Back to Business Courses
The Back to Business short courses expose participants to the following topics:
Module 1:
The Analytical Manager: Business Analytics in Excel
Module 2:
Data Modeling and Database Design
Module 3:
Financial Statements and Decision Making
Module 4:
Pathways to Process Improvement
Module 5:
Human Interpretations
Module 6:
Marketing Matters
Module 7:
Global Competitiveness: Building a Culture of Productivity
Module 1: The Analytical Manager: Business Analytics in Excel
Jeffrey Camm, Instructor
Spreadsheet Engineering
- Building world-class spreadsheets for business decision making
• Principles of Building Good Spreadsheet Models
• Powerful Mathematical and Financial Functions in Excel
• Auditing an Existing Excel Model
• Applications: Retirement Planning Model; Lease versus Buy; etc.
Analyzing Data in Excel
- Data Management
- Descriptive Statistics
- Simple Approaches to Forecasting
- Applications: Sales Forecasting; stock variance and covariance; predictive modeling
Hyper What-If
- Assessing risk through Monte Carlo simulation in Excel
• Probabilistic Inputs
• Monte Carlo simulation
• Assessing Monte Carlo output
• Applications: Imbedding risk in models built in Day 1 session
From What-If to What's Best
- Building optimization models using Excel Solver
• Linear Models
• Nonlinear Models
• Discrete Models
• Applications: product mix; logistics; portfolio selection; scheduling; etc.
Module 2: Data Modeling and Database Design
Uma Umanath, Instructor
Data Modeling
- Development of conceptual data model using the Entity-Relationship (ER) Modeling grammar
[Tool used: MS/Visio]
Database Design
- Development of logical data model using the Relational modeling grammar
Relational schema and normalization
Database Development
- Relational Algebra and SQL (Structured Query Language)
[Tool Used: Oracle 11g]
Module 3: Financial Statements and Decision Making
Jens Stephan, Instructor
Financial Statements: the Language of Business
Chemco: discovering financial statements
- Real financial statements: content
• Health Management Associates (HMA)
• Universal Health Services (UHS)
- Measuring performance with the DuPont model of financial analysis
• The case of the savings bank
• Reformulated financial statements: a simple example
• Reformulated financial statements: HMA vs UHS
• Financial statement ratios: a coherent picture
Financial Decision Making
- An MD: Is It Worth It?
- Valuation basics: a one-period example
- Compound interest mathematics
- IRR and NPV
- Discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis: Multiple Examples
Module 4: Pathways to Process Improvement
Amit Raturi, Instructor
Process Definition
- Process thinking – what is it?
- Process knowledge – characterizing the levels
- Process mapping and reference models: tasks, connections, pathways
- Application: Deaconness (A)
Process Control – The Middle Step
- Quincunx experiments and results
- Alternate philosophies
- Alternative process control methodologies
- Applications: Kathy (A) and (B): what is process control?
Process Knowledge and Learning
- Defining improvement projects: metrics and the balanced scorecard
- Six sigma methodology
- Lean thinking and implications
- Applications: Procter and Gamble (A)
Implementing Projects
- Project definition
- Project schedules and plans
- Delivering value through improvement projects
- Applications: Microsoft project lab
Module 5: Human Interpretations
Suzanne Masterson, Instructor
Module 6: Marketing Matters
Robert Dwyer, Instructor
Customers Count
Customer Value
Creating Value
Finding the Sweet Spot
Crafting the Marketing Program
Honing the Program
Market Breakdowns
Frontiers of Marketing
Module 7: Global Competitiveness: Building a Culture of Productivity
Rajan Kamath, Instructor
Global Competitive Advantage
- The Competitive Advantage of Nations
- Margin Enhancement and Strategy
- Case: Ryanair
- Case: Cartier
Managing Alignment
- Problem Definition
- Language Processing
- Affinity Diagrams
The 5 Evils of the Workplace
- Scientific Problem Solving
- PDCA and Teamwork
- Case: Stanford Hospital
The Strategic Implications of Lean
- Change Management
- Building and Maintaining a Culture of Productivity
- Case: Virginia Mason Hospital
