Post-Doctoral Bridge to Management Certificate

Completing a doctoral degree is a challenging task, but often leads to significant rewards, such as the chance to effect positive change in a chosen area of study. Students in this required course are introduced to the expectations of doctoral-level study in Walden University’s School of Management. Students learn about academic protocols, academic integrity, and essential foundational skills, such as critical thinking, scholarly writing, inquiry-based analysis, and time management. They explore and practice using important resources, such as the Walden University Library and Writing Center. Students also develop their Professional Development Plan (PDP), which serves to help students remain on track to complete their degree in a way that lends to achieving personal, professional goals. Through this course, students gain an understanding of the importance of a Ph.D. in professional practice and scholarship.

Power is often thought of as the lifeblood of leadership. Students in this course review the varieties of power and their functions. They analyze and synthesize research, focusing on how leaders influence others through the tools they have at their disposal, including aspects of personality and character that serve to help effectively influence others. Students also explore the full spectrum of leadership behavior from autocracy to emergent consensus and how rights and powers are distributed to people in order to achieve their responsibilities in an organization. Practicing doctoral-level skills, students also engage in scholarly writing assignments, such as the preparation of a literature review, lending to a significant research topic, problem, and research question. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030.)

A desirable trait of modern managers and leaders is the ability to assess multiple perspectives and the confidence to assert change if needed. Conventional organizational structures and leadership behavior represent one, albeit the dominant, set of expectations based on widely understood assumptions and practices. Students in this course are provided with the opportunity to diverge from conventional leadership ideology and behavior through exploration of alternative models and lessons from a full spectrum of human organizations, such as utopians and reformers as well as intentional organizations and social experiments. Students analyze these organizations on a global level for new and promising methods, principles, and systems that may be applied and add value to local organizations. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030.)

Leadership in a global context with transnational organizations requires an understanding of the differences that exist among people as employees, colleagues, and customers. Students in this seminar course are introduced to advanced research topics in leadership and organizational behavior as they relate to the challenges of leading in internationalized, cross-cultural, and diverse contexts. Students analyze theories of cross-cultural practice, diversity in thinking, culture and belief systems, and stakeholder management. They actively engage in identifying potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the ethical and social change dimensions of the topics under study. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8300Z.)

Socially-conscious leadership involves the use of widely diverse psycho- and socio-graphic sensibilities regarding stakeholder interests and those of the larger society. In this course, students learn how to harness such awareness and examine the pursuit and distribution of profit, the mission of the organization, the methods of management, and organizational growth and restructuring to achieve new strategic objectives. They explore the nature of leadership in the context of a stakeholder environment with “triple bottom line” responsibilities—profit, sustainability, and social justice. They also study the nature of formal and informal relationships among people and between an organization and the community(s) in which the organization does business. This course presents students with the opportunity to gain skills necessary to understand the motives as well as the impact of organization and leadership failure. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8300Z.)

What are some of the advantages of various change models, how do organizations employ these to respond to change, and why is change important to an organization? Students in this course have the opportunity to answer such questions as well as to develop original ideas for change management and response. Students use traditional leadership methods and strategies to explore how the need for change is perceived, understood, and managed, and how change manifests itself from external and internal sources. They also learn ways that that they can use change techniques to mobilize an organization to make effective transitions. Engaging in scholarly inquiry, students use a whole systems and network perspective in relating change to internal and external contingencies. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8250Z, RSCH 8350Z, or RSCH 8450Z.)

Students in this course are provided with broad coverage of information systems management concepts and trends underlying current and future developments as well as principles for providing effective implementation of information technology. Students assess strategies associated with both sides of the electronic commerce world: e-commerce solutions for existing companies and e-business concept development for venture startups. Assessing a variety of case studies, students contextualize their study through the evaluation of emerging theories and practices of e-commerce strategies. As the course progresses, students develop and define their position on a variety of e-commerce information systems current issues and then engage in online discussions to share and defend their analysis. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030.)

