More Essential Business MOOCs for October

Grow To Greatness: Smart Growth For Private Businesses – Part I

School: University of Virginia (Darden)

Source:  Coursera

Registration Link: Grow To Greatness: Smart Growth For Private Businesses – Part I

Start Date: October 20, 2014 (Part 1)

Workload: 4-6 Hours Per Week (5 Weeks Long – Part 1)

Instructor: Edward D. Hess

Credentials: Professor Hess is a professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business. Over his career, he has authored 10 books and 60 Darden cases, along with appearing in business outlets like Businessweek.com, Forbes.com, Business Insider, The Financial Times, Fortune, Money, CNBC, Fox Business, and Dow Jones. In the private sector, he has conducted executive education programs in companies ranging from Pitney Bowes to Cigna. Hess also acts as Executive-in-Residence at Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where he researches the challenges inherent to business growth.

Graded: Students will receive a signed Statement of Accomplishment for completing the course.

Description: This two-part course will expose students to the growth challenges businesses face after being successfully launched. In Part 1, students will witness how businesses can struggle in weighing various alternatives, implementing consistent processes, prioritizing initiatives, and establishing a plan instead of operating day-by-day. In Part 2, the course will focus on driving and measuring employee performance, establishing cultural mores that reward the right behaviors, and building a strong leadership team.

Before each session, students will read assigned articles and case studies. During the weekly session, studies will watch videos that will expand on this content. The videos will also present workshop exercises, where students will provide strategies to a new business each week to help them solve issues like whether they should franchise their business to grow. Afterwards, students will learn which strategies were adopted – and whether they worked.  Students may organize course communities through the Discussion Forum to help students interact and learn from each other.

Review (Part 1): “Only Coursera class taken that has been engaging…which is a feat with an on-line platform.Assignments were relevant to materials presented, Prof Ed had office hours weekly AND he answered questions regularly.Meaningful, thoughtful, wonderful class! I applaud his dedication and cannot wait until part II to begin in April!” For additional reviews of this course, click here.

Additional Note: Part two of this course will start on January 12.