their full potential in life both personally and professionally. The class will integrate entrepreneurship, Positive Psychology, Conscious Capitalism, and other related subjects to teach the skills and knowledge to enable students to build a life that matters by starting their own company. This class is the start of the student's journey to find meaning and true passion in their work and personal life.
Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors.
BUS_INST 394 – Theories and Practice of Investment Management
This course studies the field of investment management for institutional portfolios. It is intended as a combination of modern financial theory and industry practice, giving insight into the investment process used in large foundations, endowments, and pension funds. It covers best practices in risk management, diversification theory, modern portfolio theory, and new issues in investment management. In particular, the field of alternative investments namely, hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and real asset-based investments will be featured.
Prerequisites: STAT 210-0 or equivalent.