What is business process redesign and how can it be used to achieve improvements in performance measures? Students in this course are provided with the opportunity to investigate such questions and survey a wide array of current literature from experts in the field. Students learn about the concepts of performance improvement and process re-engineering. They work toward achieving high-level improvements in organizational performance through redesigned business processes and the use of information technology to re-engineer an organization. Students analyze the data required for organizational performance improvement and then develop and present a report or case study of an organizational setting in the context of performance analysis and improvement. Students also engage in discussion assignments to share ideas and perspectives with peers and to reflect on weekly topics. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030.)

In consideration of the growing complexities of the global business environment, there is a pressing need for leaders with diverse skill sets who know how to see a project through a multitude of challenges in a rapidly changing business environment. Students in this course explore the theory and practice of how to manage projects in such environments. Through extensive reading and literature review, students assess effective project management styles, critical factors for project success, organizational support systems that enhance projects, earned value analysis, the maturity of modern project management, and ethics in project execution. They also examine critical issues of budgeting, schedules, technical planning, and control methods, and they investigate the function of project management software in anticipating and managing the challenges of complex environments. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8300Z.)

Students in this course are provided with the opportunity to examine the analysis, design, and development of computer-based information systems to enhance their knowledge base in software engineering. They compare the key characteristics of object-oriented methodologies with traditional methods for an understanding of how various types of systems require different software engineering techniques. Students learn about the life-cycle concept and related activities, including information requirements determination, prototyping, detailed systems design, development, testing, and implementation strategies. Collaborating with peers, students sharpen analytical and communication skills as they engage in weekly discussions on a variety of topics, such as software processes, design and implementation, dependability and security, and general issues related to software engineering. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8300Z.)

Reliable, secure transfer of information is vital to the operation and management of all businesses. The information transfer process, however, has presented a series of challenges as modern technology and the Internet have transformed the way business is conducted. Students in this course examine the need for security measures, policies, and careful assessment to ensure data integrity in electronic commerce. They explore management aspects of information security from a business perspective as well as the implications of information security risks faced by organizations. Students learn ways to identify threats and implement safeguards on corporate networks and the Internet. They also explore topics on the return on security investment, business continuity planning, development of security policies, and information security auditing. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8250Z, RSCH 8350Z, or RSCH 8450Z.)

All responsible leaders consider the fiscal implications of the decisions they make on a daily basis, such as those involving growth, sustainability, and employee issues. In this course, students are provided with a survey of fundamental concepts in financial decision making, primarily at the individual and firm level. Students examine core principles, such as the time value of money, decision making under conditions of uncertainty, valuation, and capital budgeting. They also explore the legal, ethical, and global dimensions of individual- and firm-level financial economic decision-making theories and practices. Students gain hands-on practice using modern financial tools to evaluate case study scenarios and collaborate with peers to practice conducting and presenting research on a specific topic. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030).

Students are provided with the opportunity to augment their core financial knowledge base through a survey of fundamental concepts in financial decision making in which markets affect firm decisions and societal outcomes. Through a variety of practical application assignments, students learn about the role, impact, and limitations of financial markets in society and how risk and return for firms is mediated and moderated by agency effects, information asymmetries, and both rational and irrational aspects of market behavior. Students examine the structure of international capital markets. They also explore and discuss the legal, ethical, and global dimensions of firm- and market-level financial economic decision-making theories and practices. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030).

How do corporate managers decide which investments add the most value to their company? Using previously acquired knowledge of financial analysis and decision making, in addition to new concepts presented in this course, students have the opportunity to answer this question, as well as to understand the reasoning behind such valuation. Students engage in a variety of group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on advanced research topics related to corporate finance, including the sourcing and deployment of capital, corporate risk management, short- and long-term financing, and product-market interactions. Through extensive reading and literature review, students identify potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the legal, ethical, and global dimensions of corporate finance theories and practices. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8300Z or AMDS 8427).

Experienced investors and managers understand that market prices may be misleading; therefore, they often use valuation theories and methodologies to help them determine the intrinsic value of assets. Students in this course are introduced to advanced research topics related to the valuation of assets, entities, and general opportunities. Students engage in group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on the valuation elements of mergers and acquisitions; options; international asset pricing; valuation of intangible assets, such as human resources; and capital budgeting and valuation with leverage. Through extensive reading and literature review, students identify potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the legal, ethical, and global dimensions of valuation in finance theories and practices. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8300Z or AMDS 8427).

Competitive advantage and corporate sustainability depend profoundly on the financial decisions managers make. These decisions are based on information processed and evaluated using established theories. These theories as well as the forecasting models used by contemporary financial planners and investors are introduced to students. Students engage in a variety of group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on advanced research topics related to financial management planning, forecasting, and decision making. They explore econometric and time series analysis, cash flow, inventory, supply chains, sales forecasting, and both short- and long-range financial planning modeling. Through extensive reading and literature review, students identify potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the legal, ethical, and global dimensions of forecasting and financial planning and analysis. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8250Z or RSCH 8350Z or RSCH 8450Z.)

Human resources are the heart of an organization; therefore, their behavior, expectations, and needs should be among the factors at the forefront of managers’ interests. Students in this course explore advanced research topics in organizational behavior, including the implications for effective human resource management with a focus on individual, group, and organizational behavior. They engage in group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on individual differences in employee motivation and job satisfaction; group development; team building; organizational leadership; and organizational design, change, culture, and development. Through extensive reading and literature review, students identify potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the global and ethical dimensions pertaining to course subject matter. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030).

One of the main responsibilities of human resource managers and organizational leaders is to employ human resources (HR) to align with an organization’s needs and goals, moving the organization toward competitive advantage and sustainable success. Students in this course are introduced to advanced research topics in the strategic management of HR within a systems thinking and metrics-based performance measurement context. Students engage in a variety of group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on the analysis of resource-based theories of organizational performance; strategic management; and HR strategy, planning, and management (including succession planning). Students also discuss the role of metrics, knowledge management, and human resource information systems in supporting HR and organizational strategies in global markets. Through extensive reading and literature review, students explore global and ethical dimensions of course topics and identify potential HR research topics for their dissertation. (Prerequisites: MGMT 8030.)

How do organizational leaders determine who to hire and in what ways do they ensure that capable employees are sustained and managed in a way that guarantees high performance and organizational achievement? Students in this course have the opportunity to answer such questions through the examination of advanced research topics, including the development and management of human capital within organizations. Students engage in group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on human resource concepts related to training and development, rewards and compensation, individual performance management, the role of human resources with individuals for global positions, and organization-wide succession planning. Through extensive reading and literature review, students identify potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the global and ethical dimensions pertaining to course subject matter. (Prerequisites: SCH 8300Z or AMDS 8427).

Considering global-level expansion, issues of diversity, and traditional ethical issues, nearly all organizations must follow a host of laws and regulations; it is the responsibility of managers to know these guidelines for the welfare of employees and stability of the company. Students in this course explore advanced research topics that address the legal, ethical, and cultural environment, both internal to organizations and more broadly. They engage in group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on the analysis of the regulatory environment in which human resource (HR) professionals must operate, HR management’s role in communications, management of diversity and inclusion, and promotion of justice within organizations. Through extensive reading and literature review, students engage actively in identifying potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the global and ethical dimensions pertaining to course subject matter. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8300Z or AMDS 8427).

Human resource (HR) managers bridge the gap between employees and management, creating a challenging relationship requiring the ability to recognize and assess conflict, communicate strategically and effectively, and negotiate for resolutions. Students in this course explore this relationship and examine advanced research topics in labor relations, negotiation, and conflict resolution. They engage in group activities, discussions, and writing assignments on a variety of topics, including the HR role in designing and managing conflict resolution processes beginning with mediation and negotiating with labor and other major human resource constituencies. Through extensive reading and literature review, students identify potential research topics for their dissertation and explore the global and ethical dimensions pertaining to course subject matter. (Prerequisites: RSCH 8250Z or RSCH 8350Z or RSCH 8450Z).